Ezra Alexander

Ezra Alexander (2/26/1740 - 7/6/1800) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence.His parents married in Somerset County, Maryland, then moved to Cecil County, where he was born. He moved with other members of his family to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1754. Ezra settled in the southwestern part of the county in an area now known as Pineville. In addition to being known as one of the Mecklenburg Declaration signers, he also served in the Continental Army, was a member of the Committee of Safety and fought at the battles at Ramsour's Mill and Hanging Rock, a skirmish in Lincoln County and was promoted to Captain.

After the war, he was appointed an overseer of roads in 1778. He married his neighbor's daughter, Mary Polk, and is buried next to her in the Polk Cemetery in Pineville. Prior to his death, he fathered Eleazer, James, Dorcas, Abdon, Augustus, Paris, Redempta and Polly Ann and mentions them in his will. Ezra owned a large piece of property on the west bank of the Little Sugar Creek and was a slave owner. He also bought land in Tennessee from his father-in-law, Ezekiel Polk.

Documentation

(1) King, Victor C. Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC, 1956.