A GAELIC SETTLEMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA
The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, North Carolina), Wednesday, October 24, 1860
Contact: Myrtle Bridges May 3, 2016

	In a letter which the Inverness Courier has received from a friend in North Carolina, are the 
following interesting particulars:
	It may be interesting to some of our readers to learn that Scotch Highlanders were among the first 
settlers of the state of North Carolina. The majority of them were from the Hebrides, from Islay, Jura, 
Mull, Coll and Skye, and not a few from the mainland of Argyll. The precise date of the landing of the 
first Scotch emigrants in the Carolinas cannot be well ascertained. It appears that Scotch families were 
settled on the Cape Fear river previous to the division of the province into North and South Carolina in 
1779. Some time between 1744 and 1746 a Highlander, named Niel Macniel, from Argyllshire, visited North 
Carolina.
	He returned to Scotland in 1748, and in the following year landed in Wilmington, North Carolina, with 
his family and about 300 emigrants (some say 600) from the district of Kintyre, Argyllshire. It is said 
that upon the arrival of so unusual an importation at Wilmington the authorities, struck with the dress 
and language of the new comers, required Macniel to enter into a bond for their peaceful and good behaviour. 
Perhaps the war-like spirit of the Celtic race struck the Wilmingtonians with such terror as led to the demand 
of the bond. Our intrepid countryman managed to evade the demand and ascend the Cape Fear with this band of 
his countrymen. From this period the emigration was yearly on the increase.
	Mr. McDonald of Kingsburgh, and his lady the far-famed Flora Macdonald, famous for her adherence to the 
unfortunate Pretender, Prince Charles, in his forlorn condition after his defeat at Culloden, emigrated with 
a number of others from the Isle of Skye, so that every year added to the number of Scotch Highland emigrants 
until they soon formed the majority of the population and controlled the civil and ecclesiastical interests of 
no less than seven counties, viz: Cumberland, Bladen, Robeson, Richmond, Montgomery, Moore and Harnett.
	The Gaelic language is spoken in its purity by many in these counties, and in both my churches I preach in 
it every Sabbath. On last Sabbath I assisted at the dispensation of the Lord's Supper in a congregation 40 miles 
distance from my home; and preached and served a table at which upward of 150 had taken their seats, who have not 
heard a sermon in the language of their childhood for the last ten years. Many a tear was shed during the service, 
many a warm shake of hand, such as a Highlander can give, was given and many a blessing was bestowed upon your 
correspondent at parting with the warm-hearted people. The Rev. Collin Maciver, a native of Stornoway, Lews, was 
the preacher who could preach in Gaelic till I came to the state two years ago. He died in this town in 1850, much 
respected and regretted by his countrymen in North Carolina. I will state an instance of the preponderance of the 
Scotch Highlanders in this state.
	The North Carolina Presbyterian, a religious paper and the organ of our Synod, published in the town of 
Fayetteville, has upwards of 800 Macs on its list of subscribers, besides those who claim the honor of pertaining 
as much to the Celtic race as those who bear that ancient patronymic.
	The Presbytery of Fayetteville, of which I and one of my sons are members, has 13 Macs among its clerical 
members and seven others who will not yield the palm to their breathern of the Mac families in tracing their 
Celtic origin; and thence our Presbytery has the cognomen of the Scotch Presbytery, given to us by our brethren 
of the Synod of North Carolina.

Return to What's New in Harnett County
Return to Harnett Co. Home Page

This page created by Myrtle N. Bridges May 3, 2016