Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1920-04-15
STORY OF "OLD HICKORY"
AND HIS HEROIC MOTHER

80 me IOuOWlIlR interesting SUOry VI
the rise of Andrew cold Hickory")
Jackson from the obscurity of an hum
BILE home in the backwoods of the Wax
haw settlement on the line between
North Carolina and South Carolina,
about 20 miles from Fort Mill, to the
the presidency of the United States
doubtless will be of peculiar interest
TO the readers of The Times. "Old
Hickory" was the seventh president
and served two terms, from 1S29-37.
In connection with his birthplace it is
also interesting to recall that another
president of the United States, James
K. Polk, in Office from 1845-49, was
born even closer to Fort Mill, Folks
birthplace being less than one mile
from the South Carolina line in Meek
lenburg county on the Lancaster road
between Pineville and Harrison church.
The site of Polk's birthplace was mark
ed few years ago by the Daughters
of the American Revolution and it is
within seven miles of Fort Mill. The
story of ''Old Hickory" written for
The Southern Christian Advocate,
church paper of the Methodists of
South Carolina, by the Rev. William ].
Hampton, d. D., is as follows:
Andrew Jackson's father. who. was
also Andrew, emigrated with his wife
and two sons from Carricksfergus,
Ireland, to South Carolina in 1765.
Andrews mothers name was Eliza
beth Hutchinson. Both parents, of
Scotch-Irish descent, were ardent
Presbyterians. Their only capital
was their hands and a disposition to
work-and work hard. They settled
at WaXhaw, near the boundary line
between North and South Carolina
Here Andrew built log house and in
it he sheltered his family. The Jack
sons neighbors were few, and as poor
as themselves. When they had sue
ceeded in clearing the land and raising
one crop, the father suddenly died.
He had lived in obscurity and in
obscurity he was buried. Mrs. Jack
son, with her fatherless boys, rode to
the graveyard in the wagon that
carried her husbands rude casket
to the grave He was buried in a
field, no one knows exactly where.
The mother was left penniless. Mrs.
jackson went directly from the grave
of her husband to the log cabin home
OF her sister, and here, on March Is,
l767, a few days after her husband
was buried, this son was born. What
future president of the United
States could possibly come out of such
lowly surroundings? Here was pain
crushed, heart-stricken widow-no
home of her own; clotheless babe,
coarse fare, poverty, and wild sur
roundings. The probabilities are that
she never returned to the log cabin
that had been built by her husband
and in which he died. Jackson was
the first of our presidents of humble
origin. AS her invalid sisters house
keeper, Mrs. Jackson worked hard,
washing and mending and cooking,
in order to help pay for the support
of herself and children, and like most
women of Scotch-Irish blood, she was
strong, capable and thrifty, a fine
housekeeper and wise and affection
ate mother. She had a fair education,
according to the stan, ard of education
in those primitive days.
Part of the first ten years of An
drew's life was spent with his Uncle
Crawford on farm. Here he learned
to do the general work, such as a
lad of his years could perform. Mrs.
jackson was anxious that her young
est son. whom she fairly idolized,
who had never seen his father, should
have liberal education. She had
fond hopes that he might some day
become Presbyterian minister. She
was very devout, and regularly and
prayerfully read her Bible. Her fond
hopes were never to be realized, but
because of such hopes her mother-love
was elevated and ennobled, and the
childhood days of Andrew were en-
veloped with a spiritual atmosphere
that fairly breathed of heaven. His
nature easily responded to these re-
iigious influences. He loved and
reverenced his mother with passion
ate devotion. y
In his early life jackson drifted a
long way off from the coveted desire
of his mother. One biographer says,
"He was the most roaring, rollickine,