This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Black, Shelby, Alexander, Polk, Steele, Clark, Irwin, Taylor, Woods, Wallace, Hodgson, Rogers, Smith, McCarty, McLaurin, Knox, Gilmer, Means, Hart Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/UUB.2ACE/3207.2.1.2.1 Message Board Post: Dear Johanne: Thanks a bunch for the information. I take it then that the other children mentioned in the Will are valid, right? If so, do you have any additional info on them like their spouse, children, etc? My 5 G greatgrandparents were Benjamin and Susannah (Polk) Alexander of Mecklenburg...went there from Germantown, PA {western sub of Phil, PA) in the early to mid 1750's as one son, Charles, was born in Mecklenburg Co., NC in 1755. His two older brothers were born Bucks Co., PA.. William "Black Billy" 1749, and Thomas in 1753. They later had more children. Susannah Polk was born in Cumberland Co., PA, near present day Carlisle, PA. Mary Irwin descends from James B. and Mary (Steele) Alexander. James B., as you may already know, was one of the 7 brothers (also had 2 sisters) who migrated on Ship Welcome to MD and probably also PA, from Raphoe, County Donegal, Ulster, Irleand, after parents migrated from Scotland. James B. was known as "James, the Weaver"...perhaps it was coined by the authors of Alexander Kin by Chas C. and Virginia W. Alexander of Columbia, TN. (W = Woods). I descend from Samuel and Mary (Taylor) Alexander, his bro. and bro's wife. James B. Alexander's son, Moses, m. Mary (Wallace) and they had son Zebulon Alexander who m. (1) Hannah (Hodgson). They had dau. Mary Alexander b. 1754 in Chester, PA, who m. Gen. Robt. Irwin, b. 1738. They had son James Irwin who m. Elizabeth Rogers. Their dau. Mary Irwin is the one who m. William Black. Many more siblings of each family if anyone wants them. Of course, I have been editing my various files and often find errors, so be warned, o.k.? I have a large file on my Alexanders, and I am trying to incorporate the other files, Shelby, Smith/McCarty/McLaurin, Polks, etc., into the one file, which has big negatives...may not do that (ha). The Alex2.(12).ftw file is already too large for some ISP's to transmit. Probably, most Alexanders and a lot of others in Mecklenburg Co., NC, back in the 1700-1800's descended from the 7 brothers and two sisters in MD. I learned something which I should have known from Virginia Alexander (above author) when I asked her advise re other books beside the one they wrote which would tell me about my ancestors. I mentioned Benjamin Alexander, and she recognized the name at once. She told me that I was as much kin to his wife, Susannah Polk, as to him. Of course, she was right, but I was initially fooled by the fact that only the surname of the man goes forward. She was the great aunt of James Knox Polk; her brother, Ezekiel, was his grandfather; his father was Samuel and Samuel's wife was Jane Knox. Her niece, Margaret Polk, became wife of Nathaniel Alexander, Gov. NC. Her brother Gen. Thomas Polk, Signer of MDI, had one of first homes in Mecklenburg, which is where principal streets intersect and a Park has been named for him at that sight...he was instrumental in developing, with others, Charlotte, NC. Eventually, a majority in Mecklenburg were relatives of one sort or another, it would seem. My Shelby kin: My Alexander aunt of yore, Susannah Polk Alexander, m. Dr. Evan Shelby, Pvt. They had 6 girls and 4 boys. Son Moses m. Mary Ann Knox and they became the ancestors of Sen. Richard Shelby of today. Therefore, thru Susannah, the Shelby children were my 1st cousins. However, one of the girls married Susannah's grandson, my 3G greatgrandfather Daniel Alexander, which made that girl, Susannah Shelby, also my AUNT AND my GREATGRAND. And in fact, it made all the children my aunts and uncles of yore (ha). Evan Shelby, Pvt, had an aunt, Mary Shelby, who m. Col. Adam Alexander. They had a granddau. named Margaret Means Alexander [her mother was Margaret Means], whom my greatuncle, Col. Moses Winslow Alexander, married; he was son of Daniel and Susannah (Shelby) Alexander (whew). Evan's uncle, Gen. Evan Shelby, has son Isaac who became 1st and 3rd gov. of KY and m. Susannah Hart, whom they liked in KY. My 4Ggreatgrandparents were Wm. Black Billy and Margaret (Clark) Alexander. He was apparently fighting the Tories long before the Rev. War. I guess he loved to fight. He got the nickname "Black Billy" by leading a group of "boys" in the Black Powder Plot at Phifer's Hill near Rocky River Settlement. He was hardly 20 years of age then. He was first under Col. Adam Alexander as Capt., which is what he held all during the Rev. War. It was Adam Alexander's granddau. who married William's nephew...(I think I got it right). I like to mention my better known ancestors, but I also had a few shady characters as well. Like a cousin, who during the depression, got locked up in another's chicken house in the wee hours of the AM...he was stealing chics. The guy had enough of someone getting his chics, so he redid the chicken house on inside so it would be very hard to get out...so when he heard the chics cuttin up in the AM before daylight, he got his shotgun and went down there, waited until daylight, then opened the door to find an old acquaintance, my cuz, with a very sheepish grin on his face. His dau. was teased in grade school and in fact thru school and called "chicken". Today, she is responsible for the northern counties of MS under a Rep. of MS, and is tough! She used the nickname in College, even, and maybe that was a good move since a lot of the folks in her classes knew it...she got her PhD from U. of MS at Hattiesburg, MS, and I had a class with her when I went there for a couple of semesters before transferring. My Alexanders were brought to Montrose, Jasper Co., MS, about 1845 from Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Co's, NC, by by 2Ggreatgrandparents Marcus Sherman and Patsy (Gilmer) Alexander. I lived with my uncle James Hamilton Black and family for the last two years in High School. He was a neat guy. I will give you the family if and when you want it. Did you get the email that I sent to Aubrey? I know, I will try to forward it to you after I send this. Kind regards. Mac of Cypress, Tx.