Great Events in North Carolina History
Published by the North Carolina Society Daughters of the Revolution, Raleigh N.C.
Transcribed from a scanned copy at archive.org
Images from the South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, Heritage Room Collection and ancestry.com
Union County and the Old Waxhaw Settlement
by Robert Ney McNeely
The territory lying between the Rocky River and the Catawba and which now comprises Union County, North Carolina, was, prior to the coming of the white settlers, inhabited by a tribe of Indians called the “Waxhaws,” from whom the Waxhaw Settlement took its name.
Aside from the traditions of the Catawba Indians, a kindred tribe of the Waxhaws, of the battles between the Waxhaws and neighboring tribes of Indians, the earliest information we have of the Waxhaws is the mention made by John Lawson, Surveyor-General of the Carolinas, who on the last day of the year 1699 left Charlestown, South Carolina, and made his way up through the Carolinas on a surveying or rather prospecting tour.
He had with him one man, and he tells in his diary that when they reached the settlement of the Waxhaw Indians, the chief of the tribe received them cordially, entertained them in his wigwam, and gave them every assistance that he could; that the man he had with him married one of the Indians girls the first evening they were in the Waxhaws, that on the next morning he awoke and found that his new Indian wife had secretly abandoned him in the night and carried away with her all of his clothes, valuables, a pair of moccasins and a red bandana handkerchief, and that the chief, upon being informed of the loss that the groom has suffered, ordered some of his men to go in search of the young lady, had her brought back and compelled her to restore the stolen articles.
In about the year 1740, the Waxhaw Indians were attacked with an epidemic of smallpox, a disease theretofore unknown to this tribe, which killed so many of them as to cause the tribe to disband and join the Catawbas and other neighboring tribes.
In about the year 1740, the Waxhaw Indians were attacked with an epidemic of smallpox, a disease theretofore unknown to this tribe, which killed so many of them as to cause the tribe to disband and join the Catawbas and other neighboring tribes.
The lands covered by the village of the Waxhaws were later embraced in the farm of Capt. Andrew Pickens on Waxhaw Creek. Upon this territory becoming abandoned by the Indians, the land agents, finding so goodly a land unmolested by savaged and claimed by no one, immediately began an advertising scheme to bring desirable immigrants to it from any and all place where the best class of immigrants could be found.
This brought settlers from Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the already settled portions of North Carolina. The Scotch-Irish settlers from Pennsylvania made what has been termed “The Waxhaw Settlement,” which comprises Jackson and Sandy Ridge townships in Union County and a portion of Lancaster County across the South Carolina line.
Vance and Goose Creek townships were settled mostly by people from Rowan and Cabarrus counties. New Salem, Marshville, and Lane’s Creek townships were settled by people from Virginia and the settled portions of North Carolina. Buford Township was settled by immigrants from Germany and Monroe Township was settled by immigrants from all the places hereinbefore named.
At the time of the coming of the white settlers, this territory was covered with a massive forest of oak, pine and other timber. There was no underbrush, the trees were large, rather far apart, high to the limbs and heavy topped—so, that, while the rays of the sun could hardly reach the g round through the thick tops, the view from the ground of the surface of the country was unbroken except by the large tree trunks which like rustic columns supported the canopy of foliage above. For grazing the territory was unsurpassed, for the grass grew almost waist high and the country was covered with a thick growth of wild pea vines. Here the pioneer hunter found game in abundance and fish in every stream.
The territory which is now Union County was, until 1749, included in the boundary of Bladen, after which time until 1763, it was included in the boundary of Anson, and from 1763 until the county of Union was established in 1842 one-half of the territory belonged to Anson and the other half to Mecklenburg. So, the best of both Mecklenburg and Anson was taken to make Union.
The Waxhaw Settlement was made in 1751 by the Scotch-Irish from Pennsylvania. These people, after the siege of Londonberry, had come to Pennsylvania, pushed forward to the western frontiers until they found themselves in immediate contact with the Indians, among whom the French hostile influence was predominant, and with whom they had speedily become involved in quarrel in which the rich but peaceable Pennsylvania Quakers refused to give assistance, and in the hope of securing both friendlier neighbors and a milder climate they had left Pennsylvania and had come down, following the foot of the mountains until they reached the Waxhaws.
At the time of the coming of the white settlers, this territory was covered with a massive forest of oak, pine and other timber. There was no underbrush, the trees were large, rather far apart, high to the limbs and heavy topped—so, that, while the rays of the sun could hardly reach the g round through the thick tops, the view from the ground of the surface of the country was unbroken except by the large tree trunks which like rustic columns supported the canopy of foliage above. For grazing the territory was unsurpassed, for the grass grew almost waist high and the country was covered with a thick growth of wild pea vines. Here the pioneer hunter found game in abundance and fish in every stream.
