Archibald McAllister (1700 - aft. 1768)

Born 1700 in Scotland

Husband of Jean Jane (McClure) McAllister — married about 1720 in New Castle, Delaware

Descendants

Died after 7 Sep 1768 after age 68 in West Pennsboro, Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania

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Biography

The following is quoted verbatim from "Descendants of Archibald McAllister of West Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1730-1898," by Mary Catharine McAllister, (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Scheffer's Printing and Bookbinding House, 1898), Pages 9-37.^[1]

"Of Archibald McAllister, the emigrant and founder of this branch of the family, very little is known, except that about 1730 he owned a large tract of land in the Cumberland Valley, and was a strict Presbyterian.

"He was one of the organizers of the First Presbyterian Church, at Carlisle, Pa.

"From whence he came in Scotland is not known. The first mention of an Archibald McAllister, in the colony, is found in the minutes of the Colonial Board of Property, when on the '12 month, 7 da, 1723,' Stephen Cornelius applies for a warrant to have surveyed a 'small vacancy of Land on Red Clay Creek' and 'desires to make over his right, to this land to Archibald McAllister, who is a Smith, and dwells upon it.'

"Red Clay Creek was in New Castle County, Pa., now in the State of Delaware. It runs parallel with the Brandywine, empties into White Clay Creek, and thence to the Delaware River. It has been found impossible to identify this Archibald McAllister with the Archibald who settled in Cumberland County, Pa.

"The grant to Archibald McAllister in Cumberland County, Pa., originally contained between eight and nine hundred acres.

"He built a grist-mill, the second one west of the Susquehanna. The foundations are still standing.

"The water on the tract, McAllister's Run, not furnishing sufficient power, he was forced to carry the water in troughs for a quarter of a mile.

"The size of the mill was about twelve by fourteen feet, and it did most of the grinding for the surrounding country. Family tradition has it that one of the farmers from Newville, Pa., seven miles distant, said, on going to have a bag of grain ground, 'that if there was not too many ahead, he might get home the next day.'

"He also built a smith-shop; the original log one has long been superseded by a more modern frame structure.

"The dwelling house was built of logs, a story and a half high, with a huge fire-place running its whole width. This house, part of which is standing to-day, is in a natural hollow, and one end against a ledge of lime-stone rocks, which completely hide the lower story. Entrance to the loft can be made from these rocks. After a hundred and sixty-six years of constant usage, it is in a fairly good state of preservation.

"The farm lays three miles west of Carlisle, Pa., on the turnpike, and is owned by James McAllister Ralston, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., a great-grandson of Archibald McAllister.

"The Turnpike Company received from the original owner a small piece of land on this farm for the purpose of building a Toll-House. This exempted forever the McAllister heirs from payment of tolls.

"The known descendants of the emigrant numbered 847 in 1898. In the male line all have marked Scottish features, with sandy hair and bright complexions, reproduced to the sixth and seventh generations. A most striking and peculiar trait is the family resemblance in all branches noticeable in the foreheads, and the eyes which are always blue.

"'In 1749 West Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, paid 28œ, 8s, 6d, tax. Archibald McAllister, Collector -- Rupp's History'

He married Jean McClure, buried at Hanover, York County, Pa., and had issue ---"

Issue:

i. John McAllister.

ii. Richard McAllister.

iii. James McAllister.

iv. Archibald McAllister.

v. Daniel McAllister.

vi. Mary McAllister.

vii. Jean (or Jane) McAllister.

viii. David McAllister.

ix. Andrew McAllister.

Archibald McAllister, died 1768 in West Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pa., buried at Meeting House Springs, two miles west of Carlisle, Pa.^[2]

His will was dated 7th September, 1768 and probated 20 November 1768, so he died at some time between these two dates.

Last Will and Testament

"In the name of God, amen, I Archibald McAllister, of the Township of West Pennsboro, and County of Cumberland, being very sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory, praise to God, do make this to be my last will and testament .....

"i give and bequeath to my dearly and well-beloved wife, Jean, ye one-half of all my personal estate, with all my household furniture, except what is hereafter mentioned which together with what my son, Andrew, is to do for her, is in full of her dower."

"I give and bequeath to my son, Joh, ye books called ye whole works of Flavel and all my wearing apparel."

"I give and bequeath to my sons, Richard, James and Archibald, my daughters, Mary and Jean, to each of them one book called Flavel's whole works."

"I give and bequeath to my son Andrew, ye assorted books, which I have in he house, also my black coalt to enable him to buy ye assorted books."

"I give and bequeath to my granddaughter, Mary McKnight, my big pott."

"I give and bequeath to my granddaughters, Mary, Elizabeth and Jean, children of my son, Daniel, to each of them one sheep."

"I give to my grandson Archibald, son of my son James, my gun."

"All residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal, I give and bequeath to my son, Andrew, to him his heirs and assigns forever together with one feather bed which lies in ye back room, but I order and it is my will that my son, Andrew, pay out of his share all my debts and funeral charges."

"I also order my granddaughter, Mary McAllister, above mentioned, to have my chest, and I do hereby constitute and appoint my son, Andrew, my whole and sole executor of this, my last will and testament hereby revoking and disannuling all former wills and testaments by me made ratifying and confirming this to be my last will and testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal ye 7th September, 1768."

Biographical Information From History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania.^[3]

"Archibald McAllister, 1728, who purchased over 1,000 acres of land on both sides of McAllister Spring from William Penn. The old foundation of the second mill built west of the Susquehanna River 120 years ago is on the above tract. He, Archibald McAllister, married Miss Jean McClure, near Carlisle, and their children were as follows: Daniel, who settled in West Virginia; John and James, who went to Savannah, Ga., and settled where Fort McAllister now stands; Richard, who laid out the town of Hanover, York Co., Penn., which was called McAllister until changed to Hanover, about 1825; Archibald, settled at Fort Hunter above Harrisburg, in Dauphin County, now called Rockville about 1750; Mary, married to Mr. McKnight, Jean, married to Mr. Ormsby, and settled in what is now Pittsburgh; and another married Mr. Williamson, and Andrew."

"The last named, Andrew McAllister, was born in the old McAllister farm in 1731. He married Miss Margaret Young, a daughter of James Young, and both husband and wife died in 1804, aged seventy-three and sixty-one, respectively: The children of Andrew and Margaret (Young) McAllister were: Elizabeth, wife of James Parker and who moved to Lexington, Ky., in 1800; Jean, married to Joseph Pierce, they settled in this county; Mary, married to Thomas McIntire; Archibald, unmarried; Margaret, who went with her eldest sister to Lexington, Ky., and married a Mr. Calhoun; James, unmarried, who resided on the old farm; Sarah, who died unmarried; Eleanor, unmarried: Lydia, married to Joseph Jacob; and Lacey, the youngest, who, as above stated, married David Ralston, the father of James McAllister Ralston, the subject of this sketch."

History of the Clan MacAlister (verbatim from Wikipedia)^[4]

"Clan MacAlister is a Scottish Clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The clan is the earliest branch to have split off from Clan Donald, claiming descent from Alasdair Mòr, son of Domhnall founder of Clan Donald. From Alasdair Mòr the clans takes its surname MacAlister; this surname is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic MacAlasdair meaning "son of Alasdair". In the 15th century the chief of the clan was seated in Kintyre, and the clan was centred there until the 18th century, when a chief sold the family estate in preference to a lowland estate."

Origins

"Clan MacAlister is a branch of Clan Donald—one of the largest Scottish clans. The eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald is Domhnall, son of Raghnall, son of Somhairle. Traditional Clan Donald genealogies, created in the later Middle Ages, give the clan a descent from various legendary Irish figures. Modern historians, however, distrust these traditional genealogies, and consider Somhairle, son of Gille Brighde to be earliest ancestor for whom there is secure historical evidence. Somhairle, himself, was a 12th-century leader, styled "king of the isles" and "king of Argyll"; yet there is no reliable account for his rise to power."

Confusion and the clan's founder

"Today, Clan MacAlister claims to descend from Alasdair Mòr, son of Domhnall, founder of Clan Donald. There has, however, been confusion as to who really was the clan's founder. This is because within a generation there lived two prominent Alasdairs (an uncle and nephew). Both of these men left many sons, however, their immediate posterity are not clearly connected with definite area. The lack of charter evidence clouds the true history of the clan; as does the fact that for about two hundred years, the descendants of both men did not form an organised clan of their own."

"Alasdair Mòr first appears on record in 1253, when is recorded as witnessing a charter by his brother, Aonghas Mór a Íle, to the Paisley Abbey. According to Angus and Archibald Macdonald, he must have been a prominent man, being the only recorded brother of the Aonghas Mór. A. and A. Macdonald state that he was recorded in the Irish Annals, in 1299, as being a man noted for "hospitality and excellence". In that year he was slain in a conflict with Alasdair of Argyll and the MacDougalls.[12] According to the traditional shanachies, Alasdair Mòr had at least five sons: Domhnall, Gofraidh, Donnchadh, Eoin and Eachann. He was succeeded by Domhnall."

Younger sons of Alasdair Mòr

"Sometime in the early 14th century, descendants of Alasdair Mòr seem to have settled in the county of Stirling. The first such descendant of whom there is any record is Gilbert, son of Domhnall, who received a charter for unspecified lands in the region, in the year 1330. This man appears to be same as the Gilbert de Insula who received a charter for the lands of Glorat in the parish of Campsie. Today, Gilbert de Insula is considered to be a grandson of Alasdair Mòr. He is also considered to possibly be the ancestor the Alexanders of Menstrie, earls of Stirling from 1633. Little is known about the descendants of Gofraidh, second son of Alasdair Mòr. According to the MS 1467, he had a son, Somhairle, who had a son, Gilbert. A. and A. Macdonald could not find any other definite piece of information about the descendants of Gofraidh. According to A. and A. Macdonald, Donnchadh, third son of Alasdair Mòr, possessed lands in the parish of Glenorchy. In about 1343, David II granted to Alexander MacNaughtane, all the lands which had belonged to the deceased Eoin, son of Donnchadh, son of Alasdair. A. and A. Macdonald were unable to find any other record of this branch of the clan. Nothing is known about Eoin, son of Alasdair Mòr. According to the MS 1467, Eachann, youngest son of Alasdair Mòr, had two sons, Charles and Lachlann. Nothing definite is known of Eachann, yet the Sleat seanachie McVurich claimed that he had another son, Siothach an Dronan, who settled in Ireland and founded Clan Sheehy (MacSithigh) of Munster. This clan is recorded in 1552, as fighting in army of O'Neill, and described as gallowglass. The Irish Annals, however, describe them as belonging to the province of Leinster. McVurich also claimed that Clan Domhnuill Renna and MacWilliam of the province of Connacht were also descended from Alasdair Mòr. Successors of Alasdair Mòr

Domhnall, son of Alasdair Mòr, swore fealty to Edward I of England in 1291. He was succeeded by his own son, Alasdair. Alasdair was also recorded as swearing fealty to the English king at the same time as his father. He was in turn succeeded by his son, Raghnall, who in 1366 crossed over into Ulster to fight in the wars between Donald and Neill O'Neill. A. and A. Macdonald considered the succession of the next three MacAlister chiefs to have been obscure. The two historians stated that Raghnall was succeeded by Alasdair who flourished about the year 1400. Alasdair was succeeded by Eoin Dubh from whom the modern chiefs derive their Gaelic designation Mac Iain Duibh. A. and A. Macdonald stated that this patronymic has caused confusion since the eldest son of Alasdair Og, the forfeited Hebridean magnate, was also named Eoin Dubh; and that his descendants were called Clann Eoin Duibh."

15th century

"Eoin Dubh was succeeded by Charles. In 1481, James III granted a considerable amount of land in Kintyre to John, Lord of the Isles. Among these lands were those of "Lowb", or Loup. That year, Charles McAllister was appointed by the king, to the Stewarty of Kintyre, and received a considerable grant of lands in that area. The Stewartry of Kintyre was a life appointment, and the lands consisted of 40 merklands. The lands were as follows: 4 merklands of Machquarrymore of Dunaverty, 2 merklands of the two Ramcollis, 2 merklands of Edyne, 1 merkland of Knockstippilmore, 1 merkland of Keranbeg, 2 merklands of Glennomudlach, 5 merks of Kildovy, 5 merklands of Polmulyn, 1 merkland of Salkanch, 3 merklands of Glennahervy, 2 merklands of Feachaig, 20 shillings lands of Corpany, the half merkland of Barfarnay, 2 merklands of Kilmichell, 4 merklands of de la Crag, to be held in fen farm. These lands were situated in North and South Kintyre. There is no mention of Loup and A. Macdonald stated that the lands were probably already in his possession, and had likely been in his family's possession for quite some time."

