A widely held McGehee family tradition (shared, at least in part, by the late 23rd Chief) claims that our original immigrant ancestor was Thomas MackGehee (died ~1724), who was born James MacGregor, the son of Patrick MacGregor and Marian MacDonald. There are problems with this claimed lineage, not least is the stretch made to make Thomas a contemporary of the James in question, who was born no later than 1630.

Rather, evidence suggests that Thomas MackGehee of Virginia was the son of a William MackGahye (born ~1618), who is thought to have arrived in Virginia in the 1640s, and who had another son named William (1672-1748).

Although the most widely repeated story about James MacGregor having become Thomas MackGehee is clearly a myth, there is reason to believe the James MacGregor legend may be true—if applied not to Thomas but to the elder William. This fits the known dates, and allows Thomas to be a younger and more energetic man during the period of his recorded activities.

Furthermore, history suggests that William MackGahye may indeed have been involved in one of the Jacobite wars—in particular the fight of the Scots against Cromwell in the early 1650s, actually after the death of the storied Marquess of Montrose. See here.

Family myths and controversies aside, what is known is that William MackGahye's family, our family, spans 350 years of American history. Our family was here more than a century before thoughts of independence sprouted in the colonies.

Thomas MackGehee (~1658-1724) lived in Virginia, where he was a prosperous and respected planter. Thomas died in King William County, Virginia—today, a few minutes' drive from Colonial Williamsburg, which became Virginia's capital during his lifetime.

Thomas' younger brother William (~1672-1748) became a Quaker, and despite having been confused with his nephew William (born about 1689) because of the James MacGregor legend, is almost certainly the ancestor of a great many of today's McGehees myself included. Although initially I had some concern about distinguishing between the children of William MackGehee the Quaker, and his nephew William McGehee, I rather easily found a 14-year gap in birthdates among the children previously attributed to the younger William. My archive reflects my belief that William McGehee, Jr. (born about 1702) was the last-born child of William the Quaker. I am descended from the Quaker's eldest son, James.

McGehees fought in the American Revolution (my five-times-great grandfather signed the Albemarle County, VA Declaration of Independence in 1779), in Texas' 1836 war of independence, and in the Civil War (including my great-great-grandfather, Walter Warder McGehee). A McGehee once represented Mississippi in Congress, while another recently served in the Arkansas Legislature. A town in southeastern Arkansas was founded by Abner McGehee, great-great-great-great-grandson of Thomas MackGehee. Mississippi author Stark Young learned McGehee family history (and myth) from his great-uncle Hugh McGehee. His 1934 novel, So Red the Rose, set during the Civil War, is built around fictional Natchez planter Hugh McGehee, whose only son is killed in the battle of Shiloh. Race driver Robby McGehee was 1999's Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, finishing fifth.

And I'm not even the only Kevin McGehee—there is a Kevin McGehee serving as athletic director at a high school in Tennessee, and another Kevin McGehee played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles.