[Impy]

He may be from the Eastern part of the state but his district is Cabarrus County, outside of Charlotte.

FWIW the county voted 63% for John Bell in 1860, so I would suppose they were indeed unionists.

[BroJoeK]

Impy: "He may be from the Eastern part of the state but his district is Cabarrus County, outside of Charlotte."

Now I see it, went by his birth place of Kinston and couldn't find a map with the 82 district, assuuuuumed they were the same place, my bad.

Impy: "FWIW the county voted 63% for John Bell in 1860, so I would suppose they were indeed unionists."

Sooooooo... turns out my wild guess about some mountain moonshine loosening up the good representative's tongue may not have been so far wrong after all.
Hmmmmm... but now not so sure his western NC constituents will feel the same way he does about such matters.
You don't suppose he intends to move back to his home in east NC?