According to events as described in the MacIain Chiefs book we are descended from William MacKean. He left Scotland sometime in the middle to late 17th century, settling in Ballymoney in the Bann River valley of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. A comment made by the other John MacKeen at his remarks last night at the MacKeen Reunion dinner indicates the family split while in Ireland, with one branch moving to Londonderry, where they became shipbuilders.

We also know that William's descendants emigrated to America, arriving in Boston Harbor on August 4, 1718. That date seems to be confirmed by all sources of information about the family. What is not as clear is how they got to Boston, but certainly it would have been in what are now referred to as "tall ships".

Here we see a coincidence around the number of ships being involved as five. I say coincidence because one version of our history (Parker's "History of Londonderry") implies the family shipyard built 5 ships to bring themselves and members of their congregation to the New World. In Boston, it has been documented that there were 5 ships from Ireland at anchor in the harbor at the same time during the late summer of 1718. What is not documented is any connection between the two events. Credibility in historical or genealogical work is based on being able to document sources. Said another way, be skeptical of anything that is not documented.

Charles Knowles Bolton's book "Scotch Irish Pioneers in Ulster and America," originally published in 1910, is often thought of as the definitive work on the emigration of Ulster Scots to America. It records the five ships in Boston harbor as the "William and Mary," the "Robert," the "William," the "Mary Anne," and a fifth ship of unknown name. Only one newspaper, the "Boston News-Letter," was being issued in North America in 1718, and it, plus the letters of Thomas Lechmere and the diaries of Cotton Mather are the sources documenting the arrival of ships in Boston in that period.

The "William and Mary" James Montgomery, Master, arrived during the week of July 21, 1718. Its departure port is unrecorded, but it is supposed to have carried the Rev. William Boyd of Macosquin, a town near Coleraine in Northern Ireland. The Rev. Boyd was widely seen as a leader in the emigration movement of families from Northern Ireland to the U.S. However, a letter of Thomas Lechmere's written on Aug 4th indicates there were no Scots emigrants traveling with him. The ship whose name is not known, John Wilson, Master, is thought to have arrived on the 28th from Londonderry. The "Robert", James Ferguson, Master arrived from Glasgow by way of Belfast on August 4th, as did the "William" from Coleraine, Archibald Hunter, Master. The "Mary Anne", Andrew Watt, Master, arrived from Dublin. Some time later two additional ships from Ireland arrived, the "Dolphin", from Dublin, John MacKay, Master, and from Londonderry, the "Maccallum", James Law, Master. By this time, some of the previous arrivals had departed, but it was clear to the people of Boston that a major emigration was underway from the north of Ireland to America.

The available information does not identify what ships were built in the McKeen (note the spelling difference after moving to Ireland) shipyard. Therefore, it is not substantiated that they built the 5 ships specifically to bring themselves to America. Three of the ships, "Robert", "William", and the unknown are believed to have carried Scotch Irish emigrants from Northern Ireland, with the first two carrying the Bann Valley group, including the McKeens. Bolton speculates that Rev. James McGregor and his well-to-do connection, the Greggs, McKeens and others, journeyed a few miles to Belfast to take passage in the "Robert", while families in more moderate conditions, with heavier freight, came down the Bann River from Coleraine in the larger ship "William." This is the basis for my conclusion that the ship which carried our ancestors to America was the brigantine "Robert".

With the recent parade of tall ships through ports on the Eastern seaboard from Baltimore to Charlottetown providing a reference as to what sailing in those days was like, think about what our ancestors endured in making the passage to the U.S. Arrival was in August. Departure was likely to have been in the spring, perhaps as early as April or May. A Brigantine is a two masted vessel, usually 90-100 feet in length at the waterline and perhaps 130-140 feet overall, with only two or three decks. Sails are square rigged on the foremast and gaff or sloop rigged on the main mast. As many as nine sails could be rigged. A ship such as this might have carried 20 or so families, plus crew, supplies, freight and baggage, although it is not known how heavily loaded the "Robert" might have been. The families were leaving everything they knew and heading off in a tiny ship to a new and unknown environment. If you would like to experience something a little like what they endured, try a Windjammer cruise. Many of the dozen or so Windjammers sailing from Camden or Rockland, Maine are about the size of the "Robert."

