ROBERT McKEAN, a successful
business man of Charleroi, is a son of William McKean, who was born and
reared
in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland.
William McKean received his
early education in the country schools of his native land, and was there
married to
Mary, daughter of William
Brown, whose family had been natives of Kircudbrightshire for over two
hundred years.
Mr. and Mrs. McKean passed
their lives on the home farm in Scotland, where the following children
were born to
them, and reared: John,
a sea captain, who was lost in a wreck in 1837; Mary, wife of Alexander
Magill; William, a
farmer of Mansfield, Penn.;
James, a merchant tailor in Canada Corners, Mich.; Joseph, living on the
old home place
in Scotland; Elizabeth,
deceased in youth; Andrew, living in Scotland; Robert, and Samuel, the
last named residing in
Fayette county, Penn. The
father was a member of the Established Church of Scotland.
Robert McKean was born March
7, 1827, on the home place in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, and in boyhood
attended
the schools of his native
parish, assisting also in the duties of the farm. On January 1, 1849, he
married Janet Caird,
who was born at New Abbey,
Scotland, a daughter of James Caird, a native and merchant of the same
place, and a
member of the Established
Church. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Caird were born as follows: Janet,
wife of Robert
McKean; John; Barbara, wife
of Andrew Irving; Agnes, married to a Mr. Thompson; James; William; Mary,
and two
whose names are unknown.
Mr. and Mrs. McKean resided on a farm near New Abbey for about one year
after their
marriage, then set sail
for America. After a voyage of thirty days they landed in New York, in
July, 1850; thence
proceeded to Newburgh, where
they spent a few months, going from there by rail to Johnstown, finally
arriving in
Allegheny City. In 1850
he worked for four months for seventy-five cents a day, and then moved
to a place about six
miles out, on the Steubenville
pike, on Chartiers creek, where he followed gardening about six years.
He then passed
seven years at Mansfield,
farming and gardening on a place near that town. In 1865 he purchased and
moved on 220
acres at Lock No. 4 (now
Charleroi), Washington Co., Penn., having paid for this land with the proceeds
of years of
hard labor. Politically
he is actively identified with the interests of the Republican party, and
in religion he and his
family are members of the
U. P. Church. He gives liberally of his means to all worthy enterprises.
His children have
been as follows: James,
postmaster at Pittsburgh; William, who died in youth; John C. (postmaster),
William, Andrew,
Agnes, Robert and Mary (wife
of C. F. Thompson). Miss Agnes McKean was the first postmistress at Charleroi
and
also the first telegraph
operator, receiving and sending the first message received or sent from
Charleroi. The mother
of these children died in
April, 1890.