Harry ALEXANDER - Family Details

Harry (Henry?) Alexander (bef. 1717 - bef. April 1793)

Information from personal letters written by Harry ALEXANDER indicate that he was born in Scotland, probably before 1717. However, an entry in the LDS International Genealogical Index places his birth in Antigua, while another entry gives his birthplace as Jamaica. He is described as "Of Mains Menstrie" (in Scotland) in Vere L. Oliver's "The History of the Island of Antigua", published by Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1894. Whatever the case, Harry ALEXANDER was in Antigua by 1747 when he married Lydia MARTIN there on 12 March 1747 in St. John's parish.

Harry's parentage isn't known, but family stories state that he claimed to be the nephew of the fifth Earl of Stirling. This claim is documented in John Roche DASENT's book "A West Indian Planter’s Family – Its Rise and Fall", privately published in England in 1909. Harry ALEXANDER is mentioned on page 23, as follows:

"Harry ALEXANDER, of Montrose Estate, first President of the Council of the island, who claimed to be the nephew of the fifth Earl of Stirling, and possibly heir to the title then..."

A letter in the manuscript collection of the Aberdeen University Library in Aberdeen, Scotland reveals further information about the above claim. In late 1759, Harry ALEXANDER attempted to pursue a claim to the title of Earl of Stirling. This 1759 letter indicates that Harry ALEXANDER had recently made a trip to Scotland, visiting Aberdeen and Edinburgh. It was most likely during his trip that he learned of the bestowing of the title on William ALEXANDER, of New York, who would later become an American hero during the Revolutionary War. William ALEXANDER laid claim to the title on March 24, 1759, before a jury in Edinburgh. (Note: Three years later, the House of Lords in England ruled that he had not sufficiently stated his claim and could not assume the title. That did not stop him from calling himself Lord Stirling until his death.)

Another letter in the same collection, but dated 1752, names Harry ALEXANDER's three brothers, as John, James and Alexander/Sandy. This letter states that Alexander "Sandy" ALEXANDER, is going to the coast of Guinea (West Africa) in December of 1753. The letter was addressed to Alexander LEITH of Glenkindie, Scotland, who is identified as a cousin of Harry ALEXANDER. The source of this information is "Leith of Freefield and Glenkindie Papers", Aberdeen University Library (MS. 2849/1 and MS. 2849/3).

Harry ALEXANDER's relation to Charles ALEXANDER of Antigua and London and William ALEXANDER of Antigua, St. Vincent, Trinidad and London, are being researched for family connections. While the first speculation was that the three were brothers, the letters cited above do not mention them as such. William ALEXANDER is not mentioned in the letters, but Charles ALEXANDER is called only "a friend".

Lydia MARTIN's family lineage is well documented on Antigua and back to Ireland. However, her mother's maiden name isn't yet known, and therefore that half of her family tree is not yet researched. Her father was Josiah MARTIN and her mother is named only as Elizabeth, widow of CHESTER, in her marriage record to Josiah MARTIN. Lydia (MARTIN) ALEXANDER died in St. Vincent in July 1771. She was buried there on 08 July 1771.

The first few decades of Harry ALEXANDER's life are so far undocumented. On page 4 of Vere L. Oliver's "The History of the Island of Antigua....", he is listed as a "Gentleman" in 1758 and 1763. The book also details a 1758 indenture between Harry ALEXANDER (identified as a "Planter") and Charles ALEXANDER and his wife Bisse (née HAMILTON) for the grants of "those 3 negro slaves, Bessy and her 2 children, Johnny and James....to the only proper use of Harry ALEXANDER and his heirs for ever".

Since St. Vincent opened up for English settlers in 1763, it is suspected to be the year after which Harry ALEXANDER moved his family there. He is the ALEXANDER listed as one of the original purchasers of estates in St. Vincent. In a 1777 letter to British Secretary of State Lord George GERMAIN, Harry ALEXANDER states that he was the first person to purchase land on St. Vincent. The name ALEXANDER is listed with Lots 110/111 for a total of 465 acres comprising "Redemption" and "Liberty Lodge". He is also to believed to have owned Montrose Estate. Harry ALEXANDER was certainly in St. Vincent by 1772 during the first Carib War. A newspaper article from The Virginia Gazette of 14 January 1773 identifies him as Colonel Harry ALEXANDER and details a battle which took place on 03 October 1772 during the first Carib War.

There are references in some early St. Vincent records to "Henry ALEXANDER's Estate". This is assumed to be Harry ALEXANDER's formal name, while "Harry" was a more familiar nickname by which he was better known. However, since he has only been found in 99% of records as Harry ALEXANDER, it's possible that old handwriting of his name looks like Henry rather than Harry.

In July 1776, during the American Revolution, Harry Alexander left St. Vincent and immigrated to West Florida, locating in what is now present-day Louisiana in the United States. On page 69 of Robin F. A. Fabel's "The Economy of British West Florida, 1763-1783", the author states:

"The flight of settlers there who were looking to escape the tumult of revolution enormously increased the price of land in St. Vincent. Harry ALEXANDER, a middle-aged man of substance who had lived in St. Vincent for years, was a judge, a councillor, and the employer of twenty-five servants and slaves. Fearing that he could not provide land for his eight children on St. Vincent, he immigrated to West Florida. Clearly moved by economic considerations, he abandoned what was generally considered (quite wrongly, as it turned out) a refuge." [The original source for the information on Harry ALEXANDER's immigration to British West Florida is CO5/634, Council Minutes for 26 December 1776. CO 5 refers to the Colonial Office records housed in the National Archives/Public Record Office in Kew, England and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, USA.]

On page 49 of Fabel's book, Harry ALEXANDER is again mentioned as owning "between twenty and thirty slaves". The original source of this information is also CO5/634, as stated above.

Further proof that Harry ALEXANDER was a prominent individual on St. Vincent is found in the marriage records of two of his daughters, where he is called, "the Honorable Harry ALEXANDER", which likely notes his position on His Majesty's Council for the island. As noted above, in John Roche Dasent's book "A West Indian Planter’s Family – Its Rise and Fall", on page 23, he is described as the "first President of the Council of the island". Along with his council post and military duties, Harry ALEXANDER also owned sugar estates. It's not yet known where Harry ALEXANDER died. His death is believed to have occurred in late 1792 or early 1793, based on a newspaper notice in the Times of London in April 1793 regarding any creditor's claims to his estate. His children were:

1) Charles ALEXANDER, born 1748 - 1752 in Antigua. Married Elizabeth, maiden name unknown, before 1779 in St. Vincent. Children: Harry Charles C. ALEXANDER and Susannah Lydia ALEXANDER, both died in infancy in St. Vincent.

