Following is a short historical
sketch of General James I. McKay
and the "Tory Hole" at Elizabeth-
town. The title, "general," was
honorary.

     James Iver McKay, brilliant law-
yer, statesman and philanthropist,
was born July 17, 1792, son of John
and Mary Salter McKay. His fath-
er was the son of Scottish immi-
grants and Mary Salter was the
daughter of William Salter, one of
the early patriots of Bladen and
a delegate to the First Provincial
Congress.

     James Iver McKay was prepared
for school at the Raleigh Academy
from which he graduated in 1809
and entered the University of North
Carolina. Instead of continuing
regular academic studies young Mc-
Kay entered the law school and
was admitted to the bar at an early
age. At the age of 23 he was elect-
ed to represent the county in the
state senate. He gave such service
to the county that he was re-elect-
ed four times, after which he de-
clined to run for office.

     After declining a public office Mc-
Kay served as United States District
Attorney and won high regard as a
brilliant lawyer. In 1831 he was
elected to the United States Con-
gress in which he served the peo-
ple of the Cape Fear for nine terms.

         Noted For Loyalty

     During his service in Congress,
General McKay was noted for his
loyalty to the administration. He
was a champion of democracy but
even in the political turmoil of the
Jackson, Clay and Calhoun days he
steered clear of petty      [Remainder of line unclear]
     [Possible line missing????]
reached a higher position in the con-
fidence of his party associates. In
1843 he was made chairman of the
important Ways and Means com-
mittee, which at that time ranked
next to that of the Speakership.

     In 1848 at the Democratic Na-
tional Convention the name of Gen-
eral McKay was presented by North
Carolina delegates for vice presi-
dent of the United States. But in
that year General McKay retired
from congressional life.

     The General was considered ec-
centric but he was a keen business
man and accumulated large wealth.
He was noted for his rigid intergity (sic.)
of character and contempt for mean-
ness and deviation from the paths
of righteousness. He was widely
known for his benevolent disposi-
tion and wide charity.

     While a representative in Con-
gress he was called the "watch dog
of the treasury" or "old money
bags" because he was so economic-
al as to public expenditures and so
careful to protect the treasury from
unnecessary outlay.

     General McKay married Ann
Eliza Harvey, daughter of Travis
Harvey, whose mother was Sarah
Robeson, daughter of Colonel
Thomas Robeson. She bore him
one son, James Travis, who died in
infancy.

     In his will the General virtually
established an orphan asylum for
Bladen county, the first such move
undertaken in the state. His will
also set aside funds to send his
slaves, several hundred in num-
ber, back to Liberia.

     General McKay died on Septem-
ber 15, 1853, at Goldsboro, N. C.
while returning home from a trial
at Tarboro.

     General McKay was a fine conver-
sationalist and was personally a
great favorite among his associates.
Of him the venerable Colonel
Wheeler, who knew him well and
who was well acquainted with other
public men of the United States,
put on record this estimate of his
character:

     "As a statesman he was of un-
questioned ability, of stern integ-
rity, capable of great labor and pa-
tient investigation. he was in pub-
lic as well as in private life a radi-
cal economist and belonged to that
school of which Mr. Macon was the
father."