Greenbrier County, West Virginia SKETCH OF THE ALDERSON FAMILY This biography was submitted by Sandy Spradling, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm History of Greenbrier County J. R. Cole Lewisburg, WV 1917 p. 308-312 SKETCH OF THE ALDERSON FAMILY. John Alderson, Sr., was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1699, and came to this country when twenty years old. The circumstances under which he left his native land were peculiar. His father, a minister of the Established Church, opposed with con-siderable violence a matrimonial connection he was about to make. To divert his son from this alliance he prevailed upon him to travel and furnished him with a horse and requisite funds. In a short time these means were exhausted, and he, without the knowledge or consent of his father, bound himself on board a vessel which brought him to America. On arriving in this country, he was hired to a well-to-do farmer of New Jersey (a Mr. Curtis) for his "passage money." His conduct was stich that he not only gained the esteem of Mr. Curtis, but married his daughter, Mary. The death of a daughter led to his conversion, and caused him to write his first letter to his father in England. He connected him-self with the Baptist church, and we are told that "with his char-acteristic energy he began at once to preach." He received in reply to his letter sent his father, two volumes on theology, and a very kind letter. These books are still in the Alderson family. He lived near Bethlehem Church, New Jersey, and then moved to Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he preached for a number of years. In '755 he was sent by the Philadelphia Association as a missionary to Rockingham county, Virginia, and there organized one of the first Baptist churches in Virginia, the Smith and Lynn-ville's Creek church, August 6, 1756. The members were driven by an Indian invasion in 1757 forty or fifty miles beyond the Blue Ridge, but rallied after two years and returned to their homes and church, which was admitted into the Philadelphia Association, October 12, 1762. For about sixteen years he was pastor of Smith's and Lynnville's church, when he removed to the county of Botetourt, where he labored nine years, when he was called to rest in 1781 at the age of 82. He was buried in the graveyard of his neighborhood, afterward abandoned and overgrown with tall oaks, with neither hillock nor stone to mark his resting place. John Alderson, Sr., had seven sons and one daughter. The latter married a Mr. Orton and moved to western Pennsylvania. Of the sons, Thomas and John only came to Greenbrier, and a great granddaughter of his son, Curtis, Hester Ammen, who mar-ried 1st Rufus D. Alderson, great grandson of Elder John Alder-son, Jr., and after his death married Thomas H. Alderson, grand-son of Thomas, who was a son of Elder John A., Sr. After many years of active service in the Old Greenbrier church, she still lives at an advanced age, with her son, Rufus D. Alderson, in this county, retaining in full her vigorous mentality. Thomas, who fought with General Green in the South during the Revolution, married a daughter of Mr. Davis, a Baptist minister of Maryland, and to this union were born five children: Davis, Abel, Naomi, Jane and Hannah. He married a second wife, whose name was Sallie Bond, of Maryland, who had six children: John, Curtis, James, Ruth, Frances and Clementine. John, called Major Jack, was an officer in the War of 1812, and is said to have "discharged his duty well, and received great credit." Curtis was also an officer in the War of 1812, being Colonel Commander of the First Regiment in Greenbrier. He was thoroughly versed in "Gen'l Scott's discipline" and displayed great science in drilling his men. He was at one time magistrate and high sheriff. James lived an unassuming and retiring life on his farm. Frances and Clementine married Capt. Jack and Levi Alderson (brothers). Curtis Alderson was the father of Asa, and grandfather of S. I. Alderson, whose sketch will appear later. Elder John Alderson, Jr., was born in New Jersey, March 5, 1738. He was in his seventeenth year when his father settled in Rockingham county, Virginia. Shortly after settling there he made quite an extensive trip into what is now West Virginia, at that time a comparative wilderness, having few inhabitants. At the age of twenty he was married to Mary Carroll, of Maryland, in 1758, who bore him nine children: Alice, George, Mary, John, Joseph, Thomas, Margaret, Jane and John. The last three were born in Greenbrier. He was licensed to preach, but was not or-dained to the full work of the ministry until 1755, when he suc-ceeded his father as pastor of the Lynnville church in Virginia. The old Greenbrier church was for some time a mission station of this church. After two years' pastorate he moved permanently to Greenbrier (now Monroe). On his previous trips he visited the place where the town of Alderson now stands, and settled here in 1777. He claimed to have driven the first wagon across the Alleghanies to this point, and built his home where the Hotel Alderson now stands. In 1798 he applied to the Legislature of Virginia for the establishment of a ferry at this point, which was known from that time until 1872 as the "Alderson Ferry." The reason he assigns for settling in this county was to extend the Christian religion among the few inhabitants of this section. At this time the settlers were frequently harrassed by the inroads of the Indians, and Mr. Alderson was the first preacher to come among them. It was his custom to go from fort to fort and preach to the occupants. He was generally received gladly, but upon one occasion the occupants refused him an entrance, leaving him to the ravages of the wild beasts, and the untutored savages prowling around. But no harm befell him. He labored in this section seven years, meeting but one preacher, a Presbyterian licentiate, and it is preserved that Mr. Alderson told him he was welcome, since he (the Presbyterian) preached a free grace. He organized the first permanent Baptist church in what is now West Virginia, on the 24th of November, 1781, with twelve members. Wirt in his History of West Virginia says it was the first church planted west of the Alleghanies, and has always borne the name of "The Old Greenbrier Baptist Church." In 1800 he organized the Greenbrier Association. The chair in which he sat in organizing this body, and in which he preached his last sermon, shortly before his death, is now in the possession of the Alderson Academy, as is also one of the books from his library. In 1783 he erected the first house of worship upon the present site of Old Greenbrier church. It was the only house of the kind in all this part of Virginia. He died March 2. 182 I. after a pastorate of forty years. The records of the Old Greenbrier church from its organization are in the possession of the Baptist Historical Society of Charleston. From the minutes of the church meeting, held the 25th day of March, 1807, is taken the following: "A matter of difficulty between our elder, Bro. Alderson, and William Johnson, respecting the amount of money each member was to pay to Bro. Alderson, according to their several abilities, Bro. Johnson being behind the matter, Bro. Alderson reminded him of the omission. Bro. Johnson, thinking it rather an unwarranted demand, threw down nine-pence on the table. saying, 'this is my subscription for three years.' Bro. Josiah Osborne, another minister, was called on to act as moderator on the settlement of this matter. The matter of the nine-pence was adjusted by Bro. Johnson asking forgiveness of Bro. Alderson and the church.' It was a custom of the church to require its members to attend divine worship regu-larly, and if a member was absent three times in succession, a com-mittee was appointed to see him. Bro. Parker, who lived on Snake Run. having been absent from three of the meetings, a committee was sent to find out the cause of delinquency. On August 20, 1802, the brethren made their report respecting Bro. Parker's delinquency. The reason was this: he had gotten entangled in debt, and the sheriff had a process against his body. He was not willing to be taken. and was keeping out of the way until he could make out some way to discharge his lawful debts. When this was accomplished, he will attend church more regularly. One year after Bro. Parker appeared before the church, and reported that he had adjusted the matter. Frequent mention is made of fasting and prayer.