John CLEVELAND, Sr. 1675-??
Born about 1675 in Gloucester, VA to Roger CLEVELAND and possibly wife Miss ROWZEE.
John's mother apparently died when he was young, as his father is seen in a land deal in 1679 with no wife signing - which was a requirement at the time.
In 1683, when John was 8 years old, his father married Dorcas ALEXANDER in Gloucester County, VA. A year later his half-sister Elizabeth was born, and baptized in Abingdon Parish on 31 Oct 1684.
John was 12 years old when his half-brother Alexander was born, and baptized in Abingdon Parish on 31 July 1687. Step-mother Dorcas died later that year in Occoquan, Prince William Co., VA.
Some time before 1698, John married and their first daughter, Elizabeth, was baptised in Abingdon Parish on 24 April 1698.
Their first son John Jr. was born about 1711, and is next in our Arizona Cleveland lineage.
Son Micajah was born about 1714, and there may have been a third son, William.
The most recent theory on the Southern Cleveland lineage is that there were two main lines - one from this John and the second from Roger's second son Alexander, or another older Alexander Cleveland that may have arrived about the same time as Roger. Older published genealogies show Alexander as having a son Jeremiah, who in turn had the son Jacob that is found in our direct line. Newer research believes the "grandfather Jeremiah" to be Jeremiah WHITE - Jacob's wife's father.
Original Lineage
1_Roger
>2_Alexander
>>3_Jeremiah
>>>4_Jacob
New lineage:
1_Roger
>2_John I
>>3_John II
>>>4_Jacob
Sources:
- From message board on Ancestry.com – July 2005 http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=697&p=surnames.cleveland