Emigrated to America in 1774 with first cousins Thomas McKee and George McCullough,. Entered the Continental service during the Revolution.. (Note - in one of Cousin Hoogie’s letters to Molly Taylor, she disputes the reference to Thomas McKee as a first cousin - she reasons that Thomas is John’s brother.)

After marriage, they occupied “part of the mansion tract”, probably pertaining to Robert Hogg’s 393 acre tract. (John McKee, on June 7, 1786, was warranted one hundred and fifty-one acres inside of Hogg's old lines. ) ibid.

There is an old path here, crossing the mountain, which was known as Hogg's, and later McKee's Gap, though there is no depression in the mountain..

Today (2006) there is a village of Spuce Hill loacted on Pa. Rte 75 southwest of the town of Port Royal. The ‘gap’ must be on the mountain separating Juniata and Perry counties, to the south of Spruce Hill. From Molly Taylor quoting a researcher in the Tuscarora Valley area, (Jan. 2006) “The Hoge/McKee Graveyard is outside the village of Pleasant View in Spruce Hill Township, Juniata County. Its been years since I've been there researching the Yoder family who bought the Hoge farm in 1837.”


John McKee laid out on his land a lot for a church and grave-yard. No church was ever built here; but the ground was used for a grave-yard, and here Robert Hogg and wife, Letitia, John McKee and
others are buried. It is known as "McKee's grave-yard and is on the farm now Christ Yoder's. Here, therefore, repose theremains of one of the pioneer adventurers in Tuscarora. There is a story
that, at the time of the taking of Bigham's Fort, Mrs. McKee and herfather (Robert Hogg) were taking some goods across the mountain on a cow, and were seen by the Indians, who let them pass, because they did not wish just then to alarm the fort.


Possibly the owner of a distillery in conjuction with his son, Robert

Cousin Hoogie’s bio:
John McKee

Field, Wells Laflin and Edith Duncan Field, Ancestors of Our Children, Self-published, West Hartford CT, 1978. see Connecticut State Library, Vol 1. Field & allied family ancestors; Vol 2. Clark & allied family ancestors; Vol. 3. Duncan-McKee family.


John McKee was born in County Down, northern Ireland in 1754. Some references say that he and his brother Thomas McKee emigrated to America in 1?62, while others say 1767. In either event he would have been quite young, 8 or 13 years old, and his brother Thomas some 5 years older. There is no indication that they were apprenticed to anyone, yet they seem quite young to make a start in the new world on their own. So if these dates were correct it appears logical that their parents, relatives or friends came over with them, or gave them a home in this country upon their arrival here. However nothing can be found to indicate who such persons could have been, or where they resided immediately upon their arrival in their new country. Mr. Egle, in his notes, thinks that they arrived in America in 1?74, landing in Philadelphia, and shortly after settling in the Tuscarora Valley, then part of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where they were soon joined by their cousin George McCullough. This appears to be a much sounder surmise. Robert Hoge, also from northern Ireland, had settled in that valley some 20 years before, which may have been a drawing card. During the Revolution he served in the Military as indicated by the following, letter-.

"Ref: John McKee b. 1 June 1754 Ireland
d. 10 Nov 1830 Juniata, Pa.
'To whom it may concern, that John McKee was a private in Capt. Matthew Gregg's Co. of the lst Battalion, commanded by Col. James Dunlop - ordered into service July 28, 1777. He was again in service in Oct. l777 and again in Jan 1778, and the probabilities are that he was in subsequent service.'

