JOHN McKINNEY, JR.
1760 - 1843
John Jr. was born on September 2, 1760 on Bullocks Creek, in York County, South Carolina.
There is much information on John, Jr. His story has been documented by affidavits from a family friend and two of his direct descendants. He was born right after the family arrived in SC and moved to Rutherford, NC., possibly, by the time he was ten. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, he joined the Revolutionary War. His patriotic duty was probably fueled by his father being a Whig, a signer of the Articles of Association in 1775, a Captain and his home place being used as Fort McKinney. Gen. Francis Marion used his youth to put him in a position to spy for him. The story goes that Gen. Marion took John down river and let him work his way back to a family home of suspected informers to the British. John presented himself as having no home or family and the people under suspicion took him in their home. John watched and found that the family was reporting Gen. Marion's troop movements. One of John's prized possessions was a letter of commendation from Gen. Francis Marion and a pair of silver spurs. At least one of the spurs still exists. I have had a report that a family in Texas has it. Also, it was, at one time, in a bank vault in Texas.John Jr. was given power of attorney by his father to oversee his lands in Pennsylvania:
18 July 1794. Proved , July term 1794. I, JOHN MCKINNEY, have constituted, made and appointed my trusty and loving son JOHN MCKINNEY, Junr., my lawful attorney, for me and in my name, to my use, to ask, sue, demand and receive all debts, rents, accounts, particularly all of my lands in the State of Pennsylvania, which fell to me or which may fall to me hereafter by heir ship or other wise. Wit: Jonas Bedford, Junr., Davie Liles. Signed JOHN MCKINNEY.About this time John, Jr. and Catherine Eaves made their way northwest and wound up in Maucoupin Co. Illinois. John, Jr. died in that county in 1843. He was a well read man and Catherine was reported to have said he would read if the house were burning down. Indeed, on the day he died, in a semi -conscience state, he talked as if he were reading from a book.
After his death, Catherine lived with her daughters until her death. Not much is known about Catherine, other than she was the sister of Wade Hampton's grandfather.* (Wade Hampton was a famous Civil War general for the Confederacy. He helped end the Reconstruction Era in South Carolina and became a noted governor of the state.) Catherine was born in 1776 according to one report. That would make her considerably younger than John Jr. I have no proof of this date.
In 1846, on a report of new lands and opportunities in Texas from John Jr.'s son, Jubilee, some of his other children, Hampton, Jefferson, Jubilee, and Nancy moved to Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas. Stories of their adventures on the trip and their lives in Texas are reported by affidavits from Hampton's daughters, Elizabeth Jane McKinney Beaton and Mary H. McKinney Miller and a friend Helen Marshall.
* I recently heard from Walter Fulter, of Texas, who has done much research on John, Jr. and Catherine Eaves. Walter is the source of much of my information regarding John, Jr. He has this to say about Catherine's Wade Hampton connection:
"The main reason I'm writing you is to challenge your statement that Catherine Eaves is in any way related to Wade Hampton. Yes, I know what is in the affidavits, but I have chased that one down and have concluded that there is no relation. I'm of the belief that the authors of the affidavits got their Hamptons mixed up and named Wade instead of Andrew. Remember that Andrew Hampton was also a war hero from the battle of Kings Mountain.
I'm enclosing a picture of the sole surviving silver spur given to John McKinney. I took this photo myself, so I can attest to it's existence."
CHILDREN OF JOHN, JR. AND CATHERINE EAVES MCKINNEYMary McKinney
Birth: Madison County, Illinois
Spouse: William Gillham (m. 13 Mar. 1823)
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Hampton McKinney
Birth: 3 Jun. 1796 Rutherford County, North Carolina
Death: 21 Nov. 1852 Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas
Burial: Oakwood Cemetery, Corsicana, Texas
Spouse: Mary Banes Clark (m. 21 Jun. 1817)
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Susan McKinney
Birth: 14 Dec. 1800 Rutherford County, North Carolina
Death: 1868
Spouse: William , Jr. Otwell (m. 20 Dec. 1825)
Spouse: Charles Shores (m. 14 Mar. 1821)
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Jefferson McKinney
Birth: bet 1800-1808 Illinois
Death: Texas
Spouse: Lucinda Sams (m. 10 Feb. 1835)
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Diadema McKinney
Birth: abt 1809 Madison County, Illinois
Spouse: William Hadley (m. 16 Sep. 1830)
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Jubilee Lafayette McKinney
Birth: 23 Dec. 1810 Madison County, Illinois
Death: 22 Jun. 1872 Navarro County, Texas
Spouse: Elizabeth Clementine Story (m. 31 Dec. 1852)
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Nancy E. McKinney
Birth: 20 May 1814 Madison County, Illinois
Death: 22 Nov 1896 Ennis, Ellis County, Texas
Burial: Myrtle Cemetery, Ennis, Texas
Spouse: Fenwick Robbins Kendall (m. 22 Nov 1831)
We invite any descendants of John McKinney, Jr. and his wife, Catherine Eaves, or anyone with questions or other information to contact us at: mckteaster@earthlink.net .