Alexander McCracken of County Antrim

Very difficult. There are very few records for Ireland in the 1700s generally and it?s often impossible to trace where someone came from. Co Antrim in the 1700s had over 100 Presbyterian churches but only about 6 of them have any records for that century. In some cases records just weren?t kept. In a lot of others the records have been lost or destroyed through carelessness, fire, water damage and so on. So even if you did know which townland or parish the family came from, there might not be any records to consult.

The Presbyterian churches that do still have records for the 1700s are: Antrim town 1^st (starts 1675), Lisburn (1689), Belfast Rosemary St (1723), Larne Non Subscribing (1720), Ballymoney 1^st (1751), Carnmoney (1708), Cullybackey (1727), Belfast Rosemary St Non subscribing (1757 for baptisms, 1790 for marriages), Belfast All Souls (1771) & Templepatrick Non Subscribing (1793).

There are copies of all these records in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast, save for Cullybackey?s early records which are held in the Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast. None of the records is on-line as far as I am aware and so a personal visit to PRONI and the Pres Hist Society would be necessary to view them.

The surname is pretty common in the area. (There are 967 people named McCracken in the 1901 census, including variant spellings). You do have a very famous namesake who was hanged in Belfast in 1798:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Joy_McCracken

It was very much a long shot that I would find any records but there is always the hope of family tradition or even a family Bible. The name is common enough that I am unlikely to be able to "prove" which Alexander was mine. DNA is my other route and maybe it will bear fruit.

Blessings,

Don Hanna

Florida, USA

I came across a transcribed family story as told by Sara Jane McCracken in 1877, whose grandfather was Alexander McCracken.  She mentioned the Parish of Aghaloo.

"The following is a statement concerning facts in the Marshall estates in Ireland and the Alexander McCracken family who claim an interest in said Marshall estates through Margaret Marshall who married said Alexander McCracken & who was a daughter of Henry Marshall of Derrycantone, County Armagh, Ireland,

Note: Derrycantone, or Derrykintone, townland is in the parish of Aghaloo,
and county of Tyrone.

... which statement was compiled by Mrs. Sarah J. Smith and to which she has subscribed her oath. It is as follows, to wit:

Leavenworth, March 19th 1877"

In her statement, is mentinon of who married Alexander and Margaret (Peggy) Marshall.  Maybe it will provide another trail for you to find information:

• The minister was the Rev. Felix Quinn, ordained in 1771, and "a convert from Roman Catholicism and a licentiate of the Monaghan Presbytery." The church was probably Ballalbany, which was a Seceding congregation. Sources: (1) Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland. A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church 1610–1982. Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, 1982. (2) Stewart, David. The Seceders in Ireland: With Annals of Their Congregations. Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society, 1950.

Good Luck with your search!

Now that I have re-read your post, I think your 'Alexander' is not the same 'Alexander' which I wrote of.  My 'Alexander' was born in Caledon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1789.  He married Margaret Marshall.  They came to the US aboard the Ranger.

This is from Sara Jane's document:

My grandparents Alex. McCracken and Margaret his wife, came to this country, the U.S. of America, and landed at Baltimore, state of Maryland. They sailed from Belfast, Ireland, in the first vessel that ever carried the Stars and Stripes of the American flag. The vessel, I think, was called the “Ranger”. Captain John Paul Jones was the commander at the time the stars and stripes were first carried. I believe he captured several English ships with the Ranger, and afterwards gave the ship in command to Captain Simpson who sailed to America on the “Ranger” sometime during the year 1778 and I suppose for sometime after as there seems to be no doubt about that being the vessel that first carried the stars and stripes

p.4
and no doubt as to the same vessel carrying my grandparents. They came to this country, I believe (and I think I make no mistake) in July of 1784. They left Ireland in April. The first child was born September 8th 1783. Different ones of my grandmother’s children still living say he was a few months old when they sailed. He died on shipboard and the only child not born in this country. I think probably he was baptized in the Seceder Church at or near Monaghan, Ireland, as my grandfather’s father lived there. My grandfather was married at his father’s house near Monaghan by the first Presbyterian minister that ever had charge of a congregation there. His name was Quinn or Queen.

I have tracked down their children - 13 in all, with Henry being the infant who died during the journey.  They repeated names frequently over the years which makes it difficult.  I'm trying to tie this Alexander to my husband's line.  

~Good Luck!