June 29, 2021.
More work will need to be done, before a consensus can be reached about the first name of "The Father of the Five Brothers and Two Sisters". Here is a brief outline for him and his family in Maryland, which includes traditional stories, and links to primary research resources.
1) LAND PURCHASES IN THE MARYLAND COLONY AS EARLY AS THE YEAR 1665
"In a history of Maryland we find that as early as 1665 some Colonists named Alexander began to purchase lands in the most southern colony of the eastern shore."
From page 6 of a book entitled "Records of a Family of the House of Alexander", published in 1909 by Frances Alexander Butterworth:
https://archive.org/details/recordsafamilyh00buttgoog
2) REUNITED IN MARYLAND IN 1670
Here is one of the more colorful traditional stories:
"The "Infamous Nine" came over with their father, William. William's father, John... , migrated to Virginia with some of his children in 1659. They apparently decided that Maryland was a better place and migrated there from Virginia about the same time that William and the nine arrived in 1670. Thus, a father was reunited with a son, siblings were reunited, and some of the younger nieces and nephews met their aunts and uncles for the first time."
This quote is credited to the Historical Society of Cecil County. However no printed version of this story has been found yet online, with an author or date identified for it. The quoted text above was submitted by Richard L. Brown to the online Electric Scotland website:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/a
/alexander_hezekiah.htm
This traditional story about the "Infamous Nine", which is described above, is backed up by government records for Somerset County, MD, which show entries for Alexanders between 1670 and 1693. These records are for Samuel, William, Andrew, and John, plus some of their children. Somerset County included both the Manokin Hundred and the Wicomico Hundred, until 1867.
http://mdgenweb.org/somerset/tlis/tlis1_a.htm
"Wicomico County wasn't created until 1867 from portions of Somerset and Worcester Counties. The entire Lower Shore area was once Old Somerset County."
http://www.mdgenweb.org/wicomico/histrec/index.htm
The reference in the story above, to a John Alexander of Virginia, is not clear. He would not seem to be the same gentleman as John Alexander (1605-1677) of Stafford County, VA, who lived on the Potomac River, because Y-DNA tests show that there is no family connection between the Stafford County Alexander family of VA and the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters Alexander family of MD.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68337795/john-alexander
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
3) THE SHIP DROPPED ANCHOR IN THE DELAWARE RIVER IN 1679
A traditional story mentions that Joseph Alexander, one of The "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was said to have been on a ship named the "Welcome" when it navigated into the Delaware River and dropped anchor in 1679.
Source: "Genealogical Department The Six Alexanders Who Signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. A Genealogy Compiled by Descendants Under the Direction of Mrs. Benjamin W. Ingram", Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, Volume: 86, Number: 5, March 1952, pages 311-315.
https://services.dar.org/members/magazine_archive/download/?file=DARMAG_1952_03.pdf
This four page article in DAR Magazine in 1952 mentioned in the above paragraph, was also later expanded and printed as a 104 page report in 1952.
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/87794-the-six-alexanders-who-signed-the-mecklenburg-declaration-of-independence?viewer=1&offset=0#page=11&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
The story makes sense, if the Infamous Nine were living down in Somerset County, MD as early as 1670, and then moved northward to Cecil County around the year 1679. It would be a lot easier to move the colonists in a ship, rather than in wagons, from Somerset County to Cecil County. The ship named "Welcome" ferried many colonists around the Chesapeake Bay area, as well as bringing them over to America from Europe.
***
RECORDS AND PAPERWORK
Although Rev. James Alexander (1625-1704) of Laggan Presbytery is frequently cited as "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", this does not seem to be possible, since he didn't have any children. He was married to Marion (Shaw) Alexander. His memorial page includes links to several different ebooks, which document details about his family and his work. Even though he had no children, there is no doubt that he was a spiritual father and inspiration to hundreds, if not thousands, of emigrants who left Laggan Presbytery for America in organized convoys of ships.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130197486/james-alexander
Here is an example of one version of the story of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters, which makes a guess that their father is Rev. James Alexander. This comes from a book published in 1982 of reprinted articles from the "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Volume II: Hinman-Sotcher". The full article for John McKnitt is found on pdf pages 212-227. See pdf page 222 for the story of the Infamous Nine.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/48376/PAFamiliesII-001393-203/317930?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return&rc=1315,222,1522,252;728,403,893,434;826,446,1027,480;231,491,410,523;723,1024,941,1057;1145,1296,1363,1334;1115,1881,1266,1913;1127,1969,1276,2004#?imageId=PAFamiliesII-001402-212
In contrast, a second person who was sometimes said to be "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was Rev. James Andrew Alexander of Boghall and Blackrock (1634-1669). He was born in Scotland, ordained there by the Presbytery of Irvine, and served there. He was married to Mary (Maxwell) Alexander. However their children's names (Robert, W.S., John, Jean, William Greenlees, Alan Walkinshaw, Mary, Elizabeth, and Anne) do not match the names of the seven brothers and two sisters. Presbyterian ministers from Scotland were carefully documented by the Presbyterian Church, which published their biographies in the "Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae". He and his family are described on page 211 of Volume 3.
