A little bit of genealogy for the Mackey and Cox families, job history and other personal and family content I will add from time to time.
A special thanks to our niece Christina (Cox) Zuffinetti for providing some missing updates and to Tom and Sherry (Mackey) Halub for updating Tom's side of the family.
Coat of Arms
MACKEY Family Name Origins
McKee Surname and
Surnames in general became a practice in China a few thousand years ago and came to France around 1100AD. Usually a surname would be a variation of a Christian name or description of the place in which they lived, color of their hair, their job, social status or the like. When the Normans conquered England, surnames were not in general use and were a relatively new innovation, even among Normans. All Milesian Irish (Most Irish are descended from one of the three sons of Milesius) and the McKees are likely fundamentally Phoenician (A native or inhabitant of ancient Phoenicia), that they traded among and intermarried with many races particularly the Egyptians and the Hebrews, and that they were in all probability the most advanced race on earth from the dawn of civilization. The Phoenicians invented money, made glass, sailed the seas in ships of their own construction, formulated the alphabet and written language and entertained a concept of deity, when the progenitors of many other races were still almost literally swinging by tails from the limbs of trees. Several hundred years before the incarnation, personal names commenced to add a suffix.
In the Gaelic, Aodh, having red hair is Aodh Ruadh. If his hair is black he becomes Aodh Dubh. Aodh, pronounced "Ee" was frequently used for Irish kings and chiefs. The word means fire, and may have had its origins in Druidical (The Druids) worship of very ancient times, when the fire and sun, wind, moon, water and so on held mystical meanings and powers that needed placation and worship. There is no doubt that the name McKee is an anglicization of the Gaelic name MacAodh. In short is spelled McKee as the nearest approach to a Scotsman or Irishman's way of pronouncing Mac Aodh. Mac Aodh means son of Aodh. Aodh cannot be translated into english. It was anciently written Heth or Eth or Aed meaning "fiery one", english-ed Aneneas. McKee is also an anglicization of Mac Caoch, which in Gaelic means son of a one eyed man or son of a dim sighted man, by the curious Gaelic system of antiphrasis (The use of a word or phrase in a sense contrary to its normal meaning for ironic or humorous effect).
Many family historians would say McKee means son of Hugh, I have read that it doesn't. The majority of McKee lines came over from Scotland to North Ireland following the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant (in 1643) and the consequent persecutions. One history mentions there was a move by the McKee's to Scotland in the 1100s, then a move back to Ireland in the 1500s. Many remained in the North of Ireland-more frequently in Down, Antrim, Londonderry and Monaghan today, than in the southern counties. No one who has not immersed himself for a while in the ancient Irish history realizes that Scotland was colonized and populated by Irish. The race is Gaelic, or even more popularly Milesian. Fergus the Great led the second large colony into Scotland in 503AD and although it cannot be definitely proved, every bit of evidence that has come to hand points to the fact that members of Clan Aodha were among the earliest colonists who took up abode in the Highland of Scotland. The Scots were originally Northern Irish, and under Fergus conquered a portion of Alba, eventually giving their name to the whole country - Scotland. Sufficient reliable historical data no longer exists to serve as a basis for trailing the McKee tribe absolutely, step by step back to its beginnings, instead we rely on fragmentary references in very topographical poems and ecclesiastical works.
COX Family Coat of Arms
COX Family Name Origins
Origins of the Cox Surname
The family name Cox is a good example of the evolutionary nature of names. It is indicative of the familiar terms on which men and women use to live with wild creatures. The general term for a male bird, cock, (which was used to express the lively, dominating spirit of all male birds, not just the barnyard variety), comes from names first spoken in the pioneering days of the Anglo-Saxons and existed in speech long before it was written down. It was often use as a nickname to describe the natural pertness of boys, so like the habits of strutting fowl. Both swaggered, and both could crow.