/s/ William H. Egle
State Librarian & Editor Pennsylvania Archives
State Library of Pennsylvania Harrisburg"

In spite of the war, he found time to marry Mary Hoge on 15 September 1776, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Hugh Magill. His brother Thomas married Martha Hoge, a sister of Mary Hoge, sometime during the year 1778, which of course made their respective children "double cousins." Their cousin George McCullough had previously married another Hoge sister, Sarah, which further united those families. A John McKee was warranted 106 acres of land, according to Messrs. Ellis and Hungerford, on I August 1766. This either refers to another John McKee or the date is in error, as he would have been only 12 years old and supposedly not arrived in the Tuscarora Valley. He bought the benefits of his father-in-law Robert Hoge's property on 7 June 1786, from which he warranted 150 acres. His real estate later became the property of Christian R. Yoder. There was a John McKee who was mentioned in the will dated 1788, of John Bredy of Franklin County, as the Executor and sole heir. The census report for 1790 shows a John McKee who was residing in that "portion of Mifflin County, south of the River Juniata," as having one free white male over 16, (John himself), three free white males under 16, (Robert, Thomas & William), and 3 free white females ( wife Mary, daughter Mary and another, who could possibly have been a daughter born in 1789 and died shortly after the census was taken, or a relative, friend or servant).

John McKee laid out on his land a lot for a church and a graveyard. No church was ever built but the graveyard was used, and became known as "McKee's Graveyard." A Mr. Lytle visited the graveyard in 1921 and found it overgrown with Vines and bushed. He recorded the following inscriptions found on the stones there:

Robert Hoge d. 28 Jan 1798 aged 80
Letitia Hoge d. 8 Mar 1811 aged 88
John McKee d. 10 Nov 1830 aged 76
John McKee d. 11 Nov 1829 aged 36 yrs 7 mos and 31 days
William McKee d. 17 Apr 1849 aged 60 Yrs 3 mos 12 days ,
Martha, wife of Andrew Hayes d - 5 Sept 1828 aged 31 yrs 29 days
Sarah Graham d. 26 June 1828 aged 65
Elizabeth,wife of Wiliiam McKee d. 7 Oct 1833 aged 3? yrs 19 days
George McCullouEft is buried beside Sarah Graham, his grave was unmarked in 1921 but since then a stone to his memory has been erected.

John's wife, Mary Hoge Mckee, gained considerable notice wii\\hen she was a witness at the famous Cray Trial, a long drawn out civil suit which lasted from 1802 to 1821. It seems that a Mrs. Hannah Gray, who later became Mrs. Williams, had taken in a young girl and treated her as her own. This young girl had married a man named Gillespie, and when she inherited some property from Mrs. Williams, she sold it to a clergyman in Washington, D.C., named William McKee who in turn sold it to his nephew William McKee, son of John McKee #56. What the suit was about is immaterial, but the following comments, quoted from the History of the Susquehanna and Juniata Valleys are of interest:

"This lady is the 'old Mrs. McKee', a witness at some of the trials. It has been published that she 'spoke with a rich Irish brogue' and 'on one occasion became quite garrulous, and entered into the history of the Valley, to the great amusement of the Court,' and that 'she described the spurious girl as a big, black, ugly Dutch lump, and not to be compared to the Beautiful Jenny Gray.' Mrs. McKee was native born, and no doubt a woman of education, culture and refinement. As her son was claiming the land through Mrs. Gillespie's title, it is a very unlikely story that she spoke of her as stated above. The same writer says 'Her historical developments so much interested one of the jury at Lewistown, an old settler himself, that he, forgetting the restraints of a juryman, sent for the old lady to come to his room at the hotel and enter more at large into the days of auld lang syne. The old man was a little deaf, and the old lady's voice could be heard throughout the house. One of the counsels, whose side of the case wore rather a discouraging aspect, overheard the old lady, and the next morning exposed the poor juryman, amidst a roar of laughter from the Court and bar. The case of course had to be tried before another jury."

John McKee died at his home in Tuscarora Valley and was buried in his own graveyard. His widow moved to Butler, Pa. and spent the rest of her life with her daughter, Mary McKee. She died 24 November 1847 and was buried in Butler.

History of Susquehana & Juniata Valley - Franklin Ellis & Austin N. Hungerford 1886
The Book of McKee - Raymond W. McKee 1959
Unfinished manuscript of James Alexander McKee 1865-1925 A pamphlet at the New York Public Library
History of Butler County - R.C.Brown & Co. 1895 P. 831-2
SAR Records, Pennsylvania Archives