Recollections of the Rev. John McElhenney, D.D.

Front matter

F ^COLLECTIONS

OF THE

REV. JOHN AcELHENNEY, D.D.

Preface

IHIS volume is not a biography, the materials for which do not exist. But few family records of my grandfather’s early life have come down to us. The first twenty years of his life are a mere outline. I never heard him revert to his early years.

When I first remember him, he had “so far left the coast of life” behind, “to travel inland,” that its murmur may have grown indistinct.

Grandmother was more chatty. My grandfather was ever a man of action; he lived in the present. Only a few of his letters are extant, and these relate to the latter period of his life. The old people wrote but seldom, and were careless in preserving their correspondence. During the Civil War many valuable family letters were lost, and those confided to a friend never accounted for.

I am indebted to my mother and Mark L. Spotts, Esq., for many of these recollections.

To Mr. Marcellus Zimmerman I owe the sketches of the Old Academy.

Historical points have been verified by reference to

Preface.

the valuable pamphlets of Rev. W. S. Price and Rev. R. S. Houston.

If I have succeeded in restoring a portrait of my grandfather, as a painter touches up with his brnsh the outlines of a picture grown dim, I shall be content in tracing upon this canvass the likeness of one who wore so long “the white flower of a blameless life.”

R. W. F.

Contents

Page.

CHAPTEE I.

CHAPTEE II.

Chapter I. Ancestry

7 OHN McELHENNEY was born in the W axhaws •J (Waxliia), Lancaster District, South Carolina, the 22d of March, 1781.

In his sketch of my grandfather, Dr. Howe places his birth a year later, but as in all the family records the earlier date is set down, I believe it to be undoubtedly correct. He was the youngest of six children, and was named for his father, John McElhenney,. who died when this youngest child was a mere infant.

His mother’s name was Ann Coil. I have not been able to trace any members of her family, and am inclined to believe that when she emigrated with her husband from Pennsylvania, she left her relations behind her for good and all. She seems to have been a woman of intelligence, energy, and sound piety, if one may judge from the quality of her descendants, who have held honorable positions in the councils of their State and country.

His father was a soldier of the Revolution, who, losing his health in the patriot army, returned home to 2

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die, shortly after the close of the struggle, leaving his widow and six children as his heritage to the new republic.

He died when my grandfather was very young, and his elder brother, James McElhenney, who was probably his guardian, took charge of his education. Through his generosity he received a liberal education, and we may suppose that from this generous elder brother he also received the impulse to study for the sacred ministry.

From my grandfather’s sketch of his brother’s life, we have the only authentic account of his ancestry. In a letter to the Rev. T. H. Saye, he states briefly :

■“ Among the men of my name who resided in the northwest part of the State, was my brother James. His life was full of incidents well calculated to illustrate the mysterious dealings of God’s providence, but to enter fully into his history would now be impracticable. I shall, therefore, only set down a few of the prominent facts connected with his life. His ancestors were of Scotch descent, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to South Carolina at an early date, and settled in the W axliaws, in Lancaster District. * His father, J ohn McElhenney, was the son of S. McElhenney, and his mother’s maiden name was Coil. They had six children — four sons and two daughters. James was the eldest of the family, and was born in the Waxhaws about the year 1766 or 1767. At the close of the Revolutionary War his father died. Soon after this

* The name Waxhaws is derived from a tribe of Indians of that name who once lived there. It is a hilly country, and the land is very fertile. There is a creek in the Waxhaws called Waxhaw Creek.

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the family moved into Chester District, where he was partly raised.”

The period of this “emigration” must have been prior to the Revolution. A deed for “ one plantation or tract of land, containing three hundred acres,” consideration, “ forty-five pounds South currency,” is on record at the courthouse in Lancaster. It bears date August 2, 1775, and fifteenth year of his Majesty’s reign, and conveys to “John McElhenney, of St. Mark’s parish, Craven county and province aforesaid, the above-mentioned tract of land; which has such shape, form, and mark as appears by a plot thereof to the grant (original) to the said Samuel Dunlap and Elizabeth his wife by his Majesty’s letters patent, bearing date the 1st day of February, 1768.” Before the Revolution, Lancaster was a part of Craven county.

