Person:James Alexander (54)

Children

Three lists of his children are included in the sources here, two with dates^[3][4] and one without^[5].

• One list comes from a mocked-up newspaper article dated May 20, 1775 (the date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence), pretending to represent an interview with Hezekiah Alexander (son of James Alexander and Margaret McKnitt). The mock-up appears in the archives of The Charlotte Observer, and thus was probably produced by that publication, possibly for an anniversary of the Declaration (there are photographs, so at least a century after 1775).
• One list comes from an online site that doesn't cite its sources for the list.
• The third list comes from a journal article that cites the will of James, but also lists a few children not mentioned in the will (without citing the evidence, but these names agree with the other 2 lists, so there undoubtedly is evidence somewhere).

The two lists with dates agree to a large degree, but there are a few discrepancies in dates and names. Since the first list was published by a newspaper, obviously using some original sources such as deeds and James's will, and appears to have been produced closer in time to the actual events, it is probably the more reliable list. This means rejecting Francis (who is mentioned in the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine article^[5] as a relative, clearly not a son) and Ann as children of James.

1. ↑ James Robert "The Yeoman" Alexander, in Find A Grave.
2. ↑ Alexander, John Edminston. 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. (Philadelphia: Printed by Alfred Martien, 1878)
   Page 205 (Appendix).

   James acquired considerable land both in Maryland and in North Carolina. As a ruling elder his name appears first on the minutes of the New Castle Presbytery in 1725, and frequently afterwards in those of the Synod of Philadelphia. The name of his first wife was Margaret, probably Margaret McKnitt, the sister of John McKnitt; already mentioned as Stephenson’s attorney; for John McKintt, in his will dated 1733, appointed James Alexander, his “brother-in-law,” his executor; and James Alexander called a son, who was born that same year, John McKnitt Alexander. By this his first wife he had issue as follows: Theophilus, Edith, Keziah, Hezekiah, Ezekiel, Jemima, Amos, John McKnitt, and Margaret. By Abigail, his second wife, he had, Elizabeth, Abigail, Margaret, Josiah, and Ezekiel. The first set of children were born between 1716 and 1736, and the second set, between 1746 and 1754.

3. ↑ Hezekiah and Mary Alexander at Home in Handsome House, in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, United States. The Charlotte Observer. (Charlotte, North Carolina)
   page 4, pretends to be 20 May 1775.

   Scans of this pretend interview with Hezekiah Alexander can be found on the Find a Grave site of Hezekiah Alexander, with a close-up of the names and dates of the children on the Find A Grave site of James Robert “The Yeoman” Alexander.
   
   "Hezekiah" doesn't give his own birth date, but he provides the following for his siblings:
   
   Children of Margaret (McKnitt) Alexander:
   Theophilus, born March, 1714, died in 1768
   Jemima, born November 10, 1716, died early
   Edith, born Jan. 10, 1718
   Kezia, born May 9, 1720
   Ezekiel, born June 17, 1725, died young
   Jemima (second by that name) born Jan. 9, 1727, still living
   Amos, born Jan. 13, 1728 and still living
   John Knitt [sic], born June 6, 1733, still living
   Margaret, born June 6, 1736, died young
   
   Children of Abigail Alexander (claimed in this article to be the younger sister of Margaret McKnitt):
   Elizabeth, born Nov. 17, 1746
   Abigail, born May 24, 1748
   Margaret, born April 30, 1750 and named in memory of Margaret (McKnitt) Alexander
   Josiah, born Aug. 3, 1752
   Ezekiel, born Oct. 21, 1754

4. ↑ Hezekiah Alexander, in Mini Biographies of Scots and Scots Descendants.

   James Alexander ("the carpenter")
   b. c.1690 d. 1779
   married: 1) Margaret McKnitt (daughter of John McKnitt) b. December 26, 1696 d. between 1736 and 1744
   
   Issue of James and Margaret McKnitt Alexander:
   
   1. Theophilus Alexander b. March 13, 1714, in Cecil County MD d. 1768 in Cecil County Maryland
   married: Catherine Wallace b. ? d. 1775 buried in Hopewell Pres. Church Cemetery, Huntersville NC
   
   2. Jemima Alexander b. February 10, 1716 d. young
   
   3. Francis Alexander b. 1717 married: Eleanor Simonton
   
   4. Keziah (Kesiah, Kizia) Alexander b. May 9, 1720 d. young
   
   5. Hezekiah Alexander b. January 13, 1722 Cecil County MD d. January 10, 1801 Mecklenburg County NC
   signer of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, May 20, 1775 married: Mary Sample, June 12, 1752 in PA
   
   6. Edith Alexander b. January 10, 1725 d. young
   
   7. Jemima Alexander b. January 9, 1727
   d. September 1, 1797 married: Thomas Sharpe
   
   8. Amos Alexander b. January 13, 1729
   d. [1780 Cecil County Maryland] married: Sarah (Sara) Sharpe
   
   9. John McKnitt Alexander b. June 6, 1733 Cecil County MD d. July 10, 1817 Mecklenburg County NC
   signer of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, May 20, 1775 married Jean Bane (Bean, Bain), 1759
   
   10. Margaret Alexander b. June 6, 1736 Cecil County MD d. young
   -------------
   James Alexander ("the carpenter") -- cont.
   married: 2) Abigail (I didn't know Margaret and Abigail were sisters)
   
   Issue of James and Abigail Alexander:
   1. Elizabeth Alexander b. November 17,
   1746 d. August 1, 1822 married: William Sample
   
   2. Abigail Alexander b. May 24, 1748 d. September 23, 1817 married: Francis Bradley
   
   3. Margaret Alexander b. March 30, 1750 d. ? Rutherford County TN married: Beaty McCoy
   
   4. Josiah Alexander b. August 3, 1752 d. July 14, 1818 in Centre County PA
   
   5. Ezekiel Alexander b. October 21, 1754
   d. after 1832 in Wilson County TN
   married: Jemima Esther McCoy
   
   6. Ann Alexander b. c.1737 d. March 3, 1802 (date on tombstone in Hopewell Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Huntersville NC) married: Moses Moore b. c.1731, d. October 30, 1782

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} John McKnitt (ca. 1660-1714) and some of his kinsfolk: Alexanders--Brevards--Dales: Alexander (Excursus), in Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania)
   16(1948-49):90.

   The list of known children of James Alexander, including those mentioned in his will and others that survived him:
   Theophilus Alexander
   Edith
   Keziah
   Hezekiah Alexander
   Amos Alexander
   Ezekiel Alexander
   Josiah Alexander
   John McKnitt Alexander
   Jemima Sharp
   Elizabeth Sample
   Abigail Bradley
   Margaret McCoy

6. ↑ Most trees say he was born in Maryland, but in fact, there doesn't appear to be much evidence for exactly when his father immigrated, and since his birth date is unknown anyway, he might have been born in Ireland.