Sacred to the Memory of the Blairs

Copyright © 2008 by Thomas William Blair Sr. and Thomas William Blair Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[email protected]

51128

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

This book is dedicated to Morrell Bowden Blair Trentham Nanny

You gave so much for so long to so many,

you are a part of us forever.

We pray that we will someday reunite with you in heaven.

INTRODUCTION

In the early 1960’s Dad (T. W. Blair Sr.) began researching our family’s history. At that time there were very few people doing genealogical research. There certainly were very few people researching the Blair family history. He started by talking to our older relatives and writing to some that lived far away. He was quite successful until he reached John J. Blair Sr. It seemed as though he might never learn the name of his parents. So for several years, the research was placed on the back burner for more pressing things such as Church, family, and work.

I (T.W. Blair Jr.) became interested in the research in the 1980’s. When dad began this voyage into history, I was just a kid. I remember going to libraries, courthouses, and archives but I certainly wasn’t very interested at the time. But when I got into my 20’s, I became very interested in history, particularly The War Between The States. I remembered that I had some ancestors that were involved in the war, so I began talking with Dad about the research he had done some years earlier.

Some people call genealogy a disease that is incurable. I quickly contracted this disease from Dad. The fever has been raging since then. Dad and I have made hundreds of trips to cemeteries, libraries, courthouses, Church’s, Church archives, State Archives, and even our National Archives. I could not even guess as to how many miles have been driven, or flown, in this quest. Literally thousands of letters and emails have been written and answered. We have reviewed original documents that are over 200 years old. We have read and researched hundreds of books. It is a wonder that we have not permanently damaged our eyes from staring at microfilm and microfiche. But on these trips we always shared one very valuable commodity . . . time.

The time spent in cars, planes, and restaurants have been some of the most enjoyable of our lives. It was during this time that we imagined being able to travel back into time to see how our ancestors lived. We speculated, supposed, and theorized our way down many country roads and Interstate highways. But each trip seemed to leave us with more questions and ideas of how we would spend our next opportunity to do some research. The wonderful thing about this is that, we will always have new theories to prove or disprove. These new theories will lead to even more opportunities to travel and do research.

The Internet has been one of the greatest tools to aid genealogists. We have come in contact with dozens of other distant relatives who are also doing family history research. This has led to friendships with family we have previously never met. If only for this reason, the Internet has been a worthwhile venture.

When Dad was originally compiling our history, he found that our Blair’s played some pretty important parts in our regional and national history. He wondered why there was not a greater mention of them in the printed history books. He asked an author of a local history book why our family was not included in her book. She replied that, "History is His Story. I included what I wanted to include in my book. If you want your family in a book, write your own." This was a lesson well learned. It taught him, and me, that every history book is written from the perspective of the author. To understand what is included in the book you often need to understand the background and agenda of the author. Our agenda with this book is very straightforward. We want to provide a tool to help future generations of Blair’s understand their heritage of honor. We want future generations of Blair’s to understand the trials and difficulties that their ancestors faced. We want future generations of Blair’s to understand how our history tied into the major events of the world, our nations, our states, and our communities.

John J. Blair Sr.’s original headstone.

We have made every effort to insure that the information contained in this book is accurate. With a publication of this size, with so many names, dates, and places, there are sure to be some errors. Please let us know if you have documentation to prove any inaccuracy. You will be doing us a favor by providing the correct information.

As we searched old cemeteries for Blair burial sites, we noticed a particular phrase that kept appearing on headstones of our ancestors. That phrase was Sacred to the memory of . . .. It is that phrase that has been a driving force in the creation of this book, and also explains the title of this book.

