Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-02-28
South Carolina on November 2, 1915, at

nor Of South Carolina. y
Several Members. What was it?
Mr.. Stevenson. or course, they were
1.-THE governors of two neighboring SOW
ereignties, and when the governor re-
ferred to himself he did not say IT,"
but he said 'the governor Of NORTH
Carolina says" SO and so ito the gov
ernor of South Carolina" That was
the way. they conducted it, and there
was a great deal Of dignity about it.
Mr.. Stephens. What was it he said
Mr.. Stevenson. Finally at long
sitting, when the, refreshments ran
How, the governor Of North Carolina is
said to have remarked, '"The governor
of North Carolina wishes to remark to
his excellency the governor of South
Carolina that 1t is a long time between
drinks" [Laughter.] Now, that was
when that was settled, and the agree
ment on that straight line settled it
that Andrew Jackson was born in
South Carolina, because nobody dis
puted that he was born on his Uncle
was where his mother lived. That was
one of the burning questions settled,
and was in direct issue, because Of
Jackson's great prominence, as a gen.
eral Just then. (See Foote's Sketch of
North Carolina, below cited, PIP. 1913,
476)
!, Mr.. Dunbar. Will the gentleman
yield?
Nh. Stevenson. / yield to the gentle
man from Indiana.
Mr.. Dunbar. Is.it not contended that
he was born at the home Of Mr.. Nc
Kemey?
Mr.. Stevenson. Yes, and 1 will come
to that in moment,
/ rlxA rnrak1 L., Nnf
said he was born at the home Of Mr.
James Crawford.
Mr.. Stevenson. He was born on
Crawford's plantation, in South Caro-
lima, in a tenant house separate from
| Crawford's, where ,he lived and grew
up with his mother till he was Is; and
| [ will give you the sevidence in min
ute, and will show you how the myth
came about the McKemey plantation.
defy you to find any chain anywhere,
from Bancroft, the historian, down, or
any statement made anywhere that did
not attribute Jaclsson's birthplace to
South Carolina until 1859, IA years
after his death.
Mr.. Dunbar. Will the gentleman
yield? -sss
Mr.. Stevenson. I can not yield any
more. l want to go through this now
consecutiyely. Let us look at the evil
dence a minute. Mr.. Parton, in his
history, admits that Jackson said he
was born in South Carolina and that he
lived in South Carolina till 1884; but
he said jackson did not know whether
he was born there or not. That is the
basis of this new statement made,
which was vamped up in 1S59-'that
Jackson. said he was born in South
Carolina, but he did not know
1 set out below nine documents, each
signed by jackson, in each of which he
asserts that he was a native OF Lam
caster county, S. c.; IL statements In
all, signed by him, in 20 years. But
Parton says he did not know. To be
sure he only knew what he had been
told, but he had canvassed the ques-
ltion. because he .sags, in answer TO the
direct question, In his letter OF August
II, 1924, to Witherspoon:
81 was born. in South Carolina, as
have been told, on the plantation
whereon James Crawford lived"
And so forth.
In other words, the question had
been up and Jackson had canvassed the
question; he had asked the witnesses,
and necessarily, he had access to the
best witnesses In the world-his
mother, his brothers, and his uncles-
and their testimony to him Is the testl-
money which he transmits to us. NO
question can be raised as to his belief
in It, and he was not the man to be-
lieve fairy tales
To complete the statements of jack
son, 1 will set out as Exhibit A the re-
port of the Historical Commission or
South Carolina to the general assembly
In 1908, which gives the whole contro-
versy. It contained a photostatic copy
of the map made by Eugene Reilly, OF
Lancaster county, in 1920, on which is
the same statement as Is found In
Mills's and Boykin's maps herein re-
ferred to and set out, Gen. Jackson
birthplace" on the Crawford land IN
Lancaster county, S. c. This map Is
on file with the historical commission
at Columbia, S. c. Mr.. Parton also
stated that one Of his witnesses, James
Faulkner, a maa dead so years, said
that Jackson and he were once sleeping
together at the McKemey house In
North Carolina and Jackson told him
that he was born in that house. Parton
saws Jackson did not know, and there
by destroys the truthfulness OF ms
main witness or the truthfulness 2t the
man who claimed to have heard Falk-
ner say so and related it to him.
But let US see what Jackson said
about it, and while he did not know
himself where he was born, still there
is not a man here that knows where
he was born; but there is no man Nv
ing who lived with his mother Is years
whose mother has not told him where
he was born, and that is evidence that
Is taken in all courts of law, because
| It is considered primary evidence. NOW
| want to put before you letter
written by Jackson in 1924 to James
H. Witherspoon. -.
In 1924 James H. Witherspoon, OF
Lancaster, S. c., asked him the exact
question. He replied promptly ana
| frankly as follows: 200,
Nashville, August II, 1924.
Dear Sir: Your letter Of the 24th ultimo Is
lust received, and although an entire stranger
to YOU. feel n lively interest in your prosperity
and that of your family, your lady being the
descendant of a distant relation by marriage
and one for whom had sincere regard be-
ing raised together-I mean your lady
! mother I have had great wish to revisit
NV native state and once more mingle with
| tbose friends of my Juvenile days who may
stiII he living, but have been hitherto pre-
vented by circumstances over which mad no
control. and l am now prevented from ac-
eepting the opportunity that the friendly IN
vitation of my fellow citizens through you
would now afford for many reasons unneces-
cary now to enumerate; next spring may al
ford mo an opportunity with my family oil
o. hat n.