2) Jane ALEXANDER, born 13 June 1752 in Antigua. Married 06 August 1774 to Herbert Palmer COX in St. Vincent. She died after 1792 in St. Vincent, burial location unknown. Her children were: Lydia Prisca (twin with Margaret Jane) COX, Margaret Jane (twin with Lydia Prisca) COX, John George COX, Harry Palmer COX (see below), Francis James COX, Anne Elizabeth COX, Paul Greathead COX, and Douglas Leith COX.

Note: All of the COX children above have christening records in St. Vincent, with the exception of John George COX. Also, some researchers list additional sons of James COX, Herbert Palmer COX and an additional daughter of Frances Lydia COX. At least two of those names are confirmed as children of John George COX in St. Vincent christening records, but no record on a James COX is known. Frances Lydia COX is also seen as Frances Lydia Palmer COX in some researcher's notes. The explanation for this is that some researchers were incorrect in thinking her last name was hyphenated as Palmer-Cox, likely because of her grandfather's name of Herbert Palmer COX. To further complicate matters, these same researchers have her as the daughter to Herbert rather than the grand-daughter.

Additionally, there is a suspected Harry Palmer COX listed in the burial records of St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Kingstown, St. Vincent as Harry PALMER, who was buried 30 December 1780. His parents are listed as Herbert and Jane, his wife. His last name being listed as PALMER is a suspected transcription error and that he was in fact, Harry Palmer COX.

3) Lydia ALEXANDER, born about 1756 in Antigua. Married 30 January 1772 to Thomas HACKSHAW, Honorable, Esq. in St. Vincent. After his death in 1782 she remarried in 1801 in England to Alexander Burrowes IRWIN. Her children with Thomas HACKSHAW were: Lydia HACKSHAW, Harry HACKSHAW, George (twin with Thomas) HACKSHAW and Thomas (twin with George) HACKSHAW. Her children with Alexander Burrowes IRWIN were: Henry Bury IRWIN, Charlotte Martha IRWIN and Harriet Frances IRWIN.

4) Anne Charlotte ALEXANDER, born 1752 - 1762 in Antigua. Married 17 April 1777 to Dr. James FALSIDE in St. Vincent. After his 1780 death, she married 06 March 1783 to Andrew ROSS, a surgeon. She had one child with her first husband; Margaret Ann FALSIDE. With her second husband, she had the following children: Elizabeth Jane ROSS, John Herbert ROSS, Ann ROSS, Henry James ROSS, and Georgiana Pauline ROSS.

5) Elizabeth ALEXANDER, born bef. 1769 in Antigua or St. Vincent. Married 09 June 1789 to Alexander ANDERSON, Esq., the Director of His Majesty's Botanic Gardens. They had at least one daughter; Elizabeth/Eliza ANDERSON, who married John Pemberton ROSS.

6) Harry ALEXANDER, Jr., born 1753 - 1762 in Antigua. Was with his father in New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) in 1781 and 1782. Might have settled in Jamaica.

7) Daughter ALEXANDER, born 1753 - 1762 in Antigua.

8) Son ALEXANDER, born 1753 - 1762 in Antigua.


Possible son, not confirmed:
John ALEXANDER born 1748 - 1768 in Antigua or St. Vincent. Marriage information not known. Buried 29 November 1839 in St. Vincent. Might have been father to John ALEXANDER (Merchant), who married Maria MARGETT/HARGETT, and grandfather to their son Edward ALEXANDER, christened 27 December 1828 in St. Vincent.

William Alexander

This individual could be the brother or son of Harry ALEXANDER. A William ALEXANDER is listed in Vere L. Oliver's "The History of the Island of Antigua....", published by Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1894 as "Gentleman" of Antigua in 1763. A will record from the Public Record Office in England exists for William ALEXANDER of St. Vincent. His will was first made when he was leaving the island for Trinidad and codicils were added when he later journeyed to England, where he died around 1830. The will copy is extremely difficult to read but it mentions a sister, Elizabeth A. ROSE, and a daughter, Susanna Louisa STRATTEN, wife of Robert STRATTEN. The name of Walter CONINGHAM, an apparent business associate in St. Vincent is also readable.

He is likely the "Mr. Alexander" referred to as "the Treasurer", of St. Vincent in November 1807 in Charles Shephard's "History of the Island of Saint Vincent", published in London in 1831.

Charles Alexander

This individual is named as a "friend" of Harry ALEXANDER in a letter dated 1752. Vere L. Oliver's "The History of the Island of Antigua....", published by Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1894 has this information on a Charles ALEXANDER: Charles ALEXANDER, 1758 and 1763 of Great Britain, merchant. In 1762 of London, merchant. Lieut. 1736, Captain in Army 1752. Married 2nd wife before 10 June 1763. The book states Charles' first wife was Bisse/Biss HAMILTON, daughter of Colonel John HAMILTON of Antigua, and his wife Margaret. He married second on 15 May 1762 in London, to Margaret GAMBLE, the widow of Samuel WATKINS, former Chief Justice of Antigua.

Thomas Alexander

This individual could be related to Harry Alexander. He also might not have ever lived in Antigua. Vere L. Oliver's "The History of the Island of Antigua....", published by Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1894 has this information on a Thomas ALEXANDER: Thomas ALEXANDER of Harrow, Esq. Married Elizabeth, widow of Joseph HAWKINS of Antigua and Belmont near Uxbridge. Will dated 30 November 1786. The book states that Thomas ALEXANDER was living in 1798. According to the LDS website's IGI, this Thomas ALEXANDER was born about 1769 in St Marylebone Parish, London, England. An IGI entry states that Thomas ALEXANDER and Elizabeth HAWKINS (born about 1773) were married in that parish on 13 December 1794. The IGI has birth records for at least four of their children: Caroline ALEXANDER, John ALEXANDER, Sophia ALEXANDER, and Elizabeth ALEXANDER.

Other Alexander's
There are several other ALEXANDER's named in the early records of St. Vincent, and are all possible relatives of the ALEXANDER's on this page. Further information on these "other" ALEXANDER's will be added soon.

Harry ALEXANDER Letter 3 to Alexander LEITH

The letter profiled on this page was written by Harry ALEXANDER in Antigua, to his cousin Alexander LEITH, of Freefield & Glenkindie, in Scotland in 1759. The letter totals two pages, and provides a fair amount of family information. Click the thumbnail images below to enlarge the letter pages for reading or printing.