There are a few things that will help you as you read through this book. The chapters are divided by generations. The first generation begins with our oldest known ancestor, William Blair, who died in about 1814 in Newberry County, South Carolina. You will also notice a number that immediately follows a name. An example of this is: "William BLAIR-303". The number, in this case 303, is an identifying number, called an RIN that I have assigned to each individual in my database. I use a computer program called Personal Ancestral File, where I store the over 1000 names of the descendants of William Blair. With so many William’s, Thomas’s, and John’s in our family, it helps to tell them apart. When you read of a marriage you will likely also see a number like: (MRIN: 42). This is also an identifying number used to help reduce confusion when it comes to marriage records. You might also find something that looks like this: "Thomas William BLAIR JR.-1 (Thomas William BLAIR SR., Carlton Thomas BLAIR, Thomas William BLAIR, Solomon David BLAIR, William Solomon BLAIR, John J BLAIR SR., David, William)". The names inside the parenthesis, separated with a comma, show that persons lineage back to William Blair. As I mentioned before, the chapters are separated by generations. An exception to this occurs when children are mentioned that did not have children of their own. In this case, all of the information for that child will be included in the parent’s generation.

While Dad and I are listed as the authors of this book, it could be said that there are many authors. We often have relied on the research of other family members. This book would not have been possible in its present form without the assistance of many people. We have made every effort to credit those individuals in listing them as a source of information. You can find the sources at the end of each chapter. But a special thanks is due to Joe Max Blair, James Comar Blair, Jackie Hutto Hamlin, Alice Hayes, Ann GilChrist, John Blair, Lawrence Leonard, and The Blair Society for Genealogical research.

We hope you enjoy reading of your Blair ancestors as much as we enjoyed gathering the information and writing this book. It has truly been a labor of love. We believe that we have been blessed with the opportunities to do the research. You cannot understand the joy we felt, as we would uncover a new clue to the mysteries of our history. This book certainly does not mean the end of this journey. Even as it is being written, we are doing additional research. The ultimate goal being able to follow our family tree as far back in time as possible, at least as far as the original Blair. Who knows, our next big break may be only days away.

CHAPTER ONE

First Generation

1.     William Blair-303 died1 about 1814 in Newberry County, SC.

At the time of this writing, William Blair is our earliest known ancestor. Due to DNA research we have proven that we are descended from the earliest known Blair from Scotland in the 12th century. More of this is covered later in this book in Appendix A and B. We do not know at this time when William was born or exactly when he came to America. Our best hint as to when he arrived came to us from a Ms. Cynthia Martin of Newberry, South Carolina. When we came in contact with her in 2004 we soon discovered that she was very familiar with Blair as well as Martin history. She explained to us that the Martin’s and Blair’s were neighbors and friends in Ireland, and they were also neighbors and friends in America. While she could not tell us when the Blair’s came to America she could tell us where they came from and could tell us when the Martin’s arrived.

The Blair’s and Martin’s were neighbors in County Antrim, Ireland. Ms. Martin was able to tell us that the Blair’s came to America shortly before the Martin’s. Patrick Martin and his family boarded the ship Ann, Capt. Sinclair Master, at Larne Ireland and sailed to Charleston, South Carolina in 1789. This information coincided with other information we have on William Blair.

William acquired 230 acres of land from Patrick Carmichael sometime after March 15, 1786, when it was surveyed for Patrick Carmichael. William later conveyed this land to his son David, who in 1800 then sold the land to Thomas Long Sr. He later sold 251 acres of land in 1789 to Patrick Carmichael.

Our research has also led us to find William’s occupation. From NEWBERRY COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL by George Leland Summer Sr., William Blair, weaver, lived in Newberry County. He sold lands to Patrick Carmichael on July 3, 1786, including 194 acres on Campin Creek, the conveyance being made by David and James Blair. David and James (please see information on James-this link is currently being debated) are the sons of William.

There is a good deal of circumstantial evidence to lend credence to the idea that our Blair’s left Ireland and came to South Carolina in the 1770-1780’s. In the book SCOTCH-IRISH MIGRATION TO SOUTH CAROLINA, 1772 by Jean Stephenson we learn that there was a great hardship being placed on the people of County Antrim during this time. Many of the people in this area worked in the textile industry. The landowners were raising the taxes on their renters more than most of them could bear. We read in the book, LYLE FAMILY: THE ANCESTRY AND POSTERITY OF MATTHEW JOHN, DANIEL AND SAMUEL LYLE, PIONEER SETTLERS IN VIRGINIA by Oscar K. Lyle (1912), that the Rev. Brice Blair (born 1569, died 1636) built one of the first (if not the first) flax mills in Ireland. This was built near his home, which is not far from Raloo, County Antrim, Ireland.

