The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-11-16
Historical Researches that Quilp
made as Bohemian.
General History Of thu Cuunty from the
Middle Of the Last Century till the
Revolutionary War.
CHATTER NNNtII.

EMIGRATION To WESTERN PESSsYL-
vASIA-srArE OF soCIETY-MuHpER OF
HuGH NAHArFEY his TOMB sToHE-
SINGULAR INSCRIPTION on TOMB STONES.
We w!li now resume the history Of
the Presbyterian settlers. many Of whose
ancestors had been driven bv the per-
Secution, before referred 10. from Scot
land 10 Ireland, where they found IL
home for few wears: but which they
We're afterwards obliged To abandon for
another one IN the wilderness Of this
. and the adjoining counties When
their farms became impoverished bv a
lew years cultivation. in order to better
their condition and 10 enjoy more
genial climate, MANY Of them emigrnted
To the fertile valleys of the Carolinas
and Virginia.
This was the case with many of the
Alcxanders and others Of New Nuns.
ter, who. about the wear l1!6. emf
grated 10 M"cklcnburg county. North
Carolina Those OF them that first set
tied there were joined from time to time
10y others of the same family till. it is
said, they were at the time Of the com
menccment of the Revolutionary War
the most numerous people of one name
IN that county Among the other fam
HES that emigrated from this county to
North Carolina, where manv of them
aud their descendants afterwards dis
tlngu:Shcd themselves hv the active part
tbpv fnnL in i. H. g Il. D. 1
terrain church and the Revolutionary
struggle, were the PuikS Brcvgrds.
and very probably the Pattuns and
"ther>,-members of whose families
were active participants in the conven-
tion that prumulgat the Mecklcnhurg
Declaration Of Independence, in l175.
Abraham Alexander was president of
that convention, and John Mex nit
Alexander was lis secretary Doctor
Ephraim Brevard was chairman Of the
committee which drafted the Declara-
non. He was probably son of the
John Brcvard who was one of the
Elders OF the Broad Greek church. in
this county. John Mel nit Alexander
was born in Cecil county. aud went to
North Carolina in 1854, when he was
Il years Of age He was tailor by
trade, but became a surveyor, aud was
one of the leading patriots in his adopt
ed Stale in the trying times of the
Revolutionary War, when it was over
run by the British army and many pro-
te@sed patriots became traitors
Three others Of the Alexander family
We're signers Of the Mecklcnburg Dec
laration. rs was also Col Thomas Polk,
a grand uncle of President James X
Polk. whose father is believed 10 have
emigratcd from this county aud settled
IN North Carolina.
There Il some reason 10 believe that
til" father of President Andrew Jack
son was among the number of those
who c'nigratcd to North Carolina Ira
1ilion SAYS that he lived in an old log
house that stood near the head of Per-
s.mmon run, just east Of Cowantown.
IN the Fourth district. and tina, he went
with large number OF other emigrants
from this county few wears anterior
10 the Revolutionary War The old
house in which he lived. owing 10 the
fact that ill., walls were not perpendicu-
lar, was called the Bendv House =
The place where it stood was long re-
memhercd and vcneratcd bv the old
residents Of the neighhorhood. on ac-
count Of tradition connecting il with
the parents Of the hero Of New Orleans.
The cmigrants from this county were
the founders Of the seven PRESBYTERIAN
churches that existed i'll Merk'rnburg
county, in lIJl: and 50 great was the
intcre- taken 10y the Ireshy,crr of New
Castle in The spiritual welfare Of these
churches, and others in thai part of the
Stale. that they frequently sent their
ministers there To preach the gospel TO
thcm,-the other members OF the Pres
byterv supplying The pulpits Of the
missionaries during their absence.
The Rev. John McCrcrv. during the
latter part of his Passionate at Head Of
Chri>tiana. Is said In have been absent
from his charge, in the latter part Of his
life. engaged in missionary labor of this
kind one-tuurth of his time Once. when
on visit tn his old pari>hioners in
North Carolina. hr was taken sick and
remained there for nine months.
We mention in this connection "a an
interesting historical fact. that Doctor
David Ramsay, the author of history
Of the American Rcvoiution.-a copy
OF which may be seen in the library Of
Hon. Alexander Evans though not Il
native Of this county, at one time yrac-
tited medicine in it, and was one of the
large number of eminent men who emf
grated from Cecil county to South
Carolina
1t was probably few years after the
emigration To North Carolina began
that a similar one commenced from this
region To the country west of the Ale
ghanv mountains, and many of The emf
grants settled along the Ohio river and
It's tributaries in southwestern Pcnnsyl-
wanna aud northwestern Virginia The
existence of the strong PRESBYTERIAN
element that has always pervaded So
cletv in that section of country is read
ilv traccabie To the early PRESBYTERIAN
churches whose history j., a. we have
seen, so closely blended with the early
history of this county.
The Rev. James Finley, then pastor
Of the Rock church visited the West.
a. it was then called in 1863. He is
said to have been the first preacher
Except those who had been there as
chaplains of the armv) that did So Mr..
Finley was accompanied upon his first
visit by Philip Tanner, who was one of
the Elders of the Rock church. Their
object was To see the country. Some
wears after this the SYNOD of Philadel-
phia sent Mr. Finley To western Penn
>ylvania a. a missionary While there
upon one of these visits, he purchased
a farm in Fayette county. Pa, aud in
lIT2. placed his son Ebcnczer. then a
youth of fourteen wears of age, in charge
of it. These cmigrants, and others of
the same class from the southern parts