Volume 15 , Issue 18

Craighead & McGill Connection

Rev. Alexander Holmes Craighead (1705-1766) was the great grandfather of Samuel Geddes Craighead. Samuel married my 2nd great grand aunt, Nancy McGill (1814-1898). Craighead was also spelled "Creaghead." Alexander Craighead emigrated from Ireland as a child, arriving in Boston during the first week of October, 1714 or 1715, with his parents on the ship Thomas & Jan (William Wilson, Master) to Boston.

Rev. Alexander Holmes Craighead was born in Donegal, Ulster, Ireland 18 March 1705, coming to North America with his father, Rev. Thomas Craighead. He became the pioneering Presbyterian minister to preach West of the Susquehanna River. He was said to have antagonized some Pennsylvanians with his revolutionary views - relocating first to Hanover county, Virginia (NNE of Richmond), and other locations in the western frontier of Virginia. Finally settling in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, becoming the pastor for the Famous Sugaw (Sugar) Creek Presbyterian Church, the parent Church for a convention of churches held in Charlotte, North Carolina, in May 1775.

The idea of independence from England was endorsed by this convention, and the so-called "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence" may have originated, in part, by ideas brought to light by Rev. Alexander Craighead and the traditions of Scottish Coventers. The original of this document, however, has never been found.

Rev. Alexander Craighead preached at the Middle Octorara Church, along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, during the 1730's, continuing to move south and west to the frontiers of colonial civilization. After a stay in Augusta county, Virginia, at Windy Cove, Craighead moved to Meckelnburg county, North Carolina.

Rev. Alexander Craighead was a prolific writer and leader in his faith, publishing numerous works, and some published by Benjamin Franklin in 1743.

Rev. Craighead was a vocal critic of King George III and the Church of England. He often preached to his flock to resist threats to their independence, and he held the rights of the common man as sacred as that of kings. He was counted as the "spiritual father" of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which was allegedly written nine years after his death. Rev. Alexander Craighead died in 1766 and was buried in March of that year at the original Sugaw (often pronounced "Sugar") Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery on Craighead Road, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The "Sugar Creek Schoolhouse", "Sugar Creek Road", "Craighead Road" and the "Sugaw Creek Park" are now within the city limits of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the NNE side of the city. The name "Sugaw" reflects the name of a local Indian Tribe. Today the creek is named "Sugar Creek", but the Church is named the "Sugaw Creek Church".

Rev. Alexander Holmes Craighead was married to Agnes Brown (ca. 1734) in Pennsylvania. The dates and locations of Agnes Brown's birth and death are not known. Under the assumption that she was the mother of all the children, she may have died in Virginia, after the birth of her youngest child, Thomas Brown Craighead in 1753, but before her husband moved to North Carolina in 1756. Alexander and Agnes Brown had 8 children, the first six were daughters born in Middle Octorora, Pennsylvania; and the last two were sons born in Virginia. Alexander moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia, probably in 1749 (according to the Foote Reference) and to Sugaw Creek, North Carolina (Now Sugar Creek - a part of NE Charlotte, NC) in about 1756, shortly after Braddock's defeat.

Children of Alexander Craighead and Agnes Brown

1. Margaret Craighead, died 1775, Margaret is apparently named after Alexander Craighead's mother. Her birth date is not known, but she is now believed to be the first child born to Alexander and Agnes (Brown) Craighead. She may have been born in 1735 or 1736. Margaret married James Carruth (or Carouth), and had 5 children (Elizabeth may not be not listed in correct birthdate order): Alexander Craighead Carruth (1765-1833); Walter Carruth; born 1767; William R. Carruth (1769-1831); James Carruth (1772-1831); Elizabeth Carruth; married Major Lawson Henderson (1774-1843), on July 26, 1789, and had 14 children, one of whom was James Pinckney Henderson (1808-1858), the first Governor of Texas.
2. Mary Craighead (birth date is unknown) may have been born as early as late 1735 or in 1736, or she may have been born as late as in the 1740s. [A tombstone at the Waxhaw, SC cemetery states that a Mary Dunlap died on "Dec 5, 1796 aged 66 years." However, the interred was most probably not Mary Craighead, but Mary Margaret Beard, the last of Samuel Dunlap's wives. This Mary Craighead in not likely to have been the first or second wife of Samuel Dunlap (1715-1791). This Mary (Craighead) Dunlap is reported to have had only three children.] Mary Craighead married Samuel Dunlap but probably not the Samuel Dunlap (1715-1791), son of Alexander Dunlap of Waxhaw, SC. This Samuel Dunlap was someone else.
   
   Mary and Samuel had children: Samuel Ferguson Dunlap married Mary Crawford, daughter of Maj. Robert Crawford; Rev. E. Dunlap, a Minister in Columbia, SC; William Dunlap; William had a son, Rev. Robert Dunlap of PA, who had a son Dr. Thomas Dunlap of MS.
Agnes "Nancy" Craighead; born Mar. 17, 1740 in Octorara, PA; died Nov. 9, 1790, Waxhaw SC.; married 1st time in 1759, Rev. William Richardson (1729-1771); married 2nd time in 1772 George Dunlap (1736-1800).
3. Rachel Craighead (1742-1825). Rachel was born in Middle Octorara, PA, and died in Guilford County, NC on Jun 12, 1825. She is buried in the Buffalo Presbyterian Church in Guilford County, NC.; married in 1766, Rev. David Caldwell (1725-1824), a gradiuate pf Princeton College (D.D. 1761), and University of NC (M.D. 1810), Capt. in Am. Rev., and had 13 children, 10 of whom are known: Rev. Samuel Craighead Caldwell (1767-1824), m1. Abigail Alexander; m2. Elizabeth Lindsay.
   