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE LETTER The transcription below is not 100% complete. There are some words that were not deciphered, and some which could only be guessed. Some areas of special interest are highlighted. Alexander Leith Esqr. Antigua July 20th 1759. Dr Sir I have wrote you a long Letter of this Days Date __ [for?] the Ship Antigua planter but have only time to Copy the following part of it, which I Do for fear of an Accident to that Vesel that I may have two Chances of Your hearing from Me, Viz. My good Friend, Isaac THIBOU Esqr. of this Island, Sensible of the friendly interesting part You was pleased to Offer in regard to the Compleating his Sons Education, Walter & James at Aberdeen, which for their sake & for the Credit of the place _______ wish thoroughly Complete, has done himself the pleasure to write You by this Opportunity & prays the favour of You to be so good to take them under your kind Inspection & to place them with my Cousin professor REID or with any other person that you may think fitt for the purpose Intended the Improvement of their Studies; Mr. THIBOU has wrote fully to you himself upon this subject, it Remains only for me to tell You that your care & friendship to those Young Gentlemen, being the Sons of my particular Friend will be Esteemed by me the same as if done to my own Children & that you will likewise Confer the highest Obligation upon their worthy parents, who you may Depend will thankfully Answer all Your Engagements in their Sons Account for the better & more Effectual prosecution of their Studies; I have wrote by this Opportunity to my Cousin Mr. REID & You must make a point with him to take the THIBOU's under his Particular Tuition for I shall very much Interest myself in their proving the advantage of their Removal to him, for anything more particular I refer You to Mr. THIBOU's letter. I am so Extremely sensible of Your Humanity Friendship & Attachment to me that I assure my friends here you'l take a pleasure in the Opportunity of serving Me by Your regard to the Mr. THIBOU's & that you'l see that the Utmost pains is taken of the Compleating their Education & as there is none more Capable than Mr. REID as Do I assure myself of his particular attachment to these young Gentlemen on your Acct & Mine, for as they have the prospect of Affluent Fortunes in this Country I am anxious to have their Understanding Suitable, that parents here May have a proper Opinion of the Education at our Universitys, which may prove very useful & Beneficial to our Country. I have now only room left to entreat of You to Remember Me with the Warmest Affection to my Sisters, Janet & Betty, when, You have any Convenient Opportunity; If I live I propose Doing some little thing for them. I am not able to write to them nor any of my Friends by this Conveyance as I am excessively Distressed with hurry of Business of my own & many other Peoples & have been so ever Since my Return, Yet I pray You will not let them think I have a heart Susceptible of ungratefull Remembrance, I assure You that my very soul abhors it; Within your sphere lies the Lovely Family of Towy & that kind affectionate House of ACHENDORE, & Baily DINGWALL whose Curtisy to me I cannot forget & the good Sense & Affability of his Lady, I admire & if I had a second Heart the Angel would have rob'd me of it. May God Bliss You & all yours every Day increase & long preserve to you that Essential Happiness you so imminently possess in one of the best of Wives, to whom, with truth, I offer my best Love & with the utmost Sincerity I ever shall remain, my Dear Sir, your most Affectionate Cusin & Obliged humble Servant, while. Harry Alexander P. S. Mr. William LUMSDEN is very well; I have settled him on the Estate of John Otto BAYER Esqr, with my Cousin Mr. McSWEEN at sixty pounds for the first year; My Compliments to his Mother & tell her if he Behaves well I'll Dobetter for him. Mr. McSWEEN prays his Compliments to You & your Lady; mine to Mr. LUMSDEN the Lawyer I have not forget the Business he put into my Hands I have __ note of hand Recoverable next Year, Better I ___ not make of it; for if I had not managed the matter this Gently he ____ have pleased ___ Age, by which the Debt would have been Altogether lost; Now it is Established if he lives. I wish your young ward, Wa___, would take a fancy to the Angel, I think he promises being a good Youth & he is sure of a Clear Estate of full Twelve hundred pounds Sterling per Annum; I write this under the Rose (?) my paper obliges me to bid you adieu. A copy of a part of my Letter ___ Antigua Planter, Thomas GLADMAN (?) ______. Antigua July 25th 1759 Dr Sir I observe there is a Gentleman has Claimed & Proved himself the heir to the Title & honours of Sterling; When I was at home, both at Aberdeen & Edinburgh, I was by several people told that Achmull, whom I now Represent, was the nearest male Heir of that Family & that Achmull in his Life time had always valued himself as such & Declared that only the Narrowness of his Fortune prevented his taking the title. I shall think myself vastly obliged to you to take pains to find out (our?) people to inform you was only of this, for if I have any such Right, as it might one Day serve a Rising Family, I would spend a (?) thousand guineas in the support of it, or more money, & I would immediately lodge the Money in your Hands for that purpose. Let me beg of You to sound this matter thoroughly for me, without much being said about it, It is obvious to me from the testimony I have in my Hands that We were a Family of some Repute as far back as the Creation of that Earldome. I'm sure You'l find persons who can give You some light into this matter, Avoiding those who may be Biased to the other side. I am my Dear Sir, Yr. Ever Affect. Cousin & Obedt. Sert. Harry Alexander To: Alexander Leith Esqr. of Freefield

NOTES: Isaac THIBOU was a planter in Antigua. Walter & James were his sons. Professor REID might be the renowned Thomas REID, a well-known Scottish educator of the time period. House of Achendore information is unknown. [Could be Auchindoir?] Baily [Baillie] DINGWALL is likely a title and surname. It could be John DINGWALL, who was a magistrate/baillie in Aberdeen in the 1750's and later. William LUMSDEN could be related to James LUMSDEN, Harry's brother-in-law, who was referred to in Letter 1. John Otto BAYER was a planter in Antigua. The identity of Mr. McSWEEN is unknown. Harry mentions the name Achmull, and says "whom I represent", yet speaks of another person who claimed ties to the Earl of Stirling. Is Achmull a location or a family/clan? This will take further research to figure out.

Harry ALEXANDER: Book Notes

The following citations are from books (and other sources) which mention Harry ALEXANDER by name in reference to his life in British West Florida.

Each book (or other source) is noted as the SOURCE after each citation.

Harry ALEXANDER is named as one of several large slaveholders in the province of British West Florida. On page 46 of the book referenced below, it states that Harry ALEXANDER arrived in the province with between twenty and thirty slaves. The footnoted source of this information is listed as CO5/634, Council Minutes for 26 December 1776. [NOTE: CO5 refers to Colonial Office 5, a series of documents relating to British West Florida.] SOURCE: "The Economy of British West Florida, 1763-1783" by Robin F. A. FABEL

Harry ALEXANDER is mentioned as having written a letter in 1779 to Major-General John CAMPBELL in British West Florida, "for and in the name of all Inhabitants of the Settlement" of Baton Rouge expressing appreciation for the defensive stand of the English troops and assuring continued confidence in General CAMPBELL for his efforts in behalf of the province." SOURCE: "Major-General John CAMPBELL in British West Florida" by George C. OSBORN. THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY, Volume XXVII, April 1949, Number 4. Page 328. [NOTE: The letter itself is sourced: Harry ALEXANDER to CAMPBELL, September 21, 1779.]