The territory which is now Union County was, until 1749, included in the boundary of Bladen, after which time until 1763, it was included in the boundary of Anson, and from 1763 until the county of Union was established in 1842 one-half of the territory belonged to Anson and the other half to Mecklenburg. So, the best of both Mecklenburg and Anson was taken to make Union.
The Waxhaw Settlement was made in 1751 by the Scotch-Irish from Pennsylvania. These people, after the siege of Londonberry, had come to Pennsylvania, pushed forward to the western frontiers until they found themselves in immediate contact with the Indians, among whom the French hostile influence was predominant, and with whom they had speedily become involved in quarrel in which the rich but peaceable Pennsylvania Quakers refused to give assistance, and in the hope of securing both friendlier neighbors and a milder climate they had left Pennsylvania and had come down, following the foot of the mountains until they reached the Waxhaws.
Among these immigrant settlers was Andrew Pickens, father of General Andrew Pickens of Revolutionary fame, who soon organized the men of the settlement into a company militia. The North Carolina State Records show a copy of a report of “Capt. Andrew Pickens, of Anson, in 1755,” which gives the names of the men of his company led by: “Lieutenant Robert Ramsay, Ensign John Crocket, Sergeant Thomas Wright, Sergeant William Beard, Sergeant William King, Corporal Alexander Crocket, Corporal John Hagans, Corporal John Galahen, Corporal John Martin Clime and Corporal William Hood [with about 60 privates].
To this settlement also there came from Scotland and Ireland many immigrants directly. Among these were Andrew Jackson Sr. (father of the seventh president), Maj. James Crawford, George McCamie, and Messrs. Crow, Latham and Leslie, all of whom were brothers-in-law, having married sisters—the Hutchinsons—in Carrickfergus, Ireland.
To this settlement also there came from Scotland and Ireland many immigrants directly. Among these were Andrew Jackson Sr. (father of the seventh president), Maj. James Crawford, George McCamie, and Messrs. Crow, Latham and Leslie, all of whom were brothers-in-law, having married sisters—the Hutchinsons—in Carrickfergus, Ireland.
To the Waxhaws, too, came Patrick Calhoun, father of South Carolina’s greatest statesman. About the same time came Captain James Wauhab (Walkup), who afterwards led his company in the battle of Wauhab’s Mill, or as it is locally called, “The Battle of the Waxhaws,” and it was here that he met and married Margaret Pickens, one of the sisters of General Andrew Pickens. To the Waxhaws came the Rev. Alexander Craighead, the Rev. William Richardson and several other Presbyterian preachers, who were profound scholars and who devoted the full measure of their ability to the educational, religious and political development of the people of the settlement.
The settlers in the Waxhaws built a Presbyterian church—now called the Old Waxhaw Church—just over the line in South Carolina. The location of this church was at the time thought to be in Anson County, N.C., and it was many years later, when the state line was run, that it first appeared that the church was in South Carolina. The deed given by Rev. Robt. Miller, for the church grounds, says that it is “lying and being in the county of Anson and state of North Carolina,” and the deed is recorded in Anson County, N.C. This church was always served by an educated ministry, and these ministers not only used the church for religious services on the Sabbath, but for school purposes through the week. The people from over a scope of country for fifteen miles around attended the religious services at this church. The school advantages given by the ministers in this church were equal to any schools of the kind in the southern colonies before the Revolutionary War. The people here purchased good books, well-bound in leather, and in the libraries of the people in the Waxhaws to this day may be seen many of the old books of their pioneer ancestors.
Before the beginning of the Revolution, the entire territory which had once been the hunting grounds of the Waxhaw Indians, and which is now Union County, had become partially settle throughout. However, except in the Waxhaw Settlement, churches and schools were still not started, and it was after the Revolution that churches and schools were first established among these people. So, the religious and educational training of these children of the pioneers was left to the parents in the homes.
Among these first settlers over the county were John Belk, Esquire, from Middlesborough, England; Stephen Billue, Thomas Cochran, James Doster, Maj. John Foster, John Ford (one of the signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence), Richard Griffin, Henry Hargett, from Germany; George Helms and Tilman Helms, from Pennsylvania; James Houston and William Houston, from Virginia; Aaron Howie, John Lemmond and William Lemmond, from Ireland; George Laney, from Germany; William McRee, Hugh McCain, George McWhorter, Henry McNeely, John McNeely, John McCorkle, David Moor, Charles Montgomery, Capt. Charles Polk, William Pyron, Wm. Osborne, James Ross, John Stilwell, Jesse Stilwell, William Simpson, Jacob Secrest, Emanuel Stevens, Matthew Stewart, John Thompson, John Wentz, and others.
