General Notes

[basham.ged]
Genealogy Of The Cleveland Family By E J Cleveland; P 2054
Alexander CLEVELAND, the ancestor of the Clevelands of Virginia origi
n, w as born, evidently in England, probably prior to 1620, and may have r
emain ed in England, but it is generally believed by his descendants th
at he ca me to America, and settled in or near Price William County, Virgi
nia; the re is no record of his death, nor of his marriage; the name of h
is wi fe in unknown.  Had at least one child: Alexander CLEVELAND, b. prob
ably a bout the year 1659, either in England or, perhaps, in Virginia. Ale
xand er CLEVELAND lived in England, locality not discovered.
Concerning him no authentic record is found, and it is not definitely a
sc ertained which of the two was the immigrant ancestor from Engla
nd ., he or his son Alexander; or whether they both came in company.  T
he ear ly shipping lists or lists of emigrants to American ports do not me
ntion t he names of any Clevelands. It may prove that he was the Mr. Cleve
la nd of Loughboro, County Leicester, England, stated to have accompanie
d, pr ior to 1629, the Skipworths of Cotes, and Henry Herrick, 5th s
on of Sir Wi lliam herrick of Beau manor Park, Loughboro parish, from Engl
and to Virgin ia, as already narrated in this genealogy. If this was Alexa
nder Clevelan d, he evidently remained in Virginia while Henry Herrick jou
rneyed to Sale m, Mass., and was later a founder of the first church in Sa
lem 1629.
There are Clevelands in Virginia from old times. So closely do the Sout
he rn Cleveland in feature resemble the new England Clevelands that th
ey ha ve been mistaken to be near relatives of each other, and it is not u
nreaso nable to conjecture that Moses Cleveland and Alexander Cleveland we
re brot hers, or of at least near kinship. Oliver Cleveland of Spring Vall
ey, Albe marle Co., Va., in a letter to Hon Jesse Franklin Cleveland, M
ay 10, 183 9, said: "My father and grandfather were both named Alexander C
levelan d.  May grandfather lived to be 111 years old, and my grandmoth
er to be 1 03 years old.  My grandfather was an Englishman by birth." T
he descendan ts of Alexander Cleveland have taken a most important pa
rt in the histo ry of our Great Republic. "Genealogy of the Cleveland a
nd Cleaveland Famil ies" by Edmund Janes Cleveland and Horace Gillette Cle
veland; 1899 pages 2 054-2055