Alexander Craighead (1705–1766) was a

Scots-Irish American Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) Americans are American descendants of Ulster Protestants who emigrated from Ulster in northern Ireland to America during the 18th and 19th centuries, whose ancestors had originally migrated to Ireland mainly from t ...

preacher.

Biography

Early life

Alexander Craighead was born in Donegal,

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on March 18, 1707. He emigrated to North America with his father, the

Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Thomas Craighead. He died March 1766 in Rocky Creek,

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wak ...

. He was the youngest son of Rev. Thomas Craighead and Margaret Holmes. He was the brother to John Craighead. Their mother was Margaret Holmes who was born in Scotland. She came with her husband and four of their five children from County Londonderry to America settling first in Massachusetts. Her brother, William Holmes' son Robert Holmes married Mary Franklin whose brother was Benjamin Franklin, Patriot, Statesmen, Scientist, and Signer of the American Declaration of Independence. ource, "Craighead Family", by Rev. James Geddes Craighead Also, "Simpson and Allied Families", by Dennis William Simpson 1985.

Career

He preached at the Middle Octorara Church, along the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, during the 1730s, but continued to move south and west to the frontiers of colonial civilization. After a stay in

Augusta County, Virginia Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county ...

, at Windy Cove, he moved to

. "Another group of pioneers ( Ulster Scots) settled nearer the present site of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

and organized the Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church in 1755, with Rev. Craighead serving as pastor of both the Rocky River church and the Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church from the time each was organized until is death in1766. Details of his long, eventful, and sometimes turbulent life are recorded in numerous places, notably The

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

at Rocky River, by Thomas Hugh Spence Jr. (1954) and A History of Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church, by Neill Roderick McCeachy (1954)." A prolific writer and leader in his faith, he published numerous works, including ''Renewal of the Covenants, National and Solemn League; A Confession of Sins; An Engagement to Duties; and a Testimony; as they were Carried on at Middle Octorara in Pennsylvania, November 11'', and ''The reasons of Mr. Alexander Craighead's receding from the present judicatories of this church..., 1743'', both published by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

. Considered a promoter of the " Revival" and a participant in the " Great Awakening", he was a vocal critic of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. He often preached to his flock to resist threats to their independence, and he held the rights of the common man as sacred as that of kings. He is counted as the spiritual father of the

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a text published in 1819 with the now disputed claim that it was the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. It was supposedly signed on May 20 ...

, which was allegedly written nine years after his death.

Death

He died in 1766, and was buried in the oldest burial ground of Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church, on Craighead Road off North

Tryon Street Tryon may refer to: * Tryon (surname) Places * Tryon Creek, tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon * Tryon Street, major north-south street of Charlotte, North Carolina * Tryon, Prince Edward Island, Canada, unincorporated area * Settled ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

References

External links

Renewal of the Covenants and Testimony at Middle Octorara by Alexander Craighead and Covenanter Societies

* ttp://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
A History Of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craighead, Alexander 1705 births 1766 deaths American Presbyterians Protestant writers People from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Kingdom of Ireland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies