Mary was third born in a family of seven. Her father migrated from Crawford County, Illinois settling in Cherokee County, Kansas in 1868 when she was three years old. They started the trip by covered wagon but the unpaved roads were so rutted and difficult they eventually took passage on a steamer on the Missouri River getting off at St. Joseph, Missouri. They went to Emporia, Kansas but things were not flourishing there so John joined his brother, Joshua McKee who lived in Cherokee County, Kansas. Mary grew to love Cherokee County.
Mary's father built a home 14 feet by 16 feet with two doors and one window. He covered it with clapboards which he made. The house had a sod chimney built of sod, mud and sticks. She moved into the house with her parents and siblings when she was four years old. Her father settled on a 160 acre claim and later traded a cow for a man's claim on forty acres joing on the north and west side of the farm giving them 200 acres. He paid $500 for the 160 acres.
The family attended a Quaker church where a preacher came once a month by train to preach. The other Sundays they all sat totally silent for about an hour after which the older people would turn to one another and shake hands with those sitting near. Then everyone joined in shaking hands. Sometimes a member would sing a song or say a prayer.
Besides church social life consisted of spelling bees, literary and occasionally a party. Mary wrote in her autobiography that here were a number of young people in the schools because the area was well populated by this time.
Mary met her husband, Albert Rozelle Nash when she was a school teacher at Willow Creek Rural School in Spring Valley Township, Cherokee County, Kansas. Albert after his first wife, Elva, died of influenza moved there with his six year old daughter Elnora and enrolled her in this school. He moved here to be near his parents Judah and and Helen M. Nash. Mary McKee boarded with Albert's parents, Judah and Mary Nash.
Albert purchased an 80 acre farm and lived there for a few years as several of he and Mary's children were born there. They sold these 80 acres in 1897 as recorded and lived on various rented farms in the area around Hallowell, Cherokee County, Kansas. In 1901 he then purchased the first 80 acres of the family farm. Around 1903 Albert and Mary with a family of six, purchased an additional 80 acres making a 160 acre farm. It was located two miles north and one mile west of Melrose, Kansas.
In 1918 when her son, Howard became gravely ill with influenza while serving in the Army she traveled 150 miles by horse and wagon to nurse him back to health with her frontier remedies. He would not have survived were it not for her nursing care on the Army post Camp Funston, near Fort Riley, Kansas. She was at first not welcomed onto the Army base but that did not stop Mary.
When Mary became aged her son Howard Nash moved with his family into the Nash homestead and Mary moved into a small house next to the big one. She remained as independent as she could with someone nearby. Near the end of her life Mary spent winters in Kansas City with her three daughters, Orpha, Clara and Helen. Her grandson Jack Ellis reported that she stayed as sharp as a tack and never became senile. She died of a heart attack about the time Jack entered the army in World War II.
At the time of her death Mary was survived by her six children, 29 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Mary's funeral services were held at the Faulkner Christian Church by the pastor, Rev. Jones. She was the last surviving child of John Hansford McKee, a pioneer of the Sixties, and Orrilla Hatch McKee Reeser.
Mary's father built a home 14 feet by 16 feet with two doors and one window. He covered it with clapboards which he made. The house had a sod chimney built of sod, mud and sticks. She moved into the house with her parents and siblings when she was four years old. Her father settled on a 160 acre claim and later traded a cow for a man's claim on forty acres joing on the north and west side of the farm giving them 200 acres. He paid $500 for the 160 acres.
The family attended a Quaker church where a preacher came once a month by train to preach. The other Sundays they all sat totally silent for about an hour after which the older people would turn to one another and shake hands with those sitting near. Then everyone joined in shaking hands. Sometimes a member would sing a song or say a prayer.
Besides church social life consisted of spelling bees, literary and occasionally a party. Mary wrote in her autobiography that here were a number of young people in the schools because the area was well populated by this time.
Mary met her husband, Albert Rozelle Nash when she was a school teacher at Willow Creek Rural School in Spring Valley Township, Cherokee County, Kansas. Albert after his first wife, Elva, died of influenza moved there with his six year old daughter Elnora and enrolled her in this school. He moved here to be near his parents Judah and and Helen M. Nash. Mary McKee boarded with Albert's parents, Judah and Mary Nash.
Albert purchased an 80 acre farm and lived there for a few years as several of he and Mary's children were born there. They sold these 80 acres in 1897 as recorded and lived on various rented farms in the area around Hallowell, Cherokee County, Kansas. In 1901 he then purchased the first 80 acres of the family farm. Around 1903 Albert and Mary with a family of six, purchased an additional 80 acres making a 160 acre farm. It was located two miles north and one mile west of Melrose, Kansas.
In 1918 when her son, Howard became gravely ill with influenza while serving in the Army she traveled 150 miles by horse and wagon to nurse him back to health with her frontier remedies. He would not have survived were it not for her nursing care on the Army post Camp Funston, near Fort Riley, Kansas. She was at first not welcomed onto the Army base but that did not stop Mary.
When Mary became aged her son Howard Nash moved with his family into the Nash homestead and Mary moved into a small house next to the big one. She remained as independent as she could with someone nearby. Near the end of her life Mary spent winters in Kansas City with her three daughters, Orpha, Clara and Helen. Her grandson Jack Ellis reported that she stayed as sharp as a tack and never became senile. She died of a heart attack about the time Jack entered the army in World War II.
At the time of her death Mary was survived by her six children, 29 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Mary's funeral services were held at the Faulkner Christian Church by the pastor, Rev. Jones. She was the last surviving child of John Hansford McKee, a pioneer of the Sixties, and Orrilla Hatch McKee Reeser.