https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/210
All Presbyterian ministers who lived during the mid 1600's up to the mid 1700's, were carefully screened and monitored by both government officials, and church officials. They had to have approval from the local government, before preaching sermons. They had to have an undergraduate college degree, plus advanced training from a divinity college or a Presbytery, before being called to serve and ordained by a Presbytery, and finally serving as full-fledged ministers. During this difficult period of time in Scotland and Ireland, some Presbyterian ministers were put into jail, and others were shipped off to other colonies to be sold into indentured servitude or slavery. "In fact, thousands of Scots were sold into slavery because of their religious beliefs."
http://www.wileygenealogy.com/articles/2016/09/04/cloud-of-witnesses/
By 1680, Scotland and Ireland had entered into a sad state of religious and economic persecution. In response, the Presbyterian ministers began to organize large convoys of Presbyterian emigrants, who headed off to America. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to them in the long run -- but in the short run, it was a difficult challenge. The Scottish Clearances and the Black Oath, motivated many good people to emigrate to America and elsewhere. The story of Londonderry is another classic tale.
http://www.wileygenealogy.com
Meanwhile in America, it was difficult to prosper as a Presbyterian, in colonial towns. Some Presbyterians moved further into the wilderness. Others changed their church membership, and joined the Episcopalian church, in order to improve their careers or their business connections.
If the "Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" had been a Presbyterian minister, his background would have been as well documented as that of Reverend Francis Makemie (1658-1708) of Laggan Presbytery, who is credited with founding the early Presbyterian Church in America. Reverend Makemie was the same age as the "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" Alexanders, so they were likely to have known one another in Maryland.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7827007/francis-makemie
Therefore, to sum it up, it seems likely that William A. Alexander, Sr. of Somerset County, MD is the best candidate for "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters". There are no known records of his children's births at Raphoe, Donegal, Ireland. However, this could be due to the Four Courts Fire in 1922, in which many of the early records of Ireland were burned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts
There are also no records from the Manokin Presbyterian Church, where a William Alexander was reported to have served as a Trustee. This loss of the church records is attributed to a fire, which seems to have occurred before 1747. The records for both the Manokin and Wicomico Presbyterian churches were lost. See page 41.
https://archive.org/stream/historyofmanokin00ford#page/n5/mode/2up
***
DNA RESEARCH
The Alexander DNA Project continues to document men in America, who have the surname of Alexander. See the light purple section about half way down the web page, entitled "7 Brothers, 2 Sisters (Ireland to Maryland) ALEXANDER Family" for more details.
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/links
***
WHO WERE THE INFAMOUS NINE?
The "Seven Brothers" were identified by the AlexanderDNA.org site back in August of 2014. Their web site no longer exists.
"1. William Alexander (ca 1646 - ca 1707) m. Ann Liston
2. Andrew Alexander (ca 1648 - ca 1692/1700) m. Jane McKnitt
3. James Alexander 'weaver' (ca 1652 - 1735) m. Mary Steele
4. John Alexander (ca 1652 - ca 1718) m. Mary Barbary
5. Francis Alexander (ca 1654 - bef 1701) m. Rebecca Unknown
6. Samuel Alexander (ca 1657 - 1733) m. Mary Taylor
7. Joseph Alexander 'tanner' (ca 1660 - 1730) m. Abigail McKnitt
Their "two sisters" have been identified as:
1. Elizabeth Alexander (ca 1650 - ca 1692) m. Matthew Wallace
2. Jane Alexander (ca 1665 - 1693) m. John McKnitt Sr."
***
FINDAGRAVE LINKS FOR THE INFAMOUS NINE
Here is a link for one brother.
Joseph "The Tanner" Alexander
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52843621/joseph-alexander
The remaining eight siblings have listings below, which can be used to click through to their memorial pages.
There is no evidence of his wife's name.
***
RIP
More work will need to be done, before a consensus can be reached about the first name of "The Father of the Five Brothers and Two Sisters". Here is a brief outline for him and his family in Maryland, which includes traditional stories, and links to primary research resources.