When the Revolution came, these people, with the exception of a few who participated in the Mecklenburg Declaration affair, exercised themselves but very little about the war until about the time of the battle of Camden. Tarlton’s massacre of Buford’s men, some fifteen miles southeast of the Waxhaw church over in South Carolina, turned these people from an attitude of almost indifference to the struggle to a fierce and determined participation in it.
The settlers in the Waxhaws built a Presbyterian church—now called the Old Waxhaw Church—just over the line in South Carolina. The location of this church was at the time thought to be in Anson County, N.C., and it was many years later, when the state line was run, that it first appeared that the church was in South Carolina. The deed given by Rev. Robt. Miller, for the church grounds, says that it is “lying and being in the county of Anson and state of North Carolina,” and the deed is recorded in Anson County, N.C. This church was always served by an educated ministry, and these ministers not only used the church for religious services on the Sabbath, but for school purposes through the week. The people from over a scope of country for fifteen miles around attended the religious services at this church. The school advantages given by the ministers in this church were equal to any schools of the kind in the southern colonies before the Revolutionary War. The people here purchased good books, well-bound in leather, and in the libraries of the people in the Waxhaws to this day may be seen many of the old books of their pioneer ancestors.
Before the beginning of the Revolution, the entire territory which had once been the hunting grounds of the Waxhaw Indians, and which is now Union County, had become partially settle throughout. However, except in the Waxhaw Settlement, churches and schools were still not started, and it was after the Revolution that churches and schools were first established among these people. So, the religious and educational training of these children of the pioneers was left to the parents in the homes.
Among these first settlers over the county were John Belk, Esquire, from Middlesborough, England; Stephen Billue, Thomas Cochran, James Doster, Maj. John Foster, John Ford (one of the signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence), Richard Griffin, Henry Hargett, from Germany; George Helms and Tilman Helms, from Pennsylvania; James Houston and William Houston, from Virginia; Aaron Howie, John Lemmond and William Lemmond, from Ireland; George Laney, from Germany; William McRee, Hugh McCain, George McWhorter, Henry McNeely, John McNeely, John McCorkle, David Moor, Charles Montgomery, Capt. Charles Polk, William Pyron, Wm. Osborne, James Ross, John Stilwell, Jesse Stilwell, William Simpson, Jacob Secrest, Emanuel Stevens, Matthew Stewart, John Thompson, John Wentz, and others.
When the Revolution came, these people, with the exception of a few who participated in the Mecklenburg Declaration affair, exercised themselves but very little about the war until about the time of the battle of Camden. Tarlton’s massacre of Buford’s men, some fifteen miles southeast of the Waxhaw church over in South Carolina, turned these people from an attitude of almost indifference to the struggle to a fierce and determined participation in it.
In the Waxhaws, the minister was insulted, his house and books were burnt, and the British soldiers declared was against all Bibles which contained the Scotch version of the Psalms. It was this conduct that fired the people of this section and refilled Sumter’s ranks and furnished many of the heroes of Hanging Rock, King’s Mountain, Cowpens, Wauhab’s Mill, or The Battle of The Waxhaws, Eutaw Springs and Blackstocks.
It was the rising of these people which opened the way for Marion’s famous partisan warfare from the swamps of the Pee Dee and the Santee, which recalled Cornwallis and delayed him in upper South Carolina, and thus preserved Washington in the Jerseys from an attack by Cornwallis, until the French fleet was ready to cooperate with him.
In the Waxhaws on the banks of Waxhaw Creek, near the old home place of Col. William Walkup, was fought the battle of The Waxhaws or the battle of Wauhab’s Mill. This battle was the real battle of the Waxhaws, but is now the common error of almost all historians to speak of the battle of the Waxhaws as being the massacre of Buford’s men by Tarleton at the place locally called “The Buford Battle Ground.” No marker shows the field whereon the battle of the Waxhaws was fought, although it is one of the battlefields of the Revolution, and one in which there were a number of killed and wounded, and in which battle Capt. James Wauhab and several other American commanders, although ultimately defeated, fought for a time bravely and well against superior numbers.
Among the many soldiers of this county in the Revolution were Col. William Richardson Davie, Major John Foster, Capt. James Wauhab, Capt. Chas. Polk, Capt. John Cuthbertson, Thomas Ashcraft, John Belk, James Belk, Darling Belk, Britton Belk, Jeremiah Clontz, George Carriker, John Ewing, Wm. Houston, John Lemmond, William Lemmond, David Moore, Wm. McCain, John McCain, James McCain, Hugh McCain Jr., Henry McNeely, John McNeely, George McWhorter, Jas. Ross, Edward Richardson, William Simpson, Emanuel Stevens, John Thompson, Phililp Wolfe and numerous others whose names we do not have.