   Samuel had 2 children by his first wife and 9 by his second marriage: Rev. Alexander Caldwell (1769-1841); married Sarah Davidson; Andrew Caldwell (1771-1845); James Edmond Caldwell (1772-1836), never married; Martha Caldwell; born 1775, never married.; David Caldwell, Jr.; born Oct 7, 1777; died Jul 3, 1836; married Susan Clark; Thomas Caldwell, twin to David, Jr.; John Washington Caldwell (1780-1844); married Margaret Cabe; Robert Craighead Caldwell; born 1786; m1. Maria Latta; m2. Merjora Wood Bourne; m3. Mary Claney; Patsy Caldwell (1805-1827).
4. Jane Craighead (1743-1766)married Patrick Calhoun (1754-1796). Jane was Patrick's first wife. She died in 1767 after a miscarriage of twins. Patrick's second wife, Martha Caldwell, was closely related to Rachel Craighead's husband, Rev. David Caldwell. See also James Pettigrew (1713-1786) for a remarkable coincidence. Patrick Calhoun and Martha Caldwell had a son, John Caldwell Calhoun (1782-1850) famous SC Statesman and orator, member of the U.S. Congress, and Vice President of the U.S (1825-32) under John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson.
5. Elizabeth Craighead married Alexander Crawford (1750-1839), and had 8 children: John Crawford; Jane Crawford; married ___? Davidson; James Thomas Crawford; born 1770-80 in Maury County, TN; died 1837; married on Feb 1, 1821 to Jane Brown Porter (1800-1874) in Memphis TN.
6. Alexander Craighead Crawford; born 1781; married Esther Alexander on December 20, 1808. He served under Andrew Jackson at New Orleans.
7. Margaret Renick Crawford; born May 10, 1783 in Waxhaw, SC; died Mar 27, 1867, Osford MS; married Dec 2, 1802 at Nashville TN to David Washington Porter (1782-1856)
8. Elizabeth Crawford; born 1780-90; married on January 13, 1810 to Joseph Stockhard.
9. Robert Craighead, born June 27, 1751; Robert Craighead became one of the first settlers of Knoxville, TN and built the first jail there. There is a Craighead-Jackson house in Knoxville and there was a "Craighead Cavern" now known as the "Lost Sea" tourist attraction near Knoxville. Captain Robert Craighead served in the American Revolution under General Sumpter. He was described as a "brave and excellent officer." He married Hannah Clark.
10. Rev. Thomas Brown/Benton Craighead, born 1753, Bath County, Virginia. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) in 1775 and was ordained by the Presbytery of Orange in 1780. After preaching in South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky, he moved to Nashville in 1785 when James Robertson another pioneers invited him to establish a Presbyterian church and school. He settled at Haysboro (Spring Hill), six or seven miles east of Nashville, and preached there for thirty years, establishing Davidson Academy, the cradle of the University of Nashville.
    
    Thomas Craighead preached frequently in Nashville until 1816. He was a liberal Presbyterian and believed in "free will." Such views led him into controversy with the presbyterian synod and he was suspended in 1811. He continued to preach and teach and the sentence was rescinded shortly before his death, 11 September 1824, at the age of 71 near Haysborough in Davidson County, TN. Some sources show his middle name as "Brown", including the Princeton General Catalog, where he is listed as graduating in 1775. He was the President of the Davidson Academy in Nashville, TN 1786-1806. Rev. Thomas Benton Craighead was also the founder of the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. He married Elizabeth Brown (1756-1828) in 1789. She was of Davidson County, TN. Elizabeth's parents, John Brown (1728-1803) and Margaret Preston (1728-1802).

2nd & 3rd Marriages of Rev. Alexander Holmes Craighead

Second marriage to Miss Scott (possibly, Jean Scott). It is not known if Alexander and Miss Scott had any children between them. It may be assumed that "Miss" Scott had no children by previous marriages. It has been stated that Rev. Alexander arrived in North Carolina as a widower in 1756, thus this marriage would have been a short one, perhaps from 1754-56, ending with her early death or an annulment.

Alexander's third marriage was to Jane Martin. The date of this marriage is not known, but probably took place in about in late 1764 or 1765, a few years prior to his death. It is doubtful that she had children by Alexander. It is not known whether or not she had any children from prior or subsequent spouses. She is mentioned in Alexander Craighead's will of 1765. Alexander died in 1766. It is possible, but not known, that Jane's father was a Mr. Martin, who is mentioned in the Foote reference as the person who was supposed to "install" Alexander Craighead at Rocky River (Sugar Creek NC) in 1758, but was not able to travel to do so, thus Alexander was installed by his son-in-law, Rev. Richardson, instead.

Rev. Alexander Craighead's principal legacy was to instill among the people of his congregations a fierce determination to resist the imposition of unwanted authority from outside the community, especially from the State capital in New Bern or from London.   |  View or Add Comments (1 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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