1) LAND PURCHASES IN THE MARYLAND COLONY AS EARLY AS THE YEAR 1665
"In a history of Maryland we find that as early as 1665 some Colonists named Alexander began to purchase lands in the most southern colony of the eastern shore."
From page 6 of a book entitled "Records of a Family of the House of Alexander", published in 1909 by Frances Alexander Butterworth:
https://archive.org/details/recordsafamilyh00buttgoog
2) REUNITED IN MARYLAND IN 1670
Here is one of the more colorful traditional stories:
"The "Infamous Nine" came over with their father, William. William's father, John... , migrated to Virginia with some of his children in 1659. They apparently decided that Maryland was a better place and migrated there from Virginia about the same time that William and the nine arrived in 1670. Thus, a father was reunited with a son, siblings were reunited, and some of the younger nieces and nephews met their aunts and uncles for the first time."
This quote is credited to the Historical Society of Cecil County. However no printed version of this story has been found yet online, with an author or date identified for it. The quoted text above was submitted by Richard L. Brown to the online Electric Scotland website:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/a
/alexander_hezekiah.htm
This traditional story about the "Infamous Nine", which is described above, is backed up by government records for Somerset County, MD, which show entries for Alexanders between 1670 and 1693. These records are for Samuel, William, Andrew, and John, plus some of their children. Somerset County included both the Manokin Hundred and the Wicomico Hundred, until 1867.
http://mdgenweb.org/somerset/tlis/tlis1_a.htm
"Wicomico County wasn't created until 1867 from portions of Somerset and Worcester Counties. The entire Lower Shore area was once Old Somerset County."
http://www.mdgenweb.org/wicomico/histrec/index.htm
The reference in the story above, to a John Alexander of Virginia, is not clear. He would not seem to be the same gentleman as John Alexander (1605-1677) of Stafford County, VA, who lived on the Potomac River, because Y-DNA tests show that there is no family connection between the Stafford County Alexander family of VA and the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters Alexander family of MD.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68337795/john-alexander
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
3) THE SHIP DROPPED ANCHOR IN THE DELAWARE RIVER IN 1679
A traditional story mentions that Joseph Alexander, one of The "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was said to have been on a ship named the "Welcome" when it navigated into the Delaware River and dropped anchor in 1679.
Source: "Genealogical Department The Six Alexanders Who Signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. A Genealogy Compiled by Descendants Under the Direction of Mrs. Benjamin W. Ingram", Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, Volume: 86, Number: 5, March 1952, pages 311-315.
https://services.dar.org/members/magazine_archive/download/?file=DARMAG_1952_03.pdf
This four page article in DAR Magazine in 1952 mentioned in the above paragraph, was also later expanded and printed as a 104 page report in 1952.
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/87794-the-six-alexanders-who-signed-the-mecklenburg-declaration-of-independence?viewer=1&offset=0#page=11&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
The story makes sense, if the Infamous Nine were living down in Somerset County, MD as early as 1670, and then moved northward to Cecil County around the year 1679. It would be a lot easier to move the colonists in a ship, rather than in wagons, from Somerset County to Cecil County. The ship named "Welcome" ferried many colonists around the Chesapeake Bay area, as well as bringing them over to America from Europe.
***
RECORDS AND PAPERWORK
Although Rev. James Alexander (1625-1704) of Laggan Presbytery is frequently cited as "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", this does not seem to be possible, since he didn't have any children. He was married to Marion (Shaw) Alexander. His memorial page includes links to several different ebooks, which document details about his family and his work. Even though he had no children, there is no doubt that he was a spiritual father and inspiration to hundreds, if not thousands, of emigrants who left Laggan Presbytery for America in organized convoys of ships.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130197486/james-alexander
Here is an example of one version of the story of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters, which makes a guess that their father is Rev. James Alexander. This comes from a book published in 1982 of reprinted articles from the "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Volume II: Hinman-Sotcher". The full article for John McKnitt is found on pdf pages 212-227. See pdf page 222 for the story of the Infamous Nine.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/48376/PAFamiliesII-001393-203/317930?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return&rc=1315,222,1522,252;728,403,893,434;826,446,1027,480;231,491,410,523;723,1024,941,1057;1145,1296,1363,1334;1115,1881,1266,1913;1127,1969,1276,2004#?imageId=PAFamiliesII-001402-212
In contrast, a second person who was sometimes said to be "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was Rev. James Andrew Alexander of Boghall and Blackrock (1634-1669). He was born in Scotland, ordained there by the Presbytery of Irvine, and served there. He was married to Mary (Maxwell) Alexander. However their children's names (Robert, W.S., John, Jean, William Greenlees, Alan Walkinshaw, Mary, Elizabeth, and Anne) do not match the names of the seven brothers and two sisters. Presbyterian ministers from Scotland were carefully documented by the Presbyterian Church, which published their biographies in the "Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae". He and his family are described on page 211 of Volume 3.
