Holbrook line: Alexis Lemmon 1718-1786

We know more about the end of Alexis Lemmon than we do about his beginnings.  The birth date I've used above is speculative, apparently based on his age when he is first spotted in Maryland.  The family tradition is that he was the son of John and Elizabeth Smith Lemmon, who were from "northern Ireland".  I've not found a record that would substantiate this, nor have I found a record of John Lemmon's death, but I've only skimmed the surface in looking for that particular information.

The first we know of Alexis is that he had land, called simply, "Lemon's," 100 acres on July 2, 1741.  He acquired more land gradually, called, Lemon's enlargement, Battle Array, and Lemmon's Lot, totaling about 325 acres.  Adding new land would fit the typical profile of a tobacco farmer, which was the main crop during the first part of the 18th century.  Gradually, though, wheat and corn took over as the main crops in the area.

Alexis married Martha, probably Merryman, in December of 1739.  It's thought that Martha was the mother of all eight of their children, but she died in 1776 and Alexis married Rachel Cottrell Jones the following year.  Some of Alexis and Martha's children served in the Revolutionary War, so talk abound the table must have been lively.  We don't know much of Alexis's political beliefs, although he took the oath of allegiance to the province of Maryland in 1778.  In 1768, he had signed a Joppa petition, asking that the county seat be moved from Joppa to Baltimore.  He doesn't, however, seem to have been a radical patriot at all. 

The subject of this post, Alexis (also seen as Electius) would have been of the right age to serve during the French and Indian War but I've not found any record that he did so.  Still, his neighbors very well may have served, and he would have heard stories to tell his children and his children's children.

Alexis died on or before May 30, 1786, probably on his farm in Baltimore County.  His inventory reveals that he was a slaveholder, "owning" six slaves at the time of his death.  They ranged in age from 33 to 2 months old, and were called Sugar, Harvey, Abraham, Henry, Peter, and Temperance.  The total value of these "Negroes", as listed in the inventory, was 270 pounds, out of a total estate of about 440 pounds.  The inventory included farm animals, crops, tools and implements, as well as perhaps more household goods than poor people would have had, and old books and spectacles.

I haven't yet found church records for Alexis, but there were several parishes in Baltimore County and not all the records survived.  I'd like to know his religion.  I'd also like to know whether he served in any kind of militia, in any conflict, and whether he served in public office.  Google has a lot of books about Baltimore County listed that are not on line, so a trip to the Allen County Public Library is in order.

The line of descent is

Alexis Lemmon-Martha Merryman
Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansbury
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
May Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants