Archibald McCall (1734–1814)

Although he was considered a Loyalist, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Resolutions of 1770 along with Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other patriots.

Archibald McCall was born on April 28, 1734, at Kelloside in Kirkconnel parish, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

[1] His father, a merchant from Glasgow,[2] Samuel McCall, owned property in Colonial Maryland, Virginia, and other places.

[3] In the late 1760s, McCall had a number of establishments: a cooper's shop, flour mill, a bakehouse, and vessels.

[6] During the Stamp Act 1765 crisis, McCall sided against patriots in Westmoreland and Essex County, Virginia.

[2][7] The American Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775 (with the shot heard round the world of the Battles of Lexington and Concord).

[8][a] McCall was suspected of supplying Virginia's royal governor Lord Dunmore's troops with food.

[2] He thought that the war would not last longer than six months and left his business affairs in the hands of William Shedden and his cousin George McCall.

[10] Not being able to return to Virginia presented risks to his business interests and the inheritance his daughter Catharine Flood McCall was to receive upon the death of her maternal grandfather Dr.

[8] In 1783, he petitioned to return to Virginia, in which he stated that he had sent his daughters to Glasgow to receive a proper education near his relatives and as the result of a disagreement with his father-in-law.

[11] In the winter of 1785–1786, a relative, Robert Hunter and his friend Joseph Hadwell, stayed with the McCalls and both sought to court Catharine, but she rejected both men.

[2][11] His obituary in the November 2, 1814, edition of the Virginia Argus stated: Mr. McCall was distinguished for the sagacity of his mind, and the cheerfulness of his manners which diffused a charm around him.