https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/210
All Presbyterian ministers who lived during the mid 1600's up to the mid 1700's, were carefully screened and monitored by both government officials, and church officials. They had to have approval from the local government, before preaching sermons. They had to have an undergraduate college degree, plus advanced training from a divinity college or a Presbytery, before being called to serve and ordained by a Presbytery, and finally serving as full-fledged ministers. During this difficult period of time in Scotland and Ireland, some Presbyterian ministers were put into jail, and others were shipped off to other colonies to be sold into indentured servitude or slavery. "In fact, thousands of Scots were sold into slavery because of their religious beliefs."
http://www.wileygenealogy.com/articles/2016/09/04/cloud-of-witnesses/
By 1680, Scotland and Ireland had entered into a sad state of religious and economic persecution. In response, the Presbyterian ministers began to organize large convoys of Presbyterian emigrants, who headed off to America. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to them in the long run -- but in the short run, it was a difficult challenge. The Scottish Clearances and the Black Oath, motivated many good people to emigrate to America and elsewhere. The story of Londonderry is another classic tale.
http://www.wileygenealogy.com
Meanwhile in America, it was difficult to prosper as a Presbyterian, in colonial towns. Some Presbyterians moved further into the wilderness. Others changed their church membership, and joined the Episcopalian church, in order to improve their careers or their business connections.
If the "Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" had been a Presbyterian minister, his background would have been as well documented as that of Reverend Francis Makemie (1658-1708) of Laggan Presbytery, who is credited with founding the early Presbyterian Church in America. Reverend Makemie was the same age as the "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" Alexanders, so they were likely to have known one another in Maryland.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7827007/francis-makemie
Therefore, to sum it up, it seems likely that William A. Alexander, Sr. of Somerset County, MD is the best candidate for "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters". There are no known records of his children's births at Raphoe, Donegal, Ireland. However, this could be due to the Four Courts Fire in 1922, in which many of the early records of Ireland were burned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts
There are also no records from the Manokin Presbyterian Church, where a William Alexander was reported to have served as a Trustee. This loss of the church records is attributed to a fire, which seems to have occurred before 1747. The records for both the Manokin and Wicomico Presbyterian churches were lost. See page 41.
https://archive.org/stream/historyofmanokin00ford#page/n5/mode/2up
***
DNA RESEARCH
The Alexander DNA Project continues to document men in America, who have the surname of Alexander. See the light purple section about half way down the web page, entitled "7 Brothers, 2 Sisters (Ireland to Maryland) ALEXANDER Family" for more details.
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/links
***
WHO WERE THE INFAMOUS NINE?
The "Seven Brothers" were identified by the AlexanderDNA.org site back in August of 2014. Their web site no longer exists.
"1. William Alexander (ca 1646 - ca 1707) m. Ann Liston
2. Andrew Alexander (ca 1648 - ca 1692/1700) m. Jane McKnitt
3. James Alexander 'weaver' (ca 1652 - 1735) m. Mary Steele
4. John Alexander (ca 1652 - ca 1718) m. Mary Barbary
5. Francis Alexander (ca 1654 - bef 1701) m. Rebecca Unknown
6. Samuel Alexander (ca 1657 - 1733) m. Mary Taylor
7. Joseph Alexander 'tanner' (ca 1660 - 1730) m. Abigail McKnitt
Their "two sisters" have been identified as:
1. Elizabeth Alexander (ca 1650 - ca 1692) m. Matthew Wallace
2. Jane Alexander (ca 1665 - 1693) m. John McKnitt Sr."
***
FINDAGRAVE LINKS FOR THE INFAMOUS NINE
Here is a link for one brother.
Joseph "The Tanner" Alexander
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52843621/joseph-alexander
The remaining eight siblings have listings below, which can be used to click through to their memorial pages.
There is no evidence of his wife's name.
***
RIP
June 29, 2021.
More work will need to be done, before a consensus can be reached about the first name of "The Father of the Five Brothers and Two Sisters". Here is a brief outline for him and his family in Maryland, which includes traditional stories, and links to primary research resources.
