The McKees of McKeesport
As may people know, my family had been in McKeesport since 1750.They were a riverboat family and many of them are buried in and around the Lewis and Clark cemetery lot at Versailles Cemetery in Mckeesport.
Of the years, I have collected every cemetery record of every family within 200 ft of the Lewis and Clark lot number C32.This includes John Mckee the founder of Mckeesport or so says the monument.
I have on record (obituary) of my ggggrandfather that states at a time before steam, he flotted his flatboat full of GOODS from Pittsburgh to New Orleans and walked back.
He lived from about 1760 to 1840 and made the 1800 Elizabeth Census.Records are spotty on this as he was moved from the old cemetery in Mckeesport to Versailles at the opening of Versailles around 1857.At that point he was given a new death date of the day of the opening of Versailles Cemetery.
My records are extensive covering sections A,B,C,D,E and F.
I just found out from an old family record that the GOODS in the obituary was Whiskey.
I also found out they were shipping Whiskey through Prohibation.
This ties us to the Pittsburgh Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 and both sides of the Whiskey issue in 1794 which involved General Harry Lighthorse Lee, Col Alexander Hamilton and Captain Meriwether Lewis on the pro tax side and Whiskey maker Harry Hamilton and Lawyer Hugh Breckinridge on the anti-tax side.
What is almost certain is my family had ties to Cyrus McCormick his son Col Robert R McCormick and Edwin M Stanton who defended Cyrus McCormick in Pittsburgh.A well known case.Edwin M Stanton was a Pittsburgh lawyer who married Pittsburgh socialite Ellen Hutchison.She was the daughter of Lewis Hutchison who was a wealthy shipper from Mckeesport. Ellen Hutchison's brother was James Hutchison and James Hutchison as well as HB Sinclair were pall bearers for Union Major James Felix Ryan who was killed by a horse in Mckeesport April 14 1887.
HB Sinclair is buried in lot E33 is with his father and mother Samuel Sinclair and Elizabeth McKee.Elizabeth McKee was I believe John McKees' Daughter. John McKee was the founder of Mckeesport
Ellen Hutchison was said to be a direct descendent of Meriwether Lewis by Writer Benjamin P Thomas in his book STANTON the life of Lincoln's Secretary of War.
It's on page 68 in the book and that might be correct. The reason I believe it's correct is Edwin M Stanton's aide General Halleck was married to Elizabeth Hamilton who was the granddaughter of Alexander Hamilton.Meriwether Lewis was well known to be Alexander Hamilton's aide.
I would like to get feedback on exactly who Elizabeth McKee really was before I go more into this and a French family named Duquesne.
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Re: The McKees of McKeesport
Carol Wilson 5/15/14