Rebecca (Marks) Mackey (aft. 1737 - 1827)

Born after 1737 in North Carolina [uncertain]

Wife of William George Mackey Sr. — married 1771 in Southampton, Virginia

Descendants

Died 8 Sep 1827 before age 90 in Wilkinson, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Amy Braun [send private message] and Jeri Leonard [send private message]

Biography

Rebecca Marks was the daughter of Thomas Marks and a Spivey wife who may have been Esther but definitely had a sister Elizabeth (named in his will). In 1771, when his will was made, Rebecca Marks was already married to William Mackey. Those who accept Rebecca Marks as the mother of Hopie Mackey identify this William Mackey as someone close to the Ridley family of (near Southampton/Nansemond County), VA. Records from "the Ridley Book" referenced in the History of Worth County, GA claim that a Robert Ridley married William and Rebecca McKay's daughter Nancy, and that they all came down to Georgia sometime after 1780 or 1790.

The other more interesting story is that the William Mackey who fathered Hopie Mackey was the son of an Indian trader involved with the Indians at Oconee Old Town, which research has shown was occupied until 1715. In this version, William Mackey married the daughter of a Creek Indian prince (sometimes reported as Cherokee, but Creek would be more plausible) or at least fathered a son William, daughter Hopie, and possibly daughter Nancy with this "Indian princess." This story, which has passed down through the Etheridge and Mackeys of Georgia, began with a notation on William Mackey's will (the son of William Mackey and brother to Hopie).

This is the disputed note: "NOTES: Will of William Mackey, 1789-1870, son of William and Hoppoi Miccoi Mackey, Legend from Indian affairs was that Hoppoi was the daughter of Creek Indian Chief Miccoi. Mackey's grandfather allegedly operated a trading post on the Oconee River, before Wilkinson was made a county."

Unfortunately, William Mackey, Sr's will (married to Rebecca Marks?) was lost. It might have been able to clear up some of the continuing controversy. The puzzling mystery to me after following all the comments about Hopie's parentage is why anyone would put a note with that much detail on a will if there was no basis for it. There is a Rebecca Mackey in the 1820 census of Wilkinson County but I'm not convinced this one is William's wife. It is clear to anyone who has researched this family that there were multiple Rebecca Mackeys, William Mackeys (as many as 25), and Rebecca Marks in the post-revolutionary Southeast. Family trees superimpose these individuals without documentation. Would be interested in hearing from anyone with more concrete information.

I am still not convinced that Rebecca Marks of Virginia is the mother of Hopie Mackey, but she was definitely married to a William Mackey, whether the one who ended up in Wilkinson County or not is uncertain be evidence points in that direction. Not only were there a large number of living William Mackeys in the Southeast in the 18th century, there were also several Rebecca Marks, one in NC and one in SC, all around places where a William Mackey lived as well.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRH-LF2 : accessed 22 June 2021), William Mackey, Barnwell, South Carolina, United States; citing p. 66, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 47; FHL microfilm 181,422.
• Ancestry Family Trees
• Marks will, EDIT, 1771, Parish of Nottoway, Southampton Co, VA
• 1820 census of Wilkinson County, GA; various records of the Mackey, Marks, and Ridley families are listed here, including this statement, History of Wilkinson County, Georgia. pp. 468-469, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah: "In the 1820 census listed William Mackey and Rebecca Mackey, a widow of another William Mackey."
• Blanche Adams Chapman, Mackeys of VA and Related Families (or close)
• History of Wilkinson County, GA
• Scores and scores of contradictory messages posted on RootsWeb sites and other similar sites.
• 1771 Parish of Nottoway, Southampton Co, VA Clearly states that William Mackey was married to Rebecca Marks, daughter of Thomas Marks. She is in the 1820 Wilkinson County census but possibly another relative with the name of Rebecca Mackey.