1) LAND PURCHASES IN THE MARYLAND COLONY AS EARLY AS THE YEAR 1665
"In a history of Maryland we find that as early as 1665 some Colonists named Alexander began to purchase lands in the most southern colony of the eastern shore."
From page 6 of a book entitled "Records of a Family of the House of Alexander", published in 1909 by Frances Alexander Butterworth:
https://archive.org/details/recordsafamilyh00buttgoog
2) REUNITED IN MARYLAND IN 1670
Here is one of the more colorful traditional stories:
"The "Infamous Nine" came over with their father, William. William's father, John... , migrated to Virginia with some of his children in 1659. They apparently decided that Maryland was a better place and migrated there from Virginia about the same time that William and the nine arrived in 1670. Thus, a father was reunited with a son, siblings were reunited, and some of the younger nieces and nephews met their aunts and uncles for the first time."
This quote is credited to the Historical Society of Cecil County. However no printed version of this story has been found yet online, with an author or date identified for it. The quoted text above was submitted by Richard L. Brown to the online Electric Scotland website:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/a
/alexander_hezekiah.htm
This traditional story about the "Infamous Nine", which is described above, is backed up by government records for Somerset County, MD, which show entries for Alexanders between 1670 and 1693. These records are for Samuel, William, Andrew, and John, plus some of their children. Somerset County included both the Manokin Hundred and the Wicomico Hundred, until 1867.
http://mdgenweb.org/somerset/tlis/tlis1_a.htm
"Wicomico County wasn't created until 1867 from portions of Somerset and Worcester Counties. The entire Lower Shore area was once Old Somerset County."
http://www.mdgenweb.org/wicomico/histrec/index.htm
The reference in the story above, to a John Alexander of Virginia, is not clear. He would not seem to be the same gentleman as John Alexander (1605-1677) of Stafford County, VA, who lived on the Potomac River, because Y-DNA tests show that there is no family connection between the Stafford County Alexander family of VA and the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters Alexander family of MD.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68337795/john-alexander
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
3) THE SHIP DROPPED ANCHOR IN THE DELAWARE RIVER IN 1679
A traditional story mentions that Joseph Alexander, one of The "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was said to have been on a ship named the "Welcome" when it navigated into the Delaware River and dropped anchor in 1679.
Source: "Genealogical Department The Six Alexanders Who Signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. A Genealogy Compiled by Descendants Under the Direction of Mrs. Benjamin W. Ingram", Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, Volume: 86, Number: 5, March 1952, pages 311-315.
https://services.dar.org/members/magazine_archive/download/?file=DARMAG_1952_03.pdf
This four page article in DAR Magazine in 1952 mentioned in the above paragraph, was also later expanded and printed as a 104 page report in 1952.
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/87794-the-six-alexanders-who-signed-the-mecklenburg-declaration-of-independence?viewer=1&offset=0#page=11&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
The story makes sense, if the Infamous Nine were living down in Somerset County, MD as early as 1670, and then moved northward to Cecil County around the year 1679. It would be a lot easier to move the colonists in a ship, rather than in wagons, from Somerset County to Cecil County. The ship named "Welcome" ferried many colonists around the Chesapeake Bay area, as well as bringing them over to America from Europe.
***
RECORDS AND PAPERWORK
Although Rev. James Alexander (1625-1704) of Laggan Presbytery is frequently cited as "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", this does not seem to be possible, since he didn't have any children. He was married to Marion (Shaw) Alexander. His memorial page includes links to several different ebooks, which document details about his family and his work. Even though he had no children, there is no doubt that he was a spiritual father and inspiration to hundreds, if not thousands, of emigrants who left Laggan Presbytery for America in organized convoys of ships.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130197486/james-alexander
Here is an example of one version of the story of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters, which makes a guess that their father is Rev. James Alexander. This comes from a book published in 1982 of reprinted articles from the "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Volume II: Hinman-Sotcher". The full article for John McKnitt is found on pdf pages 212-227. See pdf page 222 for the story of the Infamous Nine.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/48376/PAFamiliesII-001393-203/317930?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return&rc=1315,222,1522,252;728,403,893,434;826,446,1027,480;231,491,410,523;723,1024,941,1057;1145,1296,1363,1334;1115,1881,1266,1913;1127,1969,1276,2004#?imageId=PAFamiliesII-001402-212
In contrast, a second person who was sometimes said to be "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was Rev. James Andrew Alexander of Boghall and Blackrock (1634-1669). He was born in Scotland, ordained there by the Presbytery of Irvine, and served there. He was married to Mary (Maxwell) Alexander. However their children's names (Robert, W.S., John, Jean, William Greenlees, Alan Walkinshaw, Mary, Elizabeth, and Anne) do not match the names of the seven brothers and two sisters. Presbyterian ministers from Scotland were carefully documented by the Presbyterian Church, which published their biographies in the "Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae". He and his family are described on page 211 of Volume 3.
