Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-02-08
Misesltateu,1s &saaing.
For the Yorkyille Enquirer.
"REMINISCENCES OF WESTERN YORK.


Branch, lived a noted character
"Tied-up" Sanding. His wife's
name was Peggy, commonly called
Peggy "Tied-up." How they ever
came in possession of such a Winsome
soubriquet it is not the purpose of
this article to explain. Aunt Peggy
was professional fortune-teller.
For her the superstitious had the
highest respect and would turn the
cup or cut the cards according to her
orthodox rules; while under an as
sumed power of divination she would
proceed to unfold the DEGREES of an
unknown future to her unfortunate
victims. A fruitful Imagination
would generally yield to the guess
work of this impostor, who, before
she died, had gained reputation al
most as notorious as that of the
Witch of Endor.
TO give synopsis of the different
powers she claimed to WELD would
make this article distasteful beyond
endurance. Cows climbing the sides
Of houses; coffee pots and kettles
made to boil over an insignificant
amount of fire Goals; milch cows
made to 60 dry or give milk, just as
she chose; these are only q few of the
powers she made her proselytes be-
lieve she possessed. The negroes
were mostly disposed to acknowl-
edge her supernatural gifts, and
many of the old issue of darkies
have a horror for the spot where this
soothsayer lived and died. With
her died, I think, the last vestige of
antique heresy in Western York.
No doubt but that to-day her teach
ing still lives in the minds and hearts
of her dupes; but the higher order
of intelligence to which that section
has aspired has relegated such ab-
surdities to the shadows of oblivion.
The old man, "Tied-up," so far as
know, was an average for the So
ciety he adopted. He would get
tight" sometimes, but was harm.
less. Sometimes when Aunt Peggy
would scold him for taking too much
tea, he would say: peggy Laney,"
(for that was her maiden name "by
golly! Tied-up's in his elements"
These old people passed away into
comparative obscurity, and the world
can congratulate itself that while it
is no better off from their having
lived in it, it is none the worse, ex-
cept for the reasons mentioned.
Lige Aikens is another of the long
list of names familiar to the older
settlers. His is history unequaled
almost in modern times. His mind
was powerful engine for good or
evil, as he chose to employ it. Crude
and unpublished, his temper was an
unfailing index to his truly impul-
sive nature. Cunning as a fox, vim
dicative as an adder, and revengeful
as an Indian, would inadequately
describe his morale. His memory
was without dint or defect. He
could talk all night, and all day, too,
and tell nothing twice. 1t made n
difference when or where you met
him, he would invariably monopo-
lize the talking, and his companions
would have to do the listening.
Land deeds, lines and marks, were
with him speciality. He could tell
the circumstances of many feuds
that had their origin during the last
quarter of the Eighteenth century.
He was illiterate and could scarcely
read the plainest print, but he could
compute with wonderful accuracy.
Anything he once heard he never
forgot. His life was strange COM
position of virtue and vice in the
same person. For drunkenness and
its attendant evils he had an inveter-
ate hatred, while profanity was his
greatest boon. He scarcely ever
went to church, and had but little
reverence for the sanctity of the Sab
bath, yet he deprecated anything
like hypocrisy. In anything he did
he was honest. In Scripture, as in
history, he was we'll read, and could
advance plausible arguments from
either. Our connection with him
was dismembered by the war, and
his subsequent history is to us un-
known. He closed his eventful life
a few years after the surrender, and
his remains were buried at Unity
Church. Of him we will speak here
after in connection with some Of the
stirring scenes enacted during the ad.
ministration of President Andrew
Jackson, as we'll as other events.
The comparatively short period OF
forty years unfolds to our mind q
voluminous history-one full OF love
and hate, of good and evil. The
customs and habits of the people are
radically changed. Forty years ago
one would put a biscuit in his pocket,
20 to church, stay all day and hear
two good sermons, and see less pride
and Vainglory displayed in a whole
wear than he would witness now dur
ing one fashionable season.
Rev. R. A. Ross upon whom later
was conferred the degree of D. D.
was the minister at Smyrna, "a. Il.
Church, } in l848-49, or perhaps both
those years. Messrs. Franklin Oates
and William Crawford were the sing
ing clerks. AS soon as the minister
would give out the psalm and make
any comments he chose to indulge,
these gentlemen would take their
positions in front of the pulpit and
lead the singing.
The church building at that time
was a rude, weather-boarded house,
without either ceiling or plastering.
Instead of an extensive rock wall,
the burying ground was represented
by a pole pen here and there, as the
friends of the deceased chose to pro.
tect the graves from the intrusion OF
roaming stock.
The late and lamented Robert
Whitesides was an elder. His e1-
cellent wife and family were also
regular attendants. Besides other
families, the McGills, McElwees,
Whites, Whisonants, Whitesides,
Wylies, etc., made up the congrega-
ton of regular attendants. In fact,
the best families of Western York
were represented on sacramental .or
Presbyterial occasions, irrespective
of denomination, when such learned
and eloquent men as Revs. T.. r..
Boyce, j. B. Watts and host of
others of equal ability would assist
in the service.
The old church building was taken
down and replaced with a magnih-
cent building that was completed in
the Spring of 1857. The first service
held in the new building, after its
completion, was that of the Presby-
terry, in the Spring of that year:
Among those students who preached
their first sermons there, were ReVS.