SECOND GENERATION

2. Alexander Kirkpatrick ⁽³⁾ Fact1 Birth Records CD#17 - Extracted from Lineage Linkage Database CD#100 about 1670. He was born in 1685 in Wallaces House, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He died on 3 Jun 1758 in Mine Brook, Somerset Co., New Jersey.
Alexander Kirkpatrick was born in 1685 in Watties Neach, Dumfriesshire, S cotland. He removed with his family to Belfast, Ireland, after the bir th of his son David, in the latter part of the reign of George I. Prob ably about the year 1725, that he might enjoy greater liberty of consci ence and additional religious advantages. In the spring of 1736 he emb arked at Belfast for America. It is believed that along with his immed iate family that his four brothers travelled with him on this journey, a s they all appear in America at about the same time and in the same gen eral area. After a stormy passage of thirteen weeks landed at New Cast le, Delaware. The passengers and crew were almost starved owing to the u nexpected length of the passage. David, who was then twelve years old, s peaking of this to a grandson in after years said: " The first thing I g ot to eat after we got on shore was corn, in the state which we call ro asting ears, and without roasting or boiling I ate it till the milk of t he corn ran down both sides of my mouth, and I have never eaten anythin g since that tasted sweeter." The narrative by the grandson; "They cro ssed the Delaware at Philadelphia, and wandered up through the State of N ew Jersey (which was partially settled) till they reached Boundbrook, a nd from that they went over the mountain. This incident he (the grandf ather) used to tell me, and smile at -- they were all on foot -- there w as no road other than the Indian path. In the path before them they sa w a land tortoise, speckled, sticking up his head; and as they had hear d of 'rattlesnakes', they thought that 'monster' must be 'one'; so they t urned out in the woods and went away round leaving his 'torkleship' in f ull possession of the path. When they came to a spring of water at the s ide of what has since been called "Mine Brook," there they settled down , built a log house and went to work."

The spot was well chosen, about two miles west from the present site of B askingridge in Somerset County, New Jersey. It embraced the southern s lope of Round Mountain in a well-timbered region, with unfailing spring s of pure water, the rich meadow-land through which Mine Brook runs wit h sufficient fall of water for a mill-seat, and with these material adv antages, a charming picturesque view of the adjacent region. The sprin g of water is still there, marking the site of the original log house, a nd until within a few years could be seen the remains of the apple tree s planted by Alexander Kirkpatrick and his sons. This improvement many o f the early propriety leases required. In a lease of one hundred and t hirty seven acres, (which it may be remarked with a minor portion of wh at the family eventually obtained by title in fee simple) granted Novem ber 23, 1747, to Alexander Kirkpatrick, he agrees "to plant an orchard o f at least one apple tree for every six acres, all regular in one orcha rd, and to keep up the number planted and to keep the orchard in good f ence."

Alexander Kirkpatrick died at Mine Brook, June 3, 1758, mentioning in h is will, which was executed "in articulo mortis," his wife Elizabeth, h is sons Andrew, David, and Alexander, his son-in-law Duncan McEowen, hi s youngest daughter Mary, and his grandson Alexander.

It is worthy of notice that when he came to America with his family he w as accompanied by his brother Andrew. This brother Andrew had two sons , John and David, and two daughters, Martha, wife of Joseph Linn, and E lizabeth, wife of Stephen Roy, all of whom removed to Sussex County, an d there remained.

Alexander Kirkpatrick and Elizabeth ???-AK had the following children:

+8 i. Andrew Kirkpatrick.
+9 ii. David Kirkpatrick.
+10 iii. Alexander Kirkpatrick.
+11 iv. Jennett Kirkpatrick.
+12 v. Mary Kirkpatrick.