It was the rising of these people which opened the way for Marion’s famous partisan warfare from the swamps of the Pee Dee and the Santee, which recalled Cornwallis and delayed him in upper South Carolina, and thus preserved Washington in the Jerseys from an attack by Cornwallis, until the French fleet was ready to cooperate with him.
In the Waxhaws on the banks of Waxhaw Creek, near the old home place of Col. William Walkup, was fought the battle of The Waxhaws or the battle of Wauhab’s Mill. This battle was the real battle of the Waxhaws, but is now the common error of almost all historians to speak of the battle of the Waxhaws as being the massacre of Buford’s men by Tarleton at the place locally called “The Buford Battle Ground.” No marker shows the field whereon the battle of the Waxhaws was fought, although it is one of the battlefields of the Revolution, and one in which there were a number of killed and wounded, and in which battle Capt. James Wauhab and several other American commanders, although ultimately defeated, fought for a time bravely and well against superior numbers.
Among the many soldiers of this county in the Revolution were Col. William Richardson Davie, Major John Foster, Capt. James Wauhab, Capt. Chas. Polk, Capt. John Cuthbertson, Thomas Ashcraft, John Belk, James Belk, Darling Belk, Britton Belk, Jeremiah Clontz, George Carriker, John Ewing, Wm. Houston, John Lemmond, William Lemmond, David Moore, Wm. McCain, John McCain, James McCain, Hugh McCain Jr., Henry McNeely, John McNeely, George McWhorter, Jas. Ross, Edward Richardson, William Simpson, Emanuel Stevens, John Thompson, Phililp Wolfe and numerous others whose names we do not have.
Nearly every man in the territory, that is now Union County, belonged to some military company, and nearly all of them went out and did service for the American cause, but the names of all who did service are not obtainable, the rosters not having been kept, and many of them having been too patriotic to apply for pay, thus failing to get their names on the payrolls. Britton Belk, mentioned as having served in the Revolution, was killed in that war. He was one of the crowd present at the adoption of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. He took with him to that meeting his ten-year-old son James Belk, and one hundred years later, at the Centennial Celebration of the aforesaid Declaration, this same James Belk, at the age of one hundred and ten years, was present, was introduced to the great gathering by Governor Z.B. Vance and he told the people present his recollection of the affair and how the men threw theirs hats in air when Colonel Polk finished reading the paper which declared Mecklenburg folks independent.
In the early days The Waxhaws seemed to be a sort of cradle of genius, for no other section wielded so great an influence or furnished so many notable men. Here were the Jacksons, the Calhouns and the Pickenses. Andrew Jackson was born there. Patrick Calhoun for a time lived here and belonged to the old Waxhaw church. Here General Andrew Pickens grew up and here he married Rebecca Calhoun.
In the early days The Waxhaws seemed to be a sort of cradle of genius, for no other section wielded so great an influence or furnished so many notable men. Here were the Jacksons, the Calhouns and the Pickenses. Andrew Jackson was born there. Patrick Calhoun for a time lived here and belonged to the old Waxhaw church. Here General Andrew Pickens grew up and here he married Rebecca Calhoun.
Here in the Waxhaws grew up William Richardson Davie, the distinguished partisan leader in the War of the Revolution, Governor of North Carolina, one of the framers of the Constitution of the United States, Minister to France in the time of Napoleon and founder of the University of North Carolina. William H. Crawford, the great Georgian, went from the Waxhaws. So, from this people went out three of the greatest men of their time, Jackson, Calhoun and Crawford, men who directed the politics of the nation and whose antagonisms became the antagonisms of the nation’s people.
The Waxhaws produced William Smith, a judge and United States Senator in South Carolina. Dr. John Brown, one of the early professors in the University of South Carolina, was reared in the Waxhaws, was a schoolmate of Jackson and with him when they were boys in their teens, rode under Davie at Hanging Rock. From the Waxhaws went Stephen D. Miller, once Governor of South Carolina, and once a Senator of the United States, a man of great powering an age of great men. From the Waxhaws, too, went J. Marion Simms, a surgeon of world-wide fame, and one who, in his department, had never been surpassed. And many another notable man in the early days claimed the Waxhaws for his home.
In the neighborhood of the Waxhaws were many large slave holders, the people had commodious old antebellum homes, and, while they were far removed from the lines of traffic and the marts of trade, they were a refined and splendid people and exerted considerable influence in both of the Carolinas. When the National Military Academy was about to be established, the community of the Waxhaws was influential enough to come within one vote of getting it at the Great Falls on Catawba River, instead of West Point.
