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... (142) ii James Cyrus McCue, b 23, May 1833, Nelson county, Va. ; d 14, Mar. 1891 ; m 11, Oct. 1851, Sarah Moon, dau. of Samuel O. Moon, one of the foremost business men in the county and of English ancestors. Sarah Moon McCue, d 26, Apr. 1891. Jas. C. McCue was a devoted member of the Presbyterian church and a brave Confederate.
"James Cyrus McCue, son of James Wakefield McCue and Martha Lobban, born May 23, 1833, died at his home, at Afton, Albemarle county, Virginia, March 14, 1891, of heart failure. To the stranger, how simple this announcement, but to the hearts of his beloved family, relatives and friends, what agony it conveys. When death strikes down the infant we say 'It is well,' Heaven has but rescued its own from sin, sorrow and suffering. When it calls home the aged we feel it
is but natural - his work being ended he would go to his rest, but when the summons without warning comes to the strong man in the very prime of life, who has fought through the breakers of early manhood, surrounded by everything necessary to make life dear, who has every prospect of a long life's enjoyment of the fruits of his hard-fought battles - When such a man is stricken down we stop appalled, and feel that indeed life is but a vapor. These thoughts apply with peculiar force to the death of Mr. McCue.
Married October 11, 1857, to Sarah Jane Moon, daughter of Mr. Samuel Overton Moon, of Batesville, Virginia, life opened for him with the brightest prospects. Soon after his marriage he located on the estate where he lived to the day of his death. He at once went to work with an indomitable will to improve and beautify his home. When the first angry mutterings of the Civil War broke over the land it found him eminently successful in his work and on the high road to prosperity, surrounded by the comforts and luxuries of life and happy in the love of his idolized wife and prattling babes ; but his country called him from peace to war. He joined Company F, Tenth Virginia Cavalry, and was taken prisoner at the last battle of the war in which General Lee was engaged at Five Forks, and taken to Point Lookout, where for many weary months he thought of and longed for home and loved ones.
It was the writer's privilege to read a letter written to his wife during this imprisonment, which breathed through-out a touching affection for his wife and little ones, and at the same time a complete and perfect trust and confidence in his God and Saviour Jesus Christ and resignation to God's will. Confined in a loathsome prison far from all he held most dear, tortured by a dread uncertainty as to their fate or his own, he writes, he never before enjoyed so fully the consolations of religion. In this letter we find no word of enquiry as to his property ; no impatient muttering. His whole thoughts seem concentrated on his devoted wife and helpless little ones and deep gratitude to his Maker that it was as well with him as it was.
On his release from prison and return home, he found his loved ones living, but the grim fate of war had swept away the fruits of years of labor, his house robbed, growing crops destroyed, his cattle, horses, farming implements stolen and destroyed. Even the bread and meat stored to feed his family, taken - nothing between his loved ones and suffering but his own bare arms. Weakened by disease and long imprisonment, but the same indomitable will which characterized his life kept him from falling a victim to despair. Those were for him dark days, but time was too precious to be spent in useless repinings. He at once went to work to retrieve his fortunes, and though for a long time he was tossed from billow to billow, and time and again it seemed his bark must be wrecked, the watchword of his life, 'my wife and children,' sustained his flagging strength, and he rode through the storms to victory.
In early life he embraced religion and connected himself with the Methodist church, which through life remained the church of his choice, but living at inconvenient distance from this church and his wife and several children having united with Lebanon Presbyterian church which was close by, he for many years most often attended that church, manifesting the deepest interest in its welfare and contributing largely to its support. Some years ago, seeing the necessity of more safely investing a portion of his money he purchased the splendid Brookville property which adjoined his home. About a year ago he had this property divided among his daughter, Mrs. W. S. Rodes and six eldest sons, reserving his home for his two youngest sons. Mrs. Rodes, in the division, drew and occupied the Brooksville mansion and surrounding farm. Four of the sons had erected comfortable homes and with their families were settled around the homestead. The dream of his life seemed realized. His battles had been many, but victory had crowned his efforts. The future stretched out before him in a gentle, peaceful decline to the shores of eternity. The picture of perfect physical manhood, he seemed destined for yet many years of life.
On March 11, just three days before his death, he was called to Stanton, Virginia, on business. After reaching his hotel he heard that a celebrated opera troupe would give an entertainment that night in the city, and being a lover of music he started to hear this opera. On reaching the street he heard a church bell ringing. Guided by some subtle influence he turned and went to church instead of the opera. The service was to him of a prophetic character, but how little he realized it. The text was Matthew XXV, 13: 'Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.' And strange to say his three favorite hymns, viz : 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,'
'There is a Fountain Filled With Blood,' and 'How Firm a Foundation,' were sung. On his return home - his last night on earth, his last hour with his loved ones - while seated with his family around the fireside he related to them these incidents, and seemed deeply impressed with the fact that a Divine hand had guided and richly rewarded him. Had he known this was his last hour in his family circle he could not have spent it more profitably for himself or left his family, relatives and friends a richer consolation. How precious the thought to that grief-stricken wife and children that he preferred his Master's service to worldly amusement, and that his last hour on earth was spent in religious converse! How pleasant to know that his last thoughts were of heaven, the last music he heard on earth was praise of his Redeemer.
"A large concourse of sorrowing relatives and friends from Charlottesville, Staunton, Richmond and surrounding country assempled [sic] at his residence to pay to his memory the last tribute of love and respect. Among the vast assemblage were a large number of family servants and their children. He was left to sleep beside his two infant sons who had preceded him to that better land, and his spirit, doubtless now with theirs, is only waiting to welcome home one by one until the family circle so rudely broken, may be united in that land where parting is unknown. - S" ...