A second deed from “James McElhenney, of the county of Chester,” dated June 21st, 1799, conveys what is evidently the same tract of land to “Eliezar Alexander, of Lancaster.” The dower is released by Agnes McElhenney.*

Mr. Howe in his record says : “Among the large contributions which Bethesda Church has made to the several walks of life, was James McElhenney, who, although born in the Waxhaw Church, was brought to Bethesda when ten years of age.” (He was nearer fifteen.) Bethesda Church is noAv situated in York county. “Rev. John McElhenney, D. D., his brother, born in the Waxhaws, March 22, 1782, was the youngest of six children, and was brought to Bethesda when

James McElhenney1 s wife.

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only a few months old. After prosecuting his academical studies under his pastor, Rev. R. B. Walker, he began the study of languages with Dr. James Hall, of North Carolina. After a few months, he repaired, in 1800, to the large academy taught by Rev. James Gillelaud, in Spartansburg District, and joined the church, probably Nazareth, in that neighborhood. In 1802 he entered Washington College, Virginia, having left home for Yale, but the prevalence of yellow fever had occasioned the suspension of the exercises.”

In an educational work of that early period, we learn that “ formerly it was the custom of many wealthy parents to send their sons to England for their education; at present, many are sent to Yale College, in Connecticut, and to Cambridge University, in Massachusetts.” James McElhenney had been educated at Yale. He was now the head of his house, and it was his intention that my grandfather should repair thither. H is son was afterwards sent to New Haven, and became a graduate of Yale College.

Of the six children born to John and Ann McElhenney, only five are knowTn to the writer. The eldest daughter must have died in infancy, as I never heard any mention of her by my mother or grandfather. The eldest son, James, became a Presbyterian minister, and was the first minister of that denomination who ever preached in or near Charleston, South Carolina, as I have been told. He married a Mrs. Wilkerson, a women of intellect and extensive means. She was the grandmother of the late Governor Pickens by her first marriage. The maiden name of this lady was Susannah Calhoun.

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Two other brothers, Robert and William, never married. They died within a few hours of each other, of what was known as the “Tyler grip,” in 1841.

My grandfather’s twin sister, Jane, died unmarried. James was the only member besides him, who carried on the family name. One letter, a single one , which shows the relationship between the two younger brothers, has been preserved ; and I shall give it in full, as disclosing the worldly advantages and philosophical turn of mind of the elder man ! The seal still adheres to this old letter, discolored by time, and mouldy with age:

“Pendleton, May 13, 1811.

“ Dear Brother : I have been at some difficulty to know why you have not written to me for such a length of time. At length it occurred to me that possibly I had not answered your last. If the reason be of a nature no more serious, I shall be justified, although I hardly supposed you would have been so punctilious. I am rather a negligent correspondent ; one reason is that I am heartily tired of writing letters neither entertaining nor instructive. But the hope of hearing from one still dear to me overcomes the indisposition and induces me to trouble you with a dull detail, not very interesting to me, and still less so to you.

“ I have finally sold the land belowr, and removed negroes, etc., to this district. It was a business attended with no little perplexity of mind and fatigue of body, but seems now to be nearly over, excepting the difficulty that remains to be encountered in collecting the money for which the land was sold. This I hardly

Rev. John McElhenney.

expect to do in my day — perhaps it may never be done. I hope, however, though little is to be made here, to live without it. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance which he possesses. There are few men living to whom a kind Providence has been more bountiful than to myself, as to every good thing this world can afford. In a world, however, inhabited by such beings as man, the best things it can bestow bring with them inconveniences. Either they ruin the possessor by inflaming his passions and appetites, or they subject to the envy of others more cruel and relentless than death itself. It seems to me that not a few think themselves injured by not possessing what is mine, and therefore no pains are spared to get it into their hands, by means foul or fair, as the one or the other may be most promising.

