Polly McCauley

Notes:

Birth:
Birth year of 1787 estimated as 18 years prior to her 1805 marriage to Andrew.

Polly married Andrew McCauley on 26 Nov 1805 in Orange Co, NC. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

View Historical Notes for William McCauley

• Having emigrated from Ireland to North Carolina in the 1770s before the Revolutionary War, William like his brother Matthew became a prominent land owner. According to William V. Burlingame in his historical summary of The McCauley Family Cemetery (March 2017), subsection The McCauleys in North Carolina,
  
  "There is one source which refers to them as half-brothers, but as far as is known they were brothers, born in 1747 and 1750, whose father was Erin McCauley in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim...
  
  "This narrative to this point focuses mostly on Matthew, assuming that the Cemetery serves primarily if not exclusively his family. Older brother William was born in Country Antrim in about 1747, emigrated with his two small children (James and Jane) and his brother Matthew to North Carolina in the 1770s, and married Katherine Johnston Long, a widow, in the same year. Once in North Carolina, William acquired land grants in the upper reaches of the New Hope and Morgan Creek watersheds before securing land for his plantation on the Eno River called “Great Meadows” near Hillsborough. In the early years he served as justice of the peace, tax assessor, and representative to the North Carolina House of Commons during the Revolutionary War (1778-1782). He then was a state senator (1783-1789), was a representative to the constitutional convention of 1788, and was the sheriff of Orange County in 1789 and 1790. He died about 1825. Most documents state that his “exact burial place is unknown.” However, in 1992, Tom McCauley of Durham reported that his father and his step-grandmother, “an avid genealogist,” both stated that William was buried “in the family graveyard on his homeplace.”  "
  (end of Burlingame reference information)


• A HISTORY OF THE 1793 CORNERSTONE LAYING
  Our tale is complex. It comes in part from well-established historical sources and in part from the oral history of the McCauley family to which one of us (KBN) belongs. The first question is, "Why was the University placed at New Hope Chapel Hill?"
  
  One version is related to General William R. Davie's drinking habits. It has been said that, while having lunch in the vicinity of the Davie Poplar, he was overcome and made the decision to locate the University there when he aroused. The truth is more prosaic: it was the outcome of a complicated political process. The General Assembly decided in January 1792 that the University should be located near the center of the state. The trustees then decided that it should be located within 15 miles of either Raleigh, Hillsborough, Pittsboro, Smithfield, two sites in Granville County, or Cyprett's Bridge across New Hope Creek. The latter was chosen when all the courthouse towns were eliminated and the Granville County sites found unsuitable. A committee visited several potential sites in the target area, and Chapel Hill was selected because its bid was the largest: 1290 acres of land and about $1500 in cash! Professor Archibald Henderson attributes the winning Orange County bid to the covert activities of James Hogg, a friend of Davie's and a member of the selection committee. Now, who were the McCauleys and what role did they play?
  
  Matthew McCauley and his brother William emigrated from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to the Carolinas before the Revolutionary War. They bought land in Orange County so named to honor the Protestants of Northern Ireland and prospered. Matthew, the younger, had been involved in a scrape in Ireland and had to be smuggled out of the country in a molasses cask. He acquired the nickname "Bung" because William had fed him through the bung-hole of the cask until they were well out to sea.
  
  Both McCauleys donated land for the University, Matthew 150 and William 100 acres. Matthew ("Bung") operated a grist mill on Morgan's Creek at the site of the present University Lake dam and was reputed to make the best Irish whiskey in the state. Both were present at the laying of the cornerstone of Old East on October 12, 1792 (known since 1877 as University Day). Several things happened that day which are not recorded in the history books, and Matthew was a major player behind the scenes.
  
  Cornerstone laying was serious business in an earlier age when buildings were constructed for permanence but is ignored today in our rapidly constructed, disposable buildings. Because of the absence of a royal family in republican America, the ceremony of laying cornerstones became the responsibility of Freemasons.
  
  Freemasonry is a secret order which grew out of the guilds of stone masons which built the cathedrals of Europe in the Middle Ages. It has been most prominent in the United Kingdom and the countries derived therefrom: Australia, and four million of the estimated five million living members are in the U.S. Masonry is characterized by secrecy, a tradition of high morality, and catholicity. It is not a religion and, although predominantly Protestant in Anglo-Saxon countries, does not exclude Catholics and Jews. It is not a patriotic or political organization, but American politicians have found identification with it to be advantageous. There is a parallel and independent black Masonic society, the Order of Prince William, which originated in London during the slavery era and still flourishes.
  
  The McCauleys were Master Masons and belonged to the Eagle Lodge of Hillsborough which had been asked to provide support at the laying of Old East's cornerstone. Since General William R. Davie, regarded by many as the founder of the University, was also the Grand Master of Masons for North Carolina it was fitting that he officiate. A mural on the west wall of the lobby of the downtown Chapel Hill Post office records what is believed to have occurred. History suggests that something slightly different seems to have taken place.
  
  General Davie came up to Hillsborough from New Bern for the occasion and "opened" the Eagle Lodge to legitimize the laying of the cornerstone. Details of the occasion can he found in the University histories of President Battle and Professor Archibald Henderson, Battle even recording the names of the prominent men in attendance and the accomplishments of their descendants. At this point oral history takes over.
  
  A legend in the McCauley family is that the Post Office mural is incorrect in two respects. First, General Davie should have been wearing a hat. (Masons will understand why.) Second, the stone was not lowered into place by a hoist and windlass. The family says that the stone was heavier than anticipated, and the hoist rope broke. When this occurred, "Bung" McCauley, a small man, turned to Big Dave, his body servant, a 6'5" slave who weighed 300 lbs., and said, "Dave, pick it up and put it in place." The story is that Dave put his arms around the stone and lifted it onto the spot designated by General Davie. Then, after a suitable oration by the Rev. Dr. Samuel E. McCorkle and the sealing of documents and Masonic "jewels" in the cavity of the cornerstone, the party repaired to a nearby spring for refreshments.
  
