BLOG EIGHT: THE McCAULEY PROGRAM BY THE CHAPEL HILL HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT THE CHAPEL HILL LIBRARY ON NOVEMBER 18, 2018, 3:00 P.M. As fall beckons and as this year s dreadful hurricane season comes to an end Katie Herring, a graduate student in library science, and I (Bill Burlingame) are preparing for this upcoming program. We will detail the McCauley Cemetery s restoration and new discoveries or rediscoveries regarding the 18th century McCauley brothers and their descendants. First off, we will want to celebrate the restoration of the Cemetery where Matthew, Martha, his wife, and several other McCauleys are buried. As you know from prior blogs, this historic cemetery (1821) located on a promontory above University Lake near Chapel Hill had been decimated by falling trees, the out-of-control growth of encircling Leyland Cypresses planted 25 years ago, and decades of trash. Multiple clean-ups by UNC ground crews and OWASA teams directed by the lake wardens reclaimed the site. The offending cypresses were removed and archeologists from the University of North Carolina s Research Laboratories of Archeology established the parameters of the Cemetery by extracting soil cores and ensuring that all graves were contained within the presumed boundaries. Then, funded exclusively by the donations of descendants and concerned donors, the Chapel Hill Historical Society undertook the restoration of the Cemetery itself. Building on the 1992 renovation which was funded and implemented by the Morrow family, the collapsed headstones of Matthew and Martha were cleansed and stabilized (by aprons of concrete), the deteriorated split rails were replaced, and a sign of raised brass letters was placed on an entrance pier. Critical liaisons with several involved entities were established, re-established, and maintained in the interest of completing and preserving the site s restoration: UNC s Property Office (UNC holds title to this land and the Property Office maintains the hillside and arranges for the removal of fallen trees and similar critical maintenance items), OWASA (Orange Water and Sewer Authority, which leases University Lake, leased the hillside for decades, and keeps watch over the Cemetery), UNC s Historian (who advocates for this historic site and who now seeks enhanced recognition and maintenance for the half-dozen historic cemeteries which are the University s responsibility), and the Daughters of the American Revolution (the DAR, which honors the McCauley brothers who were Revolutionary War heroes, continues to advocate regarding their heritage, and has conducted ceremonies in past years at the Cemetery; Frank Porter Graham, esteemed UNC president, spoke at a 1939 DAR ceremony, and it was the DAR which galvanized the initial clean-up of this forgotten site in 2017). I will want to quickly recognize and introduce several of the above persons who have been central to this McCauley project of the Chapel Hill Historical Society. At the November 18th program, Katie and I will briefly recount the brothers histories and will describe a number of exciting and tantalizing discoveries or rediscoveries. Who knew that Matthew had been disciplined at Valley Forge (where he was encamped with General George Washington and the Revolutionary Army in the winter of 1777-1778)? Did charity trump military prerogatives? What were the discoveries by UNC Kenan Emeritus Professor Daniel Patterson who searched in Northern Ireland for records which could verify Matthew s seditious activities against the crown in 1770 and 1771? How 1
might the boy-in-the-barrel mythology or tradition be characterized and understood as well as the purported activities of enslaved Big Dave at the placement of the cornerstone of Old East? How did it occur that an erroneous Find A Grave entry misled a near generation of descendants, causing them to believe incorrectly that brother William was buried in New Hope Presbyterian Church s old cemetery? What are the clues regarding the actual location, as yet undiscovered, of William s burial in 1825? How have Orange County Register of Deeds Mark Chilton s remarkable historical contributions assisted in the search for William s burial site? How do we know that William also served in military action during the Revolution when there is no documentation of his presence in the records of the Continental Army? At the close of the presentation, the Chapel Hill Historical Association will host an informal reception with light refreshments. Bill and Katie will meet in one corner of the room with persons interested in further discussion of matters McCauley or with questions or with additional information to provide. Descendant Barrie Peterson will meet in another corner of the room with those who are interested in locating William s grave, as well as Barrie s genealogical research regarding black McCauleys who presumably are descendants of those enslaved on the McCauley plantations. Future research and restoration activity will be briefly discussed. We hope to advance our understanding regarding the above-cited items and more. In particular, we hope to learn the location of William s burial using as yet undiscovered historical data and discrete on-the-ground searches. If we are successful, then suitable restoration and recognition will be in order. A list of questions regarding aspects of history will be distributed or available, and driving directions will be provided regarding the location of the Matthew McCauley Cemetery and the old cemetery at New Hope Presbyterian Church where William s wife, Catrin, is buried (1800), but where William is not buried. Her gravestone will be flagged in blue, as will the stone of a McCauley infant (died in 1803) which was mistakenly believed to be the stone of our William McCauley (1838-1825). One has the distinct impression that long before the digital age there was considerable research and documentation regarding the McCauleys. Only fragments of this have surfaced in our work, and we would hope that descendants or others who have access to this rich historical material will make it available. William ( Bill ) Burlingame Chapel Hill Historical Society 919-929-1793 2793 Pickard Mill Lane Offices at Chapel Hill Public Library Hillsborough NC 27278 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill NC 27514 919-967-5383 wvb5@bellsouth.net PO Box 9032, Chapel Hill NC 27515-9032 2