“ If I had lived and died in poverty and its usual attendant, obscurity, I should probably, at the least, have known very little of man; and, indeed, it is sometimes a question with me whether it would not be better occasionally to become the dupe of villainous intrigue and down-right robbery, though sanctioned by law, than generally to escape theft by an experience which induces almost universal suspicion.

“ After all, no degree of experience can, on every occasion, contravene the attack of the covetous, envious, or malicious. I, however, would not be understood to complain. Heretofore I have suffered little, and I believe, if it is best for me, I shall be protected hereafter. Besides, it is worthy of notice that a knowledge of men is useful on more accounts than that of guarding us, in some measure, against their villainy and, I

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will add, ferocity. A knowledge of others is one way of becoming acquainted with ourselves, and may be a means of correcting in us the very things which wto blame and detest in others. It may be added, also, that such knowledge is particularly useful in a preacher. I might say, indispensable. He has to deal with the hearts and consciences of men, and should know, as far as may be, what is in man. Much is to be gained by a knowledge of himself, and no little by a judicious observation of the conduct of others, especially where we can have access to it in moments of less reserve. The greater number never appear but under a mask. Not a few, fair in profession and smooth in outward conduct, will, on all fit occasions, bite like a serpent and sting like an adder. But, lest this letter should become more dull than I apprehended at first, and I be counted a misanthrope into the bargain, the rest shall be deferred for the present.

“ My family are well, and we are doing as well as we can. We would be glad to see you and yours here, but scarcely expect it. It is hoped, however, that we may at least hear from you and know how affairs are. Mrs. Me. and Jane desire to be remembered to you and mentioned to your lady,

“ With your affectionate,

“James McElhenney.”

This letter portrays both the preacher and the man, but the man predominates. One is glad to come to the end of this long drawn out epistle, with its mixture of complaint and philosophy. It is evident from his text

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that the Rev. James McElhenney had learned through severe personal experience, that whoso increasetli wealth increasetli trouble ! He mentions no names, but it seems that a law suit between relatives, either of his own or his wife’s connection, had added to his bitterness of spirit. I infer this from the sentence, '“Not a few think themselves injured by not possessing what is mine, and, therefore, no pains are spared to get it into their hands, by means foul or fair,” etc.

My grandfather, in his letter to Rev. J. H. Saye, thus concludes his sketch of his elder brother and predecessor in the ministry :

“ It was not until he was well advanced in life that he became impressed with religion. When he obtained a hope he determined under God to prepare for the ministry. To this end he had many difficulties to encounter, but his energy and perseverance overcame them all.

“He commenced his clerial education with Mr. Alexander, and completed the study of languages with him. He studied the sciences with Dr. Hall, of North Carolina, and with him studied theology, and was licensed to preach. Soon after he was licensed he was invited to take charge of the congregation in John’s Island, near Charleston. How long he continued to preach to that congregation, or with what success, I cannot say ; but finding it hazardous to his health to spend his summers in that region, he purchased property in Pendleton District, where he spent the summers. His residence was not far from the courthouse, and was near the Stone Church. This congregation was at this time without a preacher. He was called

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to take charge of it during liis residence there in the summer.

“ In the fall of 1812 a most malignant fever prevailed in his neighborhood ; to this he fell a prey, and was buried in the graveyard at the Stone Church.”

He left four children — James, Morton, Jane, and Emily. Jane * married first the Rev. James Murphy, a Presbyterian minister, and afterwards became the wife of Alfred Moore, whose descendants still reside in Lancaster District. Morton was sent to Greenbrier, to be under the care of his uncle, John. His mother seems to have been more concerned about her children than her estates. She expresses her anxiety for the two young men in this manner :

‘ ‘ Charleston, February 28, 1820

“ Dear Brother : I have been so harassed in mind and body since I got your letter, that I could not possibly write to you. Neither am I now in state of mind to write as I would wish ; but fearing you may think me negligent, I have made the attempt, but cannot be particular. My troubles have been of various kinds, but at present, I have great uneasiness and anxiety of mind on account of my two sons. I returned to Carolina last November, and brought all the children with me except James, as I found Morton was doing nothing at New Haven. I thought I would try what could be done with him here in order to his obtaining some education. I consented to his giving up the study of the languages in hope that he would apply himself to English ; but I am more discouraged about him than

The daughter by his first wife, Jane Moore.