Mary was third born in a family of seven. Her father migrated from Crawford County, Illinois settling in Cherokee County, Kansas in 1868 when she was three years old. They started the trip by covered wagon but the unpaved roads were so rutted and difficult they eventually took passage on a steamer on the Missouri River getting off at St. Joseph, Missouri. They went to Emporia, Kansas but things were not flourishing there so John joined his brother, Joshua McKee who lived in Cherokee County, Kansas. Mary grew to love Cherokee County.
Mary's father built a home 14 feet by 16 feet with two doors and one window. He covered it with clapboards which he made. The house had a sod chimney built of sod, mud and sticks. She moved into the house with her parents and siblings when she was four years old. Her father settled on a 160 acre claim and later traded a cow for a man's claim on forty acres joing on the north and west side of the farm giving them 200 acres. He paid $500 for the 160 acres.
The family attended a Quaker church where a preacher came once a month by train to preach. The other Sundays they all sat totally silent for about an hour after which the older people would turn to one another and shake hands with those sitting near. Then everyone joined in shaking hands. Sometimes a member would sing a song or say a prayer.
Besides church social life consisted of spelling bees, literary and occasionally a party. Mary wrote in her autobiography that here were a number of young people in the schools because the area was well populated by this time.
Mary met her husband, Albert Rozelle Nash when she was a school teacher at Willow Creek Rural School in Spring Valley Township, Cherokee County, Kansas. Albert after his first wife, Elva, died of influenza moved there with his six year old daughter Elnora and enrolled her in this school. He moved here to be near his parents Judah and and Helen M. Nash. Mary McKee boarded with Albert's parents, Judah and Mary Nash.
Albert purchased an 80 acre farm and lived there for a few years as several of he and Mary's children were born there. They sold these 80 acres in 1897 as recorded and lived on various rented farms in the area around Hallowell, Cherokee County, Kansas. In 1901 he then purchased the first 80 acres of the family farm. Around 1903 Albert and Mary with a family of six, purchased an additional 80 acres making a 160 acre farm. It was located two miles north and one mile west of Melrose, Kansas.
In 1918 when her son, Howard became gravely ill with influenza while serving in the Army she traveled 150 miles by horse and wagon to nurse him back to health with her frontier remedies. He would not have survived were it not for her nursing care on the Army post Camp Funston, near Fort Riley, Kansas. She was at first not welcomed onto the Army base but that did not stop Mary.
When Mary became aged her son Howard Nash moved with his family into the Nash homestead and Mary moved into a small house next to the big one. She remained as independent as she could with someone nearby. Near the end of her life Mary spent winters in Kansas City with her three daughters, Orpha, Clara and Helen. Her grandson Jack Ellis reported that she stayed as sharp as a tack and never became senile. She died of a heart attack about the time Jack entered the army in World War II.
At the time of her death Mary was survived by her six children, 29 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Mary's funeral services were held at the Faulkner Christian Church by the pastor, Rev. Jones. She was the last surviving child of John Hansford McKee, a pioneer of the Sixties, and Orrilla Hatch McKee Reeser.
Mary's father built a home 14 feet by 16 feet with two doors and one window. He covered it with clapboards which he made. The house had a sod chimney built of sod, mud and sticks. She moved into the house with her parents and siblings when she was four years old. Her father settled on a 160 acre claim and later traded a cow for a man's claim on forty acres joing on the north and west side of the farm giving them 200 acres. He paid $500 for the 160 acres.
The family attended a Quaker church where a preacher came once a month by train to preach. The other Sundays they all sat totally silent for about an hour after which the older people would turn to one another and shake hands with those sitting near. Then everyone joined in shaking hands. Sometimes a member would sing a song or say a prayer.
Besides church social life consisted of spelling bees, literary and occasionally a party. Mary wrote in her autobiography that here were a number of young people in the schools because the area was well populated by this time.
Mary met her husband, Albert Rozelle Nash when she was a school teacher at Willow Creek Rural School in Spring Valley Township, Cherokee County, Kansas. Albert after his first wife, Elva, died of influenza moved there with his six year old daughter Elnora and enrolled her in this school. He moved here to be near his parents Judah and and Helen M. Nash. Mary McKee boarded with Albert's parents, Judah and Mary Nash.
Albert purchased an 80 acre farm and lived there for a few years as several of he and Mary's children were born there. They sold these 80 acres in 1897 as recorded and lived on various rented farms in the area around Hallowell, Cherokee County, Kansas. In 1901 he then purchased the first 80 acres of the family farm. Around 1903 Albert and Mary with a family of six, purchased an additional 80 acres making a 160 acre farm. It was located two miles north and one mile west of Melrose, Kansas.
In 1918 when her son, Howard became gravely ill with influenza while serving in the Army she traveled 150 miles by horse and wagon to nurse him back to health with her frontier remedies. He would not have survived were it not for her nursing care on the Army post Camp Funston, near Fort Riley, Kansas. She was at first not welcomed onto the Army base but that did not stop Mary.
When Mary became aged her son Howard Nash moved with his family into the Nash homestead and Mary moved into a small house next to the big one. She remained as independent as she could with someone nearby. Near the end of her life Mary spent winters in Kansas City with her three daughters, Orpha, Clara and Helen. Her grandson Jack Ellis reported that she stayed as sharp as a tack and never became senile. She died of a heart attack about the time Jack entered the army in World War II.
At the time of her death Mary was survived by her six children, 29 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Mary's funeral services were held at the Faulkner Christian Church by the pastor, Rev. Jones. She was the last surviving child of John Hansford McKee, a pioneer of the Sixties, and Orrilla Hatch McKee Reeser.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
