Burke County has long history of influential women

MORGANTON, N.C. — As The News Herald wraps up its month-long series on historical women from Burke County, here are vignettes on a few women you may not have heard about.

Of Revolutionary War era

From “Sketches of the Pioneers in Burke County History” by Col. Thomas George Walton.

Mrs. Hemphill (first name unknown)

In 1780, as Col. Patrick Ferguson was marching through Burke County in the Pilot Mountain area, his men camped on the Hemphill farm in Silver Creek. Mr. Hemphill was off fighting for the Whigs and his wife, Mrs. Hemphill, was left to tend to the sheep farm and their young children. Mrs. Hemphill confronted Ferguson about stealing her sheep and her not having means to clothe her children during the winter. He agreed to let her keep half of the sheep and she could pick her half. The first one she chose was the leader of the flock. It jumped the pen Ferguson and his men had the sheep in and all of the others followed.

From “Under the Forest Floor” by Eunice W. Ervin

Sarah Anne Robinson Erwin (1750-1785)

Wife of Alexander Erwin, daughter of James and Catherine Robinson of South Carolina.

Sarah’s husband was a Whig in the Revolutionary War and returned home to Burke County after being wounded. She hid him from the Tories in their outhouse. When the Tories showed up searching for him, she stood firm at the outhouse door to protect her defenseless husband. The men forced her out of the way, opened the door and lunged a sword at Alexander. Sarah stepped in front of the sword, taking a blow on her arm, maiming her for life.

From “Under the Forest Floor” by Eunice W. Ervin

Grace Greenlee

Daughter of Mary McDowell and James Greelee, married John Bowman.

Grace Greenlee moved from Virginia to Burke County and made their home at Hickory Grove in 1777. She helped her husband manufacture gunpowder during the Revolutionary War. He was wounded in South Carolina in 1780.

She jumped on a horse with her daughter, Polly, and rode to her wounded husband. She was in a “race with death” to reach her husband and did so just before he died.

She returned to Burke County where she ran the family homestead on her own before remarrying at age 32.

From “A woman of courage: The first Margaret McDowell” by Eunice Ervin for The News Herald – Oct. 18, 1978

Margaret O'Neal McDowell (c. 1732-c. 1780)

Margaret McDowell was the wife of Joseph “the Pioneer” McDowell, and mother of Charles and Joseph. She moved from Ireland with her husband to settle in Burke County.

There are accounts of her and neighbors fighting off Native Americans in 1776, and then she sent her sons to fight the British in 1780.

When the British marched through Burke, like Mrs. Hemphill, McDowell had her run-ins with Ferguson’s men looking for supplies and the whereabouts of her sons.

On Sept. 30, 1780 she sent her boys off to head up the famous meeting at Council Oaks and march to Kings Mountain and a battle that proved to be a turning point for the war in the South.

Of the Civil War era

From “Sally Michael’s legend lives on” by Anna Wilson for The News Herald – May 28, 2004

Sally Michaels (1792-1879)

Sally Michaels’ pipes attracted attention. Civil War soldiers called them the best because she used a special clay without grit. The pipe named after her became famous in the North and South. Some say the clay came from the South Mountains. Others say it came from Silver Creek. Union soldiers especially liked tobacco grown in Durham to smoke in their Sally Michaels’ clay pipes.

Sally sold her pipes for 5 cents each and could be seen riding through downtown Morganton on her gray horse selling her wares.

Her pipe molds are still in the family and have been passed down to Mary Jane Simmons, one of Sally’ descendants.

They were a part of a History Museum of Burke County display in 2004.

An early entrepreneur

From “Herstory” by Kelly Winters for The News Herald – March 26, 1987

Mary Brown Causby (1873-1961)

Mary Brown Causby spent 80 years of her life making baskets in the Oak Hill area. She used sap parts of white oak trees and received orders from as far away as Pennsylvania.

Some of them sold for as much as $50.

Fair records from 1891 show her basket entry won a first-place prize and $1. She also went on to win the North Carolina State Fair.

A civic leader

From “Herstory” by Kelly Winters for The News Herald – March 26, 1987

Maude Broadway Goodwin (? To 1934)

Maude Broadway Goodwin was married to Edward McKee Goodwin, advisory superintendent to the board of directors at the North Carolina School for the Deaf in 1894. She was a member of the Morganton Woman’s Club and is credited with coming up with the idea for a public library in Morganton. She also was one of the first female deacons at Morganton Methodist Church. She died in 1934.

Black education leaders

From “Herstory” by Kelly Winters for The News Herald – March 26, 1987

Lillian Gary Walton taught black children in the early 1900s in a room called Good Samaritan Hall near North Anderson Street.

Ella Avery provided room and board to rural black students so they could attend school.

Matilda Michaux kept a library in the rear of her home in the 1940s and 1950s and started a bookmobile service during the polio epidemic.

WSOC