Charlie's Trek: Footprints of the Past

I am the tenth generation of Alexanders born on the Albemarle Sound. So much time has passed, and much of our family's story has been lost in that vast expanse. How did I come to be on the banks of this wondrous Sound? That was something I had to find out. I began researching my genealogy in 1984. There were no desktop computers or the internet at that time. If you wanted to know about the people who gave rise to you, that person had to spend hours in a library sifting through a card catalog, or in front of a microfiche screen at an LDS family research center, or in the basement of a Catholic monastery. Even then, documents only go back so far, and many lead you down the wrong path. But throughout the many decades I have been researching my ancestors, I have found that if one is thorough, if one is tenacious, they will be rewarded with a viable path into their past. Is it possible to trace your ancestry all the way back to Adam?

I traced my ancestors back to a man named Anthony Alexander, born about 1665, using the usual birth certificates, death certificates, marriage records, and census records. Anthony Alexander arrived in what is now Tyrrell County about 1680 AD. Anthony Alexander shows up in records in 1702, when he, his wife, Ann, and several children are mentioned in an Albemarle land grant. Anthony was one of 12 families that settled what is now Tyrrell County, North Carolina. He was originally granted 200 acres, called "Soundside Plantation," but over his lifetime, he would acquire some 2700 acres. Anthony, his four servants, and his sons carved out multiple plantations from the swamps and wilderness, which at the time were populated by nothing more than hostile Indians (Tuscarora), bears, and alligators. Anthony's sons would inherit these plantations upon Anthony's death in 1741.

Anthony and Ann Alexander had a son, Joseph Alexander, born about 1696, who married Ann Harding.. After several generations, in 1819, Nelson Alexander was born to T. Frederick Alexander and Susannah Dillion. Nelson married Assenith Hunnings, and together they had a son, also named Nelson Alexander, in 1841, and a daughter, Susan, in 1842. Nelson Sr. died in 1842, leaving his wife, a son, and a daughter to be cared for by the Dillion Family. At some point, Nelson went to live with his father's cousin, Thomas Henry Alexander. Prior to the Civil War, Nelson worked with Thomas Henry Alexander as a shinglemaker. Nelson Alexander served in the 32nd Regiment, North Carolina, until the end of the American Civil War, when he was forced to take an oath to the United States government and was returned to farm the fields in Tyrrell County, North Carolina.

Joseph Thomas Alexander, born in 1875 to Nelson Alexander and Martha Elizabeth Twiddy, worked the fields of Martha's father until near the turn of the century. It was about this time that large logging companies moved into what is now mainland Dare County and began logging off the cypress and white cedar in the swamps of that county. Joseph, who went by his middle name of Tom, got work in the lumber industry that had sprouted up in Buffalo City, Dare County, North Carolina. During this time, he met and married Mary Ellen Kennedy, and in 1910, they had Charlie Sedan Alexander. The Great Depression shut down the logging industry in Buffalo City, and the town of around 3000 people was deserted. Today, the swamp has completely reclaimed the land where that logging town once stood. Joseph Thomas Alexander and his wife and children moved west along the south shore to Skinnersville, near Roper, North Carolina.

During the late 1920's, there was a mass exodus from the south shore of the Albemarle Sound to Edenton, North Carolina, and to Portsmouth, Virginia, where people could find work to survive. Charlie Sedan Alexander chose to move to Edenton, North Carolina, where he met Mildred Adilah Twiddy and got work as a linesman for the Edenton Electric Company. Charlie and Mildred had two sons and a daughter. Around 1941, Charlie came down with Strep Throat, and the penicillin that would have cured him would not be made available to the public until 1944. The untreated Strep-Throat progressed into Rheumatic Fever, and Charlie passed away in 1942, just two years before he might have gotten the antibiotics that would have saved his life. His son, Charles Earl Alexander Sr., was just 10 months old when his father passed away. The death of Charlie Sedan Alexander left Mildred and their three young children without a means of support. Mildred had to work at the cotton mill in Edenton. This left Charles Earl Alexander Sr. at home with his brother and sister, who were not much older than he was, to care for themselves.

Charles Earl Alexander Sr. left home at 17 and headed west to California. His cousin and childhood friend, William, had moved to the West Coast several years before. It was here that he met Marie Lucille Page, a woman seven years older than he was; she was already divorced with two young boys. Marie became pregnant during a moment of passion in the back seat of a 1942 Buick, and Mildred, Charles's mother, pressured Charles Sr. to marry the girl. Charles Sr., who went by his middle name Earl, moved back to Edenton, North Carolina, and the marriage lasted long enough to have two sons and a daughter. I am the eldest of those three children.

