Person:Samuel McKay (3)

In Sons & Daughters of American Loyalists: Wm. Johnston, of Ernestown, Capt. Six Nations, Indian Dept. (see note #5 on Six Nations)

                                                                      Step-dau. Ann McKay, m. Matthew Clark, Ernestown
                                                                      Step-son. Samuel McKay, Ernestown, m. 27 Dec. 1791 Amarilla Hawley. b. 1774,                                                                        d/o Jeptha U.E.L>

Samuel served with Loyal Volunteers.

From records of Hallowell Tsp, Prince Edward Cty, Ontario (Ont. Register - Vol. 4) Samuel McCoy assessed July 18, 1798.

Power of Attorney to Robert McCay 1833 - May Cabinet maker in Belleville

The following is quoted from notes provided by Catherine Grace McCoy which she provided to me, George Lowe, several years ago.

     "Samuel McKay came to Ernestown Tsp, Lennox and Addington County west of Kingston with his mother and sister Ann approx 1788 under charge of Cap't Wm. Johnson retired officer British army in charge of Indian Affairs with the settlement of United Empire Loyalists by the British. They came from Quebec City area where many of the troops stayed until they were assigned land grants.
    "In application to Ottawa for land grants for Samuel & Ann he names them as his wards. In any case entitled because they were children of a British officer killed in the US war. This was researched by Dr. Burlugh a genealogist here for Ann Clark Watson in the U.S. a descendent of Ann McCay. He also came to a dead end.
    "Samuel McCay served as a loyal volunteer with British army according to a report of his death in 1847. Samuel's mother died prior to 1807.
    "I have no documentation but Samuel & Amarilla named their first daughter Betsey who drowned as a child.(6) One of the families I found where a British officer was killed leaving a daughter & two sons was named Elizabeth Herbin.
    "     - with the British also - according to a report at the time of his death in 1847 age not known tho' he is spoken of as a very old man. The first land grant petition was in 1790 in his name.  Since they were supposed to be 21 to receive a grant one could presume he was at least born in 1769.
    "He married Amarilla Hawley Dec 27, 1791 daughter of Jeptha Hawley also UEL - father of many children. The Hawleys also did much to build this area. Ran the first stage coach in one area -  Another served as a Member of Parlaiment - others on the county and township boards. The list goes on. They trace back to England. Certainly Samuel Hawley McCay(1) was very proud of his Hawley connection. I remember Bill(2) saying this altho he did not know what it was exactly."

Here she goes on with stats and then:

    "As I researched both in official & other records I found the three variations constantly. 
    "The interchange I found of the names McKay McCay McCoy  led me to look up the origin of names and having had the experience of being called McKay (not McKye as the Scottish insist on fir the name MacKay) I found McCoy is the Irish interpretation for McCay as in MacCoy, MacCooey. In Irish Gaelic it means son of Hugh or Mac Aodha(3). They (McCay's) came

from the Isles of Islay off Scottish southwest coast to Ireland originally as mercenary soldiers for the clan MacDonnell.

    "Coming back to Frontenac County I find in the United Empire Loyalist records - note - The UEL were American citizens, many with British origin who stayed loyal to Britain in 1776 and came or escaped to Canada and were given grants of land).

(1)grandson (2)William Wright McCoy (3)Her writing is not clear here. Could be Mac Godha but likely Mac Aodha.

(5)The Six Nations is also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. There were five nations (Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Mohawk) who lived in the Finger Lake District of NY. They then moved along the Grand River area. The area they lived in was 6 miles on either side of the Grand from the beginning to the end. The Tuscarora Nation came to live among the Five Nations and thus it became the Six Nations. The Iroquois ploitical structure is the model for the government of the US. A good source for info on the Iroquois of the time is "Parker Among the Iroquois". Also a source for more info might be the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs on the Web under Government of Canada sight. (6) see Betsy for more on this

[hamm1.GED.FTW]

Samuel McCay (McKay or McCoy) went to Ontario in about 1788 with his mother and sister after his father, a British Army Officer, was killed in the Revolutionary War. He was an United Empire Loyalist. He married Amarilla Hawley in 1791. She, also, was an UEL.