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ever; it is with much difficulty I have got him to attend school at all. He has not been more than two weeks all winter, and seems to get more and more averse to going. He is a man in size and appearance, so that I cannot make use of any means but persuasion to induce him to learn. If I could possibly send him to you for eight months, I would do so, to try if you could influence him ; but I have no way of doing so.

“My uneasiness about James is of quite a contrary nature ; he has been sick, and is, I fear, in bad health. I hear so seldom from him I am kept in continual anxiety. I want him to leave college and return to me until his health is restored, but he is desirous of finishing at once, and I much fear he will lose his life in the attempt.

“When I received your letter I was sick. I am now much in my usual health ; I never expect to recover prime health again, but if it were not for uneasiness of mind, I should be comfortably well generally. I have other troubles which lay hard, but I cannot now enumerate them ; will try to write again soon and be more particular. I sincerely sympathize with you and sister in the loss you have sustained in your family, while at the same time I am pleased to hear you have still so much comfort in your family, and some new ones. May the Lord still increase your comfort in your dear children, and still smile on you and yours. Mine unite with me in love to you and yours.

“Yours affectionately,

“ S. McElhenney.

“ My intention is to reside in Columbia the summer months in future. Pray write soon.”

Ancestry.

The way is found at last, and James, the student, drives Morton, the idler, all the way from Charleston, South Carolina, to Greenbrier, Virginia, in a sulky, attended by a negro on horseback. Morton remains all the year at the parsonage, while James returns to the seaboard on the horse. The mules and negro boy do good work, but one is not so sure about the student • The White Sulphur is invitingly near, and many a stolen ride by moonlight bears witness to its attractions !

Emily McElhenney married Lieutenant Hayne, of the United States Navy, and became the mother of Paul H. Hayne, the distinguished Southern poet, wdio has but lately passed away. Lieutenant Hayne was a brother of the distinguished orator, Robert G. Hayne, of South Carolina. He died at sea when his poet-son was but an infant. The poet’s earliest verses were addressed to his mother,* who devoted her whole life to his culture and education.

Paul H. Hayne married Mary Michel, the daughter of a French physician who had served with distinction under Napoleon the First. An affectionate correspondence was always kept up between my aunt and the Hayne family, including mother, son, and grandson,— William Hayne, now the only living representative of the poet.

Mrs. Hayne writes : “ I remember but little of my father, for I was only five when he died. But Paul was between six and seven when I lost my mother, more than thirty years since. I was then a widow, and cannot well express what her loss was to me. You were named after her, and, I think, for myself, too.

* See Appendix, Note I.

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She died when she was seventy-two, and retained her memory and vigor of mind to the last, although her bodily health was feeble from the time I first recollect her. She attended to housekeeping and business matters herself.”

An extract from another of Mrs. Hayne’s letters to this same aunt, Susan Emily, will show how completely the wealth she inherited was swept away b}7 the reverses of the Civil War. She writes: “I had a comfortable property before the war, but have lost everything by it — barely a pittance left. My money was principally invested in bank-stock, and the banks failed with the Confederacy. My house, with my furniture, bedding, china, and glassware, was burnt down the very night Charleston was taken by the Yankees, though the fire was thought to be accidental. I inherited a good deal of silverware from my mother, and had some of my own. The box containing it and other valuables was placed, for safe-keeping , in the branch bank of Columbia, and Sherman’s men stole that. I lost, also, a few thousands by Confederate bonds. We have been living for the last fifteen months on the railroad, fifteen miles from Augusta, Georgia, in a little cottage built for Paul by a professed friend, who proved not trustworthy, and made us pay far beyond its value out of the little we had remaining. Paul is now literary editor of The Southern Opinion , and, if it pays, we will be able to get on, living in a very humble way.”