After the Revolution, numbers of people—many of them persons who had done service in the American army—came and made their home in the territory that is now Union County. Among these were John Austin, Bryant Austin, Charles Austin, Thomas Ashcraft, Willis Alsobrooks, Nathaniel Bivens, Samuel Blythe, Samuel Bickett (great grandfather of Attorney General T.W. Bickett), Redden Bennett, James Benton (a first cousin of Senator Thomas H. Benton), Richard Bass, Willis Bass, John Brewer, James Blair, William Brooks, John Broom, Philip Carriker, William Chainey, Simon Crowell, Peter Crowell, Samuel Crowell, Lewis Conder, Charles Dry, Thos. P. Dillon, Moses Eason, Frederick Ezell, Robert Fowler, Thomas Griffin, Jonathan Gordon, Leonard Green, James Gathings, William Howard, Stephen Hasty, Peebles Hasty, Martin Harkey, Richard Hudson, John Hudson, William Hamilton, Dennis Henegan, Samuel Howie, Michael Henegar, James Jenkins, William Long, Rev. Jesse Lewellyn, Thomas Lewis, Thomas Love, John Lawson, David Moore, Ebenezer Marsh, the widow of Margaret Mullis, Henry Massey, Daniel McCollum, Walter Nance, Richard Nash, James Ormond, Samuel Presson, William Potts, Moses Pierce, Peter Parker, William Phillips, Jacob Penegar, Richard Presley, John Pressley, Levy Presslar, Moses Paxton, Henry Rape, Peter Rape, Thomas Rogers, Robert Russell, Edward Richardson, John Ray, Solomon Rowe, John Shannon, Abram Smith, John Smith, John Stancil, Solomon Simons, Moses Stegall, Andrew Stinson, David Starnes, Frederick Starnes, Thomas Shelby, Joshua Sikes, Cornelius Sikes, Alexander Scott, Thomas Tanner, Moses Tomberlin, John Thomas, Stephen Trull, Rev. Joseph Williams, John Walden, Philip Wolfe, William Winchester, and others. From the people hereinbefore mentioned are descended most of the people of Union County.
When the War of 1812 came, the people of this settlement responded to the call for soldiers, and among those who served in that war from what is now Union County were Britton Belk, John Belk, Allen Broom, Henry Clontz, Chas. Crowell, John Cuthbertson, Moses Craig, John Crowell, Peter Chainey, Thos. S. Cochran, Robert Cochran, John Ford, Gideon Freeman, John Funderburk (Vanderberg), Joshua Fincher, Samuel Givens, Samuel Holden, William Helms, Chas. Helms, Joel Helms, Aaron Howey, Henry Hargett Jr., William Hargett, David Harkey, John Harkey, William Houston, Jesse Ivy, Andrew King, Wm. L. Lemmond, Chas. Laney, John Long, Henry Moser, John McCorkle, Thomas Miller, Hugh McCain, Capt. David Moore, Matthew McCall, James McCall, Hugh McElroy, James Morrison, William Pyron, Moses Purser, John Phillips, James Rone, Daniel Rich, Samuel Rape, Samuel Rayner, Jacob Starnes, William Shelby, Alexander Stewart, Frederick Starnes, Nathaniel Starnes, Elias Stilwell, Moses Tomberlin, Groves Vincent, Moses Vick, Jesse Yandle, Samuel Yandle, William Yerby (Irby) and others.
Union County was established by an Act of the General Assembly of North Carolina ratified December 19, 1842, being formed from about equal portions of territory taken from Anson and Mecklenburg counties.
Within a few years after the county of Union was established, the Mexican War began, and Union furnished her quota of soldiers for that conflict. The soldiers of Union enlisted in Capt. Harrison’s company in Mecklenburg, Capt. Arey’s company in Cabarrus, and in Capt. McManus’ company in Lancaster, South Carolina. In the Mecklenburg company, the Union County soldiers were Robert H. Ewing, Cyrus Q. Lemmond, Jackson H. Lemmond, Brown Lemmond, Daniel C. Robinson, William F. Rae and others. In the Cabarrus company the Union County soldiers were John Wilson Long, Valentine Smith and others. And in the Lancaster company the Union County soldiers were John Irby, John Gay, W. LaFayette Belk and others.In the Civil War, Union County furnished twelve companies, as follows:
In the neighborhood of the Waxhaws were many large slave holders, the people had commodious old antebellum homes, and, while they were far removed from the lines of traffic and the marts of trade, they were a refined and splendid people and exerted considerable influence in both of the Carolinas. When the National Military Academy was about to be established, the community of the Waxhaws was influential enough to come within one vote of getting it at the Great Falls on Catawba River, instead of West Point.
