Alexander C. McEwen1

b. 9 February 1806, d. 6 December 1869
Birth9 Feb 1806 Alexander C. McEwen was born on 9 Feb 1806 in Virginia.2 
Marriage23 Apr 1833 He married Eliza Byars, daughter of Col. William Byars and Elizabeth Beattie, on 23 Apr 1833 in Washington County.1 
  Alexander and Eliza did not remain in Virginia. They first settled in Tennessee where their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1834. 
Migration  From there they headed further south, settling on land recently ceded by the Cherokee Indians in Marshall County, Mississippi. They built a home in what came to be known as Holly Springs.3 
Cens-18506 Dec 1850  Alexander was a merchant, rather than a farmer, but was also a landowner. The 1850 census listed the value of his land at $2,500. Besides 42 year old Alexander, the household that year included Eliza (39), Elizabeth (16), Calvin (11) and Caroline Gilleland (10).4 
  It is not known to me if the 11 year Calvin McEwen was another child of Alexander and Eliza. The 1840 census does not indicate the presence of a young male in the Alexander McEwen household. 
6 May 1858  Eliza's father, Col. William Byars, wrote his will back in Virginia in 1858. He left Eliza $5, noting that she had already been provided for. 
Cens-186020 Jul 1860  Eliza's changed circumstances were reflected in the 1860 census, where she was listed as the owner of land worth $30,000 and the owner of personal property valued at $20,000.5 
  The late 1850s also saw the wedding of Eliza and Alexander's daughter Elizabeth to Winfield Featherston, a young lawyer who had already served in the US House of Representatives for 4 years. During the Civil War he achieved the rank of Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. The young couple made their home with Eliza and Alexander.6,7,3 
Death6 Dec 1869 Alexander died on 6 Dec 1869 at age 63.2 
Burial He was buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Holly Springs, Marshall County, Virginia.2 

Related Links and Images:

Alexander's stone at Hillcrest Cemetery

Family

Eliza Byars b. 18 Nov 1807, d. 21 Jun 1892
Child
Last Edited2 May 2011

Citations

  1. [S4] D.E. Brown, Marriages of Washington Co., VA 1781-1853, p. 40. Alexander C. Mcewen and Eliza M. Byars marr 23 Apr 1833 by Alex. McEwen.
  2. [S1777] Find A Grave Website (http://www.findagrave.com/index.html : accessed June 2009). Alexander McEwen data and photo submitted by Michelle Woodham, 2005, for Hillcrest Cemetery.
  3. [S2308] "Historic Places", USGenWeb: Mississippi, Marshall County (http://marshallcountyms.org/locales/historic.php : accessed Jun 2009), Article on home known as "Featherston Place."
  4. [S2303] Alexander C. McEwen household, 1850 U.S. census, Marshall Co., Mississippi, pop. sched., p. 364 (stamped), dwelling 1170, family 1170, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Jun. 2007, image 179 of 210. Household includes: Alexander C. McEwen, 42, merchant, b. TN, owns land valued at $2,500, Eliza M., 39, b. VA; Elizabeth, 14 [or 16], b. TN; Calvin, 11, b. Miss; Caroline Gilleland, 10 [or 16], b. TN.
  5. [S2304] A.C. McEwen household, 1860 U.S. census, Marshall Co., Mississippi, pop. sched., Holly Springs, p. 165 (added script), dwelling 215, family 179, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Jun 2009, image 27 of 48. Household includes: A.C. McEwen, 53, merchant, b. TN; E.M., 51, owns real estate worth $30,000 and pers. prop. worth $20,000.
  6. [S1777] Find A Grave Website (http://www.findagrave.com/index.html : accessed June 2009). Winfield S. Featherston bio data submitted by John Griffith.
  7. [S2307] Bobby J. Mitchell, The Gray Ghost, "Ghost Riders", transcriptions , USGenWeb: Mississippi, Marshall County (http://marshallcountyms.org/military/griders.php : From Vol. 11, No. 2: Mar-Apr 1992: General Winfield Scott Featherston).