oooOOOoo this is fun. I talked about my husband's relations to the Hatfield's in the Hatfield/McCoy thread...now let's talk about ME!
lol.
My maiden name is McKain. Pronounce the same way as former president candidate John McCain (who is really really distant related to me.) So it goes: We are from Scotland (mainly)... the Cain family. That's my roots, y'all. But we all know that a true Scottish family has drama, and we are no exception. There was a HUGE family feud. I don't even remember why...but half the family moved to Ireland and "disowned" the other half. Our fearless leader was my great great great great (I don't know how many greats) grandpa Mac Cain. The half of the family that followed him to Irelend, added Mac to their last name. ex: If I was Stephanie Cain...when I went to Scotland, I became Stephanie Mac Cain.
so Mac Cain family was formed. THEN- many of us ventured to America. However, we were fairly poor and uneducated... sad but true. And many didn't know how to correctly spell our name....so here are the spellings given to us by America's educated record keepers: McKain, McCain, McCahan, McClain, McCann, (and I think there's a few more but I can't think right now lol...I'm a McKain.) The various spellings, I imagine, stem from the rich accents my ancestors had when they first came over from Ireland/Scotland. Cain's...y'all still related to me too... like I said, I don't have a clue why my how-ever-many great grandpa didn't like you. lol. Our family still fights a lot today...we have 1 reunion every year and it's not official until someone is offended LOL... it's in our blood i guess?
I do want to share with you a wonderful story about my Great Grandpa Joseph McKain. (He's my dad's Grandpa, and we all just called him Grandpa Joe. My dad's cousin, Joe McKain, is named after him and visits us often.)
Great Grandpa Joe fought in the United State Civil War on the Confederate side. He rode right next to General Wade Hampton. In fact, Grandpa Joe did have some "slaves", however- he didn't treat them like slaves and gave them privileges, and treated them so nice that many of them took the last name McKain, and some stayed to take care of Grandma Bessie McKain, while some even fought in the war with Grandpa Joe. After the war, they were free to move off of our land- but many of them stayed. Grandpa Joe gave them parts of the property, even. Well- after the war, Grandpa Joe began his ride home from the middle of Virginia, with General Wade Hampton. Somewhere in North Carolina, a group of Union soldiers attacked them. Mind you, this was after the war. Treaty had been signed, and slaves were to be freed. My Grandpa was right there at the signing= yet they still attacked. They took the horses and left my Grandpa for dead. (I don't know what happened to General Wade Hampton after that.)...but my Grandpa got up, and walked home to Florence, SC. that's right- he walked. from the middle of North Carolina, all the way down to middle of South Carolina. The walking caused him to lose his foot- it was amputated just at the ankle.
With a prosthetic foot- he then was a fire fighter for the Florence Fire Station, and became chief, where he served for 55 years before his death. They changed the name of the station to "Joseph E. McKain Fire Department".... If you go there, and look in the keepsake cabinet, there's a picture of the day they dedicated the Station to him. There's a little, 1 year old, girl in a little pink frilly dress in the picture... Can you guess who that little girl is??????? *** ME *** The station still treats me like a princess even if I haven't visited in years.
Quick funny about Grandma Bessie...she NEVER EVER appeared in front of people without her best dress, hair, make up, and jewelry on. and I mean NEVER. Example: she was in shorts and a t-shirt working in the garden in front of their Florence home one day and my dad's cousin drove up with his girlfriend and said "Grandma, I'd like you to meet my new girlfriend."... Grandma turned around and said "Ms. Bessie is not available right now, come back in 30 minutes. Go on now, shoo!".... confused, my dad's cousin left and came back... when they knocked on the door, Grandma answered in her favorite dress, pearls, make up and her hair was done. lol. She also put a blanket around the poor girls legs (she was apparently in a mini skirt) and said "Now, honey, nobody wants to see your naked legs." lol... I wish I could have met her!
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on my mom's side.... My Uncle Tom was on the beach in Germany - ON D-Day in WWII...serving in the United States Army. He still has shrapnel in his back. My mom's side is German though lol... hadn't even been over here but for a few decades and our men were sent to fight against... Germany. hmmmm... lol.