Cumberland-Juniata County PA Archives Biographies.....McGinty, Alexander ca. 1725 - 1803 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Gerald McGinty mcgintyboy@aol.com Author: Gerald K. McGinty, Sr. The life of John McGinty's probable brother Alexander McGinty is a very interesting story. I say ìprobable brotherî because after Johnís death, his son Robert was the executor of his estate. If Alexander had been his son, with his status at the time, etc., he would have been named executor. The earliest record we see of him is in 1753. At this time, he was an Indian Trader living in PA and was captured by Indians on one of his journeys into KY. A good account of this incident was published in the History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Franklin Ellis and Samuel Evans in 1883. It reads as follows: ìOn the 26th day of January, 1753, when Daniel Hendricks, Jacob and Jabez Evans, William Powell, Thomas Hyde, Alexander McGinty and James Lowry were on their return from a trading journey among the Catawbas and were encamped on the south bank of the Kentucky River, about twenty miles from Blue Lick Town, with a large stock of goods, skins and furs, they were attacked by the French Caughnawaga Indians and were taken prisoners. A few were wounded on both sides. While these prisoners were on their way to Detroit, Lowry made his escape and returned to his home in Donegal township, Lancaster Co. (Lowry was married to Susanna Patterson, sister of Capt. James Patterson who was a large land owner in what is now Mexico, PA in Juniata Co.). The others were not so lucky. Jacob Evans and Thomas Hyde were sold to Monsieur Celeron, the French commander at Detroit (who sent them to Quebec); the others were taken to Montreal. Jacob Evans and Thomas Hyde were sent as prisoners to France. Jabez Evans, Powell, and McGinty were distributed among the Indians in the northern part of NY (State). McGinty communicated these facts to the governor (of NY) and the Council of Pennsylvania who sent Conrad Weiser to Albany (NY) to inquire about the matter, and if possible procure the release of the captive traders, all of whom belonged to Lancaster County. Weiser found that Jabez Evans was adopted by a squaw, and had some difficulty to get him away. All of these traders except Lowery were financially ruined by their misfortunes. McGinty (after being released and returning to Lancaster Co.) later became prominent in Cumberland Valley.î An excerpt from The Wilderness Trail by Charles Hanna, published in 1911, reads as follows: ìAt a meeting of the Pennsylvania Council held August 7, 1753, there was read a letter from George Clinton, governor of NY, in which he stated that ìSome of our Indian traders were taken prisoners by a party of Cognawago, of Praying French Indians as they were trading with the Cuttawas, one hundred miles from the Lower Shawonese Town on Ohio, and stripped and plundered of their goods and skins, and carried prisoners to Montreal, from whence they sent a letter to Mr. Saunders, Mayor of Albany.î Governor Clinton enclosed a copy of this letter from McGinty and the other captives, dated at Montreal, June 9, 1753, which read; ìLoving and Unacquainted Friends. These come to let you know that there are six Englishmen of us here in this place that are taken prisoners by the French Indians. We were taken from off the south side of Allegheny River about one hundred miles, on the twenty-sixth of last January, and the Indians brought four of us along to this place, and two of us they sold to a French Captain on the road as we came; and when we came here to this place, the Indians thought to have sold us to the French General, but he would not buy us nor release us from the savages. So we live, us four, with the savages still; but we do not know how long, for our lives are in danger daily of being taken by them; and now the other two lads are sent down here, and them they have shut up in prison; so we are all in a very poor state, and to your hands, you will be so compassionate as to use the best endeavors you can to work our deliverance from them; for our lives seem bitter to us whilst with themÖWe are all of us from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and were all Indian Traders.î The names of the six men captured, including Alexander McGinty are shown. I recently discovered a book titled The Life of Conrad Weiser, Iroquois Interpreter, which was compiled by Rev. William M. Beauchamp in 1925. It is basically the diary that Weiser kept of his journeys. Conrad Weiser (1696-1760) was the chief Indian interpreter for the Province of PA. He held this position for over twenty years. He had come to America from Germany in 1709. His parents lived for a time with the Mohawk Indians and he learned their language. Later in life, he became a valuable asset for the PA government, in their dealings with all of the Indian issues in those days. After the capture of Alexander McGinty and the other Indian traders, Weiser was asked by Gov. Hamilton of PA to go to Albany, NY and meet with the mayor, a Mr. Sanders, and the commissioners of Indian affairs, and try to get them released. He arrived on August 7, 1753, and presented them a letter from Gov. Hamilton concerning the release of the prisoners. His diary entries are as follows: ìAugust 7, 1753, at five oíclock arrived in