Today’s Tombstone Tuesday is about John and Janet Mackie,
my husband’s Scots great-great grandparents and their gravesite in Knox County, Illinois.

On our big road trip this spring, we detoured to go through Knox County, Illinois. Originally, I wanted to find the grave of his great-great-grandmother, Mary Kinsley Curtis. We found her buried in the wonderful little Parker family cemetery along the banks of the Spoon River. As a bonus, we also found my husband’s Scots great-grandparents, the Mackies.

John and Janet Mackie

John:

  • Birth:     27 Aug 1826, Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland
  • Death:     3 Dec 1899, Cumming, Warren, Iowa
  • Burial:     6 Dec 1899, Parker Cemetery, Truro Twp., Knox, Illinois
  • Father:     Matthew MacKIE  (1792-1867)
  • Mother:    Jean ANDERSON (1791-1836)

Janet:

  • Birth:     abt 1828, ? Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland
  • Death:     23 Aug 1903, Williamsfield, Knox, Illinois
  • Burial:     25 Aug 1903, Parker Cemetery, Truro Twp., Knox, Illinois
  • Marriage:     17 Apr 1846, Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland

John and Janet Mackie

The gravestone inscription for John and Janet Mackie reads:

But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness
And all these things
shall be added unto you.

Other Mackie Sources

I found the Mackies in a county history published in 1878. The History of Knox County, Illinois; Together With Sketches Of The Cities, Villages And Townships …. Portraits Of Prominent Persons And Biographical Sketches has this passage:

Mackie, John, farmer, born in Scotland, March, 1824. His parents, Mathew and Jane, were natives of the lowlands of Scotland; was sent to private school in his native country, and while yet quite young began work in the mines; was married April 17, 1846, to Miss Janett McFadyen, who bore him 9 children, 4 boys and 5 girls; came to America in 1848 and settled in Knox Co., and has lived here since; has held the office of School Director and Road Commissioner in Truro township; early in life united with the Presbyterian Church, but later joined the Christian Church, which he has served as Deacon. Independent. P.O. Truro.

I’ve posted on about searching for Janet’s baptism record with mixed success, but their marriage record and John’s baptism record were easy to find. After the cemetery, we headed to the Knox County courthouse. While we were waiting for some records, I spied a county map on the wall and lo and behold the land around the family cemetery was still owned by Mackies! When I got home, I wrote and received a lot of excellent information in reply from Mrs. Helen Mackie. She enclosed a family cookbook and John and Janet Mackie are on the cover. Isn’t that great? I wish all my cemetery trips paid off so handsomely.