Who We Are and Where We Came From: First McKinnon in America

Part 2 continued from this post.

In 1861, while living in Salt Lake City, Archibald McKinnon Sr. met a girl named Mary McKay who was also from Scotland. They were married in the endowment house, on August 9, 1861.

Mary was born in Scotland on November 16, 1838. Her parents were Robert McKay and Agnes Shields. She was the sixth out of seven children – three having died within their first year of life. Her father worked as a weaver and mother stayed at home with the children. When Mary was about 9 years old, their family came into contact with the LDS church and knew it to be true. Robert and Agnes were baptized and confirmed on December 21, 1847. Mary and her siblings were baptized later on. Mary on October 10, 1850. Mary’s biography talks about how when her family joined the Mormon church, her neighbors and family friends became bitter and unfriendly, which increased their desire to go to Utah with the rest of Saints.

Mary, her parents and her little sister left Scotland and boarded the Ship “Isaac Wright” on March 5, 1855. Mary’s two older siblings had left a few years before to prepare a home for them in Utah.

The ship arrived at Port in Massachusetts, and the McKay family decided to stay there for in order to earn money to buy supplies before their journey westward. The had stayed in Massachusetts working in Cotton Mills at Holyoke for about three years when they decided to continue on. They met at the gathering place with the rest of the saints traveling with them at Florence, Nebraska on June 6, 1859. They were soon on their way across the plains using handcarts. Many families used handcarts because they were less expensive.

The family traveled in the George Rowley Handcart Company, leaving on June 9, 1859. This was the eighth handcart company to come across. Within it were about 235 people using 60 handcarts and 8 wagons.

Having worked in Massachusetts prior to the trek, the McKay’s had earned money to help them be well-prepared for the hard journey. As the weeks passed, the food became scarce and hunger set in. They were all very relieved when they reached their destination. They arrived in Utah on September 4, 1859. Below is an excerpt from a man named in the same company who was telling his memories of the trek:

“ At night we placed a double guard, and, it being a dark night, we put out our fires early to prevent the Indians from seeing us. We drew our carts close together and longed for daylight to come. Some went to bed, and when all was perfectly still, we were aroused by one of the most hideous noises that I ever heard. It was the Indians. Some of them had on buckskin suits covered with bells. They sang, and jumped, and knocked down one of our tents that was full of people, mostly women and children. It was no wonder the women screamed and the children cried; as we all thought it was an Indian war dance, of which we had heard so much.

The Indians, perceiving our fear, took advantage of it. They had what was fun to them, but to us there was no fun in it. We were already up when the day dawned and were soon traveling with the hope that we should see the Indians no more; but we had traveled but a few miles when a number of them came as fast as they could ride, shouting like demons, with their long hair flying in the breeze. They tormented us for hours, and this, our fist Indian experience, was a terror to us in very deed.

Our hard work gave us keen appetites and most of us ate our rations in about half the time that they should have lasted. Then we would ask for more, and, of course, we got it. As we had only seventy pounds of flour for ten weeks; (unless we could make the trip in less time) it followed that we should have to go short at the latter end. We had scarcely reached half way when we found, to our sorrow, that our provisions were nearly gone; then each person had to do with one pound of flour for two days and we felt the pangs of hunger. We had four persons to each cart. Our four consisted of myself, your grandma and our two children. Thus, there being but two of us to pull our cart it made our work very hard indeed. One day as we were traveling along, in this hungry condition, I saw a sheep some distance from the road. I was at once impressed to try to get it. Accordingly I pulled our cart on one side of the road. Seeing what I was doing, our companions made fun of me, but I started out, at the same time offering up a silent prayer to our Heavenly Father to assist me, and to my joy it was but a short time until I caught the sheep and I assure you it was a very good mutton. This was a great help to us, and we divided the meat with those who had small children.

We traveled on until the next day, when, to our sorrow, our rations were reduced to a pound of flour for four days, and then we felt more than ever the pangs of hunger; children were crying for bread and their parents were unable to give them any.”

Mary’s family settled for in Salt Lake City. Her father started working as a Weaver again, and they lived a happy family life with the saints around them. Though she was happy in Utah, Mary often talked about her old life in Scotland and her happy life there. In 1861, Mary met Archibald McKinnon, a fellow Scottish immigrant, and they were married on August 9, 1861.