https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/210
All Presbyterian ministers who lived during the mid 1600's up to the mid 1700's, were carefully screened and monitored by both government officials, and church officials. They had to have approval from the local government, before preaching sermons. They had to have an undergraduate college degree, plus advanced training from a divinity college or a Presbytery, before being called to serve and ordained by a Presbytery, and finally serving as full-fledged ministers. During this difficult period of time in Scotland and Ireland, some Presbyterian ministers were put into jail, and others were shipped off to other colonies to be sold into indentured servitude or slavery. "In fact, thousands of Scots were sold into slavery because of their religious beliefs."
http://www.wileygenealogy.com/articles/2016/09/04/cloud-of-witnesses/
By 1680, Scotland and Ireland had entered into a sad state of religious and economic persecution. In response, the Presbyterian ministers began to organize large convoys of Presbyterian emigrants, who headed off to America. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to them in the long run -- but in the short run, it was a difficult challenge. The Scottish Clearances and the Black Oath, motivated many good people to emigrate to America and elsewhere. The story of Londonderry is another classic tale.
http://www.wileygenealogy.com
Meanwhile in America, it was difficult to prosper as a Presbyterian, in colonial towns. Some Presbyterians moved further into the wilderness. Others changed their church membership, and joined the Episcopalian church, in order to improve their careers or their business connections.
If the "Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" had been a Presbyterian minister, his background would have been as well documented as that of Reverend Francis Makemie (1658-1708) of Laggan Presbytery, who is credited with founding the early Presbyterian Church in America. Reverend Makemie was the same age as the "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" Alexanders, so they were likely to have known one another in Maryland.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7827007/francis-makemie
Therefore, to sum it up, it seems likely that William A. Alexander, Sr. of Somerset County, MD is the best candidate for "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters". There are no known records of his children's births at Raphoe, Donegal, Ireland. However, this could be due to the Four Courts Fire in 1922, in which many of the early records of Ireland were burned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts
There are also no records from the Manokin Presbyterian Church, where a William Alexander was reported to have served as a Trustee. This loss of the church records is attributed to a fire, which seems to have occurred before 1747. The records for both the Manokin and Wicomico Presbyterian churches were lost. See page 41.
https://archive.org/stream/historyofmanokin00ford#page/n5/mode/2up
***
DNA RESEARCH
The Alexander DNA Project continues to document men in America, who have the surname of Alexander. See the light purple section about half way down the web page, entitled "7 Brothers, 2 Sisters (Ireland to Maryland) ALEXANDER Family" for more details.
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/links
***
WHO WERE THE INFAMOUS NINE?
The "Seven Brothers" were identified by the AlexanderDNA.org site back in August of 2014. Their web site no longer exists.
"1. William Alexander (ca 1646 - ca 1707) m. Ann Liston
2. Andrew Alexander (ca 1648 - ca 1692/1700) m. Jane McKnitt
3. James Alexander 'weaver' (ca 1652 - 1735) m. Mary Steele
4. John Alexander (ca 1652 - ca 1718) m. Mary Barbary
5. Francis Alexander (ca 1654 - bef 1701) m. Rebecca Unknown
6. Samuel Alexander (ca 1657 - 1733) m. Mary Taylor
7. Joseph Alexander 'tanner' (ca 1660 - 1730) m. Abigail McKnitt
Their "two sisters" have been identified as:
1. Elizabeth Alexander (ca 1650 - ca 1692) m. Matthew Wallace
2. Jane Alexander (ca 1665 - 1693) m. John McKnitt Sr."
***
FINDAGRAVE LINKS FOR THE INFAMOUS NINE
Here is a link for one brother.
Joseph "The Tanner" Alexander
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52843621/joseph-alexander
The remaining eight siblings have listings below, which can be used to click through to their memorial pages.
There is no evidence of his wife's name.
***
RIP
More work will need to be done, before a consensus can be reached about the first name of "The Father of the Five Brothers and Two Sisters". Here is a brief outline for him and his family in Maryland, which includes traditional stories, and links to primary research resources.
1) LAND PURCHASES IN THE MARYLAND COLONY AS EARLY AS THE YEAR 1665
"In a history of Maryland we find that as early as 1665 some Colonists named Alexander began to purchase lands in the most southern colony of the eastern shore."