By the time I had discovered Anthony Alexander, the internet existed, and I could trace my ancestors back to a man named John MacDonald. We will have to journey over the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland to answer the question of how Anthony ended up in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. John MacDonald (Eoin Carrach MacDomhnaill, 7th Lord of the Isles) married Princess Margaret Stewart, daughter of King Robert II; their son, Alexander MacDonald, was the father of Angus MacAlistair, who founded the Clan MacAlister of Loup. The Alexanders of Menstrie are a sept of Clan MacAlister of Loup, descending from Angus MacAlistair and are directly descended from Somerled. The seat of the Alexander family is at Menstrie Castle in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. William Alexander, born about 1567 at Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, was the only son of Alexander Alexander (d. 1581) and Marion Couttie. William's father died when he was young, and his great-uncle James was appointed his tutor. William Alexander became a well-known poet and a great favorite of King James I and VI. William Alexander is credited with transcribing the Book of Psalms for King James I and VI. He was knighted in 1604. He was granted land to settle the Colony of Nova Scotia in 1621 and was created Viscount of Stirling and Lord Alexander of Tullibody in 1630. Upon the coronation of Charles I, the son of King James VI, William Alexander was further created Earl of Stirling and Viscount of Canada. On the same occasion, he was granted significant lands in British North America, including all of the future province of Canada, the entire territory of Nova Scotia, and parts of New England, including Long Island.

The hand of fate, however, was going to forever alter the course of the Alexander Family. Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of King Henry VIII and the House of Tudor, ruled England from 1533 to 1603. She had no children, and members of Parliament began to worry as Queen Elizabeth aged. The next in line for the crown was Mary, Queen of Scots, of the House of Stewart. Queen Mary had children, but she was also Catholic, and the English Protestants would not have a Catholic Queen. Queen Elizabeth I was eventually pressured into having her cousin, Mary, tried for treason and executed by beheading. When Queen Elizabeth passed away in 1603, the crown went to Queen Mary's son, King James I and VI. When King James I and VI died in 1625, the crown went to his son Charles I. In 1642, a Civil War broke out in England with Oliver Cromwell leading a revolt against the Stewart King. Seven years later, in 1649, King Charles I was defeated and executed. William Alexander was understandably in support of King Charles I, being a member of his court, a favorite of the King's late father, James I and VI, and a descendant of Margaret Stewart and the House of Stewart. Two of William's sons, who were in line to inherit William's titles, had "mysteriously" died during this time.

John Alexander, William's eldest son, escaped the brunt of the Civil War by settling in Nova Scotia in support of his father's efforts to colonise the province, but he was still in grave danger of being killed by supporters of Cromwell and the French who wanted control of Canada. John Alexander, born about 1605 to William Alexander and Janet Erskine, migrated to Nova Scotia with his son, also John Alexander, born about 1630. John Jr. escaped from Nova Scotia to Virginia when the French took advantage of the English Civil War to attack the colony and claim the Canadian Province. Virginia was considered relatively safe at the time, as most of the colony was royalist. John Alexander and his wife, Elizabeth Grahame, were granted land in Virginia and had a few sons and daughters. Anthony was one of those sons of John and Elizabeth Alexander.

So my ancestors journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean from Scotland to escape the English Civil War. OK, how did my ancestors end up in Scotland? That turned out to be another fascinating story. The story begins in 500 AD on the Western Isles of Scotland. Dál Riada was founded by the legendary king Fergus Mór about 500ad. The Gaelic kingdom encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is now Argyll, Scotland, and part of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In Argyll, it consisted of four main kindreds or tribes, each with its own chief: Cenél nGabráin (based in Kintyre), Cenél nÓengusa (based on Islay), Cenél Loairn (who gave their name to the district of Lorn), and Cenél Comgaill (who gave their name to Cowal). The hillfort of Dunadd was its capital. Within Dál Riada was the important monastery of Iona, which played a key role in the spread of Celtic Christianity throughout northern Britain. Iona was a center of learning and produced many important manuscripts. Dál Riada also had a strong seafaring culture and a large naval fleet. Latin sources often referred to the inhabitants of Dál Riada as Scots (Scoti), a name originally used by Roman and Greek writers for the Irish Gaels as descendants of the Egyptian Princess Scotia.

