"History of McKinney" Top 5 Page for this destination McKinney Favorite Tip by VeronicaG

Favorite thing: McKinney (1841) is one of the oldest North Texas towns. It was named for Collin McKinney, who was born in New Jersey in 1766. His family moved to Kentucky while he was still a child.

In 1794, McKinney married Amy Moore and they had four children, but two of them died in infancy. After his first wife died in 1804, he married Betsey Coleman who birthed seven additional children. During this time he was named magistrate, holding this position until moving to Texas.

When Collin moved his family to Tennessee, Senator George Washington Campbell hired him to manage his estate after the Senator was appointed Minister to Russia. This position gave McKinney the opportunity to meet influential people and when he moved to the Red River District a few years later he was acknowledged as a political figure.

At a convention meeting at Old Washington-on-the-Brazos several years later, Collins and four representatives were asked to write a declaration of separation from Mexico. This became known as the Texas Declaration of Independence and bears McKinney's signature.

Here are some highlights from his life:

*He later went on to serve the Red River District in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Congresses of the Republic.

*Served as a guide from 1844-46 for settlers in North Texas who were moving from Kentucky and Arkansas, making this trip 11 times on horseback.

*Moved his family to the area near Anna, Texas around 1846 and soon after the county was renamed Collin County*

*In 1848 the county seat moved from Buckner and was renamed McKinney in his honor.

Collin McKinney died on September 8, 1861 at the age of 95 and is buried in a marked grave in a cemetery at Van Alstyne.

Information came from mcKinneytx.com