Where was Andrew Jackson born?
FAQ: Where Was Andrew Jackson born?
On March 15, 1767, Andrew Jackson was born in the Waxhaws region, an area near Lancaster, in South Carolina.
Pinpointing the Exact Location of Jackson’s birth
The exact location of Jackson’s birth is unknown, as the area was still being settled and surveyed. Since the Waxhaws settlement was still being established somewhere near the border of North and South Carolina, the precise area of his upbringing is difficult to identify. Jackson always claimed South Carolina as his birthplace, while an aunt who was present at his birth argued that he was actually born in North Carolina.
However, the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church is believed to be the church Jackson attended. His father and two of his brothers are buried there. Take a look at a present day view of the area:
From Waxhaws Wilderness to War
Jackson’s parents, Andrew and Elizabeth, emigrated from Ireland with his two older brothers, Hugh and Robert, in 1765 — two years before Jackson was born. Unfortunately, Jackson never had the opportunity to meet his father as he died just weeks before Jackson’s birth.
Jackson’s mother raised him alongside a large extended family, most of which were Scots-Irish immigrant farmers in the area. His mother initially hoped he might become a Presbyterian minister but young Jackson quickly dashed those hopes due to his adventurous spirit and sometimes troublesome, wild and passionate demeanor.
Jackson lived in the Waxhaws area until volunteering to join the American Revolutionary War, along with his brothers, when he was only thirteen. Battles against the British took place in the Carolinas from 1778 to 1781, and sadly, Jackson’s mother succumbed to cholera and died in Charleston while aiding injured soldiers.
Now orphaned at age 14, Jackson lived briefly with some of his extended family, but would soon head to Charleston and eventually Salisbury, North Carolina for the remainder of his youth.