The kingdom of Dal Riada reached its height under Áedán mac Gabráin (574ad–608ad). During his reign, Dál Riada's power and influence grew; it carried out naval expeditions to Orkney and the Isle of Man, and assaults on the Brittonic kingdom of Strathclyde and the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia. Serious defeats in Ireland and the island of Britain during the reign of Domnall Brecc (who died in 642 AD) ended Dál Riada's "golden age". In the 730's, the Pictish king Óengus I led campaigns against Dál Riada, which continued until the Viking invasions of 800ad-1200ad.

During the Viking Invasions, the Dal Riadans and the Picts united to repel the invaders. Somerled (who died in 1164ad) descended from Colla Uais and Conn of the Hundred Battles. Somerled was born in the north of Ireland, and his father, GilleBride, entered into a marriage alliance with Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair, son of Alexander I of Scotland and claimant to the Scottish throne. During the period of alliance with David I of Scotland, Somerled married Ragnhild, daughter of Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of Man and the Isles, in 1140ad. In 1153ad, Olaf of Man died and was succeeded by his son, Godred, but Godred Olafsson was a very unpopular ruler.

Somerled was asked by Thorfinn Ottarson, a Manx chief, to allow Somerled's son, Dugall, to be appointed king of Man and the Isles. Somerled agreed and, with 80 ships, confronted Godred off the coast of Islay in 1156 AD. From the beginning of time until this point, a ship's rudder was fashioned on the right side of the vessel. This is where the term “starboard”, which was originally “steering board”, came from. Somerled had developed an agile, Celtic-style galley, the birlinn (or nyvaig), featuring a central stern rudder rather than the Viking's side-mounted steering oar, making it more maneuverable. He also developed a unique, portable basket-work fighting-top for masts, a precursor to the crow's nest. Combined with their smaller size and capacity for many oarsmen, these ships gave him naval superiority. After the sea battle, Somerled and Godred divided the Kingdom of Man and the Isles between them, but Godred did not accept Dugall as King of Man. Accordingly, two years later, Somerled defeated and drove Godred from power. Dugall continued as King of Man, and Somerled thus ruled the entire kingdom of Argyll, Man, and the Western Isles until his death.

It was sometime after his death that Dal Riada merged with Pictland to form the Kingdom of Alba. Several of the largest and most powerful Clans in Scotland descend from the sons of Somerled. Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald (Clann Dòmhnaill; Mac Dòmhnaill), is a Highland Scottish clan that traces its descent from Dòmhnall Mac Raghnuill, whose father Reginald or Ranald, was the second son of Somerled. Clan Donald shares descent from Somerled with Clan MacDougall, which traces its lineage to Somerled's eldest son, Dugall mac Somhairle. Their dynasties are commonly referred to as the Clann Somhairle.

In 1263 AD, Alexander III of Scotland defeated Haakon IV of Norway at the Battle of Largs. The Clan Donald chief, Aonghas Mor, and his clan had technically been vassals of Haakon, and so the king of Scots became their new overlord. Historically, the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493. During the Wars of Scottish Independence, Aongus Mor's son, Aonghus Óg of Islay, supported Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. In recognition of Clan Donald's support, King Robert the Bruce proclaimed that Clan Donald would always occupy the honoured position on the right wing of the Scottish army.

Clan MacAlister, a sect of Clan Donald, descends from Alasdair Mòr, son of Dòmhnall Mac Raghnuill, founder of Clan Donald. From Alasdair Mòr, the clan takes its surname MacAlister; this surname is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic MacAlasdair, meaning "son of Alasdair". In the 15th century, the chief of the clan was seated in Kintyre, and the clan was centred there until the 18th century. How exciting! It appears that I am a direct descendant of Angus MacAlistair, who is a direct descendant of Somerled, who, in turn, is a direct descendant of Fergus Mór, the man who founded Dal Riata and brought the Gaelic language and Christianity to Scotland.

