John Harvey Alderson

A History of The Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory.

• By David E. Johnston, 1906

John Alderson, a senior, born in England, came to New Jersey and about 1729 married Miss Curtis. Mr. Alderson became a Baptist minister and finally removed to Rockingham County, Virginia. He had a son John, who also became a Baptist minister, and who married Miss Carroll of Rockingham County. John Alderson, Junior, visited the Greenbrier section of the country in 1775 and selected a body of land on the Greenbrier River, which he had surveyed, covering the site of the present town of Alderson in Monroe County. He returned to Rockingham, and in 1777 removed to his land on the Greenbrier and built his cabin where the Alderson Hotel now stands. He was a man of great intelligence and indomitable will and energy and was the first Baptist preacher who carried the Gospel into that region; he organized the Greenbrier Baptist Church in 1781 and through his instrumentality, a number of other churches and the Greenbrier Association were organized. His life was a long and useful one and made an impression on the people in the section in which he lived that will be felt by generations yet unborn.

Biography

John Harvey Alderson was born on September 9, 1699, in Parkhall, Grinton-in-Swaledale, Yorkshire, England. His parents were John Alderson and Margaret Alderson. He was a Baptist minister.

John married Mary Jane Alderson on July 4, 1729, in Farnham, Richmond County, VA, United States. Together they had the following children:

• Samuel Alderson;
• James Alderson;
• Mary Betsy Alderson;
• Rev John Alderson;
• Curtis Alderson;
• Thomas Alderson;
• Benjamin R Alderson;
• Samuel Alderson;
• Simon Alderson;
• Margaret Alderson;
• Susannah Chandler.

He died in November 1780 in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, and was buried after February 4, 1780, in Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia, United States of America.

John Alderson

• FamilySearch Family Tree
• Birth: Sep 9 1699 - Yorkshire, England
• Death: Nov 1780 - Botetourt, Virginia, United States
• Parents: John Alderson, Margaret Burton
• Wife: Mary Jane Curtis
• Children: Rev John Alderson Jr, Curtis Alderson, Thomas Alderson
• Sister: Catherine Alderson

1. ANTHONY ALDERSON was born 1635 in Cogden, Yorkshire, England , and died in Swalesdale, Yorkshire, England. He married ALICE ALDERSON1. She was born 1637 in Birkdale, Yorkshire, England, and died in Swalesdale, Yorkshire, England . Child of ANTHONY ALDERSON and ALICE ALDERSON is:

• 2. i. JOHN2 ALDERSON, b. 23 Nov 1661, Park Laine, Yorkshire, England; d. 1721, Grinton, Yorkshire, England .

Generation No. 2

2. JOHN ALDERSON (ANTHONY) was born 23 Nov 1661 in Park Laine, Yorkshire, England, and died 1721 in Grinton, Yorkshire, England.

He married (1) MARGARET BURTON 1696 in Grinton, Nry, England . She was born 1665 in Woodhouse, Yorkshire, England , and died 17501.

He married (2) ALICE MILNER1 09 Sep 1699 in Grinton, Yorkshire, England1. She was born 1674 in Yorkshire, England , and died 1721 in Yorkshire, England .

Child of JOHN ALDERSON and MARGARET BURTON is:

• 3. i. JOHN ALDERSON, b. 09 Sep 1699, Parkhall , Grinton, Swaledale, England; d. 1780, Botetourt, VA.

Generation No. 3

3. JOHN ALDERSON (JOHN2, ANTHONY1) was born 09 Sep 1699 in Parkhall , Grinton, Swaledale, England, and died 1780 in Botetourt, VA.

He married (2) MARY JANE CURTIS, daughter of THOMAS CURTIS and ELSE MERRILL. She was born 1712 in Hunterdon, NJ, and died 1785 in Botetourt, VA.

Child of JOHN ALDERSON is:

• 4. i. BENJAMIN ALDERSON, b. 1745, Germantown, Bucks, PA; d. 1822, Clark, Indiana.

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/h/o/l/Martha-L-Hollenbec...

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pgs. 618-19

THE ALDERSON FAMILY

    Among the prominent and distinguished families of Monroe County few can lay claim to a more honorable lineage or to a more splendid record for public-spirited citizenship than that bearing the name of Alderson. 

This family traces back to John Alderson, the progenitor in the United States of the Aldersons of West Virginia, who came from Yorkshire, England, and first located in New Jersey, where he married Mary Curtis, and for a time was engaged in agricultural pursuits. Later he entered the ministry of the Baptist Church, and followed that calling during the remainder of his life, in Pennsylvania and Maryland. He became the father of three sons and one daughter.

One of the sons of the immigrant John Alderson, "Elder John" Alderson, became historically connected with the early history of the southeastern part of what is now West Virginia. As a Baptist missionary he located in the immediate vicinity of Alderson, West Virginia, in 1774, and until the establishment of a church in 1781 visited around in the sparsely settled country, preaching and exhorting and bringing the Word to the pioneers. He became widely known and universally beloved, and continued as pastor of the church which he had founded until his death. He was born March 5, 1738, and October 31, 1759, married Mary Elizabeth Carroll...

It goes without saying that the descendants of Elder John Alderson are, for the most part,  Baptists in religion, although late generations have accepted other faiths. So far as is known they have been democrats. None have been known to have violated the laws of the land; and, on the other hand, many have held important official positions with credit. On the whole, the Alderson's are recognized as among the solid and substantial people of  West Virginia, a credit to the state and nation.

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ALDERSON, John--born England, married possibly in New Jersey, --- CURTIS, to New Jersey ca. 1737, Baptist Minister, to Rockingham Co., VA; children:

• John Jr.--married --- CARROLL, of Rockingham Co., VA, Baptist Minister, to Greenbrier Co., WV 1775 (have sheet)

History of Middle New River Settlements, DE Johnston

http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/family/annetta/file0001.txt

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http://www.fridley.net/alderson-p/p2475.htm - not available

Many Alderson researchers are familiar with the biography of the Rev. John Alderson as compiled by C.N. Feamster circa 1955, now located in the Library of Congress, in which he refers to articles written by the Rev. Lewis Allen Alderson in 1872 (Feamster's original manuscript contains a misprinted date of 1772). Two of these articles which appeared in the Religious Herald of Richmond, Virginia on 12 January 1871 and 10 April 1873; copies can be found at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, PO Box 34, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173. These two articles are transcripted here in their entirety:

Religious Herald, 12th January 1871 [page 5, column 2] Historical Notes REV. GEO.B. TAYLOR

You mention the name of one of my ancestors - Rev. John Alderson who, at an early age, came from Yorkshire, England, and having professed conversion, united with Bethlehem Church, in New Jersey. In 1755, he settled in Rockingham County, and in the following year, he constituted Smith's and Lynville Creek church, the third Baptist church in the State - the first as you know, having been constituted by emigrants from England in the Isle of Wight, in 1714, and the second UOpecken - in Berkeley county, in 1743. Rev. John Alderson Sr., removed to Botetort county in 1770. He was imprisoned in Fincastle, not, however, for preaching the gospel; for the Established church had not sufficient influence to imprison the Baptists in the Valley Virginia; but he imprisoned for celebrating the rites of matrimony, as he and other dissenters, as you stated, had been advised to do by Patrick Henry. I have in my possession at this time three large folio volumes - Keach on the Parables, Keach on the Scripture Metaphors, and Cotton's Concordance - which were presented by Thos. Hollis, a wealthy Baptist of London, to Rev. John Alderson of Yorkshire, England, and by him presented to his son, Rev. John Alderson, who first carried the gospel beyond the Alleghany mountains. Cotton 's Concordance was published in London in 1635. On the margin of the title page is written, in letters beautifully formed, "Thomas Hollis, 1721" and in another place "Joseph Eaton, 1735".

Religious Herald, 10 April 1873, Page 57, Column 6 Memorial Readings [Our Kansas correspondent furnishes the following sketch of the father of the useful minister, of whose life he has spoken in the last two issues of our paper - EDS. HERALD] 

Rev. John Alderson Sr. was born in Yorkshire in the year 1699. His father, John Alderson, was a Baptist minister, of useful talents and respectable standing, and though supporting his family by the cultivation of the soil, he devoted a large portion of his time to the ministry. At the age of 19 or 20, his son was about to form a matrimonial connection beneath the social standing of the family, and the father, in order to divert his attention from the object of his affections, proposed furnishing him an outfit and the requisite means for travelling through the country. The proposition was accepted, but the youth soon squandered all his means, and was overtaken by a press-gang, who forced him on board their ship, which was about to sail for America. Without the knowledge of his parents, he was brought to the state of New Jersey,and,as was the custom of those days, he was hired out by the captain for his passage money. His employer was a respectable farmer, by the name of Curtis, and the affections of his daughter to whom he married. Soon after this he became deeply concerned about his eternal interests. By the grace of God he became a humble penitent at the feet of Jesus. Having embraced the Saviour in the fulness of his heart, he was baptized and received into the fellowship of the Bethlehem Baptist church. Possessing a clear intellect, and a heart deeply imbued by divine grace, he was encouraged to give himself to the ministry of the word. After a protracted struggle, he, at length, obtained the consent of his own mind, and was sent forth as a herald of the cross of the same church that put into the ministry John Gano, Hezekiah Smith, Charles Thompson, the Eatons, and other distinguished ministers of the gospel. It must have been exceedingly gratifying to the father to hear from the long lost son, and more especially to hear that the prodigal had become a minister of the gospel. Thomas Hollis, a wealthy merchant of London, and a Baptist, had presented Rev. John Alderson of Yorkshire, with a number of valuable books, among which were Keach on the Parables, Keach on Scripture Metaphors, large folio, and Cotton's Concordance, quarto, London 1635. These books the father sent over as a present to the son. They are now in the possession of the writer. In the Concordance is written "Thomas Hollis 1721", and "Joseph Eaton,1735"; also "John Alderson his book" .

__________________________ Birth: Sep. 9, 1699 Grinton North Yorkshire, England Death: 1787 Fincastle Botetourt County Virginia, USA

Family links:

Spouse:

 Mary Jane Curtis Alderson (1707 - 1785)*

Children:

 John Alderson (1738 - 1821)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Fincastle Presbyterian Church Cemetery Fincastle Botetourt County Virginia, USA

Created by: Stephen Curtis Record added: Jan 29, 2013 Find A Grave Memorial# 104327497

GEDCOM Source

@R1603396847@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=83081276&pid...

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 3 2021, 18:16:58 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

Park Hall note from originator-As I understand it, Park Hall is the house that the Alderson family owned in what is now Reeth, England. Members of the Alderson family continued to live there for hundreds years, leaving just 15 or 20 years ago, I believe. My mom traveled to England in the 2002 or 2003 and visited the house. The Alderson family no longer lived there, but the town had recently published a book about the old homes in the area, including Park Hall. My grandmother has the book. When I can get more info on it, I can let you know, if you are interested.

Story regarding Rev. John Alderson contained in EMail from Karen Kessler Cottrill http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=93a94154-71f2-48bd...

Park Hall
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=9d38d11c-e716-4ae3-92...

John Alderson Biography
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=44529e3e-2159-42d7...

US Biographies Project John Alderson
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=a99fee85-bdc9-428e...