Sketch of the Mackey Family, St. Charles County, Missouri

>From "A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri, with numerous
sketches, anecdotes, adventures, etc., relating to Early Days in 
Missouri" by William S. Bryan and Robert Rose, Published by Bryan,
Brand & Co., St. Louis Missouri, 1876.
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James Mackey, of Scotland, came to America in 1776, when he was seven-
teen years of age.  He settled in St. Louis, and was the first English
speaking white man who ever came west of the Mississippi River.  Mr.
Mackey was well educated, and understood surveying, which secured him
employment for a number of years under the Spanish and French govern-
ments.  He was out four years on an exploring and surveying expedition,
accompanied by a Frenchman and three Indians, who acted as chain bear-
ers and flagmen, and during their absence they came near starving to
death.  In 1803, Mr. Mackey was appointed Commandant of the territory
of Upper Louisiana, with his headquarters at St. Louis.  At forty years
of age he was married to Isabella L. Long, who was in her seventeenth
year.  Her parents came from Virginia to St. Louis in 1800.  Mr. Mackey
died in 1821, but his widow lived until 1860.  The names of their child-
ren were: John Z., Eliza L., Catharine M., Julia J., William R., George
A., James B., Amelia A. and Isabella L.  John Z., married the widow 
Kerker, whose maiden name was Maria Robinson.  Eliza L. married Reuben
Coleman, of Kentucky.  Catharine M. married Louis Guion, of St. Louis.
Mr. Guion's mother brought a small trunk with her when she came to 
America, that is now two hundred years old, and is in the possession of
Mrs. Thomas Chapman, of Montgomery County, MO.  Julia J. Mackey married
David Bowles.  George A. married Fannie Miller, of Jefferson County, MO.
William K. died in childhood.  James B. married Sarah Hall, of Franklin
County, MO.  Amelia A. married William A. Coleman, of Kentucky. Isabella
L. married Simeon L. Barker, of Kentucky, and their son, S. M. Barker,
is now the County Clerk of Montgomery County.  Mr. Mackey built the
first brick house in St. Louis.  On October 13, 1797, the Spanish auth-
orities granted him 13,835 arpents of land, lying on both sides of the
Cuivre River, now in St. Charles and Lincoln Counties; also 545 arpents
in another tract, on the same river; 5,280 arpents on the Mississippi
River, and 10,340 arpents in St. Charles district.  These grants were
made for services rendered the Commercial Company of the Missouri River,
on a voyage of discovery up that stream, made by order of Baron de
Carondelet.  It was intended that the party should be absent six years,
but they returned in four, having exhausted their supplies.  In addi-
tion to these grants, Mr. Mackey received 30,000 arpents of land for
his services as Commandant in 1803.  This last grant embraced a consid-
erable portion of land within the present limits of St. Louis, and he
donated a graveyard to the city, which is now covered with valuable
buildings.  Mr. Mackey was a fine musician, and brought with him from
Scotland a violin and flute, both of which are in the possession of his
grandchildren.  The violin has been in use so long that a hole is worn
through it by the friction of the chin.	

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