  Another McCauley legend is that "Bung" furnished the chief "refreshment." It is said that earlier in the day Dave had placed a 25-gallon keg of their best whiskey in their cart, and this became the centerpiece of the post-ceremony conviviality. General Davie was a heavy drinker, and the cup made many rounds. As nightfall approached, the well-oiled General said his goodbyes, and departed for New Bern. Unfortunately, the Masonic Grand Master had forgotten before departing to "close" the Eagle Lodge. It remained "open" until the Grand Master's next visit, more than a year later. It is said that by lying open for more than a year, the Eagle Lodge of Hillsborough achieved a distinction unique in Masonic history.
  
  We decided to investigate the present state of the cornerstone in view of the upcoming Bicentennial celebrations. To our astonishment, we were unable to find it. We then discovered that Old East's cornerstone had been vandalized and its brass plate stolen. This must have occurred sometime between the end of the Civil War and the re-opening by new trustees after the post Civil War closure (1871-75). It is known that cornerstones were also laid for Old West and South (and probably for Person), but our search uncovered none of these.
  
  Our hypothesis about the mysterious cornerstone caper is that a band of vandals attacked the empty and unprotected buildings in search of the Masonic "jewels" known to have been placed in the cornerstone. We can infer that they were not themselves Masons for two reasons: (l) a Mason would never do such a thing, and (2) a Mason would know that the so-called "jewels" were in reality only the simple tools of stone masons.
  
  "The brass plate from the Old East cornerstone turned up in 1916 at a foundry in Tennessee run by a UNC alumnus, William Foust '03. He returned the plate just before it was to be tossed into the furnace, and presented it to the University on October 12, 1916. Today the brass plate, with the maker's name and Masonic writing and symbols on the back, is on display in the gallery of Wilson Library.- Alumni Review""
  
  
  Written by John Graham, Distinguished Professor-Emeritus of Pathology; and Kemp Nye, Franklin Street fixture and former proprietor of Kemp's Records for the Carolina Alumni Review, published by the General Alumni Association of UNC/CH, April, 1990. Reprinted by permission (on www.grandlodge-nc.org).

Media previously shown on William McCauley's page which have been removed:
• Two Muster Rolls where a William McCauley was on board the U.S. Schooner Enterprize. It appears this was a different McCauley from Lake Champlain area.
• Loyalist Land Grants. Neither William nor his brother were Loyalists. Just what Orange County was referred to is unclear, but evidently not in North Carolina in 1786.

Name:

William McCauley was previously shown on this site as Major William James McCauley...and that he was born Sep 1738. That William was a Major, and then a Colonel is documented (see Pension Claim of William Brittain). Due to lack of documentation that he had a middle name James or otherwise, or that his birth date is known, he is no longer shown with these. — There is but scant documentation for his being married to Catherine Catred Johnstone, to wit: A historical summary of people and events surrounding the McCauley Family Cemetery, "located on a promontory above University Lake on land acquired by the University of North Carolina" states in a discussion about his brother, Matthew: "Older brother William was born in Country Antrim [sic] in about 1747, emigrated with his two small children (James and Jane) and his brother Matthew to North Carolina in the 1770s, and married Katherine Johnston Long, a widow, in the same year.". Note: Although 1747 is used here, this year is also not documented with primary documents.

Birth:
Birth information undocumented.

Buried:
Information often given that William was buried in New Hope Presbyterian Church Cemetery in the Old Section, Chapel Hill, Orange County, are apparently unsubstantiated and not in agreement with oral history passed down that he was buried at his "home place," presumably "Great Meadows" (however that claim is also undocumented). Our William McCauley's burial place has not been found and proven.

William married Katherine Johnston. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Married:
The marriage of William McCauley and the widow, Katherine Johnston Long, occurred the same year William and family arrived from Ireland in the 1770s. — William V. Burlingame, 2017 historical summary, The McCauley Cemetery with subsection The McCauleys in North Carolina. (This marriage remains undocumented. No statement is made about whether she was of North Carolina, or perhaps also emigrated from Ireland before becoming his wife.)

Notes:

Name:
Erin is a word which refers to the country, Ireland, apparently anglicized from Éirann. During the period when William & Matthew were born, Erin was not commonly used as a given name (although it became popular much later on, especially in the United States where so many Irish and Scottish immigrants came to live).

Mary Ann Gattis has been shown by many, including on this site, as married in Ireland to William Erin McCauley. However, there is no record of such a relationship, but there is a marriage record between Mary Ann Gattis and William O. McCauley in Orange County, North Carolina on 5 Jan 1847 (70 years or so after these brothers emigrated). Therefore, Mary's record has been detached from the family of Erin McCauley. Also not found was documentation that Erin McCauley of County Antrim, Ireland was William Erin McCauley. For lack of documentation, his birth and death years have also been removed. He would need to have been old enough to have adult sons emigrate great distances in the 1770s. Further and perhaps most important is that no documentation has been found that William McCauley's father's name was Erin McCauley. It is unclear where this traditional information came from.

Birth:
Some have presented a birth year of 1712, and Carrickfergus as Erin's birth place. This place makes sense, as he allegedly lived there, but documentation is lacking. The year estimate fits as well, although making him 35 years old when Matthew was born. It may well be (and is likely) however, that Matthew and William had siblings unknown to us; who did not emigrate.

Died:
Some have presented Erin as having died in 1780 in Ireland. Lacking documentation about his death, this year has been removed. A death place of Ireland is probable, but unproven.