Additional noted by Mother Clawson: -
A Rattlesnake Flag was presented to Alexander Craig's mother or our mother's
great grandmother in 1775.
Before Pittsburgh was laid out in lots the first sale of land was to a Craig
from Fort Pitt. Across the river in Allegheny he owned the first salt works and
the first glass works. A Craig was on the first board of trustees of the Presbyterian
church in Pittsburgh and he was the editor of the Pittsburgh Gazette in 1833
and started the first daily paper in that city.
Mother's great, great grandfather Craig was captured by the Indians near packsaddle,
east of Blairsville, on way to Ligionier for supplies for Fort Shields near New
Alexandra.
Some of these are notes taken from the book, "The Rolling Years," by
Agnes Sligh Turnbull. By W. S. Clawson.
Among many other regrets regarding our relatives is the fact that we did not
ask mother for information regarding her father's brother's and sisters. There
were several and her notes mention none of them in much detail. Gen. Alexander
Craig, the second son, was with Washington when he crossed the Delaware. He fought
at Princeton and Trenton. Samuel, Jr. had harrowing experiences when he was captured
by the Indians and thrown into the river, being pushed under the water repeatedly
but finally won the admiration of the braves, and his singing voice finally won
him a right to live while other prisoners were killed with the tomahawk. Craig
was sold to the English for a gallon of whiskey and finally exchanged to the
Colonial Army as a prisoner of war. He returned to the Loyalhanna farm.
One of the treasured possessions of the family for years was the celebrated rattlesnake
flag which was adopted as the banner of the men of Westmoreland County who fought
in the Revolution. It was six feet, four inches long by five feet ten inches
wide, made from an English ensign. It was of crimson silk, having in a corner
of a blue field the red and white cross of St. George and St. Andrew. In the
center was a rattlesnake, ready to strike, above the words, "Don't tread
on me." worked in gold. The flag was carried by Lieut. Samuel Craig when
the battalion was called to the defense of Philadelphia in 1???. Above the snake
was the initial "P" for Col. Thomas Proctor and just below the initial
appears the letters "I.B.W.C.P." Independent Battalion, Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania.
On the death of Colonel Proctor, the flag passed to General Alexander Craig.
It stayed in the family until 1914, when it was bequeathed by Jane Marie of New
Alexandria to the state museum at Harrisburg, and was escorted east by a State
Police Guard of Honor.
The people of New Alexandria played an important part in the Whiskey Insurrection
and when William Findley, a member of State House of representatives went to
Redstone Old Fort (Brownsville) to attend a meeting designed to seek repeal of
the excise tax, he was afraid that only violent people would attend and radical
resolutions be made so he asked John Moore, a justice of the County Court of
Westmoreland, John Shields, great grandfather of Mrs. Cook and Captain Samuel
Moorhead to accompany him. The Presbyterian church split on the question of the
Whiskey Insurrection.
The members of the Presbyterian church later were ordered not to take part in
the slave question, however, many did and some became members of the "Underground
Railroad" which helped southern slaves to escape north.
Miss Janet Sligh has compiled a history of this section of Pennsylvania.
Those of you interested in the ALEXANDER CRAIG line of Augusta County, VA may
want to know that Sunday I found the "old" cemetery of the Lebanon
Presbyterian Church at Bells Valley in Augusta County, VA A. It is separated
from the present cemetery and church by about two miles, being north on route
42, about 250 feet off the western side of the road, just below a wood yard.
It is so overgrown that it is not recognizable as anything but unkempt woods.
There is no apparent right of way. The owner of the wood yard house above the
cemetery (north) is Jim Gum. He is a fine man, and readily allows access to
the cemetery by parking in front of his house, climbing the barbed wire
fence, and walking the 150 feet to the cemetery. In it a a dozen or so
apparent stones, including that of Robert Craig 1780-1872 and his wife
Margaret. He was the son of Alexander Craig, both of whom lived on the
Little Calf pasture Valley at the foot of Brown's Mountain. I was thrown off
the location of their lands for a couple of years by a bad assumption on my
part, and was looking around Fordwick, which is a mile NE of Craigsville. The
site is actually several miles south of there. Could find no evidence of the
old R. S. Craig mill. I have no proof that Robert's middle initial was
"S"except that is what is on Jedidiah Hotchkiss' map of 1874.
Am in process of getting the cemetery cleaned up, inventoried, and
accessible. Sometimes the latter is quite difficult and costly, but nothing
ventured, nothing gained. When all that is done I will post the results to
this forum. Meanwhile I will be happy to provide whatever I can to tho
seeking information about Alexander Craig line of Augusta
County.KY.TN.IN.Colorado. I have some interesting 100 year old letters about
them that their descendants may enjoy if only I can find them.
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