16th century "Charles was succeeded in the representation of the clan by his son, John. A. and A. Macdonald state that the only record of the existence of John is of his son's patronym Angus John Dowson of Loup. Angus is recorded among other Argyll chieftains whom protection was given by the Duke of Albany in 1515. The chieftains were described as "familiars and servitors" of Colin, Earl of Argyll. Angus John Dowson was succeeded by Alexander MacAlister. This chief was involved, among the Macleans and Clan Donald South, in the invasion of the Campbell territories of Rosneath, Lennox, and Craignish, in 1529. He was later denounced as a rebel for his failure to find security for his future good behaviour."

"In the 15th and 16th centuries, members of the clan obtained lands in the islands of Arran and Bute, which lie close to Kintyre. In 1506, Donald MacAlister received a grant of the lands of Longilwenach, and according to A. and A. Macdonald, his descendants became quite numerous in the said islands. Despite the fact the chiefs of Clan MacAlister never possessed lands in Buteshire, the connection of several of their clansmen to that area brought the chiefs trouble."

"A. and A. Macdonald state that during the remainder of the 16th century, the clan sought the protection under the more powerful Macdonalds of Dunyveg, and the powerful lords Argyll and Hamilton. Following the forfeiture of the lordship of the isles in 1493, the clan especially sheltered itself under the Macdonalds of Dunyveg. Between 1540 and 1572, the clan appears to have turned its attention to the turbulent north of Ireland. During this era men from the Hebrides often fought in Ulster on the side of Sorley Boy MacDonnell and according to A. and A. Macdonald, there is reason to believe that Clan MacAlister gave him some of his most strenuous support. A. and A. Macdonald stated that, sometime around 1571–1572, a body of Highlanders were defeated by Cheston who was captain of the English forces. One of those recorded as slain was one "Owen Mc Owen duffe Mc Alastrain, called the Lord of Loop". A. and A. Macdonald were of the opinion that this man was the son of Alexander MacAlister of Loup. The chief, John, was slain in 1572 and was succeeded in the chiefship by his son, Alexander. The following year, Alexander is recorded as receiving a charter from the Earl of Argyll; and around the same time was recorded as being ordered by an Act of Parliament to deliver hostages for the security of his peaceable behaviour."

"In 1587, Alexander MacAlister of Loup was recorded in the General Band of 1587, in which Highland chiefs were held accountable by the Government for their tenants.[18] In 1590, the clan rendered a bond of dependence and service to Lord John Hamilton; shortly afterwards a similar bond was given by the Tutor of Loup and clan members also Lord John Hamilton. A. and A. Macdonald state that Clan MacAlister was in no way dependent on the Hamiltons in Kintyre, yet those MacAlisters that settled in Arran and Bute had done so in the lands where the Hamiltons were lords. In 1591, Godfrey MacAlister of Loup received a charter from the Earl of Argyll."

"In 1598, a serious quarrel broke out between Godfrey MacAlister of Loup, who had just reached the age of majority, and his former tutor and guardian. It is unknown what the reasons for the quarrel were, yet what is known is that MacAlister of Loup had the former tutor murdered. The sons of the murdered man then fled to Askomull House which was the Kintyre residence of Angus Macdonald of Dunyvaig. The historians A. and A. Macdonald stated that Macdonald of Dunyvaig was the tutor's sons' clan superior. MacAlister of Loup was however aided by Sir James Macdonald, younger of Dunyvaig and surrounded the house with several hundred armed men."

Sources

1. ↑ "The Descendants of Archibald McAllister," by Mary McAllister, Harrisburg, Penn., 1898, pages 9 - 10 and pages 37 - 39.
2. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial for Archibald McAllister.
3. ↑ History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania Containing History of the Counties, Their Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania; Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc. Illustrated. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886 page 423 provides a biography of James McAllister Ralston that includes biographical information on his ancestors, including Archibald and Jean McAllister.
4. ↑ Clan MacAlister on Wikipedia.