General Notes

Alexander Black (1710/20 - 1764), according to early family papers, was born on a ship when his family was coming from Ireland. Unfor-tunately, the names of his parents are not mentioned. The tradition is that the ancestors of the Black family originated in Scotland but left there early in the 16th century after long years of religious unrest. They went to Ireland where they settled near Londonderry where, two hundred years later they again found themselves embroiled in religious controversy when King James II sought to establish Roman Catholicism throughout his realm. The Blacks were probably among the many who left Ireland shortly after the siege of Londonderry. Alexander Black's parents probably came to Pennsylvania and may well have died there. He was almost certainly among those who migrated several years later down the "Valley of Virginia", where he first appears in 1746 when he purchased 250 acres on the Cowpasture River in that part of Augusta County that later became Bath County. Alexander Black's land was just above the mouth of the Bullpasture River. Payment consisted of the obligation to clear five acres of land each year for three years for each fifty acres purchased. On 16 August 1752 Alexander, along with John McCreery and Wallace Estill appraised the estate of Ann Wright. Four days later, on 20 August, Alexander Black appeared before the court where he qualified as Lieutenant of a company of Foot Soldiers. The date of his death is not known but it must have been late in 1764 since his son, William Black made bond as administrator of Alexander's estate on November 20th of that year.