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David Charles Mackie, Sr. and Elizabeth Kerr |
Name: David Mackie
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1835
Gender: Male
Where born: Ayrshire, Scotland
Civil parish: Beith
County: Ayrshire
Address: Langbarr Cottage
Parish Number: 581
Household Members:
Name Age
David Mackie 40
Janet Mackie 40
John Mackie 15
William Mackie 12
Robert Mackie 8
David Mackie 6
Ann Mackie 4
John Barding 20
Margaret Barch 15
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1861 Scotland Census about David Mackie
Name: David Mackie
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1837
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Elizabeth Mackie
Gender: Male
Where born: Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
Registration Number: 587
Registration district: Dalry
Civil parish: Dalry
County: Ayrshire
Address: Kilbirnie Station
Occupation: Engineman
ED: 14
Household schedule number: 61
Line: 19
Roll: CSSCT1861_84
Household Members:
Name Age
David Mackie 24
Elizabeth Mackie 19
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From "Mackie Family", Virginia French Mackie, July 1965
"[David Mackie] Left school when he was about nine years old to work in the coal mines with his Father. After he was married, he went to night school in Scotland. He excelled in mathematics. When they came to Illinois, his practical knowledge of mathematics and machinery helped him to advance rapidly in the field of mining engineering."
"David and Elizabeth Kerr Mackie and their four older children left Scotland about 1870 and came to the U.S.A, he to work as a mining engineer in the coal fields of Southern Illinois. Their two younger children were born there. When he left Scotland, his fellow workers gave him a set of engineering instruments in a handsome box whose lid bore a plate inscrided: 'To David McKay, with the respect and good wishes of his fellow-workers.'
"His quick putting into operation a piece of broken-down miing equipment earned him the respect of the mine owners and immediate advancement.
"When George Kerr Mackie was about 3 years old, he ran outside on evening and saw the whole sky alight. Having been reared in a strict Scottish Presbyterian family, he came running back in, crying that it was the end of the world. It was the Chicago Fire of 1870.
"David and Elizabeth K. Mackie came with their six children to Scammon, in Southeastern Kansas, where he laid out his own coal mines. He was a humanitarian operator, installing showers at the mines so that the miners could wash before going home. He insisted that the mules be brought up every night so they could feed in fresh pasture and not go blind. He established many benefits for his miners long before these were required by law or the unions."
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The following is transcribed from volume III, part 1 of Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... / with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence. Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912. 3 v. in 4. : front., ill., ports.; 28 cm. Vols. I-II edited by Frank W. Blackmar. Transcribed December 2002 by Carolyn Ward. This volume is identified at the Kansas State Historical Society as microfilm LM195. It is a two-part volume 3.:
David Mackie, deceased, was one of those sturdy Scotchmen who have come to the United States, and from an humble station in life forged their way to the front rank among men of affairs. Mr. Mackie was born near Kilburnie, Ayrshire, Scotland, Jan. 1, 1836, and died at Scammon, Aug. 9, 1910. His parents, David and Janet (Barclay) Mackie, lived and died in Ayrshire, Scotland. Mr. Mackie's school days were limited, but he was a close student of affairs, a keen observer, and through the avenues of a wide and extended business career and the school of experience, he became a well informed man on subjects of general interest. He was especially capable in mathematics, in which he often outstripped the college educated.
Mr. Mackie began the battle of life for himself when only nine years of age, becoming then a trapper in a coal mine in Scotland, from which position he earned promotion after promotion until, at the age of twenty-five years, we find him filling the responsible position of superintending engineer for the Barkip Coal & Ironstone Works, in Scotland. This position Mr. Mackie resigned and in 1869, then a married man, came to the United States. On reaching this country he proceeded to Hartland, Wis., where lived an uncle of his wife. The uncle was engaged in farming, and for awhile Mr. Mackie engaged in farming, but that occupation was not to his liking, and securing a position as a machinist, through the influence of his brother, William, he was in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad for a short time. This field of activity he liked no better than farming. To coal mining, the occupation of his youth and early manhood, he determined to return. In 1871 he accepted a position with the coal mining firm of Bennett Turner, for whom he installed machinery in mines near Braidwood, Ill. He then became mine foreman, and later superintendent. Here he remained until 1883, when he came to Kansas to accept a position with the Keith & Perry Coal Company, with whom, and their successors, he remained many years, as superintendent of mines. In 1892 Mr. Mackie accepted the position of general superintendent of the mines of the Central Coal & Coke Company, which firm succeeded the Keith & Perry Coal Company, and which also absorbed the business of the Kansas Texas Coal Company, embracing coal mines in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming. He held this position until Jan. 1906, when he resigned to retire from active business. His resignation was accepted on the conditions that he remain the consulting engineer of the company, to which he agreed.
In 1883 Mr. Mackie established a home in Scammon, of which town he was a founder and builder. Here he aided in organizing the Scammon State Bank, in 1901, and he became the first president of the bank, and held the position until his death. He was a Thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, and in church faith a Presbyterian. He was an organizer of the Presbyterian church at Scammon, of which he was a trustee. He was a friend of education, of church, of everything that tended toward the public welfare. His life was a success in the business world, and none the less a success as a citizen, for he was anything else than a selfish man, and he sought to serve his fellowmen. He lived true to the teachings of his fraternity, Masonry, of which he was for years a most prominent member, and he lived equally true to the teachings of his church. As a neighbor, husband and father he was highly esteemed and beloved.
Oct. 19, 1860, Mr. Mackie married Elizabeth Kerr, a daughter of Thomas and Jane (Pringle) Kerr. Her father was a prosperous farmer at David's Hill, near Dalry, Scotland. She survives him. Unto their marriage were born the following children: David, Thomas, Janet, George K., Jane, and John W. Janet married Charles M. Swenney, and is deceased.
Pages 481-482 from volume III, part 1 of Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... / with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence. Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912. 3 v. in 4. : front., ill., ports.; 28 cm. Vols. I-II edited by Frank W. Blackmar. Transcribed December 2002 by Carolyn Ward. This volume is identified at the Kansas State Historical Society as microfilm LM195. It is a two-part volume 3.
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[Kansas, Cherokee County, Roll 474 Book 1, Page 136 ]
Noted in the 1900 Federal Census at age 64, living in Mineral Township, part of the city of Scammon, Cherokee Cty, KS with his wife Elizabeth, age 51 [obviously and error], son John, age 23, grand-daughter Minnie [mother: Janet Mackie Sweeny] Sweeny, age 12, and nephew George Kerr, age 21. Occupation: general superintendent of the mines of the Central Coal & Coke Company.
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[Kansas, CHEROKEE, Roll 434 Book 1, Page 225a ]
Noted in the 1910 Federal Census at age 74 (4 months before his death), living in Scammon, Cherokee Cty, KS, with his wife Elizabeth,age 68, son John - 32 and his wife Evelyn [Bush] - 30, and grand-daughter Minnie Sweeny - 22. Occupation noted as none [he obviously was retired].
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1904 History of Cherokee County Kansas
CHAPTER XV Part 2.
THE HISTORY OF MINERAL CITY, WEIR CITY, SCAMMON AND LIST OF THE TOWNS OF THE COUNTY
SCAMMON Is situated near the center of the west tier of sections in Mineral township, Cherokee County, Kansas, near the east edge of the coal fields and in the midst of a very active mining district. Coal mining gave rise to the town, and it is through this industry that it was finally built up to the proportions of a city of the second class. For farming purposes the lands about the place would not rank as first class, though many of the farmers who came early to the county and settled in the neighborhood have become well-to-do.
The lands in the community of Scammon were taken as claims early in the history of Cherokee County. E. C. Scammon first owned the quarter section just north of the present site of the place. Samuel F. Scammon took a claim northwest of this, and James Coman, who came to the county in 1868, took the quarter section west of the site of the present town. The quarter section to the southeast was taken by James Burns. He sold it to M. J. Callahan, and Callahan sold it to Bovard & Dixon, some time after coal mining was begun. The discovery of coal was made by James Coman. The first coal shaft was put down by E. A. Scammon, S. F. Scammon and E. C. Scammon, all of whom came early to that part of the county. This shaft was on E. C. Scammon's land, just east of the railroad track, near what is now known as Mackie's Junction, where the Weir branch of the railroad leaves the main line, and about one mile north of the present city. There was not much demand for coal then, and for this reason the operations were not large. Only a few men were employed. It was the first coal mining done in Kansas, south of the Leavenworth coal district. The big coal deposits of Crawford County, just north of Cherokee County, had not been touched. In that county the coal region is several miles east of the main line of the railroad, and it was practically unknown. It has since become the biggest mining center in the State of Kansas. with Cherokee County as the second largest in the State. The vastly increased demand for fuel, due to the enlarged railroad operations and to the great increase in population, led to the rapid and extensive development of the coal region in both counties, and to the building up of many small towns and a goodly number of cities which have become important local centers of trade.
