"A Peculiar People"
This article appeared in the Richmond, VA Visitor and Telegraph and the
Hudson, OH
Western Intelligencer in 1829.  It was written by Rev. Zebulon
Butler about the settlement of Union Church in Jefferson County, MS.
This congregation is entirely constituted of the descendants of the descendants
of the Scotch in North Carolina, many of whom speak the Gaelic language and use
the Gaelic version of the Bible.  They have enjoyed, since their first organization,
the labours of a faithful Pastor, which accompanied by the divine blessing, have
made them the
most religious church within our bounds.
(Rev. Butler was the minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Port
Gibson, Claiborne County, MS, from 1828 until his death in 1860.)
In almost every dwelling, the family altar has been erected, and all their inmates
bow the knee to God.  Few slaves (the curse of Southern climes) are seen amongst
them, and all eat their own bread obtained by the sweat of their own brows.  Their
groves are consecrated to prayer, for in their poverty, they have no closets, and
the green woods are their places of secret devotion.
It is their custom, when pious strangers enter their humble abodes, to ask them
to walk for devotion, at the "season of prayer" -- as they become secluded in the
trees of the forest, they separate to supplicate "in secret that Father that
rewardeth them openly."
The choicest Religious Books are seen on their shelves, taken, and perused
through the whole congregation.  "Ye are a chosen generation, an holy
priesthood, a peculiar people."
You'll find many other pages dedicated to the Scottish settlement of
Union Church on the index page, listed under Jefferson County, MS.
With many thanks to Sue Moore for sharing this article.  It provides an interesting
glimpse of life in the early days of the Scottish settlement of Union Church.  -- Nancy
A Peculiar People