After the Revolution, numbers of people—many of them persons who had done service in the American army—came and made their home in the territory that is now Union County. Among these were John Austin, Bryant Austin, Charles Austin, Thomas Ashcraft, Willis Alsobrooks, Nathaniel Bivens, Samuel Blythe, Samuel Bickett (great grandfather of Attorney General T.W. Bickett), Redden Bennett, James Benton (a first cousin of Senator Thomas H. Benton), Richard Bass, Willis Bass, John Brewer, James Blair, William Brooks, John Broom, Philip Carriker, William Chainey, Simon Crowell, Peter Crowell, Samuel Crowell, Lewis Conder, Charles Dry, Thos. P. Dillon, Moses Eason, Frederick Ezell, Robert Fowler, Thomas Griffin, Jonathan Gordon, Leonard Green, James Gathings, William Howard, Stephen Hasty, Peebles Hasty, Martin Harkey, Richard Hudson, John Hudson, William Hamilton, Dennis Henegan, Samuel Howie, Michael Henegar, James Jenkins, William Long, Rev. Jesse Lewellyn, Thomas Lewis, Thomas Love, John Lawson, David Moore, Ebenezer Marsh, the widow of Margaret Mullis, Henry Massey, Daniel McCollum, Walter Nance, Richard Nash, James Ormond, Samuel Presson, William Potts, Moses Pierce, Peter Parker, William Phillips, Jacob Penegar, Richard Presley, John Pressley, Levy Presslar, Moses Paxton, Henry Rape, Peter Rape, Thomas Rogers, Robert Russell, Edward Richardson, John Ray, Solomon Rowe, John Shannon, Abram Smith, John Smith, John Stancil, Solomon Simons, Moses Stegall, Andrew Stinson, David Starnes, Frederick Starnes, Thomas Shelby, Joshua Sikes, Cornelius Sikes, Alexander Scott, Thomas Tanner, Moses Tomberlin, John Thomas, Stephen Trull, Rev. Joseph Williams, John Walden, Philip Wolfe, William Winchester, and others. From the people hereinbefore mentioned are descended most of the people of Union County.
When the War of 1812 came, the people of this settlement responded to the call for soldiers, and among those who served in that war from what is now Union County were Britton Belk, John Belk, Allen Broom, Henry Clontz, Chas. Crowell, John Cuthbertson, Moses Craig, John Crowell, Peter Chainey, Thos. S. Cochran, Robert Cochran, John Ford, Gideon Freeman, John Funderburk (Vanderberg), Joshua Fincher, Samuel Givens, Samuel Holden, William Helms, Chas. Helms, Joel Helms, Aaron Howey, Henry Hargett Jr., William Hargett, David Harkey, John Harkey, William Houston, Jesse Ivy, Andrew King, Wm. L. Lemmond, Chas. Laney, John Long, Henry Moser, John McCorkle, Thomas Miller, Hugh McCain, Capt. David Moore, Matthew McCall, James McCall, Hugh McElroy, James Morrison, William Pyron, Moses Purser, John Phillips, James Rone, Daniel Rich, Samuel Rape, Samuel Rayner, Jacob Starnes, William Shelby, Alexander Stewart, Frederick Starnes, Nathaniel Starnes, Elias Stilwell, Moses Tomberlin, Groves Vincent, Moses Vick, Jesse Yandle, Samuel Yandle, William Yerby (Irby) and others.
Union County was established by an Act of the General Assembly of North Carolina ratified December 19, 1842, being formed from about equal portions of territory taken from Anson and Mecklenburg counties.
Within a few years after the county of Union was established, the Mexican War began, and Union furnished her quota of soldiers for that conflict. The soldiers of Union enlisted in Capt. Harrison’s company in Mecklenburg, Capt. Arey’s company in Cabarrus, and in Capt. McManus’ company in Lancaster, South Carolina. In the Mecklenburg company, the Union County soldiers were Robert H. Ewing, Cyrus Q. Lemmond, Jackson H. Lemmond, Brown Lemmond, Daniel C. Robinson, William F. Rae and others. In the Cabarrus company the Union County soldiers were John Wilson Long, Valentine Smith and others. And in the Lancaster company the Union County soldiers were John Irby, John Gay, W. LaFayette Belk and others.In the Civil War, Union County furnished twelve companies, as follows:
Company B, 15th N.C. Volunteers… May 1861
Company B, 26th N.C. Volunteers… June 1861
Company D, 37th N.C. Volunteers… September 1861
Company F, 35th N.C. Volunteers… October 1861
Company B, 48th N.C. Volunteers… February 1862
Company A, 48th N.C. Volunteers... March 1862
Company E, 48th N.C. Volunteers
Company F, 48th N.C. Volunteers
Company I, 48th N.C. Volunteers
Company I, 53rd N.C. Volunteers
Company C, 10th Battalion Artillery
Company F, 71st N.C. Vol. (2d Regt. Jr. Reserves.. April 1864
The soldiers of Union County were always noted for their bravery and skill in the fighting business. A Union County soldier, William Freezland, was the first to cross the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge at the battle of Gettysburg.
