The earliest records on the Mackenzie family (the name as later
changed to McKenzie by the branch which emigrated to America) dates back to the 1600s.
My Great-Great Grandfather was Laird Mackenzie (first name not available) who was the
hereditary head of the Mackenzie Clan with his home castle in the mountains of Kental
in the Scottish Highlands near the north-western coast of Scotland.

As a matter of fact, among his other large land holdings were some on the Arian Isles
between the coast of Scotland and Ireland. Some of the MacKenzie family are reported
to have emigrated to Ireland during the uprising of the serfs in the 1600s but this
branch of the family still maintained their holdings in the Scottish Highlands. My
sister Iras visited Scotland several years ago and found many landmarks, commematory
plaques, cemeteries and other records of the family still there and a few years ago
the Castle of Kental was featured in the National Geographic Magazine with pictures of
the present Laird and Clan Chief. The castle has, of course, been restored but much of
the original building is still there.

Although a younger son entitled to bear the title of Sir nee his older brother was to
inherit the title of Laird, Sir Marion Mackenzie was expected to follow his fathers
wishes and marry in the clan or at least a lady of noble birth, however, he met and
fell in love with the daughter of a wealthy merchant family who lived near Edinburgh,
Scotland, and since his father refused him permission to marry he defied family and
clan tradition and quietly married this girl.

Her given name was America but we have no record of her last name, and immediately cut
all family ties and sailed to America. Upon landing in New York soon joined a
colonizing party and sailed south in a coastal vessel for Charleston, South Carolina.
From Charleston they proceeded to North Carolina where they took up lands. While
living in North Carolina the following children were born to Sir Marion and America
Mackenzie, Henry, Katherine, Bell, and Mary Elizabeth.

In or about the year of 1850 the family migrated to Tennessee near the spot where the
town of Mackenzie, Tennessee, now stands. It has never been established as to whether
or not this town was named for this family but it is considered highly likely since
the town came into existence at about that same time. After the families moved to
Tennessee the following children were born, Alexander, William, Frances, Jane,
Betty Anne, Pauline and Dorcas.

Sir Marion was drowned in a tragic steam boat explosion near the mouth of the
Tennessee river leaving America with a large family to raise. According to the story
told to Dr. D. H. McKenzie by his aunt Katherine, aged 90, when he visited her in
Tennessee in 1891, she as the eldest daughter found it necessary to take over the
managing of the household and most of the responsibility for her younger brothers
and sisters since her mother, although not of the nobility, had been raised in a
wealthy home with many servants to do all the menial chores and she was at an utter
loss when faced with the running of a home and the raising of a large family
in what was, at that time, practically a wilderness.

Aunt "Kath" (as she was affectionately known) had the family dry sense of humor and
explained the fact that she had remained a spinster all her life (as had her sisters
Bell and Mary Elizabeth) by saying she had been too busy managing the home and helping
raise the younger children and added that, in defiance of custom at that time, she had
managed to obtain an education far beyond what was deemed proper for a lady. In her
own words the fact that she knew as much or perhaps a little more than they scared
off any would be suitors. While still a teenager my Uncle Alex had some of my poems
published and he told me he did so wish, my Great Aunt Kath could see them as she
would be proud of her namesake.

The greater part of this large family either stayed in Tennessee or the Carolinas and
little is known of their history.

Henry Woods McKenzie was born April 10, 1835, in North Carolina. He was married Oct.
16, 1856, to Arvezena Wells who was born July 11, 1836.  Arvezena and her family had
emigrated from Wales and, as is typical of the Welsh people was a very practical,
efficient person and made a wonderful pioneer wife and mother. She had a wonderful
sense of humor which was passed on to her children and one of the highlights of my
childhood was when some of my aunts and uncles visited and tales of family life and
practical jokes played on each other were related amid much laughter until bed-
time and beyond. Henry and Arvezena lived in Tennessee the first 10 years of their
married life and during this time the following children were born, Sarah Jane, August
11, 1857;Laura Valentine, Jan. 29, 1859; Maryline, Feb. 9, 1861; David Henry, July 8,
1863. With David Henry still an infant and another child on the way Grandmother
Arvezena and Grandfather Henry gathered their children and the bare necessities for
living together into a covered wagon and set out for Missouri.

