James McKinnis ca. 1806 - 1868
James McKinnis was born around 1806 in Smith County, Tennessee, USA. He was the son of Daniel McKinnis (????-????) and an unknown mother.
James married Jane Elkins (ca. 1816-1853) on 23 October 1828 in Posey County, Indiana. They had the following children:
Jack Grant McKinnies (Unknown - Unknown)
Elizabeth McKinnis (1828 - Unknown)
Joshua McKinnis (1832 - 1873)
Hugh W. Mckinnis (1833 - After 1850)
Winny McKinnis (1835 - After 1850)
Willis McKinnis (1839 - 1923)
Daniel M. McKinnis (1844 - 1925)
Margaret McKinnis (1846 - 1897)
James McKinnies (1849 - After 1880)
Rachel McKinnis (1853 - 1884)
The first place I have found James was in the 1830 census for Robinson Township of Posey County. His last name was rendered as McKinney by the census taker, which might actually be the way he pronounced his surname. I get the picture from what I've seen of the family that the name was commonly rendered at least three ways, as McKinnis, McKinnies, and McKinney, so I am wondering if most of the family pronounced it Muh Kin Ease, which could easily be written down any one of those three ways. (census image here)
In 1840 James was still in Robinson Township. I noticed from looking at the census that there are a couple of Elkins households listed just above his on the page, I suspect they are relatives of his wife Jane. (census image here)
In the 1850 census we can finally see more of the family since the children were listed for the first time by name. All of the younger children were listed beginning with Hugh. Rachel hadn't been born yet, but everyone else showed up. Joshua had married Mary Ann Ramsey and moved out, but I don't know what became of Elizabeth, if she got married or had passed away. Margaret and James appeared on the next page of the census, which was page 20. (census image here) (following page (20) of census here)
Some sources on Ancestry list James's son Hugh and daughter Winny as dying in May 1850. This seems unlikely as both were counted in the census that year. The census specifically asked if someone was a member of the household as of June 1, and Hugh and Winny were listed. In addition, neither showed up in the census mortality schedule for that year. It is very likely that both died after that census was taken, since I have not found them listed in any future census, but I don't find the May 1850 date credible. I believe this information was corrupted by something that I consider a "bug" in Ancestry. When pulling information from other people's trees automatically, I have found that dates that are preceded with a "Before" or "After" seem to lose the qualifier, and only the date is pulled into the tree you are updating. I have had to correct this on a number of entries that I have updated from other people's trees.
James's wife Jane is believed to have died in 1853 in Posey County, and I have found nothing to contradict that belief. That was not the end of bad news for the family. In 1859 Joshua was convicted of forgery along with John R. Hays. This may explain why the next time we see Joshua in the census records in 1870, he was in the Illinois State Penitentiary in Joliet, Illinois. If Hugh and/or Winny had in fact died between 1850 and 1860, that was even more bleak tidings for the family.
I have not been able to find the family in the 1860 census, but other records do indicate there was some good news for a change. Willis married Dicey Jane Gwaltney in 1861 and Daniel married Sarah Catherine Wilson in 1866. Margaret married William Duckworth in 1868, and Rachel married Samuel Barton in 1870. James Jr. didn't marry Rachel Robb until 1876.
James Sr. apparently lived to see most of this, or at least hear about it. He is believed to have died in Trousdale County, Tennessee, on 24 October 1868. I don't know his burial place, although his son Willis is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery and daughters Margaret and Rachel are buried in Mount Zion Cemetery, all in Posey County.
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