Chapter IV
Life in North Carolina
Page 2
Years later during the Civil War, decades after Piper Archie's death, a rain deluge hit the Cape Fear Valley while Sherman's Yankees marched and fought at Averasboro. After the waters receded, a gum log coffin was found containing the red-bearded skeleton of a huge man. The news reached Alexander "Sandy" Buie up the river and rushed to the scene with his coon dog Beauregard. Sandy had heard the story of Red's desire to be buried across the river and now he obliged the wish. The body was buried on the brow of Smylie's Hill. The story didn't end here, though, for even today when the mists rise from the river and the cypress swamps near Smylie's Hill, one can hear the low moan of bagpipes and barely see the ghostly spectre of bow-legged, little Archie Buie playing for a dancing giant apparition with curly red hair and beard.Beginning in 1755, when Duncan Buie was granted 100 acres of land on the"forks of Barbeque", there was a movement of Buies from the Cape Fear westward along Upper Little River to the Barbeque Creek and Cranes Creek area. Gilbert Buie moved to Barbeque in 1763 and Malcolm and Daniel Buie settled on Upper Little River in 1765. Ultimately, by 1777, the vast majority of the Buies were on Barbeque, Upper Little River, Cranes Creek, or Jumping Run. Jurisdictional boundaries had changed also. Cumberland County was formed from Bladen in 1754 and the new county seat was at Cross Creek. In 1784, Moore County would be carved from western Cumberland and changed the county residencies of several of the Buie families.
Since 1741, the Presbytery of Inverary had been interested in establishing the church among the North Carolina "Argyll Colony". Finally in 1755 the Synod of Philadelphia sent Rev. Hugh McAden, who could not speak Gaelic, to North Carolina on horseback to the Scots. After preaching to a group of Highlanders at "Bluff" Hector McNeill's home he wrote "the people understood scarcely a word I said - the poorest singers I ever heard in all my life." A few days later McAden held a service at Alexander McKay's home on the western frontier of the Scotch settlements and preached "to a small congregation mostly of Highlanders, who were very much obliged to me for coming, and highly pleased with my discourse. Though alas, I am afraid it was all feigned and hypocritical". After the service the Scots remained around the house all night, drinking and cursing, and kept poor McAden awake. Maybe Archie Buie was there spurring on the festivities with his shrieking bagpipes.The language barrier was real. As early as 1739 some of the "Argyll Colony" leaders had requested "a clergyman who can speak the Highland language since... many cannot speak any other language". A well-to-do Scotswoman disembarked from a ship in Wilmington and overheard two men conversing in Gaelic. Turning around, she was horrified to discover they were negroes. Another friendly black lady greeted her with "Ceud mile failte" meaning "one hundred-thousand welcomes". The Scotswoman initially reeled in horror because she concluded that her predecessor Highlanders had turned dark-skinned because of the Carolina climate. Apparently, however, even the slaves spoke Gaelic.In 1756, Rev. James Campbell, a Gaelic-speaking Presbyterian minister, settled on the Cape Fear opposite "the Bluff". On October 18, 1758, several men, including Archibald Buie, contracted Rev. Campbell to preach to the Scotch settlers. He dutifully ministered for many years at first in the homes of Roger McNeill and Alexander McKay on alternate Sundays. In 1758 he began preaching at John Dobbin's house on Barbeque Creek. Finally, in 1765, a log church was built near the Dobbin's house known as Barbeque Church and the first elders were Gilbert Clark, Duncan Buie, Archibald Buie of Gum Swamp, and Daniel Cameron. These men, nourished by the sermons at the old Jura church at Kilearnadil were so knowledgeable of doctrine that they were known as "the Little Ministers of Barbeque". The church historian Rev. James D. MacKenzie described the worship at Barbeque: "The building had no chimney, for the worshippers inside did not believe in being comfortable in church. There was no piano or organ there, for they did not believe in using instrumental music in the worship of God. Nor were there hymnbooks. They didn't believe in hymns either. Their hymnbook was the Bible, and they sang the Psalms of David which had long before been rendered in