Annals of our Forebearers

It was the year 1740 and Alexander Joyce, a Scots-Irish settler, was living in absolute misery. As he watched the misty hillside of County Down, Ireland, he pondered on all of the hardships he had grown accustomed to throughout the years. From famine, religious persecution, and political persecution, he had experienced much. But now, he was facing his most challenging obstacle yet. Left with little choice, he would soon embark on the journey of a lifetime, and leave his old life behind. And as he sailed for the American Colonies on the choppy ocean, he had no idea of what awaited him in Colonial Virginia and North Carolina. But what kind of life did he make for himself in the New World? And what new trials lay ahead? This is his story.