At the time of emigration, Irish communities were centered in religious affiliations, with the effect that ministers were powerful figures who influenced much of the direction. Rev. Boyd was the accredited agent of the Bann Valley emigrants, negotiating on prior trips to America with Governor Shute of Massachusetts for land on which to settle. Remember that in this time, Massachusetts encompassed much of what is now New Hampshire and Maine. Rev. James McGregor was the leader of the group that included our ancestor, James McKeen, and went on to found what is now Londonderry, NH after spending the winter of 1718 on their ship frozen into Casco Bay near Portland, ME.

The clergy played an important part in helping the Scotch Irish get established in Massachusetts. This was an important role, given that the citizens of Boston were legitimately concerned with being able to feed and clothe themselves, and hence distrustful of the newcomers. The assumption in many cases, was that the immigrants were indigent, and would create a burden on the community. The rules of the time required that all passengers have a means of support, either through their own assets or by being indentured for service in the new country. Ship captains were required to give surety for their passengers or be responsible for their transport elsewhere.

Given the growth of the colonies, including other states, there were agents at arrival ports seeking to hire skilled tradesmen or craftsmen of all kinds. Thomas Lechmere, brother-in-law of Lord Lechmere was such an agent, hiring for Winthrop in Connecticut. In today's politically correct world, he would be thought of as a retained search firm. His letters have survived and aid in establishing a view of life in 1718 in Boston and verifying status of ship arrivals in the harbor. We can probably safely assume that Lechmere Square in Cambridge, MA is named after Lord Lechmere.

The Rev. Cotton Mather of Boston concerned himself with aiding the immigrants and was seen as the patron of the "poor Scotch". His diary is the basis or corroboration of many of the facts presented in this particular chapter in Bolton's book. A July 26, 1718 entry from his diary notes "The many families arriving from Ireland willl afford me many opportunities for kindness to ye indigent", thus confirming the popular notion of the status of the Irish arrivals. The arrivals from the Bann Valley, including the McKeens, were generally prosperous, religious families who had paid their fares and came with letters of introduction to local officials.

I presented above an opinion that James McKeen and his family, including Annis Cargill, arrived on the "Robert." While that is opinion, it is fact that the group of which they were members founded Nutfield, NH, which later changed its name to Londonderry. Many additional facts are found in Rev. Edward L. Parker's "History of Londonderry, Vol 1" and George F. Willeys "History of Londonderry, Vol 2", the latter being originally published in 1895 as "Book of Nutfield".

Today it is still possible to visit the graves of James McKeen and other of our family ancestors. They are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in East Derry, NH. If you would like to visit the cemetery, and I encourage you to do so, take the Londonderry exit off Rte 93 in NH, and follow the signs to East Derry. When you get to the rotary, take the second exit and the settlement marker will be just up the hill on the right. The church which you can see from the marker is built on the original site. The cemetery is just behind the church.

Adjacent to Parker Drive near the center of the original section of the cemetery are 9 grave markers and a memorial to James McKeen and his family erected by descendants in 1848. The large stone is James McKeen's gravestone, with the remaining markers and memorials lined up immediately alongside. He died in his 90th year, and Annis Cargill died in her 94th year. James' stone is a grave marker, while most of the others are memorial markers and may not mark the actual burial location.

After 200 plus years, the stones are remarkably legible, but clearly in need of restoration. The John MacKeen from Minnesota who spoke at the MacKeen Reunion is looking for support to find a way to do this. I think this is a worthy cause. Let me know if you are interested.

John C. "Jack" MacKeen, September 2, 2000