There also were constant challenges to their religious freedoms. Rev. William Martin arranged for five shiploads of men, women, and children to leave Ireland and sail to South Carolina. These five ships made the trip in 1772. James Blair and Brice Blair were listed as passengers on one of these ships, the Lord Dunluce, which arrived in Charleston on December 20, 1772. This ship was quarantined upon its arrival for 15 days due to an outbreak of Small Pox. Sadly, some children died from this disease. We do not know how or if we are linked to these Blair’s. Rev. Martin quickly set out to establish three Presbyterian Church’s in Newberry District, South Carolina. James Blair, who we believe to be the son of our William, and his children were members of one of these Churches, Kings Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church. He and several of his children are buried in the King’s Creek Cemetery. Also of note, the Rev. Brice Blair was one of the earliest clergymen in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

We also know the name of William’s wife, or at least her first name. William’s Estate Records in Newberry, SC were filed in 1814. One of the documents filed "March 6, 1814, reads, Dear Sir, Whereas the Rights of administration of my dec’d Husband’s

The Newberry County, SC Estate Records of William Blair

show that his wife’s name was Jane.

estate belongs to me from the luation of myself it is ought of My Power to do the Necessary Duties of that it is my Desire you should give it to my Friend Thomas McNure and oblige me. Jane her X mark McNure. There are a couple of interesting items that can be gleaned from this document. The first is that we can definitely say that William’s wife’s name was Jane. We also can note that she could not write since she signed her name with an X. The confusion comes in her last name. Some have suggested that Jane had married Thomas McNure after William’s death, but this document refers to him as her Friend". If they were married he most certainly would have been described as her husband. The term friend would also tend to discredit the theory that McNure was Jane’s maiden name because it likely would have described Thomas as her brother, uncle, father, etc. rather than friend. It is possible that she could have remarried another man by the name of McNure, but we tend to believe that this was simply a mistake made by the person doing the filing at the Courthouse. Whatever the case, this was the only mention we have found in any records regarding William’s wife.

Doing research from this time period is very difficult. South Carolina only kept land records and Estate Records prior to 1910. There were no death, birth, or marriage records kept before that time. We also had hoped to find some information through a research of early Church records, but we learned (after spending a lot of time chasing wild geese) that the area Church’s also began keeping records

The Newberry County, SC Estate records of William Blair

show that his son’s name was David.

in 1910. This leads to great frustration and we must be very careful not to apply some record to which it does not belong. While we came across many documents or references to Blair’s, we have done our best to make sure that we only included information that could be related to our family line.

Family folklore also tells us that William came to SC with his young son, David, and his brother John. Unfortunately we have not been able to prove this as fact, but it does give us some possible clues for future research.

There are many unanswered questions regarding William and the next couple of generations. Unless new documents come to light, these questions will remain a mystery. But what we can say for sure is that William Blair left Ireland and came to America. And that he could have never imagined the hundreds of descendants he would eventually have or how they would impact the country that he helped to create. We all owe a debt of gratitude for his courage and determination.

William married2 (MRIN: 42) Jane BLAIR-304.

Estate records show Jane signing with an X and her name was written as Jane McNure. This has caused many of our family researchers to suppose that Jane’s maiden name was McNure, or that she remarried a McNure soon after the death of William. At this time we have no evidence to prove either of these theories. Our belief is that the local official, who was recording the document, simply made a mistake.

William and Jane had the following children:

+2Mi.David BLAIR-30 died about 1820.

+3Mii.James BLAIR-799 was born about 1744. He died on Jul 13 1816. (See the notes on James in Chapter Two. It is possible that James could be the brother, rather than the son of William.)