In 1778, the American James WILLING staged a raid on English interests in the area between present-day Natchez, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Harry ALEXANDER's property was in the area, somewhere in the vicinity of present-day Pointe Coupeé parish. Three sources have been found which give details of what happened and how Harry ALEXANDER was affected: SOURCE 1: "The motivation behind the proclamation was of little concern to the Englishmen fleeing the Americans. Some of the English sought refuge out of fear for their lives. Such was the case with Henry STUART, a person named ALEXANDER, and Alexander ROSS. STUART 'had a very narrow escape being obliged to fly in his shirt to the Spanish Fort at Manchac.' The rebels offered a reward for STUART to the corporal at Spanish Fort, but he refused the bribe. One witness reported that if the rebels caught ALEXANDER he 'was to have been cut into a hundred pieces' and that 'Alexander ROSS will be flayed alive if they catch him.' [27] Footnote 27 footnote info states: "Alexander ROSS to STUART, Mar. 5, 1778, BHP, 989, reel 5; Donald CAMBEL to John STUART, Mar. 5, 1778, C. O. 5/79; [?] to John CAMBEL, Mar. 1, 1778, BHP, 968, reel 5. The reward for STUART was variously estimated, from $500 to $1,000. The ALEXANDER referred to is probably Harry ALEXANDER who had lands on the Mississippi, but it is possible that it was William or George ALEXANDER." SOURCE1: "Tories, Dons, and Rebels: The American Revolution in British West Florida" by J. Barton STARR. Chapter titled "The Late Rascally Transaction of Mr. Willing". Page 90. SOURCE 2: Another source recounts the above incident in a similar but identifies Harry ALEXANDER outright: Rumor had it that the Americans planned to slice Harry ALEXANDER “into a hundred pieces” and to flay Alexander ROSS alive when they captured him. Fortunately both men remained a step in front of WILLING’s band. Although [William] DUNBAR and the other victims refused to admit it at the time, WILLING was not completely indiscriminate in his choice of victims to plunder. Those known to be sympathetic to the American cause were spared the same fate met by those who were outspoken British partisans. SOURCE2: "Mississippi and the American Revolution", by Robert V. HAYNES, as found in the pamphlet Mississippi July 4, 1976, the Mississippi Celebration of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution." SOURCE 3: In regards to this incident, and the fact that the Spanish Governor of Louisiana granted him and others refuge, Harry ALEXANDER wrote to Don Bernardo de GALVEZ that "It is our duty to proclaim to all the world.....the Beneficient part which you have so generously and Seasonably taken." Thirty six others attached their names or marks to a letter expressing "very gratefull thanks for the Succor you have had the goodness to afford us." SOURCE3: Harry ALEXANDER to Galvez. March 15, 1778, copy in A. G. I., Audiencia de Santo Domingo, 2596.

Harry ALEXANDER is named as the seller in two slave sales from May 2, 1780 in New Orleans, Louisiana. On that day he sold two male slaves for 1600 Spanish pesos each to Etiene BORE. This is likely the same as Etienne BORE, who was later a mayor of New Orleans. The slaves were identified as "Malborough", age 26 and "Keneday", age 25. Both were further described as carpenters who were "mulatto rouge." The original documents are in Spanish. SOURCE: http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=12979 and http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=12978

NOTE: The information below involves another individual from St. Vincent, namely William WALKER. Harry ALEXANDER is mentioned in a lawsuit recorded in the Spanish Judicial Records of Louisiana for the year 1781. The case was filed on February 15, 1781 as "Evan JONES and James JONES vs. William WALKER." The JONES' were seeking to recover 1927 pesos, 7 1/2 reales the Spanish equivalent of 1500 milled dollars, which defendant WALKER promised to pay on December 6, 1776, as the purchase price of 500 acres of land in English Pointe Coupee/West Florida on the Mississippi River opposite French Pointe Coupee. The obligation was claimed to have been executed in Baton Rouge before English Judges Daniel HICKEY and Francisco [Francis] PONSET. Harry ALEXANDER is mentioned several times in the petition as follows: 1) "It is alleged that Harry ALEXANDER, now in New Orleans, has property in his possession belonging to the defendant (WALKER) sufficient to meet this debt. By the wording of this section, it appears that WALKER is not presently in the area. The prayer is that ALEXANDER be ordered to answer whether he has such property and for execution against defendant for the full amount of 1927 pesos, 7 1/2 reales, and for court costs. 2) ALEXANDER was ordered to appear before the court within six days. He appointed Francisco BROUTIN to represent him, and challenged the debt. 3) In testimony, Evan/Estevan JONES states that "he made demand for payment of the obligation to William WALKER's agents, Messrs. ALEXANDER and POUSSET." James/Santiago JONES testifies that "he has heard by word of mouth from Mr. WALKER's agents, ALEXANDER and POUSSET, confirmed by them in letters, that they have not paid the obligation for want of funds, although the terms were completed. WALKER had given them some bills of exchange without endorsing them." 4) Francisco BROUTIN filed an answer for ALEXANDER it which he says it should be noted that "while ALEXANDER appears in his own name, he is defending for his principal, WALKER. 5) ALEXANDER was ordered to remodel his plea to some form of Spanish law, and is warned by the Alcalde that he "must answer within one day without any more 'representations'." ALEXANDER then "filed an answer protesting against the action of the Alcalde and the treatment he has received in the Spanish courts as he is a lawyer and consequently he is entitled to more respect than he has received." 6) Mention is made of letters from WALKER dated Saint Vincent on November 4, 1777 and Manchac (near Baton Rouge, Louisiana), on December 4, 1776. Another letter is from "Harry ALEXANDER and Francis PONSET as attorneys for William WALKER dated 'Richmond February 8, 1778'." [Note: Richmond might be the name of a British fort near Baton Rouge]. 7) In testimony, James/Santiago JONES is asked if he wrote a letter on October 20, 1778 to Harry ALEXANDER, seeking advice about the case. JONES answers that he wrote to ALEXANDER to request payment and not advice. JONES states further that he "transmitted to Harry ALEXANDER, as a lawyer all the documents that he had thinking they were titles in good form to be examined by him so as to conclude the affair", and that he understood ALEXANDER, was only an agent for WALKER. JONES goes on to say that "the said deeds were explained in detail by ALEXANDER as a man skilled in law and then he offered to put his advice in writing for them as a lawyer"...but that "they never consulted him as a lawyer"...and only as a debtor. 8) Mention is made that William WALKER appointed Harry ALEXANDER, Phillip COMMEYNS and Francis POUSSET as his agents while he was in Saint Vincent, in the matter of his freehold estate on the banks of the river opposite Pointe Coupee, called Melville Plain containing 1,000 acres of land and also a tract on Thompson's Creek running through to the plains containing 2750 acres and another tract of about 500 acres on the English side of Pointe Coupee, adjoining Phillip COMMEYNS which is more than he can at present cultivate and improve and it is his wish to settle on the Plains on his return from Saint Vincent. 9) In WALKER's testimony he states that he knows Harry ALEXANDER "has practiced as a lawyer but it does not seem clear if he was qualified one or not, and added that he thought he has been President of the Court of St. Vincent during eleven years and it occurs to him that he could not exercise this function without holding his patents of lawyer that belong to the office." SOURCE: Index to Spanish Judicial Records of Louisiana, XXXVII. February, 1781. February 15, 1781, No. 3497. 146 pp. Court of Alcaldes Jacinto PANIS, Josef LeBRETTON, Francisco Maria REGGIO, Assessor, Postigo. Escribanos, L. MAZANGE, Fernando RODRIGUEZ. [Note: These documents are in Spanish, Evan JONES is recorded as "Estevan", James JONES, as "Santiago", and William WALKER, as "Guillermo."

