Surname Saturday ~ McAlpin of Dutchess County, New York

My immigrant McAlpin ancestor is James McAlpin. He was born about 1780-1783 in Scotland or Ireland.

One of the (secondary) sources I have [1] tells me that he was born in Scotland because his son's 1901 death certificate noted that his parents were born in Scotland. Although no primary sources are noted, I'm a bit more inclined to believe the other secondary source [2], which tells me that he was born in Muckamore, County Antrim, Ireland. According to this (unsourced) research, this branch settled in Northern Ireland during one of the many colonizations by the Scots. At some point I need to research the primary sources for this ancestor.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

The secondary sources agree that James McAlpin sailed from Belfast, Ireland to New York on the ship Jupiter in the spring of 1811. He arrived with wife, Jane, and one child. He settled in Pleasant Valley, Dutchess County, New York, in what was known then as Clinton Township, later moving to Fishkill, also in Dutchess County.

His wife was Jane Hunter, born in Muckamore, Antrim, Ireland, May 11, 1786. They married in Antrim, Ireland on July 14, 1809.

I find James McAlpin in Dutchess County, New York, in U.S. federal census records in 1820, 1830, and 1840. Unfortunately, these years only show the name of the head of household, so I have to guess at who else is included in the household based on the numbers in the following columns.

1820 U.S. Federal Census, Clinton, Dutchess, New York, record for James McAlpin

In 1820, James McAlpin's household contained seven people. He was "engaged in manufactures" and was a "foreigner not naturalized."

1830 U.S. Federal Census, Fishkill, Dutchess, New York, record for James McAlpin

By 1830, James McAlpin had moved from Clinton to Fishkill and his household was up to ten people and he is again a "foreigner not naturalized."

1840 U.S. Federal Census, Fishkill, Dutchess, New York, record for James McAlpin

In 1840, his household is back down to seven (children married and moving out, I'm guessing), and although (on the next page) 4 are employed in "Manufacture and Trade," there is no indication of whether James is now a naturalized citizen.

The number and names of their children are a little unclear, but over the years, I have found evidence for seven children: Rebecca, James, David, William, Hugh, Jane, and Catherine.

Courtesy Stephanie LaRose Photography
http://www.stephanielarosephotography.com/

James died in New York City on July 28, 1849, during a cholera epidemic. His 23-year-old daughter Catherine also died in 1849. They are buried in what is now Beacon, New York. I wrote about finding his burial place at Not Quite Tombstone Tuesday and when I later found that a photographer had been in the overgrown cemetery and taken a photo, I blogged about it at Tombstone Tuesday.

Generation 2: David Hunter McAlpin (1816-1901), a well-known tobacconist and real estate investor. I have previously shared his lengthy New York Times obituary (which happens to note that his father was from Ireland).

Generation 3: Frances Adelaide McAlpin (1860-1937)
Generation 4: Charles McAlpin Pyle (1893-1966)
Generation 5: Charles McAlpin Pyle, Jr. (1924-1993)
Generation 6: Me

My two secondary sources for much of this information are:

[1] Doris McAlpin Russell, McAlpin(e) Genealogies 1730-1990: Alexander McAlpin of South Carolina and Georgia and His Descendants plus other McAlpin(e) Families of North America (Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, Inc., 1990)

[2] Pyle, Smith and Allied Family Histories (Privately published, 1951), which I mentioned in the Surname Saturday post for my Pyle line.