September 8, 2017
In one of my recent posts, I shared the story of my cousin Lola Hadden McDaniel, whom I’m related to via our two common ancestors: Mayflower Compact signer John Howland, and Texas Declaration of Independence signer Collin McKinney. I found her story using GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives, and was thrilled to learn about a cousin I never knew I had.
This week, I decided to do some digging to see if GenealogyBank could lead me to anyone else who was also a McKinney and a Mayflower descendant. I started by searching the Historical Newspaper Archives for the last name McKinney and the keyword “Mayflower.”
This search produced six recent obituaries, one of them being Mary Ann McKinney Bussa of Nacogdoches, Texas.
A woman of great faith, Mary Ann’s grandmother was a founding member of Grace Bible Church in Nacogdoches. Mary Ann was married there in 1964, and she worshipped there all her life. She loved the Bible, particularly Isaiah, and her obituary included all of Isaiah 53.
Like Lola Haden McDaniel, Mary Ann was a descendant of Mayflower Pilgrims and of the Texas revolutionary McKinney family.
According to her obituary, she “illustrated the original Old Nacogdoches University cookbook titled ‘Recipes Old and New Tried and True.’” It reports that she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Colonial Dames, Mayflower Society, and the (John) Alden Kindred of America.
What a beautiful legacy Mary Ann leaves behind.
Genealogy Tip: Searching GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives for the last name of a branch of your family and a unique keyword can help you find new relatives with their own inspiring stories. Find your family now.
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Liz- Searching the name Greathouse in newspapers with the date range that he lived in, can bring up the family name. Newspapers can bring clarity to the stories you hear about your ancestor.