verse form and set to music. There was no carpet down the center aisle and no upholstered pulpit furniture. But the love of God was there, and this was sufficient for them. " And, of course, much to the satisfaction of the members, Rev. Campbell would fill their hearts with sermons preached in their beloved Gaelic tongue.The Presbyterian Church was the central axis for the early Buies of North Carolina around which all facets of life revolved. The highlight of a parent's life was when a son or daughter was baptized. All marriages were performed by Presbyterian ministers mostly in homes. Frequently, the Scots willed considerable amounts of money to the church. One person left $300 to a church the interest of which would be paid annually to the pastor so long as "sound old Presbyterian doctrine is there preached". The Scots, especially at Barbeque, knew the scriptures thoroughly. When Rev. John McLeod, a noted minister educated in Scotland, attempted to deliver an eloquent sermon, several of the members interrupted his delivery to "argue with him about several points of doctrine, prompting him to say, "I would rather preach to the most fashionable congregation in Edinburgh than to the little critical carls (or boors) of Barbeque."William Buie was a charter elder of the Buffalo Church in Moore County in 1797, and Neill Buie, Sr. was a charter elder of the MacPherson Presbyterian Church west of Fayetteville in 1802. Rev. Archibald Buie, son of Archibald Buie of Gum Swamp, was licensed to preach by the Orange Presbytery in 1811 and served many congregations in Cumberland County including Barbeque, and helped organize the Antioch Church in Robeson County in 1833. The descendents of Malcolm Buie were leaders at the Philadelphus Church in Robeson. Conclusively, the Buies were devoted and active members of the Presbyterian Church of North Carolina.Unfortunately, many of the early Buies of North Carolina were illiterate. Poor Neil Buie could only sign his name with an "X" in 1761. To help alleviate the problem, the ministers conducted classes for the children. Later, private schools were introduced. Duncan Buie of Robeson County specified in his will that some land should be rented out and the income applied to the education of his daughter. After a few years, as a result of these efforts, nearly all of the Buies could read and write.When the large group of Buies landed at Brunswick in 1767, they first took up land on Upper Little River. However, beginning in 1771, most of these Buies eventually moved to the Beaver Creek and Rockfish Creek areas west of Fayetteville. Also, Malcolm Buie and his wife Ann moved from the Upper Cape Fear area to Robeson County as early as 1767 and settled near Richland Swamp. Nevertheless, in the 1770's, the majority of the Buies still lived along Barbeque and Crane's Creeks and Upper Little River.The first recorded participation by a Buie in military service was in 1771 when Neil Buie of Cumberland County enlisted in the militia under Captain Farquard Campbell. This call to arms was in response to the menace of the Regulators, Piedmont farmers who revolted against the colonial government. At the Battle of the Alamance in May, 1771, the Regulators were defeated and peace was restored. The battle was fought only a week after Neil enlisted and it is not known whether he saw action in the conflict.The famous Flora McDonald arrived at the Barbeque area in 1775 along with her husband Allan and their children. Flora had helped Prince Charles escape from capture after Culloden in 1746. For her part in the event, Flora was arrested and taken to London to be tried for treason, but through the influence of several friends she was released. Flora returned to Skye where she married Allan McDonald. Later in 1775, because of high rents, the McDonalds emigrated.Duncan Buie sold 100 acres on the south prong of Barbeque to Alexander McDonald in 1772. Alexander was the husband of Annabella, a half-sister of Flora McDonald. This land, later to be known as Camerons Hill, was attractive to Allan and Flora, and they lived nearby for a time. They attended Barbeque Church where they became acquainted with the Buies. Already, however, there were political storm clouds gathering which would eventuate in the disintegration of this brief friendship and the chaotic division of the Barbeque area by community civil war. In April of 1775, the American Revolution, also known as the War for Independence, began.