Albany. The next day, in the morning, delivered Gov. Hamiltonís letter to the mayor, Mr. Sanders, who thought it proper to call the commissioners of Indian affairs to meet at four oíclock in the afternoon, to concert measures to bring back the poor prisoners from Canada, belonging to Pennsylvania, taken in January last on the waters of the Ohio, the said prisoners having wrote several letters praying his assistance for their relief, which letters Mr. Sanders gave me to peruse. Accordingly, at four oíclock, the commissioners met me at the house of one Lottridge, and a French Indian squaw was sent for, who had one of the prisoners, to wit, Jabez Evans, in her family, given to her in place of Degerihogan, her son or relation, who died two years ago. The Indian womanís name was Susanna, wife of one Thanyuchta. She being a noted woman, and none of the Indians of that country being in Albany but young lads, she being asked how it came that these poor people were taken prisoner in time of peace, she made the answer that some of the Caghnawaga warriors went to fight the Oyadackuchraono, and happened to meet some of them at some distance from their country, accompanied by these white men, who when they saw the Caghnawagas would or had a mind to kill or take the Oyadackuchraono, they, the English, made resistance, and wounded one of their men with a musket ball in his arm, upon which they rushed to take the white people as well as the Indian, and brought them away to Canada, leaving their horses and things upon the spot; and when they came to Canada they presented their prisoners to the governor general and told him how things had happened, and that the governor made answer that he would have nothing to do with those prisoners, upon which the Indians took them away to their towns, and three of them were given to an Indian living in Caghnawaga, one to the Indians at Canassategy, and two were imprisoned at Quebec; for what reason she did not know. The commissioners told the woman that they had received several letters from these poor prisoners, praying for relief (this very woman had brought one from Jabez Evans) and as they were taken in time of peace they desired that they might be brought back again; that the commissioners would make reasonable satisfaction to those that had them in their houses and had used them kindly, if they would bring them over. The commissioners sent a belt of Wampum (which I did provide) to the chief man of Caghnawaga, called Anuchrakechty, to require his good office for the release of these prisoners, which the woman undertook faithfully to deliver; she being a very intelligible woman I desired Mr. Sanders to give her a Piece of Eight to buy some bread for her return, which she received very thankfully. I served the commissioner as interpreter, because it was thought fit that my name should not be mentioned, for fear that the expectation of the Indians would rise too high; but the woman asked me where I lived, because I could talk their language so well, she wondered that I was never heard of. I told her I had lived at Shohary and traveled up and down among the Indians. By way of discourse, she informed me that the conduct of the Indians that brought the English prisoners was not approved of at Caghnawaga, and the rest of the Indians were angry at those that took them, and in their drunkenness would call them old women and breakers of the peace, and that it was a shame to take people that had not offended and in time of peace, that it appeared plain to the Indians that those prisoners had done no harm.î There were more letters, and Alexander was finally released and returned to Philadelphia in early October 1753. He made a formal deposition on October 12, 1753, claiming that he had lost, ìAll that your petitioner had in the world, and was even stripped of his clothes; and being now reduced to extreme poverty and want,î and he also presented a petition for financial relief. He was granted a sum of six pounds to defray the expense of his return trip to PA. In 1755, Louis Evans (the "Evans Maps") completed one of the first maps of KY. Alexander McGinty is credited with furnishing Evans much of the detail in those areas he had traveled as a trader. This map had been requested of Evans by the government in 1750. Based on these events and his occupation as an Indian Trader before 1753, it is apparent that Alexander McGinty was in PA well before this date. The migrations from Ireland were well underway by 1725. Future McGinty researchers have the challenge of discovering more about the origin of the McGinty family in PA and Ireland. The next record we have of Alexander is a land grant dated February 3, 1755, awarding him one hundred and fifty acres on the northwest side of Tuscorora Creek in what was then, Lack Township. Today, it is in Beale Township, Juniata Co., PA. This land was then resurveyed in 1770, and found to contain 312.3 acres. This area of land was purchased from the Indians in 1754. Alexanderís parcel of land was later divided into several parcels and each was re-surveyed in the 1800ís. There are several documents on record showing the subdivisions of this original land granted to Alexander. In 1757, we see the first documentation showing that Alexander and John were together in PA. In a sale dated June 3, 1757, two hundred acres of land belonging to Alexander and a Robert Cambell were sold by the Sheriff in Cumberland Co. to satisfy a debt. The description of this property shows that it borders land owned by John McGinty. We have no further documentation on Alexander until April 22, 1763, when he is granted (or purchased) three hundred acres of land in Mecklenburg Co., NC. This land was located on the east side of the Catawba River on Clement Davis Branch (Clementís Branch) including the ìforks of the same.