Military Monday (Maybe) ~ James McAlpin

As I recently wrote about, my 3rd great-grandfather, James McAlpin, arrived in America in 1811. Searching in Ancestry.com can turn up some interesting results.

The following was found in Ancestry.com's War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815:

The header reads:

"A Return to the Department of State of Alien Enemies who have reported themselves to the Marshal of the District of New York from the twelfth to the seventeenth day of October 1812 both days inclusive."

The columns indicate:

Name: James McAlpin
Age: 29
Time in the United States: 1 yr 3 months
Families: wife + 2 children
Place of Residence: Clinton [Dutchess County]
Occupation or Pursuit: ditto [Weaver]
Date of application to the Court to be Naturalized: [blank]
Remarks: [Blank]

Because the country was at war, the Department of State had increased duties, which included U.S. marshals collecting names of non-citizens in their districts. Unfortunately, the names of his family members are not included, although the description from the National Archives indicates that these names should be listed.