"At Pointe Coupée, a Mr. ALEXANDER, who had escaped with his slaves, said that WILLING intended, with few exceptions, to plunder every English plantation that had anything of value and that he had a list of those to be given special treatment. DUNBAR, WILLIAMS, and POUPPET were among those on the list." [NOTE: Footnoted source given as Eron ROWLAND "Life, Letters and Papers of William Dunbar, 60 - 63. One wonders if "Pouppet" was the same as the Francis POUSSET elected to the first West Florida Assembly.] "One of the most interesting of the cases to be judged during the administration of Commandant FAVROT was the case of Marie GLASS, a mulatto, who was tried for murder. This crime, in which a fifteen-year-old white girl was tortured to death, was committed in the District of Baton Rouge in 1779. FAVROT worked closely with Judge Harry ALEXANDER, a British judge, who submitted depositions from different people in the case. Reports were made in three languages -- French, English, and Spanish. FAVROT permitted the case to be tried before three British judges and three jurors". SOURCE: "A History of Baton Rouge 1699 - 1812". By Rose MEYERS. Page 34 & Page 50. [Note: "Trial of Mary GLASS for Murder, 1780,"Louisiana Historical Quarterly, VI (October, 1923), 591 - 93, 642 - 43.]

One of the most prominent landholders in the Pointe Coupée [present-day Louisiana] area was William DUNBAR. He was the apparent neighbor of Harry ALEXANDER, and mentioned ALEXANDER in a journal that he kept in the late 1700's. The entries which mention Harry ALEXANDER are as follows: 1) Page 57 - 24 December 1777 - "On Saturday the 10th Mr. CAMPBELL arrived from Orleans and next Day I set out with him for Pt. Coupee & c. Went as far as McINTOSH & returned on Thursday being indisposed, leaving Mr. CAMPBELL at Mr. ALEXANDER's. 2) Page 60 - 1 May 1778 - *this entry was two months after James WILLING's attack on the Pointe Coupee area, in which slaves and other property belonging to British subjects was seized and sold for profit by the Americans during the American Revolution. --- "Upon my arrival at Mr. METHOD's at Pt. Coupee about a league below the fort, I there found Mr. ALEXANDER with his negroes, having just made his Escape from the English side, he informed me that he had learnt that the intention of the Americans was to Rob & plunder Every English subject who had property of any value Some few excepted, & that several obnoxious people were to meet with particular marks of their displeasure in this latter black list were Mr. ALEXANDER, myself, Mr. POUSETT, WILLIAMS & several others; and further I was informed that...the Party was commanded by James WILLING of Philadelphia, a young man who had left this Country the year before...." 3) Page 66 - Monday, 21 December 1778 - "Saturday last being the Election Day for a member of the Assembly, Mr. ALEXANDER was elected. None of the gentlemen of Richmond [present day Baton Rouge, Louisiana] attended." 4) Page 69 - Thursday, 22 April 1779 - "Made a trip to Pt. Coupee last week in order to buy Cattle in partnership with Mr. ALEXR. & Mr. WATTS. bot. for my share 4 pr. oxen." 5) Page 71 - Friday, 18 February 1780 - "....the men clearing the woods between me and Mr. ALEXANDER & making a post & rail fence upon the division line." 6) Page 71 - Monday, 21 February 1780 - "Dined yesterday at Mr. ALEXANDER's where were present the Commandant [FAVROT], Mr. D. ROSS, HOLLY & several others." 7) Page 72 - 73 Wednesday, 19 April 1780 - "Sent by Mr. ALEXR. to Mr. STROTHER in Town 624 Carrots Tobacco for sale.....sent by Mr. Harry ALEXANDER 99 Carrots." SOURCE: "Life, Letters and Papers of William Dunbar", comp. Mrs. Dunbar Rowland (Jackson: Press of the Mississippi Historical Society, 1930).

Harry ALEXANDER and a son by the same name are mentioned in the following citation:

This article recounts a letter that was read before the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on June 20, 1782, in which a number of British subjects in the Pointe Coupee area were identified as either "Moderate" or "Violent Royalist". On the "Moderate" list we find, Harry ALEXANDER, Sr., and Harry ALEXANDER, Jr., along with William DUNBAR, Thomas COLLINSON, and a few others.

SOURCE: "Louisiana Loyalists in 1781" by Mary Smith FAY, C. G., as included in "Mississippi Valley Melange, Volume II, Page 57."

Harry ALEXANDER Letter to Lord George GERMAIN with Notes

Mississippi British Point Coupée 25^th April 1777

My Lord,

Some time in the month of July last I had the honor of being Introduced to your Lordships knowledge by His Excellency General MORRIS Governor of His Majestys Island of Saint Vincent; His Excellency was pleased to impart to me that part of his Letter to your Lordship which concerned Myself and to which I would humbly beg a Revisal; I believe it will Appear to your Lordship that I have for many years been a very faithful servant to His Majesty in several honorary Capacities; but they were such as yielded no profit but drew an additional Expense upon me in proportion to that honorary Rank which at different times I had in his Majesty’s Service, and I believe I may without being Subject to the Charge of Vanity add that wherever I stood connected in Duty Serving His Majesty in any Capacity whatsoever, I never wanted anything to stimulate the most zealous and Respectfull Attention in the Discharge of it.

If I am right in my Recollection General MORRIS’s Letter to your Lordship mentioned to You, indeed it is Notorious, that I had frequently been in the Command of St. Vincent for His Majesty; That I had the honor of being Colonel of and Commanding a Regiment of Horse Military composed of the Principal Gentleman of the Country; That I was the Senior Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, where for Years I presided in the place of the Chief who had the Salary, & that I was Chief Barron of the Exchequer and the Second in His Majestys Council. I was early in life bread to the Study of the Law by which I acquired some Reputation and a considerable fortune, sufficient to induce me to think I could live without the labor of its Study and quit the practice of it. Thirty two thousand pounds Sterling, I laid out in St. Vincent in the hurry of Delusion of those times of Mad purchase; in this I was fatally mistaken whereby my fortune dwindled and my honorary appointments with innate Hospitality; and I may add a general Respectable attention to Myself, hastened very fast my destruction. In limited situations it is sometimes a misfortune to possess the power of pleasing, they frequently occasion more followers than are always convenient. To finish this picture which is the last of the kind I shall ever presume to disturb your Lordship with I beg leave to Open to your View a Man who has lived in the Manner before described, who for many years spent of his own Monies from two to three thousand pounds Sterling a year, and who has lost his Wife the Partner of his Bosom and left with Eight children, three Sons, and five Daughters who were expensively educated in England and taught to think themselves independent and above the common level; Yet I am with them by the Sequestration of my Estates reduced to less than three hundred, and with a life not in its dotage, but only a little past its Meridian, tho perhaps not in its Utmost Vigour yet possessed of Strong footings. This picture, my Lord, may be badly drawn but it is a very Just description of all its constituent parts, and I persuade Myself your Lordships humanity and goodness will induce You to lay it before His Majesty whose compassionate Heart is ever disposed to relieve the Distressed. Whether I shall be so or not; Education, principle & habit command me His most faithful devoted Servant. Let me yet, my Lord beg leave farther to add that of your Lordship should wish to be more Acquainted with my Character for any Trust under Government than General MORRIS has spoke to, I intreat to refer that matter to my much esteemed friend and intimate Acquaintance Sir William YOUNG Bart.