Now we must sail from Scotland over to Ireland if we are to continue our journey into my past. My ancestors lived in Ireland for more than a thousand years before they sailed across the water to Scotland. The Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) describes how my ancestors established themselves on the Emerald Isle. The story begins on the Atlantic coast, near the border between Spain and France, when the Milesians reached northeastern Iberia (Hispania) and conquered it. There, Míl's descendant Breogán founded the city of Brigantia and built a tower atop which his son Íth glimpsed Ireland on the distant horizon. Íth sailed to the island with a group of men. Upon landing in Ireland, Íth was welcomed by its three kings: Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, and Mac Gréine. These three kings were members of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who ruled Ireland at the time. However, the initial welcome shifted quickly due to a dispute that erupted between the Tuatha De Danann and the Milesian sailors, and Íth is killed in the ensuing battle. His men subsequently returned to Iberia.

The eight sons of Íth's brother Míl (also called Míl Espáine) led an invasion force to avenge his death and take Ireland. After they land, they fight against the Tuatha Dé and make for Tara, the royal capital. On the way, they are met on three mountains by Banba, Fódla, and Ériu – the wives of Ireland's three kings. Each woman says that the Gaels will have good fortune if they name the land after her. One of the Gaels, Amergin, promises that it shall be so. At Tara, they meet the three kings, who try to defend their claim to the joint kingship of the land. They ask that there be a three-day truce, during which the Gaels must stay a distance of nine waves from land. The Gaels agree, but once their ships are nine waves from Ireland, the Tuatha Dé conjure up a great wind that prevents them from sailing back to land. However, Amergin calms the wind by reciting a verse. The surviving ships return to land. The two groups battle and eventually agree to divide Ireland between them. The Gaels take the world above, while the Tuath Dé take the world below and enter the sídhe, the ancient burial mounds that dot the Irish landscape. Amergin names the land after Ériu, thereby keeping his promise to the former Queens, and then divides the kingship between Éremon, who rules the northern half of Ireland, and Éber Finn, who rules the southern half. From Éremon, the line of descent goes to Conn Céadcathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles), who died in 157 AD, and then continues to the legendary king Fergus Mór, who founded the Kingdom of Dal Riada.

In the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland), you will also find the story of how the Milesians came to be in what would become Briganthia, on the coast of northern Iberia. The story goes that Noah had a son named Japheth. Japheth's descendants settled north of the Middle East (Greeks, Thracians, Scythians). Japheth had a son, Magog, followed by Boath, and then Fénius Farsaid. The Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is a history of Ireland and the Irish (the Gaels). It supports the Book of Genesis by asserting that all of mankind descends from Adam through the sons of Noah. The narrative then traces Noah's lineage to a Scythian king named Fénius Farsaid. According to the text, Fénius is one of 72 chieftains who built the Tower of Babel for Nimrod. His son, Nel, married Scotia, the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh during the time of Moses, and together they had a son, Goídel Glas. Over time, Goídel Glas crafts the Goidelic (Gaelic) language from the 72 languages that arose after the confusion of tongues. Eventually, Goídel's descendants, the Goidels (Gaels), leave Egypt and settle along the northern shores of the Black Sea in Scythia.

Many years later, a succession dispute arose between Refloir and Míl, two brothers descended from Goidel Glas, over the kingship of Scythia. Míl killed Refloir during the dispute and was exiled for this kin-slaying. Míl and his people, the Milesians, left Scythia and spent hundreds of years sailing from land to land. The Milesians sailed from their home on the Black Sea, up the Danube River to what is now southern Germany and northern France. Eventually, the Milesians reached northeastern Iberia (Hispania) and conquered it. There, Míl's descendant Breogán founded the city of Brigantia and built the tower atop which his son Íth glimpsed Ireland on the distant horizon.

To go any further back in time, it will be necessary to crack open a Bible. The Book of Genesis recounts the story of Adam to Noah. Genesis places Adam in Mesopotamia, near the Iran-Iraq border. Genesis also states that Noah descended from Adam through Seth and lived in this region before the Great Flood, but Noah didn't remain there. The Ark is recorded as coming to rest on Mt Ararat, located in eastern Turkey between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Noah had three sons, Japheth, Ham, and Shem, who dispersed to various regions after the flood.

I wondered if the footprints of my past, as described above, could be trusted. I mean, the Holy Bible and the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) are both considered by some to be "myth," and mistakes could be made in documents. So I underwent two separate DNA analyses to see where they would lead. The results of the two seperate DNA analyses traced the path of my DNA over many thousands of years beginning in Mesopotamia, traveling through Central Europe along the path of the Danube River, and subsequently traveling to Ireland and then Scotland, ending in North Carolina, just as the Holy Bible, the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland), and modern documentation had described. And so, it seems that is how one follows the footprints of the past all the way back to Adam.