William McAlexander Sr

William McAlexander was one of the five sons of James McAlexander (d. 1798). Along with his brothers James, Samuel, John, and Alexander, he fought in the American Revolution. He settled in what is now Patrick County, VA, about 1773. He had 21 children by three marriages, of which 18 survived him. The names of his first two wives are unknown. One of his wives may have been named Jenney (a Jenney McAlexander witnessed three deeds in 1790). A Jean or Jane Farguson married a William Alexander in 1778 in Henry County, but this was a different man. His third wife and widow was Tamar Boothe, daughter of George Boothe and Milly (Wright) Boothe, whom he married in 1798. He was buried in a family cemetery on his property on a hill overlooking Rockcastle Creek in Patrick County, VA. The photograph is of his nephew William McAlexander, son of his brother Alexander--photography had not been invented yet in 1822.