Quick Facts on Hezekiah Alexander
Birthdate: Probably 1728
Birthplace: Cecil County, Maryland (2nd generation American)
Parents: James and Margaret McKnitt Alexander
Married: 1752, Mary Sample, daughter of Esther and William Sample
Occupation: Listed in Mecklenburg deeds as Blacksmith, and then as Planter
Death: July 16, 1801
Mecklenburg Community Involvement
1768: Appointed County Magistrate by Royal Governor William Tryon
1771: Founder and Trustee of Queen’s College (Queen’s Museum), also served as Queen’s College’s first treasurer
1775 (May 20): Participant in the Mecklenburg Convention. Signer of the “Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence”
1775 (May 31): Member of group who drew up the Mecklenburg Resolves
1776: Made a member of the Mecklenburg Committee of Safety
1776: Member of the Council of Safety
1776: Elected as a delegate to the Fifth Provincial Congress in Halifax
1776: Served on the committee appointed to draft the first State Constitution and Bill of Rights
Children of Hezekiah and Mary Sample Alexander
| Name | Birth | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|
|
William Sample Alexander
|
1752? | October 26, 1826 | Elizabeth Alexander, 1780 Sarah Rogers, 1798 Martha Nichols, 1821 |
|
James R. Alexander
|
November 23, 1756 | March 11, 1836 | Dorcas Wilson Garrison, 1789 |
|
Silas Alexander
|
1759 | October 27, 1831 | Mary, 1792 |
|
Esther Alexander (Garrison)
|
September 28, 1762 | September 12, 1829 | Samuel W. Garrison, 1786 |
|
Mary “Polly” Alexander (Polk)
|
1765 | 1791 | Charles T. Polk, 1785 |
|
Hezekiah Alexander Jr.
|
January 13, 1767 | 1840 | Patsey, 1793 |
|
Amos Alexander
|
May 13, 1769 | January 25, 1847 | Mildred Orr, 1797 |
|
Keziah Alexander
|
1771 | 1819 | Unknown |
|
Joel Alexander
|
April 26, 1773 | May 17, 1825 | Ruth, 1800 |
|
Ozwald Alexander
|
September 16, 1775 | December 11, 1826 | Sarah Sample, 1799 Hannah Parks, 1809 Mary Moore, 1826 |
The Rock House
The Revolutionary War-era home of Hezekiah Alexander is located on the grounds of the Charlotte Museum of History. Built in 1774, this two-story stone house is the oldest surviving structure in Mecklenburg County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house was preserved through the efforts of area chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution starting in 1949. A second era of restoration was begun in 1969 by preservation architects and craftsmen drawing on archaeological evidence and using construction materials and techniques of the mid-1700s. Thanks to their efforts and the tireless determination of staff and volunteers to locate authentic period furniture, visitors can see the home as it might have looked when Hezekiah and Mary Alexander and their ten children lived there.
Log Kitchen
In accordance with archaeological evidence, the current kitchen was reconstructed on the foundations of the original.
Eighteenth-century kitchens were often separate structures from the house because of the danger of fire, and also because of the amount of heat and smoke produced by open hearth cooking.
Most likely, the kitchen was staffed by a female slave and also doubled as slave quarters.
Springhouse
The foundation of this springhouse dates to approximately 1774, but the structure itself has been reconstructed based on early photographs. Two-story springhouses were rare in this area.
A springhouse had multiple uses, the most important being food preservation. Inside the lower level of the springhouse, natural spring water still flows over a floor of bedrock.
Ceramic crocks and jars containing perishables such as milk, butter, or cheese were placed in the water to be cooled, since the water temperature remains between 54 and 56 degrees Fahrenheit year round.