House of Alexander

Last June of 2009, I, Dr. Sarah (Alexander) Culton, received messages from both Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World, which reported the following information:

Congratulations!  Because of the reference value of your outstnding achievements, Marquis Who’s Who has selected your biography for inclusion in the forthcoming 2010 Editions of Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.

These exciting and unique editions will profile the country’s most accomplished men and women from all fields of endeavor. It is a testament to your hard work and dedication to success that you have earned a place in America’s and the World’s premier biographical resources.  YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS, and that I am !

Last December, both books were published, and I am, indeed, included in both of them.

Dearest Sarah,

Yes, of course you can use anything of mine.  I just think it’s so wonderful being able to share these wonderful stories across the miles.  Isn’t the internet a wonderful facility?  It’s a tragedy that so may awful people abuse it so much.

I didn’t log on to my computer until yesterday (Monday) because I was flat out on Saturday finishing your ASTONISHING record.  I don’t know how you did it - your mind must have been going around, nineteen to the dozen, wound up like a watch spring!!  How did you turn off at night?  John tells me that you haven’t been well lately and you did tell me you were doubtful you would finish your Memoirs.  Please get well - everyone will be missing out on the very best part…..After all the terrible hardship and turnoil that went on in the lives of the previous generations carving out and making preparations for a wonderful democratic country to pass on to the following generations of their family.  Wouldn’t they be proud of you - getting right to the top in your education - the very thing that they could only dream about.  To do them justice you will have to record, even briefly, how you managed it all.  All because they were determined to make a better life for their families and future generations.  Please try.

I wasn’t able to bring up your attachments, but I called my computer man and he will call on me tomorrow morning to enable my machine to call it up.  I belong to the Society of Australian Genealogists and we have an amazing library in Sydney.  They have the best array of Burke’s marvellous publications I have seen - many more that our State Library.  So I got my material from Burke’s Landed Gentry 1862 and Burke’s Irish Family Records 1976, the same as J. P. Helton.  At our library I also found Boyle’s Records of Limavady - 1609 to 1808.  A wonderful account of the Council Meetings on which our family were burgesses over four generations, passing down from father to eldest son.  It was a fount of information about marriages and deaths and the brilliant planning under Sir Thomas Phillips who first built a water mill on the River Roe to trap beautiful water for the use of the settlement.  He defended the town in 1641 with the garrison and help of the townspeople, some of whom were women, for the whole winter, when besieged by Sir Phellam O’Nial.  The castle was, however, subsequently taken and burnt, together with the church and the town.

Strangely, on the same website that I found J. P. Helton, there was the name of William R. Phillips, 4414 Gailwood Ave., Memphis Ten.  I tried to get in touch with him by phone but didn’t have any success.  I think he could have been a descendent of Sir Thomas.  Oh, well, all you can do is try - he probably passed away also.

John Alexander rang me from Sunbury last night and did we have a LONG, LONG conversation.  We get on like a house on fire.  He told me the story of you and and . . . disagreeing about something and you, a GIRL, turned out to be right. What a blow to manly pride!  But John said he did own up that you were right, that’s something.  . . .

I would love to have a chat with you.  John reckons we are very much alike and we’d enjoy it.  I want you to tell me just what time it would be most convenient and the day you would like me to call because I wouldn’t want to catch you at a bad time.

Lots of love and please keep warm, it must be FREEZING over there and we are sweltering.  Thank goodness for airconditioning, we couldn’t cope without it. Cheerio for now….

Norma.
  —– Original Message —–
  From: Sarah Culton
  To: Norma Solomon
  Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 6:26 AM
  Subject: Re: Alexander Family History
  Re:

  BUT — the amazing thing about it, you quote (Arnold John Pinkney, J. P. Helton, Our Alexander Research to Date, unpublished).  I have been trying to get J. P. Helton’s address for some time without any success. Would you please be able to help me?

  The story is — I was searching the net one day and I came upon a site within a site which said that J. P. Helton had a picture of a portrait of Andrew and Jessie Phillips when they married in 1666.  WOW!! … I looked at the time and I should have been getting the dinner…. I closed down like a good wife should and raced off.  When I returned, do you think I could locate that particular site — no way.  I tried getting in touch with societies and libraries on the east coast and no-one knew him and he didn’t have a personal website.  I thought, recently, that I would ask you if you had heard of him.  AND THERE IT WAS ON PAGE 188!!!  Do you know where I would be able to contact him?  If I could get a picture of that portrait — to see what they actually looked like, would be absolutely wonderful and just “put the icing on the cake” for me.