From page 6 of a book entitled "Records of a Family of the House of Alexander", published in 1909 by Frances Alexander Butterworth:
https://archive.org/details/recordsafamilyh00buttgoog
2) REUNITED IN MARYLAND IN 1670
Here is one of the more colorful traditional stories:
"The "Infamous Nine" came over with their father, William. William's father, John... , migrated to Virginia with some of his children in 1659. They apparently decided that Maryland was a better place and migrated there from Virginia about the same time that William and the nine arrived in 1670. Thus, a father was reunited with a son, siblings were reunited, and some of the younger nieces and nephews met their aunts and uncles for the first time."
This quote is credited to the Historical Society of Cecil County. However no printed version of this story has been found yet online, with an author or date identified for it. The quoted text above was submitted by Richard L. Brown to the online Electric Scotland website:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/a
/alexander_hezekiah.htm
This traditional story about the "Infamous Nine", which is described above, is backed up by government records for Somerset County, MD, which show entries for Alexanders between 1670 and 1693. These records are for Samuel, William, Andrew, and John, plus some of their children. Somerset County included both the Manokin Hundred and the Wicomico Hundred, until 1867.
http://mdgenweb.org/somerset/tlis/tlis1_a.htm
"Wicomico County wasn't created until 1867 from portions of Somerset and Worcester Counties. The entire Lower Shore area was once Old Somerset County."
http://www.mdgenweb.org/wicomico/histrec/index.htm
The reference in the story above, to a John Alexander of Virginia, is not clear. He would not seem to be the same gentleman as John Alexander (1605-1677) of Stafford County, VA, who lived on the Potomac River, because Y-DNA tests show that there is no family connection between the Stafford County Alexander family of VA and the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters Alexander family of MD.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68337795/john-alexander
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
3) THE SHIP DROPPED ANCHOR IN THE DELAWARE RIVER IN 1679
A traditional story mentions that Joseph Alexander, one of The "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was said to have been on a ship named the "Welcome" when it navigated into the Delaware River and dropped anchor in 1679.
Source: "Genealogical Department The Six Alexanders Who Signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. A Genealogy Compiled by Descendants Under the Direction of Mrs. Benjamin W. Ingram", Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, Volume: 86, Number: 5, March 1952, pages 311-315.
https://services.dar.org/members/magazine_archive/download/?file=DARMAG_1952_03.pdf
This four page article in DAR Magazine in 1952 mentioned in the above paragraph, was also later expanded and printed as a 104 page report in 1952.
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/87794-the-six-alexanders-who-signed-the-mecklenburg-declaration-of-independence?viewer=1&offset=0#page=11&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
The story makes sense, if the Infamous Nine were living down in Somerset County, MD as early as 1670, and then moved northward to Cecil County around the year 1679. It would be a lot easier to move the colonists in a ship, rather than in wagons, from Somerset County to Cecil County. The ship named "Welcome" ferried many colonists around the Chesapeake Bay area, as well as bringing them over to America from Europe.
***
RECORDS AND PAPERWORK
Although Rev. James Alexander (1625-1704) of Laggan Presbytery is frequently cited as "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", this does not seem to be possible, since he didn't have any children. He was married to Marion (Shaw) Alexander. His memorial page includes links to several different ebooks, which document details about his family and his work. Even though he had no children, there is no doubt that he was a spiritual father and inspiration to hundreds, if not thousands, of emigrants who left Laggan Presbytery for America in organized convoys of ships.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130197486/james-alexander
Here is an example of one version of the story of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters, which makes a guess that their father is Rev. James Alexander. This comes from a book published in 1982 of reprinted articles from the "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Volume II: Hinman-Sotcher". The full article for John McKnitt is found on pdf pages 212-227. See pdf page 222 for the story of the Infamous Nine.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/48376/PAFamiliesII-001393-203/317930?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return&rc=1315,222,1522,252;728,403,893,434;826,446,1027,480;231,491,410,523;723,1024,941,1057;1145,1296,1363,1334;1115,1881,1266,1913;1127,1969,1276,2004#?imageId=PAFamiliesII-001402-212
In contrast, a second person who was sometimes said to be "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters", was Rev. James Andrew Alexander of Boghall and Blackrock (1634-1669). He was born in Scotland, ordained there by the Presbytery of Irvine, and served there. He was married to Mary (Maxwell) Alexander. However their children's names (Robert, W.S., John, Jean, William Greenlees, Alan Walkinshaw, Mary, Elizabeth, and Anne) do not match the names of the seven brothers and two sisters. Presbyterian ministers from Scotland were carefully documented by the Presbyterian Church, which published their biographies in the "Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae". He and his family are described on page 211 of Volume 3.
