If the cemetery you saw several years ago with markers from the late 1600's & early 1700's was the "Old Stone Graveyard" of your family's account re Lewisville, I would sure like to have a list of names and dates from the headstones, if available; in any case, detailed directions on how to get there from, say, the crossroads of 472 and 841 at Lewisville. The dates correlate this cemetery in time with the New
Munster Alexanders, whose lands straddled the MD-PA provincial lines right next to DE, to the Head of
Christiana [Presbyterian] Church in this same area. Margaret
Gonzales'
Moses Alexander could be the one who was son of James B. Alexander, weaver, b. 1652, one of Rev. James Alexander's seven sons and two daughters, Presbyterian Scots who emigrated from
Ulster to
Somerset Co. and then
Cecil Co., MD in ? (one account says 1678, another 1688, but it looks like they were there when New
Munster was surveyed out in 1683 "for ODwire and 15 other Irishmen- a certain tract called New
Munster (mostly Alexanders and Wallaces)." The records patch it together: MD
Deeds 2:280,
Cecil Co. 5/18/1715, sale by
Stephenson to "James Alexander farmer, Arthur Alexander farmer, David Alexander weaver, James Alexander, weaver and Joseph Alexander, tanner" etc., a part of this tract going to "James Alexander weaver and his son
Moses Alexander." The will of John
Garner dated 3/11/1723 or '24 and probated in
Cecil Co. MD 10/22/1725 leaves L40 to "the children of James Alexander by Mary Steel" and mentions David Alexander as one of them;
Moses Alexander signed as witness. Baldwin: MD Calendar of Wills Vol. V p. 204. The Presbyterian Historical Society has John
Garner as the first recorded elder of the Head of
Christiana Church in 1707, followed by John Steel in 1711, James Alexander beginning in 1715, joined by David Alexander in 1726, the latter serving until 1732. On 8/9/1726, John Brevard of the
Elder Broad
Creek Church and David Alexander attended the New
Castle Presbytery in DE. In 1717, "James the weaver and his son
Moses were north of David;" in 1724 David patented 296 acres in
Cecil Co. ("David's
Purchase" - Land Office Annapolis MD). These Alexanders had already worked this land for some years, prior to 1714. One account has the Head of
Christiana Church being some two hundred yards east of the DE line, and I find on the web this address and telephone number for Head of
Christiana Church, "founded 1706, 2nd Oldest Presbyterian Church in
Delaware": 100 Church Road,
Newark, DE (no zip code), telephone (302)731-4169. It may be that the church and the cemetery associated with it, if any, were in two different locations. The modern town of
Christiana is deep into PA, just west of
Chester Co. over the
Lancaster Co. line. Head of
Christiana would refer to the headwaters area of the creek, which appears to be in the New
Munster area, but I would need a more detailed map. A 1723 petition of the inhabitants of
Milford Hundred (NE
Cecil Co., MD, i.e., part of New
Munster) for the building of a road describes its route "from David Alexander's, across the main fresh of the
Elk River at Stephen Holingsworth's mill (which was the mill on Big
Elk west of Cowantown) to the church at the northwest." History of
Cecil Co., George Johnston. I do not find Cowantown on my map, but a northwest position for the referenced church relative to where I think the David Alexander property was seems to indicates the Lewisville area rather than
Delaware, so I question whether this refers to the same church. In 4/8/1735, David Alexander witnessed a deed executed by James Alexander weaver, his son
Moses, and his wife Mary. David, brother of
Moses, is my ancestor. David's eldest son Aaron b. 1717
Lancaster Co., PA (also my line) moved to Sherman's Valley (I cannot find it in my Rand McNally- do you know where this is?) in
Chester Co., PA. David sold his property in
Cecil Co., MD to John Alexander of
Chester Co., PA, moved to
Chester Co. and died there in 1749. J.S. 10:124 & J.S. 10:147
Cecil Co. MD Land Deeds: Susannah of
Chester Co., PA, widow, wife of David sells land sold by
Stephenson in
Milford Hundred to David in 1718 and sold by Aaron son and heir of David Alexander to John Alexander 1749 willed to Susannah 1762/1765 New
Munster. Therefore I am thinking this ancestor may be buried in Ms. Gonzalez' "
Christiana Creek Church Cemetery" and/or your "Old Stone Graveyard" at or near Lewisville, PA, especially if it turns out to be associated with the Head of
Christiana [creek] Church which is in DE. Sorry to hear it isn't tended. I have no information re
Moses Alexander m. Hannah Carr, nor any information on the Woodside family, but I'll keep an eye out.