Sources

1. Newberry County, South Carolina Estate Records.

2. Newberry County, South Carolina Estate Records.

CHAPTER TWO

Second Generation

2.     David BLAIR-30 (William) died1 about 1820 in Newberry County, SC.

Unfortunately we know very little about David. Census data and Estate Records are the only documentation we have found relating to him. He did not show up on a census record until 1810 when he had an older male living in the household. We are assuming that this older male was his father, William. A review of William’s early census information indicates an additional male in the household, which could be David. It is likely that William and David shared a household, but it is only an assumption at this point. We also do not know where he, or William, is buried. We suspect that he might have been buried in the Cannon’s Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery. We theorize this because we know of the Blair’s early ties to the Presbyterian Church. Cannon’s Creek Church was one of the three Church’s organized by Rev. William Martin in Newberry District, South Carolina. It was also the Presbyterian Church that was located closest to the land that was owned by William, and later by David Blair.

David married2 (MRIN: 33) Catherine BLAIR-302.

According to the Paul Morris history, Catherine married a Cor Williams after the death of David. The State of South Carolina did not keep marriage records until 1910 so we have no way of confirming this marriage. We also have found no records of Catherine or Cor Williams.

David and Catherine had the following children:

+4Mi.John J BLAIR SR.-5 was born on Mar 15, 1800. He died on Oct 2, 1881.

+5Mii.William BLAIR-766 was born in 1805. He died on Jul 25, 1886.

Photo of Newberry, SC in the 1800’s.

Courtesy of Nichol’s Photography, Newberry, SC.

3.     James BLAIR-799 (William) was born3 about 1744. He died4 on Jul 13, 1816 in Newberry County, SC. He was buried5 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

There is currently some debate among Blair researchers as to the exact relationship between James and William Blair. We have placed him here, as the son of William but some of our cousins believe that he is the brother of William. We have done little research on this branch of the family. This is due in part to the fact that we just recently became aware of this family line. We felt compelled to include James and some of his descendants in this book, but please do not quote us as a source in listing James as the son of William. Due to the lack of records from this time period, we may never be able to absolutely prove which thought is correct.

Morait Nichols Hall and Caroline Hall of Newberry, South Carolina, were kind enough to share the information they had on this Blair line. They provided us with copies of some research done for them by a Ms. Blanche C. Davidson of Newberry, SC. On December 8, 1783, Abraham Lindsay of settlement Enoree, Ninety-Six District in South Carolina sold to James Blair, miller, of same place, 200 acres of land situated in Berkley County in fork of Broad and Saluda Rivers on Foster’s Creek, bounded by lands of Isaac Lindsay, David Johnson, deceased, and was originally granted to said Abraham Lindsay on date by William Bull, Lt. Governor of Province of South Carolina for consideration of 250 pounds paid by said James Blair.

The locations of counties and districts become quite confusing at times in South Carolina. Parts of Berkley County are situated in the current county of Newberry. Most of this part of South Carolina was listed as being in the 96 District. Several County’s were carved from the 96 District, including Newberry (earlier referred to as Newberry District).

James Blair provided food for the Continental Army and Militia. Again referring to Ms. Davidson’s research, P.4 Book P—No. 607, Issued the 21st of May 1785 to Mr. James Blair for sixteen pounds 143. 4 Sted 9 for 139 day Militia Duty in 1780, 1781, & 1782 as per part of account audited-Prin. 16:14:4—Annual Interest 4:3-4. P49 Lib 0—No. 260, Issued 12 April 1785 to Mr. James Blair for one hundred and ten pounds—6d Sterling. Sundries for Contins. and Militia use per account audited. Due to his service, his descendants are eligible for membership in the D.A.R or S.A.R.

James married (MRIN: 267) Jane Streight BLAIR-800. Jane was born6 about 1758. She died7 on Nov 25, 1841 in Newberry County, SC. She was buried8 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

According to the Newberry County, SC Estate records, Jane was the daughter of George Streight. She could also go by the name of Jennet Streight Blair.