Dissatisfied with my Situation I could no longer think of continuing in St. Vincent where I had from its first Settlement (and Actually was the first purchaser) held Rank with the first and in every measure of Government legislation & Justice bore equal weight with any other Individual; I resolved for a time to retire to the Wilds of West Florida, where I have bought a small Farm on the River Mississippi opposite Point Coupee, but Alas! I can find no Comfort here separated from my Family who are still at St. Vincent and here I am unable to provide for them.

Your Lordship I hope will pardon this intrusion on your time and even yet allow me to add a few Words concerning this Colony of West Florida. It seems naturally well Adapted to yield all the real necessary comforts of life, and with a proper Management in the distribution of the Lands so as to be proportionately bestowed or given among His Majesty’s faithful Subjects who really mean to become Settlers and not Land Jobbers, who are the Ban of Colonisation, there is every Reason to hope in a few Years this Colony would give grateful returns to the Mother Country and every other proof of thankfulness for His Majesty’s Gracious care of which, my Lord, this infant Colony stands much in need, especially from its peculiar Situation Surrounded both by Natural and Savage Enemies, these last are grown as imprudent and troublesome of late that I much fear they are ripe for any Mischief – protection and Support must necessarily be our first humble Solicitation; That this Colony is in this Critical Situation is most certainly true from a variety of indubitable proofs, too Notorious, I humbly presume, not to be more particularly made known to your Lordship by those whose Official Duty made it more immediately their Concern.

His Majesty’s Troops in this province are at present Quartered at Pensacola and Mobile, both places are merely calculated as places of Arms, but in their local Situation, so extremely distant from any part of the Settlement either begun or likely to be commenced, at least for some time, that they are totally incapable of giving protection and countainance; it is true is also a small post at Fort Pitt and of as little real countainance to the Colony. Were the Seat of Government and the Courts of Justice removed from Pensacola to some more Convenient central place on the River Mississippi where the Land is as extremely rich as all the Country about Pensacola is in the highest degree Sterile, little better than a dry sandy Desert, whereas the lands on the Mississippi for a Vast extent of Country far exceed all others on the Continent, and if Supported will be the Richest and the most powerful province in America. – The Seat of Government and His Majestys Courts of Justice at Pensacola from the Vast distance and a tedious Navagation by Water and a long difficult unsettled Country to travel thorough almost deprive the people of Access to the Governor and his Countenance, and the Avenues of Justice attended with so many difficulties, that many people think the remedy very little better than the Desease; As to the Courts of Justice they would be very necessary in both places and entirely independent of each other, But any Arrangements of this kind if your Lordship should think fit to enquire into the Utility of them I make no doubt they may be differently represented , because several leading Individuals would in private Interest be Affected by the Change, but I do Aver that I do not write my Own Opinion merely but the united Sentiments of the most Sensible Inhabitants that I have met with in the province and who wish they had a better and more direct method of humbly imparting their Wishes to your Lordship. With humble Submission, if I know anything of myself, I think under the roof of my Forrest Cottage, I am above deception; One incontestable example of the truth of the position that I have set down I beg leave briefly to relate to your Lordship from the following Circumstance – A Man only the Other day was guilty of a most Atrocious Murder at a place called the Natche; they i. e., the people were Obliged to carry him to Pensacola to be tried, a distance not less than five or six hundred Miles of Land and Water, and the Evidence to convict him must go thither also; this is not the only Instance of a like kind from the Same place, and I much fear they will be too frequent; the People in that part of Settlement seem to be a lawless Set and the hand of Justice lying so remote from them, they have too often escaped its Vengeance and forget its force; Besides it draws reproach upon Government and loads it with an extraordinary expense; But Alas! My Lord with what confidence can We approach his Majesty thorough the medium of your favor to grant Us any Blessings at a time when so many of the provinces so Justly stand Branded with the highest ingratitude, however I would faine hope long before this time they are returned to their Duty (here We are as Ignorant about what is doing as if We were out of the World) and the misguided deluded multitude have got the better of the Delusion and freed themselves from the Slavery of following the Sinister purposes of Plunder and Ambition; they are the Men who best deserve to pay the Debt to legal resentment; the bulk of the People never think for themselves, of course they are often an easy prey; this is a circumstance much to be lamented, but it is the concomitant of Ignorance and one of its greatest frailties, so that when his Majesty shall be pleased to reflect on the proportion that his thinking Subjects bear to those who never think of all He will not be surprized at the Appearance of so large a Disaffection, and naturally open a passage to his human and feeling Heart; the more readily to receive the common People into His Royal Mercy and favor. – I believe the people of this province are remarkably well affected to his Majesty and Government indeed they seem to be principally composed of persons, who were forced to seek and Asylum here and fly from an Evil they were unable to contend with contented by encountering the hardships of a Desert Country and all its connected difficulties rather than risque, from the Mad torrent of Faction being Dragooned into one Single Act of disloyalty to His Majesty and Government. Several of the first or Oldest Settlers are Old Officers who sold out at the close of the last War and retired and took up Lands, both Country & Climate much favoring Persons drawing towards the decline of life and from such inhabitants I am sure your Lordship will admit it is not Probable the Seeds of Rebellion will ever be sown here; Indeed I flatter Myself that is of all Others a plant that will not grow here. The Soil is good, the Country healthy, and the Climate sufficiently moderate both in Summer and Winter; But my Lord, this Country is as yet very little known; I believe I am among the first that Curiosity brought hither and in Nine Months I have traveled more than many others who have been here, ten, twelve and thirteen Years, and tho I have had Opportunity of Visiting the most Delightful Seats in England, your Lordship will I hope pardon, tho You will think it a bold expression when I tell you, yet it is not less true, that I have seen, even but a few Miles back from the Mississippi, Spacious green fields of eight ten miles in length so Adorned by the Bountious hand of Nature only that I never saw anything in England to be compared to them! Governor BROWN, who was late a Lieut. Governor of this province has I am told a Grant of 17,400 Acres of these beautiful Lands; I don’t know if he knows the Value of them, but if he chose them from a View of them, they Do honor to his taste and Judgment. Nature must have been Studied Contemplated to make them a perfect Picture. And yet the Savages give the thicket of the forrest the preference. What apology can I make to your Lordship for so great a trespass on your time and patience? – To attempt one will be a continuance of the trespass – I beg forgiveness and that I may be permitted to be with most perfect Respect

Your Lordships
Most Obedient & Most humble Servant
Harry ALEXANDER

To the Right Honorable
Lord George GERMAINE
One of His Majesty’s principal
Secretaries of State
Whitehall


Endorsed Point Coupeé 25th April 1777/Mr. Harry
ALEXANDER/Rx 13 Sept.

The source of the above letter is CO5/155:54-55, the transcribed copy was received in September 2005 from the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C., USA.

NOTES: In this letter we learn the following:

1) Harry ALEXANDER had three sons and five daughters. The first born son, Charles, was identified in a 1752 letter that Harry ALEXANDER wrote to his cousin Alexander LEITH, in Aberdeen, Scotland. A second son, Harry, Jr., has been identified from an article written by Mary Smith FAY, C. G., titled “Louisiana Loyalists in 1781”, which is included in the booklet “Mississippi Valley Melange, Volume II”. On page 57 of this work, Harry ALEXANDER, Sr. and Harry ALEXANDER, Jr., are identified as “Moderate Royalists” in a letter that was read on June 20, 1782 by Oliver POLLOCK to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The letter described other Royalists as “Violent Royalists.”

2) Harry ALEXANDER’s wife had died prior to 1777. (The burial of Lydia (MARTIN) ALEXANDER is noted in the records of St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Kingstown, St. Vincent as having taken place on July 08, 1771.)

3) Governor (Valentine) MORRIS of St. Vincent had written to Lord George GERMAIN in July 1776 on behalf of Harry ALEXANDER. In the book, “The Unfortunate Valentine Morris,” by Ivor Waters, there is made mention in Chapter 12, on page 42: "In 1776.... he (Governor Valentine MORRIS) asked (Lord George GERMAIN) to appoint a Lieutenant-Governor 'for the purpose of watching over the more remote part of the island,' and recommended Harry ALEXANDER of the St. Vincent Council for the post. Lord George GERMAIN would not agree to this request because the islanders were unwilling to pay a salary even to the Governor." The reference for this letter from MORRIS to GERMAIN is P. R. O. (Public Record Office), C. O. (Colonial Office) 101/17, 12th, 26th July, 1776 or C. O. 260/4 26th July, 1776.

4) Harry ALEXANDER was well acquainted with Sir William YOUNG, Bart., of St. Vincent, and considered him an intimate friend.

5) Harry ALEXANDER had been in Mississippi British Point Coupeé for a period of nine months at the time the letter was written, placing his arrival there about July 1776. His arrival there is described in the book “The Economy of West Florida” by Robin F. A. FABEL on page 69: “Similar economic inspiration rather more blatantly drew several men of St. Vincent to West Florida at this time. The Windward Islands, without being technically neutral in the war, were thought of and referred to as neutral islands. The flight of settlers there who were looking to escape the tumult of revolution enormously increased the price of land in St. Vincent. 86 Harry ALEXANDER, a middle-aged man of substance who had lived in St. Vincent for years, was a judge, a councillor, and the employer of twenty-five servants and slaves. Fearing that he could not provide land for his eight children on St. Vincent, he immigrated to West Florida. Clearly moved by economic considerations, he abandoned what was generally considered (quite wrongly, as it turned out) a refuge. Other white immigrants accompanied ALEXANDER. One was William WALKER, also a councillor and a considerable proprietor. Leaving behind him in St. Vincent his wife, his three children, and thirty slaves, WALKER arrived in West Florida with an overseer, a free black, and thirty-seven more slaves and was generously treated. In addition to 2,000 acres granted on family right, he received another 1,000 as loyalist bounty, all on a plantation east of Thompson's Creek, opposite Pointe Coupeé. He was promised yet more acreage when the rest of his ménage arrived in the province. At least part of his family did follow him. In January 1778 his son Emanuel [WALKER] was granted 500 acres near the Great Lake at Tonica Bayou when he applied for land on behalf of himself and one slave. 87 – Footnote 87 refers to: CO5/631, Council Minutes for 26 December 1776, 22 January 1778. [Note: Thompson's Creek and Tonica (Tunica) Bayou are in the Baton Rouge area, all upriver (the Mississippi River) from New Orleans.]

6) Harry ALEXANDER had purchased “a small farm”. No mention is made of any attempts to obtain a land grant. However, in the book “The Economy of West Florida” by Robin F. A. FABEL, on pages 69 – 70, it states that Harry’s son-in-law “Thomas HACKSHAW applied for 1,800 acres of adjoining property on the east side of the Great Lake near the Tonica Bayou. He left behind him on St. Vincent his wife, three children, and twenty-four slaves. He intended to bring them to Florida as soon as he could but hesitated while rebel privateers haunted the coast. The council was more interested in actual than promised immigrants and granted HACKSHAW only 500 of the 1, 800 acres he asked for. 90 – Footnote 90 refers to: CO5/631, Council Minutes for 1 January 1778.

Names and apparent misspelled words are highlighted in yellow. Some of these word spellings might have been in vogue in 1777 as compared to today. The strikethrough in paragraph 5 is not a typo and is as it appears in the letter.

Family Letters Notes

NOTES: In the two letters from Harry ALEXANDER to Alexander LEITH we learn the following:

1) Harry says "my countryman" which seems to imply that he was born in Scotland. Further evidence of that is when he states spending many days with Mr. LEITH, apparently in their youth
2) Harry refers to Scotland by its old name, Calladonia [Caledonia]
3) Harry mentions buying his “Paternal Estate” from LEITH, and it seems that the estate was called “Jackstone”. If not, then the “Lands of Jackstone” were property owned by the ALEXANDER’s at some point before 1752. There is a Jackstown in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
4) Harry mentions his brothers:
John ALEXANDER (who sold the Lands of Jackstone, so he might have been the oldest. He might have died before 1752, probably in Scotland.)
Alexander ALEXANDER (who in early 1752 was a mariner on a slave ship going to the coast of Guinea. He might have had the nickname of “Sandy”. He died sometime between June 1752 and December 1753.)
James ALEXANDER (who was a mariner on His Majesty’s Ship/Man of War “Sunderland”. He had died six years before the letter was written, which would have been 1746.)
Sandy ALEXANDER (this appears to have been a nickname for Alexander ALEXANDER, but might have been another brother).
5) Harry mentions a possible cousin by the name of or from INVERENAN, however, this could be my poor reading of the letter. It is difficult to tell if this refers to a person or not.
6) Harry mentions his father’s will, which I am assuming was likely filed in the Aberdeen area. It appears that his father’s estate is still not settled in 1752
7) Harry mentions a Mr. James LUMSDEN twice, first, as the minister at Towey (which I believe is the present-day Towie, near Aberdeen)….Mr. James LUMSDEN is mentioned a second time as “my brother in law” but I cannot tell if they are the same person. It would seem that these James LUMSDEN's are two different people.
8) Harry mentions several other people named GORDON, JACKSTONE and others, who appear to be only friends. Maybe the Jackstone person was the owner of the “Lands of Jackstone” at some time before the ALEXANDER’s.
9) Harry mentions “my friend and relation” William FORBES. Is he is a more distant cousin than LEITH?
10) Harry mentions that Alexander LEITH’s brother Walter LEITH has not returned his correspondence.
11) Harry mentions “my friend” Charles ALEXANDER, perhaps he too is a cousin, or maybe an uncle? Note that Harry’s first born son is named Charles.
12) Harry mentions that “Mrs. ALEXANDER…happily delivered of a daughter” on June 13, which gives the birthdate for daughter Jane ALEXANDER of June 13, 1752. Note: This birth has to be Jane’s since Harry mentions in a December 1753 letter that he has two children, Charles & Jane, and while the letters are 16 months apart, he does not mention losing a child, so it must indeed be Jane.
13) Harry mentions “my cousin Mr. McSWEEN” of this place, which I assume means Antigua.
14) Harry mentions in the 1753 letter that he is “now left the only surviving son of a large family”. Since he mentions the deaths of his brothers ALEXANDER and JAMES, I am assuming that his brother JOHN was already dead by the time of the 1752 letter.

Harry ALEXANDER Letter 2 to Alexander LEITH

To Alexander LEITH, Esq. of Glenkindy
A copy

Dear Sir Antigua Decem. 8th 1753

The length of my last of the 15th June 1752. a copy which I herewith trouble you, as I know neither this or it will now be attended with additional expense, I believe requires apology in particular, as well as in other respects; a sanguine inclination to communnicate laid me into the transgression of the first from the overflowings of a heart charged with many things relative to the welfare of its cover and as such my friend in some degree interested, wherefore could I not omit doing, both you and myself that _____ there being, from friend to friend, a mutual comfort in hearing and imparting. This verily carried me, perhaps beyond a due bounds; yet how could I help it? My very soul openeth to you, and I cannot contain my thoughts, nor does my pen deny its duty. I chose not to ___ of things in general regarding my last nor any farther touch upon them, I rather mention than ___ them, nor would I have given you any duplicate or any way touched upon mu former had I been quite certain of its having reached your hands.

At the time of my writing you last you'l observe I was deliberating upon partnership, in trade, with a gentleman in this place, who at that time much proposed (?) such an union, but how much will you share in my good luck when I tell you, that just within a little of the time we were to have united, he broke for no less than twenty five thousand pounds! Notwithstanding all my care and caution I did not see this, till the hour it came upon him, and how I had discerned some failings in himself which his friends and my own were in great hopes I should have been able to have corrected, that made me a little suspend my determination I should have been plunged into his ruins, whose follies I __ no part in: As God thus delivered so will be, I hope teach me due thankfulness; yet in the midest of my own good luck I cannot help lamenting the loss of him who is my particular friend, Charles ALEXANDER, Esq., & who is a suffered of near four thousand pounds by this man, however as providence hath blessed him with affluence so has the wise dictator teached him the right use of such bounty without rejection for the loss of part thereof.

This narrow escape hath almost determined me against any future treaty or engagement of this kind, as it is, alas! as difficult to know as uncertain to depend on any appearances of sincerity, so many flawing instances daily happening that neither honor, conscience, gratitude nor any sacred or social ties can bind or restrain us! This very man, me thought, was in love with me; then why should be have then sought my ruin and, in consequence, the destruction of my little family? Whatever opinion people in general might have had of me, yet from thence he could not have thought it practicable to have supported himself, under so heavy a burthen, and his per___ must soon have been known to me, tho too late for me to have had any redress.

Since this affair happened my schemes are much altered and I have now some thoughts of engaging in renting home good estate, if one should cast (?) up; several ___ lately had in offer, but as I have friends who are ready to enter into a security for me of twenty thousand pounds sterling I am determined to waite with patience till some thing of consequence comes in the way.

I am sorry to tell you that for some months past my health has been much impared from a severe fit of rhumatism derived, I believe from a violent cold to which I weakly exposed myself by too great an opinion of my own strength; from as active a little man as most I was reduced to the mortifying condition is requiring the assistance of a stick to walk by; I am now I thank God tolerably well recovered and I begin to resume my usual gaiety and sprightliness, yet I think to establish my former strength & health a sharp pinching ____ would be ____ to brace up my nerves again, therefore immediately I entertain some thoughts of taking a tour home among you for a few months and if the happy increase of my health and strength, with some new engagement that would absolutely require my presence, does not induce me to alter, I shall certainly put this intention in execution & indeed I begin to have a longing, which grows upon me, to return home to see my friends and could I once more see my friend your worthy father my happiness would be complete.

Some time ago, and indeed in the midest of my own illness, I received the melancholly accounts of brother ALEXANDER's death which afflicted me much. I am now left the only surviving son of a large family and were I to calculate my own chance from those gone before me the period of my own existance cannot be far remote; this God only knoweth and I hope he will fit me for that great change, so that I may not be surprised when it cometh.

I am most happy in a wife and two pretty babes, CHARLES & JANE, they are very well and promising enough, in a couple of years hence I intend my son either for Scotland or England, which indeed I have not yet quite determined, tho I know the former will be the cheapest and I know not but that confirmation abstracted, the best. If I am spared I will, in that, discharge my country to him. I mean respecting his education.

My cousin Mr. McSWEEN (?) is in a very happy way and doing extremely well, of which please acquaint his mother and other friends. My love to my aunt and compliments to my cousins I doubt not but she & they are glad when they hear of my well doing.

I shall only beg leave to assure you that you cannot more oblige me than by supporting, at times, a correspondence with me nor can you show me a higher regard as that is the only testimony friends at such distance can give each other, this will come to your hands, or at least to Aberdeen, by the favour of my friend Mr. William FORBES of this place, who should you have an opportunity of seeing him he can, as we are very intimate, give some account of me, I am assisting his business & short stay, will not permit his going into the country, yet by his return I will flatter myself with hearing from you.

Mrs. ALEXANDER joins me most affectionately in compliments to you, your good lady and family. And to your father, mother, brothers and sister with my love to my sister, Mrs. LUMSDEN, her husband & children & to every other friend who may enquire for.

Dear Sir,

Your most affectionate cousin and obliged humble servant.

Harry ALEXANDER. [Signature]

To Alexander LEITH, Esq.
of Glenkindy by the favour
of Mr. William FORBES