Alexander Thompson was born on September 3, 1758 in Newville, Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania. He served in the Revolutionary War, enlisting as a private in August, 1776. He served two months at Amboy, in the "Jerseys" in Capt. Alexander Laughlin's Company (probably his uncle), Col. William Clark's Regiment. He was honorably discharged at the end of that time, and then re-enlisted in December, 1776, serving again in the "Jerseys" and still with Capt. Laughlin (although now under Col. Gurney of Philadelphia). The second term was also two months. In January, 1778, he joined for a third term under Capt. Astor and Col. Buchanan. The third term was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His pension number is S32555 (PA) BLWT 31325-160-55 and he appears in the Illinois Pension Census, Whiteside Co., June 1, 1840, age 82. Alexander was one of the signers of the call extended by the Big Spring Presbyterian Church to the Rev. Samuel Wilson on March 21, 1789. He was also an original subscriber to Wilson's salary (who was paid £150 per annum) for the amount of £1s10. He is shown as a member of Elder John Robinson's district in Big Springs Presbyterian listing of 1789, and in the 1790 listing of "Occupants of Pews" for Big Springs Presbyterian Church, both Alexander and his brother Hugh are shown as occupants of pew #79. He married Sarah Scroggs (daughter of Alexander Scroggs and Rachel Ireland) on March 11, 1800 in Newville, Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania. According to the book "Indictments of Cumberland County, PA 1750-1800" by M. L. Schaumann, Luke Chapman was indicted for falsely accusing Hugh Thompson of buggary in a series of events regarding his (Chapman's) indenture to Alexander Thompson. Testimony was given by Alexander Thompson and many others. In 1808 Alexander succeeded his brother Hugh, as elder of the districts of Upper Mifflin and North Newton Township and remained in that position until he left the area in 1839.

He lived on the farm on which he was born for eighty years. Then in May,1839, he sold the farm to Cornelius Vanderbilt and he and his family left the Cumberland Valley, travelled west, and settled on new property in Newton Twp, Whiteside Co., Illinois (they stopped briefly in Vermillian County, Indiana, where his brother William's family lived and where he applied for his pension). With him (he was 81 at the time) were his wife Sarah, his sons Moses, William and Hugh, and his daughters Sarah and Margaret. According to Whiteside County History, Alexander bought part of the Stallnaker claim on Sec. 15, less than a mile away from what is now Kingsbury Cemetery (the buyer of the other part of Stallnaker's land was Samuel Miller, Alexander's son-in-law). One of his other sons, John Scroggs Thompson, also went to the same area settling on a farm of his own. Accompanying the Thompsons on this move was Robert Blean and his wife Margaret. Alexander Thompson died on September 25, 1840 in Whiteside Co., Illinois. He was buried in Kingsbury Cemetery, Newton Twp., Whiteside Co. He is the only Revolutionary War soldier buried in Whiteside Co. On September 13, 1967, the Morrison Chapter of the DAR marked the grave of Alexander with the note "the only Revolutionary War Soldier buried in Whiteside County." His tombstone is inscribed "Thompson, Alexander-Pvt. Clark's Reg, I, Pa. Troops Rev. war d. Sept. 25, 1840 a. 83 year yrs." His wife, Sarah Scoggs died on November 1, 1859 in Garden Plain Twp, Whiteside Co., Illinois. She died intestate. Her administration papers, which list her survivors, are in the Whiteside Co., Illinois court house. She was buried in Kingsbury Cemetery, Newton Twp., Whiteside Co., lllinois.

From the World Connect Website Don Dickenson