This little cottage in the pine barrens of Georgia was destined to become widely known in literary circles as “ Copse Hill,” the home of Paul Hamilton

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Hayne, the greatest poet the South has given to the world during this century.

To return to our young divinity student, whom we left standing at the doors of Washington Academy : Being prevented from entering Yale College by the prevalence of yellow fever, which had caused the suspension of its exercises, he turned aside into the parts of Lexington, and completed his education at the old Liberty Hall Academy, but lately endowed by George Washington, and the name changed in honor of its patron. He matriculated in 1802 ; was graduated in 1804 ; appears as a candidate in 1806 ; is received by Lexington Presbytery, and licensed in February, 1808. But other affairs besides divinity have occupied the mind and heart of the theological student during his six years’ sojourn in the classic village of Lexington. He studies the languages under Daniel Blain, and reads theology with President Baxter, but these occupations do not absorb all of his time. Two monthsprevious to his licensure by the Lexington Presbytery he leads to the altar Bebecca Walkup, the pretty and sprightly daughter of a prosperous merchant of the town. They were united December 7, 1807.

Her father, Arthur Walkup, was a native of Ireland, and possessed in large measure the proverbial wit and humor of his countrymen. One or two anecdotes of the old merchant’s shrewdness have been handed down in the family :

A sporting man owed the little gentleman a debt, which he had long in vain endeavored to collect. When pressed to settle the account, the gambler invariably plead in excuse his debts of honor, and his ob-

Rev. John McElhenney.

ligation to settle them first! Tired of these constant subterfuges, the astute creditor drew forth the bill and thrust it into the fire, saying, as the paper crumbled into ashes: “Very well, sir; very good; we will consider this a debt of honor. I shall rely on you to settle it at your convenience.” That did settle it effectually, for the debtor pulled out his purse, and discharged it on the spot!

Another story will illustrate the old merchant’s humor : His eldest son was a clerk in his father’s store. One day the latter handed him a letter to read, and to forward to Philadelphia. At that period Philadelphia was the market from which all goods were ordered. The young man was unable to decipher a part of the letter, and returned it to the father for explanation. The merchant looked the letter over, but was unable to make out his own handwriting! “Send it on, Sam,” he said quickly, “they are better scholars there than we are!”

The merchant’s father, Samuel Walkup (Wauchope), emigrated from Ireland to America, but the son is said to have come over first. One account has it that they came from Donegal; another, from county Antrim. Father and son were both good Presbyterians. The Rev. Joseph Walkup, to whom I am indebted for much of this information, adds : “ Their ancestors, I doubt not, went over to Ireland from Scotland. The ‘ Wauchope Hills’ are mentioned in The Scottish Chiefs .”

The original spelling of the name was Wauchope, and to-day one branch of the family has reverted to the original form. The old great-grandfather is said to have been a weaver by profession in early life. His

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son, tlie merchant, prospered. He owned several lots in and around Lexington. One of these was the hill on which the Virginia Military Institute now stands, and which was called “Walkup’s Mount” many years ago. Another was the lot opposite the Episcopal church, afterwards owned by his son Samuel, who built upon it the large brick residence now owned by Judge McLaughlin.

Arthur Walkup was twice married. First to Elizabeth Lockridge, by whom he had three children, Samuel, John Arthur, and Rebecca (my grandmother).

John Arthur married Mary Edgar, a daughter of Thomas Edgar, one of the original trustees of Washington College. He was a native of Nelson county, but settled in Greenbrier, and afterwards in Rockbridge. He died early, leaving one daughter, Ann Eliza, afterwards married to Dr. Feamster, of Greenbrier. Another daughter married James Withrow, Sr. (the father of John and James Withrow), and a third daughter married Sampson Mathews, of Pocahontas. These marriages caused quite a near family connection to exist between my grandparents and the older branches of these families.

The eldest son, Samuel, married Miss Maria Todd Houston (a sister of Rev. S. R. Houston, of Monroe county), who had eight sons, all of whom are living at this date, except William Madison.

