Condolences to the Heckman family on the death of Richard Heckman
October 2008.
Isaac James McKay- born 12/20/2007
Arrived
on 12/20 at 1:57 a.m., 7 lbs. 6 oz., 20” long. Lindsay and Isaac are
doing well. I am bringing them home later today.I just had to share and
brag. He is the most beautiful baby!
Dianna
McKay - from the John and Jane Hill McKay line. Congratulations to the McKays
in Allison Park!
Carl Denton McKay passed away on 11/11/2007. Services were at the
Loutzenhiser Funeral Home in Greenville, PA. Will post his obit soon.
Condolences to the McKay family - Susan and C. Michael.
Congratulations to Megan Elizabeth Luxbacher and Thomas Kilgour,
married September 8, 2007, Swissvale, PA. Megan is the great grand-daughter of
Lillian Belle McKay and Grover Cleveland Smith; great grand-daughter of Fred and
Elizabeth Baer Logan.
McKay Reunion - August 16,2008 - Third Saturday Hempfield - Details
to follow
Condolences to the Kenneth McKay family on his passing in August 2004.
Condolences to the James W. McKay III family on his passing in June 2004.
Pictures of Samuel McKay, Ballymena -stayed in Irealnd
and John McKay, Sr. born near Ballymena- came to US in 1832.
Daughter of Jennie McKay and Wm.Jamison born in
Bush Mills, Ireland
William McKay and Rebecca Hosack McKay graves -
Springfield Cemetery.
McKay Reunion August 19,2001 - Riverside Park,
Greenville, Pa.
McKay Reunion, August 18, 2002 - Riverside Park - AAA Pavilion (next to enclosed one)
- Minutes
McKay Reunion - August 17,2003
McKay Reunion - August 15, 2004
McKay Reunion - To be held August 21, 2005 at Riverside Park, 1:00 p.m.
McKay Reunion - August 2007 -
55th
Reunion Minutes 1955 - 1999
McKay Newsletter
Jane Lyons'
Site
Serena Supple Newspaper Article, November, 2003
Descendants of Daniel McCay/McKay - Mosside - please
see Comments From Guests to contact James Wilson McKay
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:25:36 -0800
From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com>
Subject: "After the American Wake" -- Vincent WOODS, b.
Tarmon, Co. Leitrim 1960
AFTER THE AMERICAN WAKE
It is 1904 or 1905 - we don't know the time of year
but it's likely summer.
Two men are saying goodbye forever at a green gate
over a stream.
They are both called Myles, both are tall and thin.
One is going to America
and will never return.
One is staying here
and will never leave.
They have watched the dawn rise over the lough,
seen the last of the stragglers home.
They hear the jingle of the horse's harness, linger,
clasp hands, hear the driver shout.
Remember, said the one leaving, Remember tonight.
-- Vincent Woods
------------------------------
The American Wake
A Meenleitrim area metaphor for emigration was to "saddle the salmon",
that is, to put a saddle on the local fish in the nearby Shannon River and swim
the ocean to find a new place to live.
A unique event then occurred which took place daily over all of Ireland for 75
years. Jerry and millions like him paid their last respects to their
parents while they were still alive. A wake for the living, known to those
who had one, as the "American Wake." It started in Ireland,
which was the first place in the world where adult children were forced by
economic and political circumstances to leave their parents and relatives, which
for the vast majority, would not only be the last time that they would not only
see each other, but in many a case might be the last time that they might even
hear of each other due to the vagaries of ocean travel and the uncertainty of
life in a new land with little reliable communications, especially for the
poverty stricken and often illiterate immigrants from Ireland.
"The American Wake began at night time, in the house of the emigrant, and
continued through the night until the early hours. The young emigrant
would have previously visited friends and neighbors letting them know of the
impending departure. All who were close were expected to attend.
They often were not occasions for merriment, but somber gatherings with serious
conversation and advice for the young emigrant. In areas of acute poverty
no refreshments were offered, but on rare occasions, a few neighbors brought a
small quantity of poteen, but generally the dancing was absent.
Women noted for their ability to keen (wail or lament) would be called upon to
acquaint listeners with the virtues of the emigrant and the suffering brought
upon the parents by the departure. This eulogy was given in a high pitched
wail, resulting in a room full of keening women and weeping men. For 'when
money was scarce, travel slow and perilous, illiteracy widespread, and mail
service highly uncertain and destinations only vaguely perceived, the departure
for North America of a relative or neighbor represented as final a parting as a
descent to the grave.'
In less poverty‑stricken areas, the American Wake proved itself a more
festive occasion. Baking, cooking and cleaning were all part of the
preparations. Neighbors frequently contributed food and a
half‑barrel of porter or stout was available for the men. The
kitchen furniture was moved and seating was provided around the walls for
neighbors and friends. Song and dance followed, only to be interrupted by
offers of tea, and stronger beverages. Jibs, reels, quadrilles, hornpipes,
and Irish step dancing were the order of the day. The older people seated
themselves around the hearth, while the younger ones took to the floor.
The next morning, the emigrant was accompanied by friends and family to the
train station or the dockside for his embarkation." (Kelley, et al.,
Blennerville, pp. 147‑50)
The sorrow of those left behind was equally acute as it was for those leaving
‑ ‑ ‑
Come back!
Come back! Back to the land of your fathers!
Let us hear once more the sound of the soft Gaelic in our halls;
the laughter of your children beneath our roots,
the skirl of the bagpipe and the tinkle of the harp in our courts,
the shout of our young men in the meadows by the river,
the old, heart-breaking songs from the fields,
the seanchas here where our broken windows stare upon weed‑covered lawns.
Come back!
Come back!
The days are dark and short since ye went;
there is no sunshine on Ireland and the nights are long and dismal.
And there in the moonlit abbey by the river rest the bones of your kindred.
The group, most likely accompanied by other relatives and neighbors, no doubt
traveled by local stage coach the half dozen miles or so to Tralee and there
purchased a train ticket to the City of Cork in the County of that name in the
southwest corner of Ireland.
Cork's ocean port was called Queenstown in those days, named so by the English
masters in tribute to the 7 1/2 minute or so visit by Victoria to Cobh in the
1850's. After Ireland became a country in its own right, Queenstown was
renamed Cobh, Gaelic for "Cove", pronounced identically.
Welcome to the home page for the Western Pennsylvania
McKays descended from James and Sarah McElroy McKay from County Antrim,
Ulster, Ireland. They sailed from Liverpool to Philadelphia on the Ship United
States in 1832.
In
Pittsburgh
Our purpose is to collect all of the McKay research information in
one place so that we can all benefit from each others' research efforts.
Mac Aodha
The following is a list of recent additions to our web. Whenever someone
gives us a good suggestion, or a paper, or some pictures, or or adds anything else to our web, we'll put a notice here.
From time to time we'll remove the oldest items. The most recent changes are listed first, and each item is linked
to the page with the updated content.
New
Supplees-children of Craig & Renee Supplee
