The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-11-13
DAVID MecAW.
Interesting Career Of q Well Known
ana Esteemed Maury countisn.

David McCaw. one Of the Oldest citi-
zens Of MaUry county, wa 10 town the
ther day. and visited the herald office
ew men 10 this section have had a
more interesting career than Mr.. Nc
Cav. He IS now s. years old, and he
has seen the county pass through some
of the most momentous events in its
history.
Mr.. McCaw was the tax assessor Of
Maury county in lSI6 aud 1857. He
was magistrate 10 the l4t1 district be
fore the war. and sine, the war has
served in the 10th distric;.
Mr.. McCIw was borl 10 1916, in
Chester CO., South Caro- ina He at
tended the old field schoo until he ~as
IL ears old and then went to Ohio In
1873 to attend college. tie truuged on
foot behind two movers wagons 800
miles. There was no such thing as d
railroad in those days. He started on
the 9th of March and reached his desti-
nation April 18th He entered the
grammar school of Miami Univers ~ on
May Ist of that year, and graduated IN
1888, at which time he owed $500, which
he had borrowed to pay expenses AT
ter his graduation he returned to South
Carolina, going on horseback. He
began teaching school and p.id his
debts. He married in 1899. He was
elected to the professorship OF Ancient
Languages at Erskine College, Due
West, s. c., in 1912. He held hat posi-
ton seven years. "My first school, "
said Mr.. McCaw, "was in Chest County,
South CAROLINA. From there | moved
westward 100 miles, to DuN West
Leaving there, l moved ano her 100
miles westward and taught two years in
Jefferson County, Georgia. 1 had a
fine school there, and the peop'e offered
me strong inducements to continue, but
my wife and disliked the 8 ad and
piney woods of Georgia, and in the fall
OF 1850 l visited Maury county, coming
by rail from Augusta to Chattanooga.
| bought horse at Chattanooga and
rode to Columbia. Determining t.
settle here, | went back home to Georgia
and sold out my holdings at Due West,
getting 81 200 in cash after paying off
the $500 DEBT, all made in IL years after
my marriage in 1899.
- taught school two years in Will
Transport. and among my pupils there
we're w T. and S S. Porter and w. L.
Erwin, of Co umbia.
81 then bought $50 acres Of land near
Sawdust Valley, and quit teaching hav-
ing followed it continuously for fifteen
wears. | knew all about Latin and
Greek and still know it, but | wens to
farming and kept at 1T till the var broke
me up.
II was an ardent Southerner, and
know now az | always knew, that we
we're right. We lost and lost all had,
but like Jeff D wis, if it were all to do
over again would do inst what | did
before. | lost over $4,000 and am
proud OF it. am proud OF my fellow
Southerners who make no apologies for
what they did.
"Mv first wife ed in 1858, at Will
Transport La 1859, | married widow
Butler in Columbia. Her maiden name
was Cross. She died in 1869 l am
now alone and nearly So Years old.
after the war closed | had $40, 600 in
Confederate bonds, and $1,000 invested
in cotton around Selma, Ala. L
managed to get 81 400 in good money
from these two items | spent from
1865 to 1873. trying to straigbten my
affairs. paid out as long as had any
thing to pay with. | sold my land to
get money to pay and when all was
exhaus ted in 1879, went to Arkansas
to start anew In life at the age of 81.
Il stopped at Lonoke, Ark. bought
40 acres OF land on credit, and resumed
teaching The money | got teaching l
used improving my land. l kept on this
way till 1889. l was now 73 years old, and
l thought had better wind up business,
so l sold out my holdings and came
back to Maury county, bringing with
me SO 200 cash, made in Arkansas in
16 years. invested this in home o.
LOG acres for myself and wife on Bear
Creek. My second wife died there in
1898 and I Expect to follow her soon.
have two daughters living and one son
dead and buried at Lonoke, Ark. lie
served through our Civil war in Capt
Kinzer's company and his Captain says
he was gallant soldier. | have had
two wives. both loving and faithful.
'In this have beaten Solomon, who,
having 1000, had not one such in the
lot--See Eccl. 1928