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... (24) Squire John McCue, b 17, Feb. 1793, Augusta county, Va., d 18, May 1862; m (1st) Hannah Winters Moffett, d 1845, (dau of Jas. McDowell Moffett, and granddaughter of Col. Geo. Moffett of Revolutionary fame and Miss McDowell.)
Peyton, in his History of Augusta County, says: "The writer cannot permit this occasion to pass without paying a slight tribute of respect to the memory of one of the best and purest men he ever knew. It was his good fortune to have known from boyhood the late John McCue, of 'Long Meadows,' to have spent some time now and again under his hospitable roof, to serve with him on the County Court, and to enjoy his friendship during the early years of his life. He soon learned to esteem and admire him for his sterling worth and many good qualities, and the more he knew him in after years, the higher was his estimate of his talents and his character.
"From the sacred calling of his father, the reader will not be surprised to learn that more care was taken to secure his moral and religious principles than to instruct him in professional or general literature, for both of which, however, he exhibited a decided and early liking. While yet a boy he expressed a wish to engage in agricultural pursuits, a desire heightened by his ardent love for natural scenery and a taste for the seclusion of the country.
"After he acquired the extensive and valuable estate on the 'Long Meadows,' he removed there, and there the principal part of his useful and honorable life was spent, and there he died. His social, intellectual and moral qualities need not be described. To sum up in a few words: He was a man of vigorous intellect, generous soul and varied information. Though a Whig by conviction, and decided in his politics, he never was a partisan, and while serving in the General Assembly, of which he was often a popular and enfluential member, was a laborous and conscientious worker rather than a frequent and ambitious speaker. No man had a higher sense of honor, and he enjoyed the confidence and respect of both parties, wielded much influence, and served to the entire satisfaction of his constituents.
"In private life, Mr. McCue exhibited an active benevolence and the same Christian piety which marked his
public career. His heart overflowed with benevolence and kindly feelings, and this precious quality rendered him even more dignified in the social circle than his strong bright intellect. His conversation was eagerly sought by the good and the wise, who derived both pleasure and profit from his varied stores of original thought and acquired information. To a large extent he lived for others. In all his acts he showed a forgetfulness of self, and in the last scene of his life exhibited the firmness of the philosopher united to the piety of the Christian. Mr. McCue not only paid homage to the Great Source of all good and precious gifts, whether intellectual or material, but made religion his favorite theme — not a religion of mental abstraction — but one of practical efficiency on every feeling of his heart and every action of his life. In his neighborhood and among the congregation of Tinkling Spring, his memory is not
only cherished as that of a good and wise man, but venerated as that of a public and private benefactor. It was ever his aim to promote glory to God in the highest by advancing 'Peace on earth and good will toward men.' "
Squire McCue, one of the Delegates from Augusta, presented a memorial to the Legislature in December, 1832, signed by two hundred and fifteen ladies, praying for emancipation. In presenting this he delivered a vigorous speech in opposition to slavery. The contrary sentiment prevailed in the State, however, but at the next election (April Court-day), in 1832, he was returned to the Legislature from Augusta. Like all the other MeCues, he was an ardent supporter of Henry Clay, and used his influence to bring him forward as a candidate for President. In the Annals of Augusta County, Va., we find he was a member of the Committee of Internal Improvements, Oct. 1846.
After the death of his wife, Mr. McCue contracted a second marriage with Eleanor Douglass, b 19, Jan. 1821, d 13, Jan. 1910, dau of John Douglass and Eleanor Hall, the latter being the dau of Archibald Stuart and Janet Brown. ...
