The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-09


Presidents Granduncie. Not His Grand
father, Executed as a Patriot.
A Young woman arrived from Ireland q
few DAYS ago and called on President Mo
Kinley 10 present 20 him the gen
oalogical tree Of the McKinleys OF Con
acher. from which family the president !,
descended She also gave 10 him an old
horseshoe and piece OF peat from the Old
Mckinley homestead.
The young woman is Miss Martha Craig.
She comes 10 America TO tell Americans
the picturesqueness Of Ireland and the
habits Of the Irish people
Ii was by mere chance that she ran
across the history Of President Mckinley s
ancestors. Always interested in America,
she had learned the name Of Mckinley
when he was elected president. About is
months ago Miss Craig took a trip through
Ireland. While passing through Conagher
she was attracted 10 an old graveyard.
While examining the gravestones she saw
the name Mckinley.
Miss Craig discovered that large fam
ily Of McKinleys had once lived on farm
aear the graveyard. So interested did she
become In her genealogical research that
she went into it very deeply, and when she
arrived In America few days ago she had
a family tree of the president.
Miss Craig knew no one In the United
States, but she had been born near Con-
agher, and so had the presidents forefa-
theirs. This at least gave her the license TO
speak with him, and the other day she
managed 10 get an audience with the pres
ident. Mr. Mckinley became most inter-
ested in Miss Craig and told her be was
much pleased TO have his family tree SO
thoroughly established.
The McKinleys of Conagher appear to
have been respectable farmers, Presbyte-
rians in religion. In the ancient but neg
lected burying ground Of Derrykeighan
their history is found. How long they
were on the Conagher farm prior to the
rebellion in 1898 cannot be determined.
In that year one of the foremost revolu-
tionists was Francis Mckinley. Becom-
ing suspected of completely in the proceed
ings Of the United Irishmen, he was ar
rested on the information of an intimate
acquaintance named Smith, taken to Col
raine, tried and hanged.
Before his execution he repeated por-
tons Of Psalms elk, which contains such
imprecations on the Lying tongue" that
accuses falsely. Francis McKinley's wife
obtained his body the night after his exc
cuton, and it is now buried at Derry
keighan.
The McKinleys put a stone over the
grave Exact copies Of the inscriptions on
the Mckinley headstones have been OBJ
tanned by Miss Craig. One, which was
erected BY the wife of Francis Mckinley
bears the following:
"Here lie the remains of Francis Nc.
Kinley, who departed this life on the 9TH
of July, 1898, aged forty two years.
The inscription Of the other stone reads:
"Here lieth the body of Francis McKin-
ley, late of COnagher, who departed this
life June "a, 1898, aged forty-two years;
also the body of his daughter Elizabeth,
who departed this life March 81, 1903,
aged six years; also his wife, Anna Nc
Kinley, who departed this life April, 1870"
What seems strange on reading the above
is that the stones assign different dates for
McKinley's death. A reference to an old
Coleraine directory does not help out of
this difficulty. Francis Mckinley married
Anna Hill of Alteranan, near Ballycastle.
Two sons and five daughters were born to
him. John lived on the farm until grown
and then came to America to join an uncle
who had come TO this country several
years before. The name of this uncle Is
not given, but he was the father of Will
liam Mckinley, the presidents father.
Francis, the second son, then came into
possession of the farm and held it until
1888, when be sold it and followed his
brother to this country. He was the last
of the McKinleys in Conagher. After the
farm was sold by bin 1t passed through
many hands, but recently came into pos
session of Captain II. j. Montgomery OF
the British army.
1t has generally been thought that Pres
ident Mckinley is the grandson of Francis
Mckinley, who was hanged. Miss Craig s
investigation proves that this could not
have been the case and that the uncle of
Francis Mckinley, who came to America
before any of the other McKinleys had
left Ireland, was the grandfather of the
president. This will be seen to be correct
when 1t Is borne in mind that Francis
Mckinley had but two sons, John and
Francis, whereas the father of the presi
dent was named William.
While at the old Mckinley farm Mis-:
Craig took many photographs, the frs
cyei taken of the historic old place. Thes,
she Is now having developed and will pre-
sent the president with q set of them.-