John Alison (abt. 1719 - aft. 1783)

Born about 1719 in County Donegal, Ireland

Descendants

Died after 1783 after about age 64 in Washington, Virginia, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

John Alison was born about 1719 in County Donegal, Ireland, son of Robert Allison (~1690–>1720). His mother is unknown. John had a brother, Francis Alison (~1705–~1779)

Spouse and marriage details are unknown. He is attributed to be the father of three sons and three daughters:

• Robert Allison (1749-1826)
• John Allison (1755-1832)
• Finley Alison (1774-1833)
• Hannah Alison
• Mary Alison m. Samuel McCorkle
• Margaret Alison

John died after 1783 in the Fork Country, in what is now Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Research Notes

Relationship to Rev. Francis Alison, D.D.

John's second great grandson W. R. Sanders interviewed a number of relatives and compiled many records in his private collection. In 1972 he self-published a book entitled Genealogy of the Sanders, Alison, and Collateral Families of Sullivan & Washington Counties Tennessee. His book included various proofs that John Alison was a brother to the Rev. Francis Alison, D.D.

Among these proofs is an excerpt from Report of the Journey of the Brethren Abraham Steiner and Frederick C. De Schweinitz to the Cherokees and the Cumberland Settlements:

"The third day toward evening we crossed the Holston once more, here already quite a considerable river that flows down and over the rocks with great roaring. We found night quarters in the house of a Mr. Samuel McCorkle, a relative of the Rev. Dr. McCorkle in Salisbury, who received us in a friendly manner.
Samuel McCorkle, who derived from a Maryland family; settled in the Fork Country between the Holston and Watauga Rivers about 1790. His wife, Mary, was a niece of Rev. Dr. Francis Alison, a noted Presbyterian minister and educator of Philadelphia. A son, Rev. Dr. Francis Alison McCorkle, was a leading Presbyterian preacher of Tennessee."

Mary, the wife of Samuel McCorkle was the daughter of John Alison. As further proof of the relationship between John Alison and Rev. Francis Alison, W. R. Sanders states "A letter written by Benjamin Alison, a son of Rev. Francis Alison, D.D., under date of January 29, 1778, directed to: 'Dear Uncle John' and signed: 'Your loving nephew,' is in the files of the writer"^[1] Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened to his files at this time. Boy-41 00:23, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

The visit to the McCorkle household by the Moravian missionaries, Abraham Steiner and Friedrich C. Von Schweinitz, is also reported as follows:

Nov. 2, 1799 Toward evening we again crossed the Holston, which there was a stream of some size, and made a great noise as it rushed over the rocks. We stopped for the night at the home of a Mr. McCorkle, a relative of the Rev. Doctor McCorkle near Salisbury, who received us very courteously. He did not care to talk about anything except the recent acts of assembly. His wife entertained us with accounts of her many duties and her weariness. The place has been laid out for a new town, which as yet has no name. At present there are about eight new houses along the road.^[2]

Children

• No birth dates for the three daughters have currently been established.
• Marriage date for Mary Alison and Samuel McCorkle is potentially about 1785. Their son Francis Alison McCorkle was born in 1795.
• No marriage has been found yet for either Hannah or Margaret.
• There is a large gap between the birth years of John in 1755 and Finley in 1774. However, records do indicate they are both sons of this John Alison.

Sources

1. ↑ Sanders, W. R. Genealogy of the Sanders, Alison, and Collateral Families of Sullivan & Washington Counties Tennessee. Self-Published. Printed 1972 page 96
2. ↑ Fries, Adelaide Lisetta. “REPORT OF THE BRETHREN ABRAHAM STEINER AND FRIEDRICH CHRISTIAN VON SCHWEINITZ OF THEIR JOURNEY TO THE CHEROKEE NATION AND IN THE CUMBERLAND SETTLEMENTS IN THE STATE OF TENNESSEE FROM 28th OCTOBER TO 28th DECEMBER, 1799.” The North Carolina Historical Review 21, no. 4 (1944): 330–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23515288. Page 334 Accessed 26 Sep 2023.

• University of Pennsylvania Archives