John McKeegan 1802-1881 Ireland & Charleston, South Carolina

Anderson Intelligencer 15 Sept. 1881

In 1850, Antrim-born John McKeegan (1802-1881) was living in Charleston with his wife Ann who was also born in Ireland. He enslaved ten human beings in the same year, ranging in age from 100 years to 8 years of age. McKeegan was a blacksmith with Real Estate valued at $20,000.

It was possible to glean the following information about John McKeegan's purchase and sale of human beings from Births, Marriages and Deaths, South Carolina, Charleston District, Bill of Sale of Negro slaves 1774-1872

​18 Jun. 1824 purchased a boy named Toby from William H Wilson
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XD-6LPZ
​
17 Apr. 1825 purchased a boy named HardTimes from Edward W North
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X6-VC6Z
​
14 Dec. 1825 purchased Ebber, a 'negro boy said to be a Blacksmith' from Thomas R Smilie
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X6-XSMM
​
​26 Jan. 1826 purchased Phillis from Edward Blake Linning
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X6-7SN2
​
10 Apr. 1829 purchased Nancy and her two daughters Susan & Phillis from Margaret Gidiere
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X2-2Q3Z ​

17 Mar. 1830 John McKeegan sold a boy, Bob to Neil McKegan
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XF-WHMM
​
17 Mar. 1835 purchased David 'a negro boy about 16 years of age' from Catherine Barinem(?)
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XK-MK3Z

8 Mar. 1836 Nicey & her daughter Susan
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XV-6WMM
​
13 Feb. 1837 purchased Nero from A C D Bryan
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XV-JFW2
​
19 Feb. 1839 purchased Cato a 'negro boy warranted to be sound' from J Ripley S Hammett
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X2-B36Z
​
9 Dec. 1839 purchased Andrew age 19 from Phillip J McFreeney (?)
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X2-5PMM

5 Aug 1839 purchased a boy named Henry from Frederick Wittpen
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XK-V4N2

21 Aug. 1840 McKeegan sold a 'negro boy' Henry to J H Otis & A Rolain
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XP-4J3Z

8 Oct. 1846 McKeegan sold  a woman named Nancy, and her children Phillis & Isaac to Vincent Nayele.
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XL-B6W2
​
20 Jan. 1853 purchased Dandy, a boy, from Robert D Parker
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X5-DHW2
​
​4 Sept. 1854 purchased Phoebe and her daughter Rose from John Smith, Jnr.
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1X5-3VMM

​In 1860, he enslaved nine people, ranging in age from 32 years to a toddler aged one. His Real Estate was valued at $30,000 and his Personal Estate at $23,000. He was a member of the Hibernian Society in Charleston. In 1845, he sponsored one of the people he  enslaved, Peter age 20, to become a Roman Catholic.
​In 1881 in his will, McKeegan left a fund of $50,000 to commence the rebuilding of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Charleston. He also left his house to a formerly enslaved person, Robert Morrison.

Notes
​There are a number of Robert Morrisons living in Charleston in 1880 with a racial designation of Black or Mulatto. However, there is only one who is a Blacksmith. Robert Morrison, born 1818 with his wife, Louisa Morrison, and daughters Jane & Martha Morrison, assumed daughter Mary Keith and her husband Tony Keith. They were living on South Street in the household of Dolly Johnson, born 1810. I have been unable to verify that he is the man who inherited the house at this time.

Sources (all accessed 4 Feb.2022)
1840 US Federal Census (9 enslaved people)
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB7-XG5?i=116&cc=1786457
1850 US Federal Census
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8Q6-F1H
1850 Slave Schedule
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XXN2-HZ?i=94&cc=1420440
1860 US Federal Census
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZTH-HQM
​1860 Slave Schedule
​www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WKRM-NNN2
​1880 US Federal Census
www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6SM-11S
​Death Certificate 1881
​www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HFPN-87PZ
Memorial  
​www.findagrave.com/memorial/47621391/john-mckeegan 
Robert Morrison 1880 US Federal Census www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6S9-MYR

​Mitchell, Arthur, South Carolina Irish (The History Press, Charleston, 2011), p. 71.
Krebsbach, Suzanne, 'Black Catholics in antebellum Charleston', The South Carolina Historical Magazine (Apr. 2007, 108:2), p. 156.
With special thanks to Greg Koos, author of Freedom, Land & Community, A History of McLean County, Illinois 1730-1900 (due to be published in 2022)  for research assistance.