One of the wealthiest and best of the old Presbyterians in the old Waxhaws was Maj. John Foster, one of the bravest of Revolutionary soldiers. He was buried on the south side of Waxhaw Creek, near where his fine old antebellum home once stood. His grave is marked by a granite slab on which is this inscription:
One of the wealthiest and best of the old Presbyterians in the old Waxhaws was Maj. John Foster, one of the bravest of Revolutionary soldiers. He was buried on the south side of Waxhaw Creek, near where his fine old antebellum home once stood. His grave is marked by a granite slab on which is this inscription:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
MAJ. JOHN FOSTER
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE JANUARY 22, A.D. 1821
AGED 72 YEARS
HE IMMIGRATED FROM IRELAND A.D. 1765
HE WAS A CAPTAIN OF A TROOP OF HORSE IN THE REVOLUTIONARY
WAR, IN WHICH HE DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF IN SEVERAL
ENGAGEMENTS, AS AN ACTIVE AND BRAVE OFFICER
A man’s religion is the leading element in his character in every act of his life, and so it is with a county of men. In the religious life of Union County people, the Baptists, the Methodists, and the Presbyterians have always been predominant. The Scotch-Irish, who made the Waxhaw Settlement, built the first Presbyterian church here, soon after the settlement was made in 1751. The Methodists established McWhorter’s Camp Ground, which was the first foothold of Methodism in the county, in the year 1787. Nearly all of the eastern and central parts of Union were originally Baptists. Among the early preachers of the Baptist faith who served these people were Rev. Joseph Bennett, as early as 1790, Rev. Chas. Cook 1800, Rev. Joseph Williams 1805, Rev. Jacob Helms 1815, Rev. Jesse Lewellyn, and Rev. William Taylor 1820, Rev. George Litte and Rev. Edmund Davis 1825, and Rev. Solomon Snyder as early as 1835. The county is now covered with splendid churches, all of which are served by able ministers.
Union County has always been free from ambitious politicians, but the people of the county have always been interested in their country’s welfare, and have always been careful to elect good men to fill the offices. The following are the names of the men who have served Union County in the capacity of Sheriff, in the order in which they served: William Wilson, John Blount, Alexander Richardson, Darling Rushing, Joshua Sikes, Henry Long, Culpeper Austin, Franklin L. Rogers, John J. Hasty, A.F. Stevens, John W. Griffin, John J. Hasty, A.J. Price, J.P. Horne, B.A. Horne and John Griffith.
The following are the names of the men who have served Union County in the capacity of Clerk of the Superior Court: Maj. D.A. Covington, J.T. Draffin, W.E. Doster, Hugh M. Houston, John M. Ingram, W.H. Simpson, G.W. Flow, Col. Samuel H. Walkup, G.W. Flow, James C. Huey, Geo. C. McLarty, Frank H. Wolfe, E.A. Armfield, D.A. Houston and C.E. Houston.
The following are the names of men who have served Union County in the capacity of Register of Deeds: Thomas P. Dillon, J.M. Greene, J.F. McLure, John W. Holm, J.O. Griflin, W.J.C. McCauley, C.N. Simpson, H.J. Wolfe, F.H. Wolfe, John W. Bivens, P.P.W. Plyler, John M. Stewart and J.E. Stewart.
The following are the names of the men who have served Union County in the capacity of Treasurer: Plummer Stewart, James W. Doster, Lemuel Presson, Albert Marsh, Thomas W. Griffin, A.J. Price, G.C. McLarty, James McNeely, Jas. H. Williams, Geo. M. Laney and J.W. Laney.
The following are the names of the men who have served in the State Senate from Union County: Col. Samuel H. Walkup, Maj. D.A. Covington, Capt. C.M.T. McCauley, Culpeper Austin, Henry B. Adams, J.F. Payne, G.C. McLarty, O.M. Sanders, T.J. Jerome, R.F. Beasley, R.B. Redwine and R.W. Lemmond.
