Notizen zu dieser Person
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1 _UID 7E5FF679F7FEDE45A662E34F65F15B7DCCF6
REV. James Alexander , a member of the Laggan PresbyteryinRaphoewasimprisoned there in 1680, which may have induced the brotherstofleetoAmerica.
There is a well established traditionthatsevenAlexanderbrothers,Presbyterians from Scotland who had sojournedawhilein thenorth of Ireland, probably at Raphoe.Co.,Donegal,andSligo,Co.,came toSomerset Co.Maryland before going on to CecilCo. If we may judge from the circumstantial evidenceremaining,thenalongwith the brothers came two sisters: one, the wifeofMatthewWallace; theother Jane,who married John McKnitt. In Somerset,at early dates, we findWlliam, Andrew, Samuel,andJohnAlexander, and in Cecil County James,Francis, Joseph ,andtheafore-mentioned Samuel Alexander. I hazard a guessthat they weresonsofthe Reverend James Alexander,of Raphoe, a member ofLaggan Presbytery in 1680, whoesministerialbrethernthen in northernIreland included David Brown, ofUrney, WilliamTraile,of Lifford,ThomasWilson, of Killybegs, and WilliamListon,ofLetterkenny,to mention a few. Iname these because one David Brown becameanimportantcivic-mindedPresbyterian leader in Somerset: becauseWilliamTraile andThomas Wilsonsoon joined Francis Makemie,'fatheroforganizedPresbyterianism inAmerica', in his labor inSomerset:and because William Alexander, Sr., of Somerset,hadagrandsonnamed for William Liston. At first in Somerset andlaterinCecil, wefind Matthew Wallace and John McKnitt.
Rev.James was born in Bughall Scotland. He went to CountyDonegalin(whatisnow) Northern Ireland, and settled (probably) inRaphaoe.He wasactiveinthe Laggan Presbytery there. His seven sons andtwo daughtersleftIrelandfor America in the ship Welcom, landed in 21 Sep1670. Rev.James and hiswife arepresumedtohave remained in Ireland.Thier children settled inSomerset andlaterinCecil County Maryland,some of them going to the NewMunster Tractintheextreme northern part of Cecil County (in fact part ofNew Munster was north of thepresentMaryland- Pennsylvania boundary) andothers settling to thesouth,stillin CecilCounty,near the western terminusof the presentChesapeak andDelawareCanal.
Reverand James Alexander He was a minister oftheCONVOYCongregation,CountyDonegal Ireland,from 1678 to his deathin1704.It isbelieved he was first aminister of Raphoe congregationCountyDonegal,for a time between 1640 and1678. Both congregations are in the Raphoe Presbytery.LagganPresbytery.TheAlexander family of New Munster were orginallysettled inScotland.Aboutthe time of James Ithey, together with a largenumberofPresbyterians,migrated to Ireland and settled in Ulster. Duringthe latter part of the seventh centuryseveralAlexandersmigrated toAmerica and setled in Cecil andSomersetCo.Maryland. Thechildren ofReverand James Alexander ofRaphoe,Ireland andof the LagganPresbyterywho's children came to America on the good Ship Welcome that anchoredintheDelawareRiver in 1679. There was and Alexander family in SomersetCo.asearly as1666. Also John Mcknitt settled there about the sameperiod(seeOldSomerset,by ClaytonTorrence). Joseph Alexander of NewMunster married Abigail Mcknitt and one ofhissonswas John McknittAlexander. ( ref:Brevard Family by RobertStephansHand )John McKnittAlexander and family settled 1707 in 'TheWood'between thebranches of theElk River. His 90 acre plantation'Glascow' adjoined'Bullen's Range';onatractlaid out for Samuel Alexander (son of Rev.James AlexanderandMaryMaxwell),called 'Sligo;'High Spaniola(Hisponolia)'covering 900acresinwhich bothJohn McKnitt Sr.and John Mcknitt Jr.,had an interest;.All were adjioning andallwerelocated within a mile of the westernterminus of thepresentChesapeakeand Delaware Canal, where Back creekflowed into what isnowthe canal,and all within a mile of the Maryland/Dlboundary. None of these 'plantations' were intheNewMunster tract at theextreme northern end of Cecil County.Rev.Jameswasborn in BughallScotland.He went to County Donegal in (whatisnow)NorthernIreland,andsettled (probably) in Raphaoe. He was active in the LagganPresbyterhthere.Hisseven sons and two dau. left Ireland for AmericaintheshipWelcome,landing 21 Sep 1670. Rev James and his wifearepresumetohaveremained in Ireland. Their children settled in Somersetand later in Cecil Co.MD. Some of them going totheNewMunster Tract in theextreme northern part of Cecil Co. (in factpartofNew Munster was north ofthe present MD.- PN. boundry) andotherssettlingto the south,still inCecil Co.,near the western terminus of the presentChesapeakeandDL.Canal.The Reverend James Alexander was born in Bughall Scotland. One sourcegives his birth date as 1634; but if subsequent dates for the births ofhis children are correct, he must have been born earlier, perhaps around1625. He died in 1704, probably in Ireland (Northern Ireland).
James Alexander married Mary Maxwell of southern Scotland. They went toRaphoe, County Donegal, in the Ulster Province of Ireland (NorthernIreland), where James Alexander was a minister in the Laggan Presbytery.Little is known of his life other than that he must have been an educatedman. Presbyterian ordination demanded a university degree and the onlyuniversities granting a theological degree at that time were in Scotland.Leyburn in his The Scotch-Irish. A Social History, Chapel Hill:U of NCPress, 1962 said 'Presbyterian ministers were... always respected,however tyrannous or ungracious their lives...The ministry was thehighest calling that could come to a youth.' Mary Maxwell and JamesAlexander were the parents of nine children, all of whom, with thepossible exception of Jane, came to America on the ship Welcome, landing21 September 1670 and settling first in Somerset Co MD and later in CecilCo. MD. Mary Maxwell is thought to have died in Ireland and the RevAlexander may have come with his family when they immigrated. If so, heapparently returned to Ireland sometime before 1691. In The Records ofthe General Synod of Ulster, James Alexander is noted as absent from themeetings in 1691, 1692, and 1694 but sent excuses which were accepted,and his death on 17 November 1704 was noted.
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Thomas
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