Samuel Alexander

LInda,

You haven’t said what denomination Samuel was. Judging by the location and surname, I would guess Presbyterian. However whatever denomination he was, unfortunately none of the churches in the Raloo area has any records for the late 1700s. So there’s probably no documentary record of his baptism or presence in the Raloo area. Finding his parents may prove difficult.

Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society are running an Ulster DNA project and can offer FTDNA testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).