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

     James Iver McKay, brilliant lawyer, statesman and philanthropist, was born July 17, 1792, son of John and Mary Salter McKay. His father was the son of Scottish immigrants 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 McKay entered the law school and was admitted to the bar at an early age. At the age of 23 he was elected to represent the county in the state senate. He gave such service to the county that he was re-elected four times, after which he declined to run for office.

     After declining a public office McKay served as United States District Attorney and won high regard as a brilliant lawyer. In 1831 he was elected to the United States Congress in which he served the people of the Cape Fear for nine terms.

     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 confidence of his party associates. In 1843 he was made chairman of the important Ways and Means committee, which at that time ranked next to that of the Speakership.

     In 1848 at the Democratic National Convention the name of General McKay was presented by North Carolina delegates for vice president of the United States. But in that year General McKay retired from congressional life.

     The General was considered eccentric but he was a keen business man and accumulated large wealth. He was noted for his rigid intergity (sic.) of character and contempt for meanness and deviation from the paths of righteousness. He was widely known for his benevolent disposition and wide charity.

     While a representative in Congress he was called the "watch dog of the treasury" or "old money bags" because he was so economical 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 number, back to Liberia.

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

     General McKay was a fine conversationalist 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 unquestioned ability, of stern integrity, capable of great labor and patient investigation. he was in public as well as in private life a radical economist and belonged to that school of which Mr. Macon was the father."

     (Editor's Note:)

     (This was typed from a Xerox copy. In one instance, it seemed that the bottom line of a column had been left off, and the previous line was mostly unclear. These possible missing lines have been indicated in the text. This Site Editor made the best guess possible. The original can be consulted later and corrections made. --Site Ed.)