My sister Iras still has the large brass kettle grandmother used to cook meals for her
family over an open fire wherever they stopped on the trail. Grandmother told some
wonderful stories of this trip and of their pioneer days. Their children were
educated far beyond the average of that day, although money was not available for
education and most of them worked their way through whatever schooling they could get.

David Henry (or D.H. as he became known) became one of the first doctors to practice
in Reynolds county, William (Willie) became a minister, and Alexander (Alex), Ollie
and Arvezena became school teachers. In addition to their own large family the
McKenzies raised a granddaughter Delia Lewis Markum. Delia's mother died in childbirth
and Delia was raised as a much loved younger sister to the aunts and uncles.

Grandfather McKenzie was a very religious man and when the Lewis family, another very
old and well established family who lived on lower Carver Creek at that time, donated
land for a church he and his sons pitched in to build a small chapel, "Emily's
Chapel," which stood until about four years ago when it was destroyed by vandals. Iras
and I visited the adjoining cemetery and seeing how it was falling down and the church
benches being chopped up for camp fires decided to retrieve three of the solid pine
benches (the most uncomfortable I have ever sat on), loaded them into my station wagon
and started looking for someone to pay for them. We finally located an elderly man who
lived nearby and when we explained who we were and why we wanted to preserve them he
told us he knew of no one with a better right to them since our father had, at age 15
or 16, made most of the benches and our grandfather had been largely responsible for
the building of the church and the maintenance of the cemetery next to the church.
The McKenzies were of the Methodist faith but since there were no other churches in
that area at that time it was opened as an Interdenominational church and any church
encouraged to use it. For many years until the death of my aunt Amanda (Mandy)
McKenzie Dunn the family met there each year from all over Missouri and sometimes from
further distances for Decoration Day. At this time we had a general grave working
followed by a church service conducted by a minister available followed by "Dinner on
the Ground."

Three or perhaps four generations of youngsters, many of whom are now parents and
grandparents, have many wonderful memories of those family get-togethers and when we
do get together now we enjoy reminiscing about the fun and scrapes we got into then as
well as the family feeling and inspiration kept alive by these yearly reunions.

In speaking of this branch of the McKenzie family and their home life I feel one thing
that should be mentioned is their love for singing which is inherent in the Welsh
people and to a degree in those of Scottish descent. Their . singing talent was much
in demand for weddings, funerals and other occasions throughout the area and it was
nothing unusual for them to drive miles over rough roads in buggies or wagons to share
their talent with others with no thought of pay. Although Henry and Arvezena lived for
some time in Lesterville at the home of their son, Dr. D.H. McKenzie, while he
practiced medicine there, and Arvezena was living with my parents near Garwood at the
time of her death, they were returned to the family cemetery on lower Carver Creek
less than a mile from the old homestead for burial. Henry Woods McKenzie died Dec. 25,
1904, aged 69 years, 8 months and 15 days, and Arvezena Wells McKenzie died Feb. 8,
1915, aged 78 years, 6 months and 28 days.

Sarah Jane McKenzie was united in marriage to a member of the Lewis family who had
long been neighbors and friends of her family. She was the mother of Delia Lewis
Markum but died in childbirth when her second child was born. This child was a boy
who only survived his mother for a short time.

Laura Valentine McKenzie was to become Mrs. Thompson. In addition to raising the
children of her husband, who was a widower, she had three daughters of her own. Lily
Thompson Zimmers, who spent most of her life in Matthews, Mo., where her husband
farmed, started teaching at an early age and continued teaching in the Matthews area
until shortly before her death. A second daughter, Lou Thompson Ducket, was married to
Joseph Ducket of Advance, Mo. Lou was also a well known educator and until advanced
arthritis forced her retirement served as principal at the public schools in Advance.
Her husband Joe and her two daughters Nadine and Helen of Washington D.C. survive her.
Laura's third daughter Elzie is also deceased and is survived by her two sons Paul and
William.

After the death of Thompson, Laura was remarried and at the time of her death was Mrs.
Laura Dejonski.

Maryline McKenzie was also married to a member of the Lewis family but died at the
birth of her first child and is buried at the family cemetery beside her mother and
father, her sister Sarah Jane and near her sisters Amanda and Laura. This genealogy
will be continued in a later issue of the Reynolds County Courier.

                                                            submitted by Jere R Cox