https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/210
All Presbyterian ministers who lived during the mid 1600's up to the mid 1700's, were carefully screened and monitored by both government officials, and church officials. They had to have approval from the local government, before preaching sermons. They had to have an undergraduate college degree, plus advanced training from a divinity college or a Presbytery, before being called to serve and ordained by a Presbytery, and finally serving as full-fledged ministers. During this difficult period of time in Scotland and Ireland, some Presbyterian ministers were put into jail, and others were shipped off to other colonies to be sold into indentured servitude or slavery. "In fact, thousands of Scots were sold into slavery because of their religious beliefs."
http://www.wileygenealogy.com/articles/2016/09/04/cloud-of-witnesses/
By 1680, Scotland and Ireland had entered into a sad state of religious and economic persecution. In response, the Presbyterian ministers began to organize large convoys of Presbyterian emigrants, who headed off to America. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to them in the long run -- but in the short run, it was a difficult challenge. The Scottish Clearances and the Black Oath, motivated many good people to emigrate to America and elsewhere. The story of Londonderry is another classic tale.
http://www.wileygenealogy.com
Meanwhile in America, it was difficult to prosper as a Presbyterian, in colonial towns. Some Presbyterians moved further into the wilderness. Others changed their church membership, and joined the Episcopalian church, in order to improve their careers or their business connections.
If the "Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" had been a Presbyterian minister, his background would have been as well documented as that of Reverend Francis Makemie (1658-1708) of Laggan Presbytery, who is credited with founding the early Presbyterian Church in America. Reverend Makemie was the same age as the "Seven Brothers and Two Sisters" Alexanders, so they were likely to have known one another in Maryland.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7827007/francis-makemie
Therefore, to sum it up, it seems likely that William A. Alexander, Sr. of Somerset County, MD is the best candidate for "The Father of the Seven Brothers and Two Sisters". There are no known records of his children's births at Raphoe, Donegal, Ireland. However, this could be due to the Four Courts Fire in 1922, in which many of the early records of Ireland were burned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts
There are also no records from the Manokin Presbyterian Church, where a William Alexander was reported to have served as a Trustee. This loss of the church records is attributed to a fire, which seems to have occurred before 1747. The records for both the Manokin and Wicomico Presbyterian churches were lost. See page 41.
https://archive.org/stream/historyofmanokin00ford#page/n5/mode/2up
***
DNA RESEARCH
The Alexander DNA Project continues to document men in America, who have the surname of Alexander. See the light purple section about half way down the web page, entitled "7 Brothers, 2 Sisters (Ireland to Maryland) ALEXANDER Family" for more details.
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about/results
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/about
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/alexander-y-dna/links
***
WHO WERE THE INFAMOUS NINE?
The "Seven Brothers" were identified by the AlexanderDNA.org site back in August of 2014. Their web site no longer exists.
"1. William Alexander (ca 1646 - ca 1707) m. Ann Liston
2. Andrew Alexander (ca 1648 - ca 1692/1700) m. Jane McKnitt
3. James Alexander 'weaver' (ca 1652 - 1735) m. Mary Steele
4. John Alexander (ca 1652 - ca 1718) m. Mary Barbary
5. Francis Alexander (ca 1654 - bef 1701) m. Rebecca Unknown
6. Samuel Alexander (ca 1657 - 1733) m. Mary Taylor
7. Joseph Alexander 'tanner' (ca 1660 - 1730) m. Abigail McKnitt
Their "two sisters" have been identified as:
1. Elizabeth Alexander (ca 1650 - ca 1692) m. Matthew Wallace
2. Jane Alexander (ca 1665 - 1693) m. John McKnitt Sr."
***
FINDAGRAVE LINKS FOR THE INFAMOUS NINE
Here is a link for one brother.
Joseph "The Tanner" Alexander
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52843621/joseph-alexander
The remaining eight siblings have listings below, which can be used to click through to their memorial pages.
There is no evidence of his wife's name.
***
RIP
Family Members
Children
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Elizabeth Alexander Wallace
1640–1692
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William A. Alexander Jr
1646–1735
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Andrew Joseph Alexander
1648–1700
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John Alexander
1652–1717
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James "The Weaver" Alexander
1652–1736
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Francis "The Weaver" Alexander
1654–1701
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Samuel Alexander
1657–1733
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Joseph "The Tanner" Alexander
1660–1730
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Jane Alexander McKnitt
1665–1691
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