Scott-Le Sueur County MINNESOTA Biographies.....alexander gray mc connell March 12 1821 - October 13 1887 ******************************************************* File contributed for Minnesota Biographies Project by: elizabeth wilenius ewilenius@yahoo.com October 19, 2003, 3:02 pm Author: Elizabeth Wilenius Alexander Gray McConnell was born in St.Quivox, ayshire, Scotland on March 12, 1821. His family belonged to the McDonald Clan. On December 13, 1842, he married Janet Strathern in New Monkland, Lanark Co., Scotland. They had four children born there,1) Margaret Russell McConnell on September 17, 1843 who later married Stephen Bliss in Jordon, Scott Co., Minnesota 2) James Thomson McConnell on Novembger 28 1844 who died at four years of age in Causewayend, Scotland 3)John Leonard McConnell on June 14, 1846 who later married Julia sprague and they lived in Lesueur and Blakeley, Minnesota. John and his wife are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in BellePlaine, Minnesota and he was the last surviving veteran of Brackett's Battalion from the Civil War and Indian Wars, outliving the U.S. Army horse calvary. 4)Mary McConnell on March 4, 1848 and she died at six years of age in St. Paul, Minnesota. When he was twenty-eight, he, his wife, and their three living children came to America and settled near Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. Members of Janet's Strathern family also lived in this area. Their daughter Elizabeth Brien McConnell was born there and another daughter Anne Logan McConnell before the family headed westward. Ellen was born in Buck Inn, Illinois in and they were settled in Minnesota Territory later that year at Fort Ridgely on the lonely western frontier. Alexander worked on government boats on the nearby Minnesota River and also as an engineer at the nearby sawmills. He then staked a claim in Blakely Township of Scott County ten miles west of Belle Plaine and settled in the beautiful, hilly, and forested Minnesot River Valley to begin a long struggle as farmers. While in BellePlaine, they had James, Mary, and Gearge. Alexander's wife Janet died there when George was only three and eight years later, he married Mary E. Sprague, sister of his son John's wife Julia. Alexander served in the Minnesota Cavalry in the Civil War enlisting as a Corporal on August 22, 1862 at age of f1, and then into Company I, 8th Infantry Regiment Minnesota on October 25, 1862 shortly after the Sioux uprising of 1862 which his family survived. He was mustered out as a full Sergeant on July 11, 1865 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He was engaged in hard campaigns against the Confederates in Tennessee and places in the sourth. His son John had left the farm to join Brackett's Battalion at Fort Snelling in March of 1864. This Battalion had to see two years of Civil War Service and two years of Indian war service. When John joined they were preparing for the Northwestern Indian Expedition and at seventeen, he was in a battle with the Sioux at Killdeer Mountain in the Dakota Territory. Alexander was also on the battlefield as Sergeant with the Eighth Minnesota so he and his son John were able to have frequent visits which made their time a little easier. After the military service, Alexander returned to the family farm where he died October 13, 1887 at just sixty-six years. He and his family are buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. Additional Comments: See the book "Brackett's Battalion", Service Records of Civil War Soldiers, and American Civil War Soldiers. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/bios/mnbios/ File size: 3.6 Kb