John E. Alexander, Sr.

JOHN ALEXANDER

According to his descendant, Reverend John E. Alexander, John Alexander here treated is the son of Thomas Alexander. Descendants, p. 11

According to Private User John Alexander's parents, including Thomas Alexander are purely speculative and replicated many times with no sources.] There is another profile for Thomas Alexander that states there is not evidence this Thomas Alexander is the correct parent of John. See John's profile for link. This Thomas does not make sense regarding date and location of birth with John.

Biographical Account

John Alexander born about 1700 was a native of Lanarkshire, Scotland. He married Margaret Glasson and moved to Armagh within the Ulster Plantation in the hope of finding a new home where he could freely practice his Presbyterian faith. Finding that tolerance was no greater in Ireland, John decided within a few years to move once more, this time to America. In 1736, John packed up his wife, five children, two nephews and a married niece with her husband Mr. Polk and left for the American Colonies. It is not clear if they arrived in Philadelphia or New Castle, but guickly settled close by in Wes Nottingham, Chester County, PA. The settlement site was along the eastern side of the Octorara Creek near the Maryland line. records do not show John warranting or patenting any land here. This is most likely because the land in the area was in dispute between the Penns and Lord Baltimore of Maryland, The site was only 30 miles west of New Castle and only about 15 miles from another Alexander settlement that had begun in 1712 at New Muster in Cecil County, Maryland. John's niece and her husband decided not to stay in Pa and soon left for Mecklenburg County in western North Carolina. They had learned that another Alexander settlement had started there and was beginning to thrive. Family histories suggest that John's nephews Hugh and James Alexander decided to settle there as well. We cannot be sure how long John and his family stayed in Chester County. Family histories have John and his family moving next to Carlisle in Cumberland County, however land records do not indicate a warranted or patented any land there either. Land records do show John taking advantage of the opening of lands west of Carlisle in 1755. On the 5th of February, just two days after the land office opened for new territory, John warranted 100 acres on Sinking Run in the Kishacoquilus Valley. John never patented the tract as land records indicate an Elizabeth Kenny patented the land almost 100 years later. The tract of land is located in present-day Mifflin County. At some point after 1755, John, his wife, son John and two daughter moved down the Path Valley to Franklin County. John and Margaret had three sons, John, Hugh

Genealogical Accounts

1. A Record of the Descendants of John Alexander, of Lanarkshire, Scotland, and his wife, Margaret Glasson, who emigrated from County Armagh, Ireland, to Chester County, Pennsylvania, A.D. 1736. By the Rev. John E. Alexander, Principal of Washington College, Tennessee (alfred Martien, Philadelphia, 1878), 220 pp.