Biography of John MCKAMIE 1792-1862 - [BIO 056]

Compiled by William M. McKemie

John was the first born of Johnston McKemie and Mary Pearson. He is believed to have been born in Fairfield District, South Carolina. His exact date of birth is unknown. Also born to Johnston and Mary:

Mary Elizabeth McKemie	24 Dec 1793
Philip McKemie	1795
William McKemie	17 Dec 1799
James Francis McKemie	10 March 1802
Robert Pearson McKemie	15 Dec 1807
Sarah McKemie	date unknown

All children of Johnston and Mary are believed to have been born in Fairfield District.

John was a planter, presumablly of cotton, and later became a Methodist-Episcople Minister. He married Frances Mooty in 1820 in Fairfield District. While in Fairfield District they had their first two children:

John Pierce McKamie	29 Dec 1822
Jane Wesley McKamie	15 October 1825(?)

After moving to Troup County, Georgia, John and Frances had eight more children:

Joseph H. McKamie	10 Aug 1825
(note problem with dates and places of the above two childern)
Mary Ann McKamie	abt 1828
Elizabeth N. McKamie	abt 1830
Isaac McKamie	abt 1832
James McKamie	abt 1834
William Howard McKamie	abt 1834
Martha McKamie	abt 1835
Frances N. McKamie	abt 1837

Frances Mooty McKamie died in Troup County in 1836 or 1837. We know little of Frances Mooty although we find the Mooty name in both Fairfield District and Troup County. In Troup County in 1860, John's niece, Mary Ella, through brother, William, married William Young Mooty, son of Alexander of Fairfield District. It seems that the families of Alexander Mooty, John McKamie, and two of John's brothers, Phillip McKemie and William McKemie all came from Fairfield District to Troup County at about the same time, in the 1820s.

On June 29, 1837, John re-married, to Mary Mabry Turner in Troup County. Mary was born 25 October 1801 in Georgia and is a daughter of Adam Poole Mabry who died in 1817 Jasper Co Georgia. Mary married first Ison Turner in 1817.

She gave John three more children:

Phillip McKamie	abt 1839
Robert McKamie	abt 1841
Sarah McKamie	abt 1842

The Troup County Census of 1850 tells us much of the above. It doesn't tell us exactly when John and family came to Lousiana. But, they did, to Claiborne Parish in northern Lousiana. Based on a loyality oath made by John Pierce McKamie on 12 Oct 1868, the time of arrival in Lousiana would be about 1851. It is believed that John was a traveling or circuit riding M-E minister. He is on record as having married his daughter, Elizabeth, to Jesse D. Proctor in Claiborne Parrish on 4 Aug 1857. Another daughter, Frances, married another Proctor, Andrew J, on 1 June 1857 in Claiborne Parish.

Living in Claiborne Parish at the same time was first cousin, once removed, Dr. James Asbury Broadus McKemie and family. To confuse geneologists, Dr JAB McKemie's descendants moved into southern Arkansas.

John seems to have maintained residence in Claiborne Parrish, but most of his sons seem to have moved to Nevada and Lafayette Counties Arkansas before the War of Northern Aggression. Sons Joseph, William, and Phillip are Veterans of Arkansas units.

John met a noteworthy end. It is said that he followed nine of his sons and sons-in-law into Confederate service as a Chaplin, being too old for combat service. John and some unknown number of kinfolk were at the Battle of Ft Donalson in Tennessee in February 1862. This battle marked the final effort of the Confederacy to challenge Union control of the western river system. After defeat, on the retreat from Ft Donalson, the party containing John was overtaken by Union pursurers.

When the Union party demanded surrender, John declined, stating that he was too old to become a prisoner of war. On command of the Union commander, John, age 70, was shot. It is said that he died in the arms of son Joseph and that his body was left at trailside.

John's estate settlement papers may be found in Claiborne Parish records. His primary assets were 360 acres of land in Claiborne Parish and a negro woman slave and her three children. Ten heirs recieved $400 or more each after the estate was liquidated. The burial sites for both John and Mary Turner are unknown. It is believed that Mary pre-deceased him. He may have been living in Columbia County Arkansas with children before died.

Notes on name spelling:

John and most of his descendant's used the McKamie spelling. All other known descendants of John's grandfather, also John, use the McKemie spelling. One of John's grandsons, William Barksdale McKemie, reverted to the "e" spelling. Spellings such as McKamey, McCamy, and McAmie are common in more distant branches of the family.

It is believed that John is the great-great-great grandson of the father of the noted Presbyterian, Francis MaKemie. The lineage goes thusly:

Robert Makemie b ~1620 Scotland
Robert Makemie b ~1660 County Donegal Ireland (also Francis, b ~1658)
Robert Francis MaKemie b ~1690 probably Ireland married Mary Breden
John McKemie b ~1734 Chester Co PA married Jane Elliott
Johnston McKemie (1765-1823) married Mary Pearson
John McKamie (1792-1862)

Topic for more research:

There are some black McKamies in Arkansas. We don't know their connection, although it seems almost certain that they were somehow connected to John or his children. It was common for slaves to take the sir names of their owners. Part of John's estate was Nancy (age 29 in February 1863), and her three children: Harriet (age 6), Eliza (age 4), and a infant. Nancy was dark in color, while the two older children were light in color.

More missing information:

We know nothing of the descendants of the following of John's children:

Elizabeth married Jesse D. Proctor
Isaac
James
Martha
Phillip
Robert
Sarah married John L. Smith 24 Jan 1858 Claiborne Parrish

I vigorously solicit additions and corrections to the above.
William M. McKemie
2336 Sand Hollow
Dale, Texas 78616
512 764-2122
[email protected]

1/17/1999
1/14/01
1/16/01
7/23/02

Legend

Biography of John MCKAMIE 1792-1862 - [BIO 056]

Compiled by William M. McKemie