It was not until the spring of 1871 that the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad was finished through Cherokee County. It passed through the tract of land on which the town of Scammon was afterward built; but for a number of years after the road was built there was no town there at all. Even as late as 1883 the land there, and all around, was in farms, and the people living there had no expectation that anything beyond a mere village would ever be found there. At that time there was but one store, and that was of rude pretensions, kept for supplying the very limited demand which arose out of the simple wants of the few people who had settled there to till the soil and to raise stock on the broad prairies, which extended in every direction. True, there were by this time three coal shafts in operation, and a coal company, composed of Keith and Mitchell, who had bought out the Scammon brothers, was in control of the business; but no large expectations had been aroused, and it was not known but that, when the coal had been taken out of the immediate vicinity, operations would cease. However, the men who had had experience in matters of the kind, in the older States, and some in foreign countries, and had seen the growing demand for fuel where populations were denser, and where industrial enterprises were carried on extensively, believed that this county would some day be the scene of large mining operations. But they did not come for the purpose of building towns and cities; they came to engage in the coal mining business, and to make ready for supplying a demand which they believed would some day become enormous. The results have shown that they were correct in their foresight.
The Scammon Town Company was incorporated March 15, 1884, with E. C. Scammon as president of the company, and D. Mackie as secretary. The stock of the company was held as follows: Keith & Perry, 72 shares; R. H. Keith, one share; John Perry, one share; D. Mackie, one share: S. F. Scammon, E. C. Scammon and E. A. Scammon, each 25 shares. The village was incorporated as a city of the third class July 5, 1888, and the first officers were as follows: P. M. Humphrey, mayor; L. W. Kendall, police judge; J. P. Rafter, J. J. Wooten, Charles Brown, J. J. Pullen and John T. Stewart, councilmen; J. N. McDonald, clerk. The other mayors have been: R. E. Gardiner, R. S. Mahan, J. N. McDonald, George K. Mackie, J. H. Guinn, J. N. McDonald again, Robert Gillmore, T. B. Pryor and R. M. Markham. Perhaps no town or city, in Cherokee County has been better governed than Scammon. Its public men are wise, prudent and conservative, and they have not let a day pass without guarding the best interests of the place. They have encouraged home owning, with all its good effects upon society and the material upbuilding of the community. Lots have been sold at low prices, in order to bring them within the reach of the less fortunate classes, and other inducements have been held out for aiding those who were anxious to get homes. For a number of years, D. Mackie, Jr., was the local agent for The Inter-State Building & Loan Association, of Bloomington, Illinois. Through him many persons took stock in the association and began the work of home building. After some years the company failed, and a number of the stockholders, including Mr. Mackie, suffered loss; but the community has recovered from it, and the homes are now free from debt. There were no foreclosures.
The first store opened in Scammon, not to speak of the old company store which used to stand near the first shaft on the E. C. Scammon farm, was that of DuPage & Hovey, about the year 1885. Then Samuel Barrett put in a drug store, and this was followed by Peter Graham, who put in a grocery store. There was no lumber yard until 1890, when J. T. Small established one. Before this, about 1886, Griffin Brothers opened a hardware store, but it was destroyed by fire not long after it was opened.
W. S. Morton went to Scammon about the year 1883 and began mining, and not many years thereafter he opened a store, in connection with the mines, and did a big business. He was one of the most successful mine operators ever in the district. As among the leading men of the place, particularly among those connected with the coal business, D. Mackie is perhaps the most prominent, and he is among those who have done most in building up the social and material interests of the place. Mr. Mackie has been manager of the mines for The Central Coal & Coke Company ever since he came to Scammon, in 1884, his duties calling him wherever the company's mines are located, in several different States and Territories; but he has been partial to Scammon, for here he has made his home. and here he has his children, all now grown, gathered about him. Among other persons who have been active and hearty in their efforts to build up the city, these may be mentioned: D. Mackie, Jr., J. N. McDonald, George K. Mackie, Patrick McNamara, W. B. Pixley, Joseph Batten, J. W. Hooper, J. R. Hisle, J. T. Small, Thomas Moran, James Crumrine, Robert Gillmore and J. J. Wooten.
The city has a large public school building, one of the finest in the county; but there is need for the enlargement of the school facilities, and another building will be erected. The city owns the water system put in a few years ago, at a cost of about $20,000: and the building of a plant for lighting purposes is now contemplated.
The commercial importance of Scammon may be judged, in part, from the amount of business done at the railroad station in the city. The coal shipments, in quantity, amount to 1,750 car-loads a month, or 57,750 tons. Other shipments, in and out, will amount to 600 car-loads a year. The freight receipts of the railroad at Scammon, it is believed, will amount to $30,000 a month. The express receipts are about $500 a month.
The Arkansas, Missouri & Kansas Railroad Company is now building a line of road through Cherokee County, as has been noted in the chapter on railroads. This is to pass through Scammon. Work is going forward on this undertaking, and at this time (August 31, 1904) it is expected that the road will be in operation by the first of next June. This will add much to the material interests of the city, as the road, it is understood, is to run from Memphis, Tennessee, into the grain fields of Kansas and Nebraska. Its crossing of the St. Louis & San Francisco road at Scammon make the place of more than ordinary importance as a railroad center.
The following are the names of those who have built good, comfortable homes in Scammon: Dr. R. Markham, George K. Mackie, Hugh Reid, D. Mackie, John Eisenhart, D. Mackie, Jr., E. Kelly, William Winn, J. T. Small, J. N. McDonald, C. R. Keiter, Dr. H. H. Brookhart, T. C. Lewis, T. B. Pryor, J. P. Rafter, John Morton, L. J. Hisle, Thomas S. Keith, J. R. Hisle, W. H. Burkhart, Joseph Keith and Patrick Quinn.
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This is the second part of a two-part history of Scammon, Kansas continued from last week's column, where the first deep shaft coal mine was sunk in the latter 1800s, comes from a variety of newspaper articles and several works authored by individuals who faithfully recorded the history of this mining community. The columnist extends a warm "thank you" to Columbus, Kansas, Cherokee County Genealogical-Historical Society, Inc., volunteers Clione Bieber, Helen Kelley, and Ella Buzzard for their attentive and enthusiastic research assistance.
[Excerpted] Many energetic men and women contributed to the rich and enduring history of Scammon. Another family interested in business, banking, and mining was the Mackie family. Actively involved in the coal fields of southeast Kansas, for over ninety-three years, the knowledge and enduring interest in mining began when nine year old David Mackie became a trapper in a coal mine in Scotland.
David Mackie was born to David and Janet Barclay Mackie in Kilburnie, Ayrshire, Scotland on January 1, 1836. From the position of trapper (one who opens and closes the door that controls the flow of air through a mine) he earned promotion after promotion until, at the age of twenty-five, he was advanced to the position of superintending engineer for the Barkip Coal and Ironstone Works in Scotland.
When David and his wife Elizabeth Kerr Mackie came to the United States, they lived with Davids uncle in Hartland, Wisconsin. David farmed there for awhile and then moved on to work as a machinist for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad. In 1871, he secured a position with the coal mining firm of Bennett Turner, where he installed machinery in mines near Braidwood, Illinois. He became mine foreman, and later superintendent there.
In 1883, he brought his family to Scammon, accepting a position as General Superintendent with the Keith and Perry Coal Company and remained with its successor (Central Coal and Coke Company). He held this position until 1906 when he resigned to retire from active business. His resignation was accepted on the condition that he remain the consulting engineer of the company to which he agreed.
David Mackie aided the organization of the Scammon State Bank in 1901, becoming its first president.
David and Elizabeth had six children: David, Thomas, Janet, George Kerr, Jane and John W. Mackie. All four boys were involved with one aspect or another of the mining industry.
The Mackie-Clemens Fuel Company was organized in 1906. Following the trend in coal production, the company eventually operated more strip mines than deep shafts. David Mackie died on August 9, 1910.
Son, George Kerr Mackie, was born in Beith, Ayrshire, Scotland on December 3, 1867 or 1868. Once the family had moved to Illinois, he became an office boy in the employ of the Diamond Coal Company in Braidwood.
He followed in his father's foot steps to become assistant engineer and then superintendent of Keith and Perry Coal Company and Central Coal and Coke Co. He was affectionately known as "sup". After 1900, he helped organize the Mackie Fuel Company and Scammon Fuel Company. Both companies operated coal mines in the Scammon area. He served as president for both companies. He was the president of the Mackie-McDonald Lumber Company, the Mineral Cities Lumber Company and proprietor of the George K. Mackie undertaking establishment and Mackie Mercantile in Scammon. Their hearses were advertised as the "handsomest" in the country.
George Mackie was the owner of the opera house block, the opera being reported as the best building in Scammon. He served as President of the Bank of Scammon after his father's death and served two terms as mayor.
His first wife Elizabeth Reinhard died soon after their marriage. In 1894, he married Flora E. Bush. Their children are Elizabeth, Martha, David, George and Thomas Mackie.
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New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
about David MacKie
Name: David MacKie
Arrival Date: 2 Oct 1871
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Destination: United States of America
Place of Origin: Scotland
Ethnicity/Race/Nationality: Scottish (Scotish)
Ship Name: Tripoli
Search Ship Database: Search the Tripoli in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Port of Arrival: New York
Line: 5
Microfilm Serial: M237
Microfilm Roll: M237_349
List Number: 991
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States
Family included Elizabeth (wife), David, Thomas, Janet and George
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