  ——————————————————————–

  Here is what I recall about Rev. J. P. Helton:

  When I was doing the research for my book, I came across a posting by Rev. J. P. Helton that indicted he knew something about your particular line, so I wrote to him asking for information which I quoted in my book.  I wrote back to him and thanked him for his help, but I never received a reply.  A short time later, I found a posting saying that he had passed away.  I cannot, at this time, find any other records for him or his family.

  I contacted his widow and asked for assistance in finding someone who could follow-up on the research concerning your line.  She sent me the name of an individual on the Washington coast near where our daughter lives.  He sent me no information, but said to meet him at the Scottish Games Celebration, which was coming up, so I did.  He still claimed he had no information about that particular line!

  I have forwarded some information to you that indicates Rev. J. P. Helton got his information by checking Burke’s Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage and Burke’s Landed Gentry records!  Apparently, the information that he gained there was his contribution in tracing the early members of your family line — quite interesting!

  None the less, I will keep my eyes and ears open — maybe I can find a record of his descendants that might provide some clues.

  Love and Best Wishes,

  Sarah

  PS:  May I continue to post some of the wonderful statements you have made to my Website at:  www.houseofalexander.com?

 
    —– Original Message —–
    From: Norma Solomon
    To: Sarah Culton
    Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 7:26 PM
    Subject: Re: Alexander Family History

—– Original Message —–
    From: Norma Solomon
    To: Sarah Culton
    Sent: January 27, 2010 6:15 PM
    Subject: Alexander Family History
    Dear Sarah,

    I received your AMAZING book yesterday and I just can’t put it down. I knew all about the history and genealogy of our family in Australia but I always had this very strong desire to go further to find out what kind of people our earlier ancestors were.  Our great, great grandfather, Andrew, came to Australia in 1835, a member of the 50th Queen’s Own Regiment and he had his wife and four children with him.  Our great grandmother, Mary, was born on the “Lady Nugent” during the voyage. When the regiment received orders to move on to India he bought his way out to stay in the colony.  He founded the Loyal Orange Institution in Australia, was a founding member of the Total Abstinence Society and a staunch member of the Free Presbyterian Church.  Our family has always been active members of our church and our grandson, at sixteen, has just started teaching a Sunday School class.
    I had this feeling that there was a great story there to be told but I didn’t know where to begin.  Andrew’s death certificate stated that he was born in the Parish of Glendermott, his father’s name was Jacob and mother Frances –.  He was born on the 12th July, 1799.  There was a history about him in a book published by the Lodge which said ‘that he was born to be an Orangeman’.  That is the date of the Battle of the Boyne” when William of Orange defeated James II. It turned out that his ancestor, Capt. Andrew Alexander, was at the seige of Derry and a captain in King William’s army.
    I prayed for help and God didn’t let me down — it has been an amazing journey - and He has been with me every inch of the way.  The leads that have just materialised and the wonderful help I was given so freely, as you yourself experienced, has just amazed me.
    I have so much material and so many stories to tell and now I am trying to bring it all together….  And now I have your wonderful book to put me off further.  I really can appreciate the WORK you have done and theTENACITY you needed to do it.  I tell my grandchildren that enthusiasm is a wonderful Godgiven gift and I am sure they both have it.  Jessica is 14 and she and Andrew both know their Bibles inside out, as well as being brilliant at school.  They, and their mother and father will both love the book. 
    Thank you so much, Sarah, for all you have done.
    Kindest regards,
    Norma.

Yes, I suffered a back injury last April 19, 2009, which left me quite debilitated.  However, during the last six months I have gained strength and mobility, and am continuing to do so!

However, during this period of time, many of you were unable to reach me via of the 230206@houseofalexander.com email account  Several of you who experienced this “fluke” are located  in Canada or Australia, such as my fantastic researcher and writer, John Alexander and his lovely wife, Hazel, who spent a week with us in our humble abode in Washington state. (Please see Website!)

The reason for this “fluke” was that the 230206@houseofalexander.com email account had become filled with spam messages dating back to 2006, some 15,000+ spam messages! This is why the “mail quota exceeded” message was sent to me after I made inquiry.  I contacted my website www.houseofalexander.com provider, and he has reported to me that all corrections and necessary changes have been made.  In other words, this avenue is again open to the people for whom it was intended!  I only hope that this route will continue to be open to all seriously interested Alexander researchers!  Thanks to my Website provider, all should be fine!

Now that we are “back on track” again, I would love to hear from you!

Happy Thanksgiving to all,

Sincerely,

Dr. Sarah Alexander Culton