Does Kati-Kati (about 30 miles from the port of Taurango) feature in your family history?
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A John A. McKINNEY (1837-1922, wife isabella BURNEY) sailed aboard the "Lady Jocelyn" (2,0000 tons, finest ship afloat) out of Carrickfergus on 20-05-1878 with 378 passengers, destined for the second STEWART settlement in NZ.
[Were they the first McKINNEYs in these pioneering NZ settlements?
Were your folks (emigrating the following year) related? Such was common.]
They delivered 5 children to the NZ shore.
Jane, Sarah, male, male, baby.
Then procreated further - John Barkeley McKINNEY (26-dec1879) and William Hugh McKINNEY (21-Feb-1883).
John was a farmer, but was subsequently invited to be the local Minister.
[This was after the death of the Reverend MARKS.
He had been sent out by the General Assembly of Belfast with the first settlement.
such expedition with 238 folks aboard the "Carisbrooke Castle" of 1,400 tons
leaving Belfast on 18-jun-1875 and arriving Auckland 08-sep1875.]
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I'd not worry too much about the "villain" label.
In the context in which such occurred, such folks were also known as "folk heroes"!
[Folks did not own their land "holdings" - such were only rented from the "landlords".
Usually for a limited period.
Rents & fines (payable on renewal) were hiked up in the 1770s, whereupon many folks emigrated (mainly to the Americas at that time).
Such was one of the main drivers of the 1798 Rebellion.
The situation got even worse in the late 19thC as estates became encumbered with debts and pension-liabilities.
The local bigwig (Lord Donegall, family name CHICHESTER) sold off many of his holdings to other bigwigs and middlemen who "racked up" the the rent to the end tenants.
Later, he snuck round the side and (illegally) granted "perpetual" leases at nominal rents in order to raise cash. Such "ropey" deals destabilised land tenures further.]
Folks emigrating to OZ/NZ enjoyed the freedom of being granted ownership of their own lands there from the local Government (on payment of a once off charge), without any subsequent annual rent.
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John was a brother of the famous local-to-Carnmoney genealogist William Fee McKINNEY. Carnmoney lies only 9 miles from Carrickfergus.
[Their father was Thomas George McKINNEY, whose mother was from a GEORGE family - such originating from Wales. He was resident at Burnt Hill, before buying Sentry Hill.]
John's sons "Joe" (Joseph McMCKINNEY) and "Jim" (William James McKINNEY) ended up in Oz, owning Kooba then Nangus on the Moorumbigee river.
They married respectively Elma and Effie MURRAY.
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This info came from a small beautiful book:
William Fee McKinney
Of Sentry Hill: His family and friends
Mrs. I.R Crozier. 1985
Impact Printing, Coleraine
ISBN 0 948154 00 4
153pp, hard back
Good history in there about the MacKENZIE clan origins.
[Many were Gallwegians - residents of Galloway, from whence many plantation settlers originated.
CJ: Though many lived on Uist, owned by "Lord Moray" at one time .... ]
They took part in the early 17thC STEWART Plantation of Ulster in Tyrone (some, no doubt, at the point of the new King James' boot). Then adopted the Jacobite cause later, scarpering back to Scotland in 1689, before scarpering back to Ulster after the 1715 defeat at Sherrifmuir by the Hanoverian forces.
James McKENZIE (with sword) arrived with his new 2nd wife Helen CAMPBELL (with cooking pot). They attended Carnmoney Pb church. Sons John (1719) and Andrew (1722) were born. They lived at Burnt Hill, Ballyduff townland, Carnmoney.
James' father (name unknown) had rented lands much earlier from the STEWARTs of Killymoon castle, Cookstown, in Co. Tyrone.
The settlements in NZ were sponsored by George Vesey STEWART, son of Captain Mervyn STEWART of Moutray , Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone. The lands at Kati-Kati were chosen for their ideal climate and rich easily-cultivated soil. Such proved very beneficial for the health & wealth of the emigrants.
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Book is, sadly, no longer in print.
However, pretty sure that it can be requested on inter-library loan from
Linenhall Library, Belfast and/or British Library (repository, Boston Spa).]
Searched for LEGG within the book without success.
However, the other coincidences with your research seem manifest!
[CJ: MacKENZIE family reckoned to have been Gallwegians (residents of Galloway) latterly.
However, IRC reckons (from research in copious historical tomes) that her ancestors were Highlanders from the lands of Avoch, with burials at nearby Beauly Priory. The clan held lands across the North of Scotland, from Lewis to the Black Isle, with seats at Eileen Donan, Brahan Castle, Castle Leod, Fairburn Tower. Principal burials were at Iona Abbey, Beauly Priory and the Canonry of Ross.]
The "Z" in the name only appeared in the mid-18thC.
The original Gaelic name is MacCONNIAGH.
Nearest pronounciation is McKINNIE (usually made M'KINNIE).
[Conniagh is, of course, Kenneth (as in Kenneth McALPINE, 1st King of Scots).]
Carrickfergus is only about 9 miles from the village of Carnmoney.
This is where a WFMcK's grandfather had his first holding, at the "Burnt Hill".
There must surely be a connection?!
Hopefully some of the this will strike a chord with you.
Capt Jock
P.S. OK, so youse knocked Ireland out of the World Rugby.
But we had the BEST man on the field!