The following persons have represented Union County in the State Legislature: Dr. J. Williams, Darling Rushing, Col. T.C. Wilson, Cyrus Q. Lemmond, Culpeper Austin, Jonathan Trull, Hugh Downing, Capt. C.M.T. McCauley, Lemuel Presson, David A. Covington, Henry B. Adams, James Houston, J.F. Payne, Jas. A. Marsh, V.T. Chears, T.C. Eubanks, R.L. Stevens, J.N. Price, J.W. Bivens, C.N. Simpson, E.C. Williams, R.B. Redwine, R.W. Lemmond, R.N. McNeely, John C. Sikes and R.V. Houston.
The first railroad in Union County was built in 1874. The first newspaper, the Monroe Enquirer, was established in 1873. The first bank established in the county was in 1875. The first cotton mill in the county was built in 1891. Today [1912] Union County has eight banks, five cotton mills, four lumber factories, two railroads and another in process of construction, more telephones than any county in the state, good rural free delivery, rural telephones, rural graded schools and rural graded roads—except that it is just a little off in the road business. The county has always been noted for the high class of its professional men, and in agriculture the farmers of Union County are unsurpassed by any anywhere. The people of the county are all good people of the purest Anglo-Saxon type, with no infusion of foreign blood, are descended from worthy ancestors, have been prolific enough to have sent immigrants to every state in the south and the west without decreasing the population at home, are keeping apace with the progress of the times, and are living up to the high standard which has been maintained in the county since the days of the pioneers.
Union County has always been free from ambitious politicians, but the people of the county have always been interested in their country’s welfare, and have always been careful to elect good men to fill the offices. The following are the names of the men who have served Union County in the capacity of Sheriff, in the order in which they served: William Wilson, John Blount, Alexander Richardson, Darling Rushing, Joshua Sikes, Henry Long, Culpeper Austin, Franklin L. Rogers, John J. Hasty, A.F. Stevens, John W. Griffin, John J. Hasty, A.J. Price, J.P. Horne, B.A. Horne and John Griffith.
The following are the names of the men who have served Union County in the capacity of Clerk of the Superior Court: Maj. D.A. Covington, J.T. Draffin, W.E. Doster, Hugh M. Houston, John M. Ingram, W.H. Simpson, G.W. Flow, Col. Samuel H. Walkup, G.W. Flow, James C. Huey, Geo. C. McLarty, Frank H. Wolfe, E.A. Armfield, D.A. Houston and C.E. Houston.
The following are the names of men who have served Union County in the capacity of Register of Deeds: Thomas P. Dillon, J.M. Greene, J.F. McLure, John W. Holm, J.O. Griflin, W.J.C. McCauley, C.N. Simpson, H.J. Wolfe, F.H. Wolfe, John W. Bivens, P.P.W. Plyler, John M. Stewart and J.E. Stewart.
The following are the names of the men who have served Union County in the capacity of Treasurer: Plummer Stewart, James W. Doster, Lemuel Presson, Albert Marsh, Thomas W. Griffin, A.J. Price, G.C. McLarty, James McNeely, Jas. H. Williams, Geo. M. Laney and J.W. Laney.
The following are the names of the men who have served in the State Senate from Union County: Col. Samuel H. Walkup, Maj. D.A. Covington, Capt. C.M.T. McCauley, Culpeper Austin, Henry B. Adams, J.F. Payne, G.C. McLarty, O.M. Sanders, T.J. Jerome, R.F. Beasley, R.B. Redwine and R.W. Lemmond.
The following persons have represented Union County in the State Legislature: Dr. J. Williams, Darling Rushing, Col. T.C. Wilson, Cyrus Q. Lemmond, Culpeper Austin, Jonathan Trull, Hugh Downing, Capt. C.M.T. McCauley, Lemuel Presson, David A. Covington, Henry B. Adams, James Houston, J.F. Payne, Jas. A. Marsh, V.T. Chears, T.C. Eubanks, R.L. Stevens, J.N. Price, J.W. Bivens, C.N. Simpson, E.C. Williams, R.B. Redwine, R.W. Lemmond, R.N. McNeely, John C. Sikes and R.V. Houston.
The first railroad in Union County was built in 1874. The first newspaper, the Monroe Enquirer, was established in 1873. The first bank established in the county was in 1875. The first cotton mill in the county was built in 1891. Today [1912] Union County has eight banks, five cotton mills, four lumber factories, two railroads and another in process of construction, more telephones than any county in the state, good rural free delivery, rural telephones, rural graded schools and rural graded roads—except that it is just a little off in the road business. The county has always been noted for the high class of its professional men, and in agriculture the farmers of Union County are unsurpassed by any anywhere. The people of the county are all good people of the purest Anglo-Saxon type, with no infusion of foreign blood, are descended from worthy ancestors, have been prolific enough to have sent immigrants to every state in the south and the west without decreasing the population at home, are keeping apace with the progress of the times, and are living up to the high standard which has been maintained in the county since the days of the pioneers.
