Adam Alexander (1728 - 1798)

Born 28 Sep 1728 in Cecil, Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Shelby) Alexander — married 4 Aug 1752 in Somerset, Maryland

Descendants

Died 13 Nov 1798 at age 70 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

Adam Alexander was a Maryland colonist.

Col. Adam Alexander performed Patriotic Service in North Carolina in the American Revolution.

Adam Alexander married Mary Shelby. He was the son of William Alexander and Agnes Alexander and the brother of Isabel Alexander who married Mary’s brother, Moses. They were married 04 Aug 1752 in Somerset County, Maryland. He was born 28 Apr 1728 in Cecil County, Maryland, and died 13 Nov 1798 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.^[1] They are both buried in the Rock Springs Graveyard, near Charlotte, North Carolina.^[2]

Adam Alexander was one of the original signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. ^[3] Talk of freedom from British rule was prevalent in Mecklenburg County in the spring of 1775. A committee of citizens drew up a document known as the Mecklenburg Resolves on May 31, 1775. They reorganized their local government and declared themselves "independent of the Crown of Great Britain." This document was published in the North Carolina Gazette in New Bern on June 16, 1775.

Adam served as a delegate to the Catawba Nation. He owned a store and a mill, as well as a home in another location. Justice of the Peace, member of the Mecklenburg County Court and Elder of Clear Creek Presbyterian Church were just some of the titles given him during his lifetime.^[4]

After Adam's death, when the debate began over whether the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence existed, his son, Isaac, who was 19 years old in 1775, certified to the State Legislature team investigating the document that he was present in Charlotte on May 19th and 20th, 1775, and that the men known as the “signers” met to take action and withdraw their allegiance from the King of Great Britain.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ History of Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, from 1740 to 1903, By Daniel Augustus Tompkins, page 18
2. ↑ The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and Lives of its Signers by Dr. George W. Graham
3. ↑ Wikipedia:Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
4. ↑ King, Victor C. Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC, 1956.
5. ↑ King, Victor C. Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC, 1956.

See also:

• https://www.cmstory.org/

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11017435/adam-alexander : accessed 01 April 2022), memorial page for Col Adam Alexander (28 Sep 1728–13 Nov 1798), Find A Grave: Memorial #11017435, citing Rocky Spring Meeting House Burial Ground, Mint Hill, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA ; Maintained by William Clifford (contributor 46571687) .
• Patriot Leaders of North Carolina
• UNC.edu: Roster of Adam Alexander's company of the Mecklenburg County Militia no author, June 07, 1766, Volume 22, Pages 395-396