Figure 1. This image was taken during October 2018 following a repair of the split rails (installed Memorial Day weekend), after a huge limb (14 inches in diameter) fell, grazing Martha McCauley s headstone. Scars can be seen on the elm tree behind the Cemetery where two of these branches were attached. UNC ground crews removed both branches. 3
Figure 2. This image shows the left pier at the entrance of the Cemetery with the newly installed sign of brass letters mounted on a backing plate which is painted and anchored in the sandstone of the pier. To our knowledge the Cemetery has never been graced with a proper sign. The gate was created in 1992, and we have sandblasted and painted it. Figure 3. This ancient plat is of the town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. It is the port and village from which the McCauleys and countless other Scots-Irish embarked for America on sailing ships in the 1700s. Charles and Mary Morrow discovered this print in New York City during the 1950s. Mary, in keeping with the sentiments of her late husband, was instrumental in creating the 1992 restoration of the Cemetery and the subsequent reunion of McCauleys at Damascus Congregational Christian Church in that year. 4
Figure 4. The Daniel Map of the site of UNC, 1792. I have struggled with this map for decades, and then discovered this convenient bite-sized version which I think was originally created by Charles Morrow. Before a spade of soil was turned, the trustees commissioned this survey which located some of the land donations and the main features which were already present in the landscape. Note Matthew McCauley s Mill (lower left) which suggests that his mill was in operation even before he applied to local authorities for permission to build it. Notice William s land donation in the top center of the map. Matthew s land donation has never been located. I have added numerous typed descriptors to the map. 5
Figure 5. A recent image of UNC Emeritus Professor Dan Patterson as he discussed his research in Northern Ireland, the associated McCauley folklore, and the ballads of the Scots-Irish as collected and transcribed from artists in the Piedmont and Appalachia. 6
Figure 6. The merged image shows the collapsing barn next to the Cemetery, and then the red clay scar remaining after it was removed in October 2018. The contractor is also charged with cleaning the hillside which has abandoned hardware, trash, and a myriad of wine bottles, and a well-outfitted deer stand. Bill Burlingame believes that carved into this hillside behind the Cemetery and above Morgan Creek are the remains of the ancient Fayetteville Road dating to the 1700s which ran past the nearby McCauley Mill and then crossed Morgan Creek. 7
Figure 7. This image shows the uncomfortable proximity of the Cemetery with the cottage which was moved to the site in 1932. Originally it had been constructed on the banks of Morgan Creek, and when the creek was dammed and University Lake formed, it was moved to the hillside next to the Cemetery. The house is at least 80 years old and may be of doubtful value as a rental unit for UNC. It has no historic value. Bill Burlingame is of the opinion that the cottage should be removed and the hillside restored to its original state for the more than 100 years before the cottage was moved there. The Chapel Hill Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the recent gifts of the following persons who have contributed since the list provided in an earlier blog. Robert Bob Epting, Chapel Hill Virginia Lemmond, Monroe Curtis McCauley, Monroe Rod McCauley, St. Augustine, FL IN KIND J. Michael Bramble, New Bern 8
By the close of our program at the Chapel Hill Library, it may be too close to dusk to visit either the McCauley Cemetery at University Lake (where Matthew is buried) or the old cemetery at New Hope Presbyterian Church where Catrin, William s wife, is buried. We would suggest visiting these sites earlier in the day before our program at 3:00 p.m. DIRECTIONS TO THE McCAULEY CEMETERY: TAKE JONES FERRY ROAD OUT OF CARRBORO, CROSSING UNDER HWY 54 BYPASS. CONTINUE PAST MISSION CREEK SHOPPING CENTER (WITH A BURGER KING ON THE RIGHT). CLIMB THE HILL AND TURN LEFT AT THE LIGHT ONTO EAST OLD FAYETTEVILLE ROAD. GO 400 YARDS AND TURN RIGHT ON UNIVERSITY LAKE DRIVE. DESCEND THE HILL AND IMMEDIATELY SEE A DRIVEWAY ON THE LEFT. AT THE TOP OF THE DRIVEWAY IS THE CEMETERY. DIRECTIONS TO THE OLD CEMETERY AT NEW HOPE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: FROM DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL TURN ONTO MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. RD AND CONTINUE ABOUT 6 MILES. MLK JR RD BECOMES NC HWY 86. YOU WILL SEE SIGNS FOR NEW HOPE CHURCH ON THE LEFT. WATCH FOR A SMALL SIGN ON THE RIGHT FOR NEW HOPE FIRE STATION. PARK THERE AND WALK INTO THE OLD CEMETERY ON THE LEFT. THE SMALL GRAVESTONES OF CATRIN, WILLIAM S WIFE, AND WILLIAM, JR, AN UNRELATED INFANT, ARE MARKED WITH BLUE ROAD MARKERS AND BLUE SURVEYOR TAPE. IT IS THIS LATTER SMALL STONE WHICH WAS MISTAKEN IN FIND A GRAVE AS MARKING WILLIAM S GRAVE. 9