19. Jane³ Curtis (Thomas², Thomas¹) was born in Hunterdon Co, NJ ca 1712. Jane died ca 1785 in Botetourt Co, VA.

She married John Alderson in Hunterdon Co, NJ. John was born in Yorkshire, England 1699. John died 1780 in Botetourt Co, VA, at 81 years of age. His body was interred in Botetourt Co, VA. John immigrated, 1719. Destination: New Jersey. John's occupation: Baptist minister. John's will was probated in Botetourt Co, VA, November 1780.

Many Alderson researchers are familiar with the biography of the Rev. John Alderson as compiled by C.N. Feamster circa 1955, now located in the Library of Congress, in which he refers to articles written by the Rev. Lewis Allen Alderson in 1872 (Feamster's original manuscript contains a misprinted date of 1772). Two of these articles which appeared in the Religious Herald of Richmond, Virginia on 12 January 1871 and 10 April 1873; copies can be found at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, PO Box 34, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173. These two articles are transcripted here in their entirety:

Religious Herald, 12th January 1871 [page 5, column 2] Historical Notes REV. GEO.B. TAYLOR

You mention the name of one of my ancestors - Rev. John Alderson who, at an early age, came from Yorkshire, England, and having professed conversion, united with Bethlehem Church, in New Jersey. In 1755, he settled in Rockingham County, and in the following year, he constituted Smith's and Lynville Creek church, the third Baptist church in the State - the first as you know, having been constituted by emigrants from England in the Isle of Wight, in 1714, and the second UOpecken - in Berkeley county, in 1743. Rev. John Alderson Sr., removed to Botetort county in 1770. He was imprisoned in Fincastle, not, however, for preaching the gospel; for the Established church had not sufficient influence to imprison the Baptists in the Valley Virginia; but he imprisoned for celebrating the rites of matrimony, as he and other dissenters, as you stated, had been advised to do by Patrick Henry. I have in my possession at this time three large folio volumes - Keach on the Parables, Keach on the Scripture Metaphors, and Cotton's Concordance - which were presented by Thos. Hollis, a wealthy Baptist of London, to Rev. John Alderson of Yorkshire, England, and by him presented to his son, Rev. John Alderson, who first carried the gospel beyond the Alleghany mountains. Cotton 's Concordance was published in London in 1635. On the margin of the title page is written, in letters beautifully formed, "Thomas Hollis, 1721" and in another place "Joseph Eaton, 1735".

Religious Herald, 10 April 1873, Page 57, Column 6 Memorial Readings [Our Kansas correspondent furnishes the following sketch of the father of the useful minister, of whose life he has spoken in the last two issues of our paper - EDS. HERALD]

Rev. John Alderson Sr. was born in Yorkshire in the year 1699. His father, John Alderson, was a Baptist minister, of useful talents and respectable standing, and though supporting his family by the cultivation of the soil, he devoted a large portion of his time to the ministry. At the age of 19 or 20, his son was about to form a matrimonial connection beneath the social standing of the family, and the father, in order to divert his attention from the object of his affections, proposed furnishing him an outfit and the requisite means for travelling through the country. The proposition was accepted, but the youth soon squandered all his means, and was overtaken by a press-gang, who forced him on board their ship, which was about to sail for America. Without the knowledge of his parents, he was brought to the state of New Jersey,and,as was the custom of those days, he was hired out by the captain for his passage money. His employer was a respectable farmer, by the name of Curtis, and the affections of his daughter to whom he married. Soon after this he became deeply concerned about his eternal interests. By the grace of God he became a humble penitent at the feet of Jesus. Having embraced the Saviour in the fulness of his heart, he was baptized and received into the fellowship of the Bethlehem Baptist church. Possessing a clear intellect, and a heart deeply imbued by divine grace, he was encouraged to give himself to the ministry of the word. After a protracted struggle, he, at length, obtained the consent of his own mind, and was sent forth as a herald of the cross of the same church that put into the ministry John Gano, Hezekiah Smith, Charles Thompson, the Eatons, and other distinguished ministers of the gospel. It must have been exceedingly gratifying to the father to hear from the long lost son, and more especially to hear that the prodigal had become a minister of the gospel. Thomas Hollis, a wealthy merchant of London, and a Baptist, had presented Rev. John Alderson of Yorkshire, with a number of valuable books, among which were Keach on the Parables, Keach on Scripture Metaphors, large folio, and Cotton's Concordance, quarto, London 1635. These books the father sent over as a present to the son. They are now in the possession of the writer. In the Concordance is written "Thomas Hollis 1721", and "Joseph Eaton,1735"; also "John Alderson his book" .

Jane Curtis and John Alderson had the following children:

22 i. Mary⁴ Alderson was born in NJ ca 1736. She married Orton.

+ 23 ii. John Alderson Jr was born 5 Mar 1737/8.

+ 24 iii. Curtis Alderson was born ca 1740.

25 iv. James Alderson was born ca 1742. James died ca 1775 in VA. He married Mary Ann Tathman.

+ 26 v. Thomas Alderson was born 22 Aug 1744.

+ 27 vi. Benjamin Alderson was born ca 1745.

28 vii. Simon Alderson was born in Bucks Co, PA ca 1747. Simon died ca 1798 in Davidson Co TN. He married Ann Spratt in Botetourt Co, VA, 16 Aug 1773.⁽¹⁰⁾

29 viii. Samuel Alderson was born in Bucks Co, PA ca 1749.

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