Sketches of Virginia

The Alexander Family of Timber Ridge and South River

The Alexander family traced its origins to Scotland and later Ulster before several members emigrated to America in the eighteenth century. Archibald Alexander, born in Ireland in 1708, came first to Pennsylvania and then settled on the South River in Virginia about 1747. His descendants became closely associated with Timber Ridge, Rockbridge County government, Washington College, the Presbyterian Church, and several prominent educational institutions.

The Preston Family of Spring Hill and Staunton

The Preston family was among the early Scotch-Irish families associated with the settlement of the central Shenandoah Valley. John Preston, a shipmaster from Dublin, Ireland, came to Virginia with Colonel James Patton and lived for a time at Spring Hill before establishing a home near Staunton. Through his children and grandchildren, the family became connected with the Breckenridge, Brown, McDowell, Smith, and Howard families and produced descendants prominent in religion, law, politics, and western migration.

The McDowell Family of Timber Ridge

The McDowell family was among the early settlers of the Timber Ridge area of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Ephraim McDowell arrived with his family in 1737, accompanied by his sons James and John and his daughter Mary, wife of James Greenlee. Through the next several generations, the family became associated with frontier settlement, land surveying, military service, county government, and several prominent Virginia families.

The Vance Family of Opequon and the Holston River Valley

Members of the Vance family appear among the early settlers and public figures of several Virginia frontier communities during the eighteenth century. James Vance was established at Opequon by the 1730s and married into the Glass family, while David Vance participated in the organization of Frederick County government. Later, John and Joseph Vance appear among the Presbyterian settlers of the Holston River valley. The surviving account does not establish the precise relationship among these different Vance families.

The Glass Family of the Opequon Settlement

The Glass family was among the early Scotch-Irish families who settled along Opequon Creek in Frederick County, Virginia. Samuel Glass and his wife, Mary Gamble, came from County Down, Ireland, and established their home near the head spring of the Opequon in 1736. Their descendants remained closely associated with the creek valley, establishing homes at places known as Cherry Mead and Long Meadows, while other branches spread westward beyond the Allegheny Mountains.

The Hoge Family of Virginia

The Hoge family was among the early Presbyterian families associated with the Opequon settlement in the northern Shenandoah Valley. William Hoge, a native of Paisley, Scotland, came to America as a young man and eventually settled with his family in Virginia about 1735. From this early household descended several families prominent in the religious and civic history of Frederick County and elsewhere in Virginia. The following account brings together the Hoge family references scattered throughout William Henry Foote’s Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical, Second Series, arranging them by generation and family relationship.