Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-02-28
,erRTHPLAcE OF JACKSON
tcontinued from Page Threel.

credited one of his most material wit
nesses because he evidently does not
believe Faulkner. II Faulkner was
right, that Jackson knew where he was
born, the folks who brought down the
tradition merely forgot which place
Faulkner said Jackson said he was
born. So we can not place finding on
the testimony of Faulkner: because
Parton himself repudiates Faulkner's
statement and says that jackson did
not know where he was born He; cer-
tainly can not ask us; then. to believe
( sFaulkner-that he, was born in Nc
'sKemey's house. N }1<S'k$ ~ ',
( The. coming to thetstatemehts OF the
5other witnesses John Eathan; a son Of
&Sarah, who says she attended the birth
cat midnight when only 7 years OF age
Sop. 81 of, Parton), testifies that soon
yafter Jackson's father, died Mrs. jack
Sson lefts Twelve Mile creektd go and
{slive with Mrs. Crawford in Lancaster
%district, South Carolina that on her
way she called at the house OF George
Nick enney and while at McKemey's she
was taken sick and Andrew was born,
.and as soon as she was able to travel
$she went to Crawford's. LIE us lay that
Hbeside Parton's conclusion. He says on
Tpage 52AaES -
i The bereayed family of the Jackson's never
Sreturped to theiy home on the banks of Twelve
sMile creek. but went from the burial yard to
$the house. not very far of. of Mrs Jackson's
Sbrotherltn-law. George McKeiney by name.
Now, his (Lathan) witnesses say
GSthat they did return to the Jackson
$bofne and were removing to Crawford's
$Nvhen they stopped at McKemey's. Par
@ton thereby discredits Mrs Leslie and
Mrs. Latham, and without them he can
do nothing. Then to increase the con-
tradiction Parton brings up one
aCharles Finly who Is said while in the
$fesh to have said that he took the
jackson family to the burial and then
conveyed them ito the residence or
George sMcKetney' where Andrew was
soon afterwards born (see p. 55). This
,contradicts the Statement of Sarah
Latham, the most numerously quoted
! witness, and also contradiets James
Faulkner. both of whom say that Mrs
jackson returned to her home, and
while moving from Twelve Mile creek
TO Crawford's stopped with her sister,
Mrs. McKemey, and was there deliver
ed of Andrew Up. 54). So the two most
material witnesses produced py Far
ton are contradicted by Parton and his
other witness Finly. and their story Is
discarded as being incidental to the re-
nloval TO the Crawford's, ..
The most reasonable theory is TO
adopt Parton's statement that Mrs.
Jackson went to her sister. not far of,
from the burial Of her husband, and
that sister was Mrs Crawford 1t was
/. possibly mile and g, half or two miles
from the graveyard to Mrs. Craw-
ford's; it was q miles farther to MIS-
McKemey's (see Tompkins' History
Mecklenburg county" vol, 2, p. 50
that assume that she did go as Par
ton saws. to her brother in Jaws, not
far off, Ito wit, James Crawford, and
there Andrew was born. 20.
There is another view which should
beS given here. Mr.. d. A. Tompkins,
of Charlotte, N. g.. has written ~ his
tory Of Mecklenburg county, and at
page 1888 of volume 1t has a. picture
,ofSthe MeKeney cottage, It is. 20 feet
Byte, log cabin with q door. two wipT
ka6ws, one fireplace. and one room,
which room like all pioneer cottages,
was used in front for sitting room,
Kitchen and dining rooms, and the
back was used for. a bedroom in which
the whole familX slept McKemey had
'asfaffilly: we do not Know how many,
but we know there were children. If
the story is true, Mrs. Jackson was
There with two boys, making Mckem-
9ey and his wife and probably two or
three children, and Mrs. Jackson and
two boys, and old Mrs. Cousar,- II we
accept the traditions all in that small
, house when this distressing period
came on-when Mrs. leslie, the mother
of Sarah, was called to officiate at An
jdrew's birth Now Sarah's testimony
y as brought down by tradition is that
she went with her mother at night to
this little cabin, already full of people
to oveii1owing, to be present at the
birth of another addition to the human
race. was raised among the country
Scotch Irish people myself, and in
stead of,bringirgs children in from the
neigfborhood<t to attend occurrences OF
that kind, even where. there was an
abundance. of room, the children that
belonged at the place were always sent
away from home. And 1t is patiently
absurd TO think that Mrs. Leslie, know
fng the conditions there were at the
McKemey house, should have taken
her little 7-year- old daughter along to
be an incumbrance and in the way of
. everybody tf1erel It Is simply an old
wives fable. "' =. ..
There is another thing to which
want TO call attention as to the exu-
beranee of traditional testimony which
Cen Walkup found in that neighbor-
hood and upon which Parton bases his
history He says on page 62:'
I was also assured that young Jackson at
of whose pupils was Calhoun. and was in
ciineS to believe the story until ] discovered
that Dr. Waddell did not open his academy
until after Jackson had left school forever.
This rumor failed to get in as his
tory, because Mr. Parton had an abso-
lutte check. on it and found that it was
contrary to the truth. Nevertheless,
people in that country still tell 1t and
believe 1t. just as they do this story as
TO his birth at McKemey's. Mr.. Parton
says that "the old people of that com
munity scout the idea that Andrew
Jacksons father ever owned any land
(p. 100 of his book. This is another
of the uncertain traditions brought us,
by Mr.. Parton and discounts the relia-
bility of his statements. Andrew Jack
son, ST., did enter his land on Twelve
Mile Creek; he did not get grant of
it because he did not live long enough
to do so. The James Crawford grant
was not made until ITS, although
Parton saws that that land was bought
in 1865. But Andrew Jackson, Sr., ac-,
quired such an equity in the land on
Twelve Mile creek that his son and
only surviving heir made conveyance
of il in 1892 to one Shared Gray, as
evidenced by the power of attorney
which / hereby submit which is on
,.ooo,1 ~ Topno staY. COUNTY g q ha-