I am pasting below a transcription of an early will from Madison County, KY, which is very interesting as I will point out below. First, here's the transcription:

Madison County, Kentucky Wills and Estates, 1785 – 1813, compiled by Charles M. Franklin:

Dated 27 Feb., 1792

Will Book A, p. 31

Recorded 3 Apr., 1792

Province, John: Wife – Mary Province, Dau. – Sarah Province, Son – William Province, Dau. – Rebeckah Province, Son – Alexander Province, Son – John Province, Dau. – Ann Province, Dau. – Mary Province, Other children not named

Exec. – Mary Province, Alexander Denny, Samuel Woods

Wit. – Joshua Nichols, Robert Henderson, Alÿÿÿ ndfather of Charity Denny who was a second wife of my gg grandfather John Alexander, son of James Alexander and grandson of Samuel Alexander who left the will in 1784 in Mecklenburg.

C. Samuel Woods, I believe is the father of Charity Woods, second wife of John Bertrand Dysart who sold land to Samuel Alexander in Mecklenburg County, NC in 1781 (I will add a word of caution that I'm not entirely sure about Samuel Woods).

D. Joshua Nichols is the puzzling person who appears in Madison County, KY and later in Tennessee. He is somehow obviously related to Daniel Nichols, but how??? In his 1793 will also in Madison Co., KY, Matthew Cowden named Joshua Nichols as his "step-father." Matthew Cowden also had property still in Iredell Co., NC ÿÿÿ maiden name is listed as Alcorn (remember that a witness to the Samuel Alexander will was Alcorn). This James Dysart and Martha Cowden migrated to Tennessee with John Dysart, but later moved to Randolph County, MO which, of course, is where my ggg grandfather James Alexander settled as well!

E. Robert Henderson is also very puzzling. He had early land grants in Kentucky including land near Station Camp Creek and also near Paint Lick Creek where my Alexander and Logan families were living as were the Nichols, Denny, Woods, Dysart, Herron, and Kennedy families among others. In 1813, Robert Henderson deeded a significant portion of his Station Camp creek to my ggg grandfather James Alexander.

I think we can safely eliminate Cuthbert Nicholson of early Meck. Co., NC  in our search for Daniel's father. However, since no one on the Internet knows who Cuthbert's father was, there may turn out to be an earlier connection.

Cuthbert did have a son named Joseph, B ca 1739, D bef 1826 Greene Co., GA, married to Lillis McAdoo Jack, B 1754 Cumberland Co., PA and dtr. of Patrick Jack, D 1780 Meck. Co., NC. Cuthbert was married to Jannet/Jennet Candor, dtr. of Josias Candor/Candour who D 1748 Lancaster Co., PA. They also had sons George, B ca 1737, D aft 1790 Meck. Co., NC (per Worldconnect) and John, B ca 1738, D 1817-1818 Oglethorpe Co., GA.

Cuthbert, George, John, and Joseph are mentioned with land on Sugar Creek; Joseph also on Paw Creek and town lot in Charlotte; George also town lot in Charlotte. Cuthbert and Jannet are buried in Steele Creek Pres. Church Cem., Meck Co., NC. Cuthbert was first recorded in Meck. Co. in 1767.

This family is always given as Nicholson, not Nichols. Daniel's marriage bond to Mary Alexander in KY also spells his name as Nicholson. I am posting this info in case these locations and/or names pop up again in our search and to help weed out some of the Meck. Co., NC names.

I am posting the following marriages from Rootsweb to show other Nichols/on names who may be related to Cuthbert and as another example of the many ways the name Nichols can be spelled in the records. The coincidence is there are a lot of other names on this marriage list that sound like Meck. Co., NC names (Houston, Alexander, Black, Sharpe, Jack, Kilpatrick, Sample, McKnight (McKnitt), etc.). Did any of these other Nichols/on families listed below come to our area of NC? Also keep in mind our Daniel and Mary Nichols had a son named William. I have googled and googled and can't find anything else on the names below.

First Presbyterian Church Marriages 1702-1745, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., PA:

Archibald Nickle and Esther Reed, 13 Jan 1722.

John Nicklis and Eliz. Nicholson, 13 Sept 1740.

William Nichols and Mary Ross, 29 Oct 1725.

William Nichols and Jane Johnson, 9 Sept 1725.

William Nichols and Eliz. Hill, 22 June 1728.

Cuthbert Nicholson and Jannet Candor, 31 June 1736.

Philadelphia Co., PA, settled as early as 1650, was one of the three original counties of PA, formed in 1682, just across the Delaware River from NJ. The other two original counties were Bucks and Chester and Philadelphia Co. sits between the two. Lancaster Co., PA was formed 1729 from Chester Co. and Cumberland Co., PA was formed 1750 from Lancaster Co. All are in the SE corner of PA.

So, one down and a million to go. Keep looking, good luck, and my best to

you all - Wanda.

Maybe a roll call to see who is still on board would be in order. Please acknowledge on the Discussion Board in some way that you are still checking in.

Thanks, Danny Nichols

As I've mentioned, one of my Alexander correspondents has been sharing her opinion that "our" Samuel Alexander may ultimately be connected with the family of Elias Alexander who was born c.1678 and was a son of Andrew Alexander, one of the seven immigrant brothers. Elias Alexander married Sophia Alexander, daughter of Joseph Alexander, another of the seven immigrant brothers.

I have been looking into this possible connection and have come across some interesting circumstantial information. First, the will of Jedidiah Alexander of York Co., PA is of interest as follows:

Will Jedidiah Alexander Book A:20 dated 31 Aug 1749 probated 26 Mar 1750 wife Anna `£10 to Revs. Samuel and James Finly, in trust for the churc £10 to the Muddy Creek Congregatio Brother Isaac [his sons Henry and Joseph], brothers Francis, William, Elias Mother [who owns a third interest in Slate Hill]. sisters Esther, Mary codicil dated 2 Mar 1750.

Now, I understand that this Jedidiah is a son of Elias Alexander who had just died prior to Jedidiah writing his will. The Jedidiah will names siblings Isaac, Francis, William, and Elias, Jr as well as his mother, the presumed wife of Elias Alexander, born c.1678. Of course, most sources show other children including Abraham and Ezra, Mecklenburg Declaration signers.

As shown above, the Jedediah Alexander will names two sons of brother Isaac -- namely Joseph and Henry. This is interesting because I found the following will from Washington Co., PA:

Will Isaac Alexander " Will dtd Jan 29 1793 Washington Co Pa, Named wf Eliza, sons Isaac, Henry, Joseph and dau's Rebecca, Catherine and Ester" Alex Kin p.10 "Isaac Alexander will: Jan 29 1793 Washingtion Co.Pa.,m.Elizabeth (....) Children Henry Alexander (records of Lancaster Co.,PA., Joseph. Isaac, Rebecca, Catherine, Ann, Ester "

Is this the same Isaac that was named in Jedidiah's will, and therefore a son of Elias, born c. 1678? It certainly looks like it.

Of interest to me from the Isaac Alexander will in Washington Co., PA is what happened to Joseph Alexander, son of Isaac and supposed grandson of Elias? I think this Joseph Alexander may be the same person that married Hannah Vanaman both of whom were named in the will of Nicholas Vanaman in Washington Co., PA in the 1782 (Hannah Alexander named as daughter). Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Joseph Alexander may have been in Fredrick County, Maryland in the 1760's (where his father-in-law Nicholas Vanaman is also found in records starting in the late 1740's through 1750's). My understanding is that Fredrick Co., MD and York Co., PA may have bordered each other at that time. Joseph and wife Hannah Vanaman were supposedly in Bedford Co., PA in the early 1770's before migrating to Washington Co., PA (actually, not sure if this was a migration or due to formation of new county in PA). He later migrated to Greene Co., TN (site of Hezekiah Balch starting Tusculum College), and then later to Wayne Co., KY. Two daughters of Joseph Alexander and Hannah Vanaman married into the Gooding family (the Gooding name is a common New Castle Co., Delaware name). It turns out that Anna Alexander and her husband Richard Gooding migrated to Randolph County, MO, which is the same destination for my ggg grandfather James Alexander, son of Samuel Alexander who left a will in Mecklenburg Co., NC in 1784. Martha Alexander and her Gooding husband migrated to an area of Rutherford Co., TN that later became Cannon Co., TN!

I am starting to think that my correspondent may be right in that "our" Samuel Alexander may be somehow connected with the Elias Alexander family (either a son or grandson). Does anyone have any ideas? This same friend shared the following Bedford Co. ,PA information with me (although I don't know if this is the same Samuel Alexander who died in Mecklenburg in 1784):

> December 15, 1773, The Pennsylvania Gazette: > >JAMES JOHNSON, STEPHEN DUNCAN, WILLIAM MILLER, Commissioners >Samuel Alexander, 300 acres in Newtown, adjoining John Bell, 1 2 6. > >1773 Delinquent Tax Notice >200 on Delaware Run, and 200 on Doe ... in Newtown, adjoining William >Hodge, 2 3 6. Samuel Alexander, 300 acres ... Return to Bedford County... >www.pa-roots.com/~bedford/taxlists/tl1773delinquent.html

If the Samuel Alexander in Bedford Co., PA is the same as the one in Mecklenburg Co., NC, does it make sense that he was buying (or owned) land in both areas at the same time? It would be interesting to find the disposition of the land in Bedford Co., PA (and the area may well have become Washington Co., PA).

Any thoughts???

Best Regards, David