The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-06-19
BIRTHPLACE OF GEN. JACKSON

CThe following sketch was recently
made by Mr.. Bruce Craven, personal
secretary to Mr.. D. A. Tompkins. as d
result Of an investigation for Mr..
ITompkins' History of Mecklanbur-
county, son to be issued.)
Gvernor Swain, in his Tucke~ I:au
address. states positively that Andrew
jackson. seventh president OF the
United States. was born at the house
OF George McComie. in Mecklenburg
county. North Carolina. March l.. 1861.
The statement is justified by Mr.. Por-
tor, author of the most exhaustive BIZ
osraphy OF Jackson. and also by Apple
ton CycIoped.a. Il is conceded that
Jackson's boyhood days were spent at
the home Of James Crawford. in South
carolina. and it IS generally conceded
that he was born at the home of Geo.
NcComie, and the only questions which
have ever arisen We're whether he was
born at Crawford's or NcComie's and
whether McComie's house was in North
iCarOlina or South Carolina.
On the lands of Mr.. J. L. Rodm.n
six miles south Of Waxhaw, in Union
lcounty, is a tract known as the old
IMcComie place." and by some as the
I"old Jackson place" 1t has bean re-
ferred to officially and tradit,cnally
from time immemorial as the place on
(which George McComie lived. and the
records prove it beyond all doubt.
These records are in registers book
XIV. page 202; and book NJ, page So.
lin the Mecklenburg county court house.
1t is to be understood that the Wax
Ihaw section of Union county WIS a
~ 90 Mall ,-,%,
Iof Union in 1912. The McComie tract
was surveyed in 1867 for John McCone
land was patented in 1861, was sold by
McCOne to Repentance Townsend in
IlI6l, and by Townsend to George Nc
lComie in 1866 McComie sold it to
Thomas Crawford in 1892. Crawford to
lJeremOah CuretOn III 1896, from him it
Ipassed to his son, William j. Cureton,
from whose estate it was purchased
by Mr.. Rodman. the present owner,
lA1l these records up to the time of the
Creation of Union county,, define the
land as lying in Mecklenburg county.
North Carolina. On a beautiful little
knoll near the centre of the tract are
lunmiStakable ruins of an unpreten.iOuS
Hog cabin. The foundation stone are
yet in place and indicate that the
!cabin was an unusually small one, and
the site is but a short distance from
the Charlotte and Lancaster road and
is four undre nd eighty yards from
the South Carolina line. Two miles
from that spot, and a mile and a half
INSIDE of South Crolina, is the site Of
the old Crawford home, where Jackson
;spent the first year of his life.
In the year 1858 Col. S. H. Waikup
of Union county, undertook the task
lOf gathering testimony regarding the
time and place of JacksOn's birth. He
spent a great deal of time in the work
md nv 4 VIZ I I ~
it VS. published in The North Carolina
Argus, of Wadesboro, September 2Srd,
1858, and was afterwards printed in
pamphlet form. The Charlotte. and
Lancaster ape engaged in a long
controversy over the matter. but all
finally acquiesced in the g~enuineness
and completeness of Col. Walkup'S pre-
Isentation of the facts. The publica-
ton. which is in my possession, in
lcluded fourteen a~ffidavitS, and in sub
Stance evidenced the following: Six
sisters, Misses Hutchinson, married and
; lall emigrated to this country and
{ lsettled on Waxhaw creek, in North
Carolina; Jane married james Craw
ford and settled on Waxhaw creek,
!, South Carolina; Mary married 10. I.
= Leslie and settled on Camp creek.
South Carolina; Sarah married San
Leslie and settled near George
: lCOmies Grace married James c
lollu ellIt lledI AdllOSIOIu, -. -,
: Elizabeth married Andrew Jack:
/ lSr., who settled near Pleasan. Grs
lcamp ground, about nine miles fro
tSOuth Carolina. This latter place ;;
still to be seen. In the early part C
the year 1867, Andrew Jackson, Sr.,
died, and he widow, with her sons
; Hugh and : ebert. started to the home
: of James Crawford, but on the way
: stopped at George McComie'S house to
t rest a few days. There, in the night
! Iof March Is, 1867, Andrew Jackson was
born. In the ~affidavits, Benjamin
, Massey, John Carnes. John Lathen
> lUackson's second cousin) James and
: Thomas Faulkner (also second cousins)
= Ia11 testify that old Mrs. Sarah Leslie
land Mrs. Sarah Latham, the aunt and
l lcousin of JcksOn, respectively, often
:: asserted that he (Jackson) was born
! lat George McComie's, and that they
were present at the birth; that Mrs.
Leslie twas sent for her on the night
. Iof his birth and she took her daughter,
[ Mrs. Lathen, with her and recollected
well Of walking the near way through
= the fields in the night time" IL addi-
r ltion is the testimony Of Mrs. Elizabeth
4 IMcWhorter and her son, George, and
Mrs. Mary Cousar, who state they
, lwere near neighbOrs and present on
. THE night Of the birth of General Jack
5 son at the house of George McComie.
|, lin North Carolina" March Is, 1867.
l.. (which testimony rests Upon the state
Iments Of Samuel McWhorter, grand
Q son of Mrs. Elizabeth McWhorter.
f Thomas Cureton and jeremiah Cure
- ton, Who heard the old persons speak
' loften and positively of the fact.
' Thus We have the sworn testimony
: |of fourteen persons, (whOse characters
: will be vouched for by many persons
e now living, and which have always
t been above r~eproach) many Of them
n unknown to ech other and all agree
O ling in reporting the family traditions
: las substantially proving that Andrew
{ jackson was born at George McComie's
5 house, Mrch 10, 1867. Traditions can
: not always be relied upon, but the di-
rect testimony OF fourteen persons Of
d good character that they heard differ
f lent other persons of equally good char