Robert Alexander

Birth: 1633 Death: Jun. 1, 1704 King George County Virginia, USA

Robert Alexander was said to be the son of John Alexander and Catherine (Graham) Alexander.

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HIS PLANTATION AND FAMILY CEMETERY

He lived on the original Caledon Plantation, which was formally established in 1659 when he was about 26 years old. He inherited the plantation when his father passed away.

The plantation site was originally located in Westmoreland County, of the Virginia Colony. In 1664 the same area became part of Stafford County. In 1720 King George County was formed. On March 5, 1730 Prince William County was created. By 1777 King George County had taken on its modern boundaries, to include the Caledon Plantation. The river was originally called the Patowmeck River, and it is now known as the Potomac River.

The outline of the foundation of his house should be within view of his cemetery. The plantation house was said to have a wonderful view of the Potomac River.

His plantation was protected by a small promontory of land jutting out into the river, which gave it shelter from storms coming in off the Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic Ocean. The promontory appears to have been located east of "Popt Cr" on the attached map of 1670. "Popt Cr" might have been called by the name of Pope Point Creek in later years.

This Alexander Cemetery is located at one of the earliest plantation settlements for any Alexander family in America. The plantation might have been informally established as early as 1653. The plantation's cemetery was said to have been founded by 1657. The plantation was formally established by 1659, under the name of Caledon Plantation.

Around 1700, Robert Alexander renamed his Caledon Plantation and called it the Salisbury Plantation. His brother built a new plantation house nearby, and named it the Caledon Plantation. This second plantation house named the Caledon Plantation was still standing as of 1918, when the first plantation house which had been renamed as the Salisbury Plantation, had already fallen into ruins.

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CEMETERY SURVEYS

Three cemetery surveys can be found online for Robert Alexander's cemetery.

Item 1) WPA SURVEY OF 1937 A cemetery survey conducted in 1937 listed three graves:

http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/kinggeorge/ cemeteries/alexander01.txt

Item 2) MAGAZINE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN 1903 The survey above refers to pages 315 and 316 in Volume 10 of "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography" of 1903 located here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=jlc_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA315&lpg=PA315&dq... the+body+of+Sarah+Alexander&source=bl&ots=VPJiQh j7S9&sig=MgFX7zdrkwqAgZZIDtRx9SaXroQ&hl=en&sa=X &ei=VtqYU5H8BtKVyATCyYGAAQ&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAQ#v=one page&q=Here%20lies%20the%20body%20of%20Sarah%20Alexander&f=false

Item 3) BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1962 An ebook link below mentions this cemetery: "ALEXANDER FAMILY CEMETERY AT SALISBURY. DIRECTIONS: This cemetery was reported in a manuscript written in 1962 by Hugh Roy Stuart. He noted that there were five generations buried here after 1657. ALEXANDER, Catherine Graham wife of John no dates. John husb of Catherine no dates."

Source: "Tombstone Inscriptions of King George County, Virginia" by Dave Klein, Margaret C. Klein, page 28. An ebook is available from this web site, and it includes other cemeteries in King George County: http://books.google.com/books?id=YhzuS2LXxvsC&pg=PA61&dq=hugh+roy+s... &sa=X&ei=k7t_U9_mFJOGqgbd54CQDg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAg# v=onepage&q=hugh%20roy%20stuart&f=false

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A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES TO...

A special thank you goes to Richard Parker, for adding this cemetery to FindAGrave.com.

A kindly word of appreciation is also due to J. Benjamin Chrismond, for travelling to the cemetery, taking photos, and documenting its status.

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CURRENT STATUS OF HIS CEMETERY

Colonial era headstones in America were often marked with simple fieldstones. Generally the fieldstones were not inscribed, or they were inscribed only with initials and dates. As of 2014, many of the inscriptions on colonial era stones all across America have faded and and worn away, to the point that they can no longer be read.

No cemetery markers for Robert Alexander or his parents can be seen at this cemetery, even though all three of them were said to have been interred here.

As of 1903 only three markers were visible in this cemetery -- for Captain Philip Alexander (1704-1753), his wife Sarah (Hooe) Alexander, and their son Philip Alexander. If there were any other inscribed cemetery markers from the colonial era at this cemetery, then the lettering would probably be unreadable by 2015.

Five generations of Alexanders were reported to have been interred here, at the Alexander Family Cemetery at Salisbury. The Salisbury Plantation was sold outside of the Alexander family, after the last of the Alexander family members who lived here had passed on, or moved away. The plantation was sold in an unknown year before 1861. Eventually the colonial era house fell into a state of disrepair, and it was abandoned entirely.

The Alexander Family Cemetery, and the nearby ruins of the Salisbury Plantation house, are now part of a privately owned farm.

In 1974, a large portion of the land which was part of the Salisbury Plantation, was donated to become part of the Caledon State Park of VA. The land now provides sanctuary and habitat for bald eagles.

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RIP

Family links:

Parents:

 John Alexander (1605 - 1677)

 Catherine Graham Alexander (1610 - 1659)

Spouse:

 Priscilla Frances Ashton Alexander (1635 - 1701)

Children:

 Philip Alexander (1664 - 1706)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Alexander Cemetery King George King George County Virginia, USA http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=130424801

284. Robert Alexander, born 1633 in Stafford, Virginia; died June 01, 1704 in St. Pauls Parish, Stafford County, Virginia. He married Frances Ashton, born 1663 in Stafford, Virginia.

Child of Robert Alexander and Frances Ashton is:

142 i. Robert Alexander, born 1688 in Charles County, Maryland; died April 13, 1736 in Charles County, Maryland; married Anne Fowke 1710 in St. Pauls Parish, Stafford, Virginia.

Links

• http://www.thetintypeshop.com/family/Douglas/Surnames/PtoR/Russell/...
• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mysouthernfamily/myff/d006...

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GEDCOM Source

@R-2139941928@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=15214077&pid...

GEDCOM Source

@R-944301646@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::108064045

GEDCOM Source

@R-944301646@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::108064045

GEDCOM Source

@R-944301646@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::108064045

GEDCOM Source

@R-944301646@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::108064045

• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Sep 18 2020, 18:09:13 UTC