James and Jane had the following children:

6Fi.Mary BLAIR-802 was born9 about 1788. She died10 on May 2, 1844 in Newberry County, SC. She was buried11 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

7Fii.Martha BLAIR-803 was born12 in Newberry County, SC. She died13 in Newberry County, SC. She was buried14 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

Martha was only two or three years old when she died.

8Fiii.Margaret BLAIR-804 was born15 about 1791. She died16 on Aug 8, 1824 in Newberry County, SC. She was buried17 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

9Miv.William BLAIR-805 was buried18 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

William was only two or three years old when he died.

10Mv.James BLAIR-806 was born19 in 1792 in Newberry County, SC. He died20 on May 26, 1848 in Newberry County, SC. He was buried21 in Kings Creek ARP Church Cemetery.

The Estate Records for James list him as a planter. No record has been found of him marrying.

+11Mvi.George BLAIR-807 was born on Oct 15, 1794. He died on Sep 27, 1870.

+12Mvii.John J. BLAIR-801 was born on Oct 15, 1799. He died on Jul 21, 1848.

Sources

1. Newberry County, South Carolina Estate Records.

2. Newberry County, South Carolina Estate Records.

3.-11. Headstone information.

12. Blair Society of Genealogical Research (BSGR) records.

13. Blair Society of Genealogical Research (BSGR) records.

14.-21. Headstone information.

CHAPTER THREE

Third Generation

4.     John J BLAIR SR.-5 (David, William) was born on Mar 15, 1800 in, Newberry Dist, SC. He died on Oct 2, 1881 in Pike County, Al. He was buried in Troy, Pike County, AL.

John J. Blair Sr. was born in Newberry District of South Carolina on March 15, 1800. Thankfully, this fact was listed on his headstone. If it had not been listed there, it is quite possible that we would have never known to look for his parents in South Carolina. Because of the lack of information or lack of ability to find the information, it has been very difficult to track old John, as we respectively refer to him, from Newberry District, South Carolina to Pike County, Alabama. The first record of old John that we have is his marriage to Cedena Stephens in Henry County, Alabama. Since it took several months to get the marriage recorded, from Feb. 14, 1828 to around January 1829, I think it would be reasonable to say that he was married some distance from the Henry County Court House. For some unknown reason it appears that Jeremiah Kimble M.G. or James Murphy J.P. had the marriage recorded for L.F. Williams J. P. Mr. Murphy’s name was marked through and Mr. Williams’s name was added (the one who performed the ceremony). Family folklore says that after the birth of a son, Cedena was killed by a black bear while herding in the cows for milking. However the date and location of the attack are unknown, as is the burial site for Cedena.

John next married Kitty (Kitsey) Ann Stephens. Date of this marriage is unknown but is believed to have been approximately 1830-1832. There was a gap of about three years between the births of John’s first (William Solomon) and second (John J. Blair Jr.) son. We believe that William was the son of Cedena, and that Kitty Ann was the biological mother of John’s eleven other children. Family folklore also plays a hand here. It has been passed down that when Cedena was killed, John soon married one of her sisters to take care of a baby already born.

During his adult life John would rise in stature in the community and also in wealth. The 1830 census shows John Blair Sr. in Henry County, Alabama where he was elected Justice of the Peace in a Captain Peadon’s District. The only Peadon that I could locate was near the present day Gordon, AL on the Chattahoochee River (TS 2N R30E S18). It is believed that old John moved to Pike County around 1832-3. He was elected Justice of the Peace in Pike County 1835. He was a member of Beulah Primitive Baptist Church in 1842 and church records indicate he was serving as Church Clerk in 1844. In 1848 he was elected Pike County Treasurer for a three-year term. He was apparently re-elected as the county records show him still serving as County Treasurer in 1854. From the 1830’s through the 1860’s he purchased many tracts of land for farming. The first land that we know that old John bought was 40