that Mary Pfaar was probably Rosina's mother. Additional marriage record searches revealed that "Rosenah Pfaar" had been previously married before she married John Keiser. Her name was actually "Rosina Pfarr McKay" and she was the widow of "James M. McKay" who she married October 19, 1841.

This would make Mary Ann McKay the daughter of James and Rosina McKay. After later finding Mary Ann's death certificate, it showed James McKay came from Virginia. The exact date of his move to Missouri is not clear; it was as early as 1824, but more likely in late 1831 when he bought public land in St. Charles County from the U.S. General Land Office in St. Louis under the Act of Congress of April 24, 1820. This law allowed citizens to make cash purchases of fractional land parcels (aliquot: 1/2, 1/4 or 1/8) within 640 acre township sections.

James M. McKay bought 240 acres in St. Charles County on November 28, 1831 for $1.25 an acre and on November 19, 1836 he bought another 80 acres in St. Charles. There was also a General Land Office purchase on November 28, 1831 by an "Edith McKay" for 155 acres adjacent to James M. McKay's land.

In the 1840 Census for Missouri, "Jas McCay" is between 30 and 40 years old. The 1840 Census also shows him to be unmarried, working in agriculture, no slaves are listed and he is living in Cuivre Township, St. Charles County.

The next step was to find and document a relationship, if any, between our "William McKay" and James M. McKay, Mary Ann McKay and John Keiser. I found on the web that the St. Charles County Historical Society had historic civil documents and files and I requested the probate file for James McKay as well as the file for a Patrick McKay who also resided in St. Charles County at that time.

On April 7, 2008 the copies of the 2 probate files arrived. The file for Patrick McKay showed no relationship to James McKay or William McKay.

The file for James McKay included 59 pages covering the years between 1842 and 1863 and the following information was found and confirmed:

James M. McKay died in February 1842 due to illness; his wife was Rosina McKay and Mary Ann McKay was their child;

He died without a will and his widow Rosina was appointed as administrator of his estate and his other heirs were his sister, "Edy Caruthers" (Edith McKay) and brother, "John Green McKay";

An inventory of James M. McKay's property was made in March 1842 and included in his property was a "Negro woman and 2 children--named Harriet, boy Bill, youngest child not named";

John W. Keiser married Rosina McKay in February 1843 and became the "administrator de bonis non" (second administrator) of the estate of James M. McKay and guardian of his minor child, Mary McKay;

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