My grandmother always spoke very affectionately of this elder brother, Sam. He was at one time the editor of a newspaper, or magazine, in Lexington, Va.; afterwards the sheriff of Rockbridge county. In the war of 1812 he was paymaster in the army, stationed

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at Norfolk, Ya. After the war he bought a farm in Rockbridge, and married Miss Houston, a lady of superior qualities, both of mind and heart. When his eight sons began to grow up, he settled in Lexington, to be near the college. His death occurred at “Rural Valley,” a place belonging to his wife. It was recorded of him, “ He lived and died a true and warm-hearted Christian. He was peculiarly independent, and unconcerned about what others might think of him, hence his true character was not well understood except by his most intimate friends.” His wife survived him more than thirty years. All of her eight sons served in the Confederate army — Joseph as a chaplain, William as a lieutenant, Houston as a private, and the others tilled various positions.

Arthur Walkup’s second wife was named Esther Mackay. She was also a native of Rockbridge. This consort brought him five children, the youngest of whom became a prominent physician, Dr. W. E. Walkup, of Botetourt county, Ya. This half-brother of my grandmother was quite a favorite, and became a pupil at the Lewisburg Academy at seven years of age, making his home with his sister at the parsonage. He settled on the upper James River, at Locust Bottom, in Botetourt county, Ya., and practiced his profession in that section for more than half a century. “As a physician, he ranked among the first in that section, and he used his great skill and learning for the relief of afflicted humanity without regard to rank or station, and frequently without remuneration. Socially, he was genial, hospitable, and open-hearted — a grand type of the Old Virginia gentleman.” In

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his family lie was the honored head, loving and beloved.

He was twice married. First to Miss Marietta Womack, of Botetourt, by whom he had three children, William, Arthur, and Jane Ann. His second wife, Miss Ann Taylor, of Charles City county, died within three years of her marriage, leaving one daughter, Ida V., now the wife of Livingston Kester, of Philadelphia.

Arthur followed his father’s profession. William, inheriting a valuable estate on the James Biver, from an unmarried uncle (brother of his mother), changed his name to Womack, and is to-day known as William Womack, of Botetourt.

Dr. Walkup was a man of genial habits and ready humor, traits which he inherited from his father, the little Irish merchant, and which often brought as great relief to his patients as the drugs he administered.

My grandparents never boasted of their lineage, nor had they any cause to blush for it. They reflected virtue upon their posterity, and their descendants have reflected back credit upon the old Scoteh-Irish stock from whom they claim a common ancestry. The records of my grandfather’s origin have been carelessly handled, and have not satisfied my research, but it can be safely affirmed that the good doctor of divinity came of gentle blood, and was inherently the born gentleman. Down to his latest years he retained that elegance of manner and urbanity of speech which have always been characteristic of the seaboard State. Nor did long contact with a mountain people ever impart to him that roughness, lying more on the surface

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than in the core, of your true mountaineer, who prefers the solid ore of nature to the sparkle of polished society.

Shortly after. my grandfather’s marriage, he received a call to supply the churches of Lewisburg and Union, and thither, in the spring, he carried his young wife, destined to share his joys and sorrows for over sixty years of wedded life.

The names of Stuart and Lewis are indissolubly connected with the history of the old Stone Church, over which he was called to preside, and in which he was installed in the summer of 1809 ; and continued his relations with it down to his death in 1871. During this eventful period of sixty-one years, live sets of ruling elders were ordained to sustain the pastor’s hands, and to keep free from heresy the courts of the church. To Colonel John Stuart and his good Christian wife, the community is largely indebted for the erection of this church, which has stood so long as the bulwark of Calvinism in the land. Colonel Stuart gave the ground upon which it stands, and headed a subscription list with two hundred and fifty dollars. Shortly after starting this scheme, his wife received a legacy from her father, Colonel Charles Lewis, and the whole sum — four hundred pounds, about two thousand dollars — was generously expended in raising the present edifice. But, with genuine Christian modesty, Colonel Stuart concealed this generous gift in the inscription cut upon an irregular slab of limestone, now set in the west wall of the church over the main entrance. Very simple is this inscription, cut in the solid stone :