In 1860, Col. George Alderson wrote his family history. It was later published in the newspaper and re-typed. I believe the underlined words and names were misspelled, and Allie Millard (a notary public) typed it corrected the mistakes in 1935. Double click on each page to enlarge---use the back arrow to come back. This blog is longer than usual because there didn't seem to be a good place to break the pages.
Page 7 above mentions Elder John Alderson, Alderson's Ferry, the founding of the Greenbriar Church, McCue and Grady who formed a Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg. They left, but John Alderson continued to preach. He travelled with James Stroud, camping at burning springs.
(Page 8) Elder John Alderson preached to "Morisses" and Joneses at churches in the Greenbrier Baptist Association. When the Association met at Cobbs below Charleston and decided to divide the Association, Elder John felt like it was dividing his family. His son George Alderson married Sarah Osborne, daughter of John Osborne. They raised a family, but most of them went West.
Page 9 reveals that although Captain George Alderson (son of Elder John Alderson) stuttered, he became a member of the County Court, High Sheriff and a member of the Virginia Legislature. His stuttering was severe enough that even the Governor played jokes on him. He didn't stutter when he sang or swore, though.
On page 10, we learn that Captain George Alderson was witty and "his company much courted." Then Colonel George reports a business transaction he witnessed between George and Mr. Laird of Greenbrier. A part of that business transaction also included his brother Joseph Alderson, David and John Ruffner, William Griffy and George Fitzwater.
On page 11, Col. George Alderson describes the death of his uncle Captain George Alderson and how Captain George's brother (and Col. George's father) Joseph Alderson settled the estate and debts. Joseph and his brother George shared a salt business in which they floated salt down the Kanawha River and Ohio River.
Page 12 tells of Joseph Alderson bringing his brother's widow and children to Greenbrier and relates that three of the sons became Baptist ministers: John Alderson, Joseph Alderson and James O. Alderson.
Page 13 relates that problems still existed between the Ruffner and Alderson families over Capt. George Alderson's land. Col. George says, ". . .when it is God's will to call us to himself, we have no right to question his purpose. . ." He goes on to say that we shouldn't criticize the memory of those who passed. The last paragraph begins with the reasons for their progenitor's emigration.
Page 14 The progenitor of the American line John Alderson lived in New Jersey with the Curtis family. He married the Curtis daughter, became religious and a Baptist preacher. He settled in Germantown PA and then Rockingham VA. He corresponded with his father in England who sent him three theological books that were handed down in the family to someone who was a Baptist minister. As of 1860, Lewis Allen Alderson had them in Kansas.
Page 15 tells of the children of John Alderson (the American Progenitor): "Elder" John Alderson(b. 1738), James Alderson(b. 1748), Thomas Alderson (b. 1744), a daughter who married Mr. Orton, Simon Alderson (b. 1750) and Curtis Alderson (b. 1740)
Page 16 tells of Thomas Alderson (Greenbrier County) whose children were: Davis, Abel, Naoma, Jane and Hannah Alderson (Jane and Hannah married Robert and Samuel Winthrow who were brothers). His second wife had 3 children: Benjamin, Thomas and Molly Smithson. They added 6 more children: John, Curtis, James, Ruth, Frances and Clementine Alderson.
Page 17 describes Thomas's sons John and Curtis Alderson and their military history. But, then he returns to elder John Alderson. In addition to George and Joseph, he had Albert, John, Malenda (married James Callison), Louisa (married Aaron Newman), Evaline, Polly (married to Andrew Ellis). With his second wife (Nance Mays), he had Georgy, Jane (married a McClung), Amanda, Catherine, Elizabeth(whom married a Smithson) and Lucy
Page 18 tells of what happened to the other four sons of Elder John Alderson: Thomas drowned, Samuel, James and Benjamin settled in Tennessee and Kentucky. Then Col. George begins to tell how he met his first wife Jennette Creigh McClary and their teacher Dr. Mc Elheney, a Presbyterian preacher.
Page 19 describes Thomas Creigh (Col. George's uncle-in-law)
Page 20 gives details about Thomas Creigh's daughters: Sabina, Margrette, Jennette, and Jane
Page 21 continues with Jennette Creigh McClary's family telling about Thomas McClary who started a store where Thomas Alderson and Joseph Alderson were clerks.
Page 22 continues "Such are the family and relations of my first wife, Jennette Creigh Alderson. For piety, affection and love to her family, as a wife and mother, none surpassed her. She had fourteen children---seven of them now living." Then her children are listed (I listed them in a previous post)
Page 22 Col. George Alderson begins to describe his family with his second wife Eliza Davis (most were minors or unmarried in 1860, so there isn't much information about them). He concludes this section with "This is written not only to correct Kanawha pieces written by H. R. in which he makes some of my family relatives figure, but to leave to those coming after me a knowledge of their origin and from whence they came."
On the 24th page, Col. George Alderson notes that his mother was Mary (Polly) Newman daughter of Jonathan Newman of Botetourt Va. Tradition "which was told this writer when a youth by some of the oldest members of the family, says that the first Newman migrated to America with Sir Walter Raleigh at the first settlement of Virginia." Other names mentioned were Lewis and Salling who were early Viriginia pioneers.
The bottom of this is a note from the person who re-typed this in 1935 from the manuscript.
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