î Old maps show that this property was south of Pineville, NC, where Four-Mile and McAlpinís Creeks pour into the Catawba River, and next to the line showing Indian lands. The next deed, showing his property transactions is dated 1767, and there are several other deeds showing both purchases and sales up until 1799. One of the 1767 deeds for John shows that his land was bordered by that of Alexander. This is another documented tie between the two in NC. Alexander was shown as a planter and we know that the land in this area was very fertile farmland. He shows as a witness to the will of Thomas Neel dated November 28, 1766 (will book B, pg. 119). In 1770, a deed shows that he was still living on Clementís Branch. Alexander was a Presbyterian and on February 4, 1780, he witnessed a deed in Mecklenburg Co. that represented the sale of land by Samuel Montgomery, a farmer, to the trustees of the Rocky Spring Presbyterian Church. The name of this church was changed shortly after to the Philadelphia Presbyterian Church and it is still there today, in Mint Hill, NC. We also know that his son, Alexander II married Hannah McDowell and she was still a member of this church in 1837. She shows earlier in the 1810 census of Mecklenburg Co., NC, living in Capt. J. Wilson's company as a widow with three children and three slaves (pg. 486/69). ( Alexander II, became an attorney and was admitted to the bar in TN with Andrew Jackson). Also, Abner Alexander McGinty, Alexanderís grandson, was a member here as evidenced by financial pledges he made to the church. Alexander attended the estate sale of John in 1782. At this sale, he is listed as Alexander, Sr., and his son, Alexander, Jr., was also present at the sale. They both purchased several items. The next record we have of Alexander is in the first census of NC in 1790. His name is listed in the census index as McGintey (pg. 355). He is shown as head of the family in the Salisbury District of Mecklenburg Co. with one white male over sixteen (him), one white female over sixteen (his wife) and two slaves in his household. There are no children listed but since he was probably well into his sixties by then, children, if any, had all left his household. Alexanderís will was written April 2, 1802. At this time, he shows substantial acreage, makes generous cash awards to his grandchildren and refers to his home as a ìplantation.î He names his heirs as wife, Mary Ann, his grandsons Abner McGinty, Henry McDowell McGinty, Alexander Crawford, James Crawford and James Finney and granddaughters Sophia (Josephine) McGinty (she married Matthew Bain), Mary Ann McGinty, Mary Ann Johnson and Martha Crawford Miller. His children are not shown in his will. He appointed his wife, Mary Ann executor along with James Montgomery and John Gingles. He died in 1803, and his will was probated in July of that year. His wife Mary Annís will was written in September 1803 and probated in April 1804. I have a copy of her estate settlement. It is felt that Alexander was born ca. 1725. Based on this, he would have died in his seventies after a very interesting life as a true American pioneer. It is interesting to note that Alexander had a son, Alexander, Jr. (ca. 1765- 1798). Alexander Jr., grew up in Mecklenburg Co., NC, and became a lawyer. He married Hannah McDowell, ca. 1787. Mecklenburg Co. records show that in October 1787, he along with Andrew Jackson (later president) took the oath of office to practice law in ìthe several county courts within this state,î Greene Co., TN (part of the South West Territory then) court records dated August 1788, show that he, along with Andrew Jackson, were admitted to practice law there. That this Jackson is the one who later became President is confirmed because the Greene Co. court records show John McNairy being admitted to practice on the same date with McGinty and Jackson. Shortly after this, McNairy was appointed a judge and Jackson research shows that he and McNairy went to Nashville together later in 1788. Jackson was from Waxhaw, NC, close to where Alexander Jr., grew up. Records show that Alexander sold land in Burke Co., NC in 1791. He relocated to KY and shows as being admitted to practice law in the August 1794 (court records of Green Co., KY). Various documents show that he was living in Mercer Co., KY by 1794-95. He died at an early age, ca. 1798, cause unknown. There is speculation that he died or was killed by Indians in KY. We know that after his death, his wife Hannah was back in Mecklenburg Co., NC (1810 census and tax rolls) and according to the Philadelphia Presbyterian Church records in Mint Hill, NC, she died there in 1842. This submission is from "Our McGinty Family in America" by Gerald K. McGinty, Sr. Additional Comments: Please correspond with the author on any related topics. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 16.5 Kb