Thus cock became the general sobriquet of a sharp and forward lad. The farm boy, the scullion, or the apprentice was called cock by itself, or sometimes the word was attached to his Christian name, such as Jeff-cock, Will-cock, or Han-cock.
By 1066 this name was already in use as a surname Alvin Coc is on the dispossessed Saxons listed in the Domes Day Book (The written record of a census and survey of English landowners and their property made by order of William the Conqueror in 1085–1086). It also continued as a popular first name among the lower classes. Kok Forester and Kok de Mari are both listed in the Sussex Subsidy of 1296.
As time went on it was used more and more for boys and servants until it was firmly established as a surname. As with most Christian names, a final "s" was frequently added, and quite often this was combined with the "ck" and spelled with an "x". This practical short cut in spelling was the way in which Cox evolved, although the modern abbreviation of the name tends to disguise the original form.
Cox finds its geographical home in the south of England in the contiguous counties of Dorset and Somerset. While it is fairly numerous in the Counties of Gloucester, Oxford, and Warwickshire, it is rare or absent in the north of England and in the eastern coast counties.
The name Cox in Ireland is derived from the native Gaelic Mac an Choiligh (perhaps from coileach meaning cock) Sept(1) that was located in County Roscommon. There are a number of variants including MacQuilly, MacGilly, Magilly and MacGiolla, all of which are mostly found in Counties Monaghan and Roscommo.
As discussed previously, the name had wide use as early as 1066. By 1273, at the time of the famous Hundred Rolls, there were several forms of the name in use:
Coc de Slepe of
Gaelic society further evolved between the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Those who were descendants of a common ancestor, and inhabited the same locality came to be known as septs. The area of land controlled by a sept was know as a ballybetagh (and may have been co-extensive with the later parish), which was composed of sixteen ballyboes. A ballyboe was an area of land which could support a number of families, the modern equivalent is a townland.
The overlord (himself being the chief of a sept) of a number of septs perhaps would have had the lordship of an area the size of a barony. Above such an overlord would have been another overlord the status of O’Neill or O’Domhnaill. The sept system was adopted by those who arrived during the Cambro-Norman invasion. The members of these septs were designated by a common surname.
What is not readily understood, when we look at how numerous many Irish surnames are, is that the bearers of a particular surname may be descendant of distinctly different septs. Also it often happened that sub-septs were formed, and quite different surnames were adopted by the descendants of a common ancestor.
Commenting upon how numerous were the members of some septs, Dubhaltach MacFirbhisigh wrote in 1650 "For it is a usual thing in the case of great princes, when their children and their families multiply, that their clients and followers are squeezed out, wither away and are wasted."
Eoin MacNeill suggested that a reason for this was the Law of Debad which had the effect of passing an increased amount of land to an overlord in the absence of direct heirs. The septs were an important part of the organization of Gaelic society.
In Gaelic Ireland the bonds which cemented society were the duties and rights attached to blood relationship. The sept system did not survive the colonization of Ireland during the seventeenth century. It could not do so in the absence of the Brehon Law (The Brehon law of Ireland lasted from pre-Roman times until the 1600's) or the Gaelic leadership.
Personal Photographic Retrospective
Sixty three years in 2.5 minutes . . . So Relax and enjoy.
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8th Grade Graduation Dinner - Somis Home Study Program
June 9, 2006
15 students and 50 or so friends and family gathered at Ottavios Restaurant in Camarillo for lunch, celebration and diploma presentations.
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My Goals after High School
For the summer, I plan on getting a part-time job and in the fall of 2010, attending Ventura College. I will be majoring in business, but will also be taking a few fun courses just for personal enrichment.
I have learned and grown a lot during my high school experience at Somis Academy and made many close friends. I would not have gotten this far if it weren't for my family, especially my grandparents who have been extremely understanding, easygoing and patient with me during these years of transition into adulthood.
June 9, 2010
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This site was last updated 04/02/15 by Marvin Mackey