John Blair

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blair_(Virginia)]

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http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/wills/willbka-b.txt

BLAIR, JOHN. February 13, 1769 24 May 1769. Plantation, 200 a. and Negro man and woman to be sold. Wife Elizabeth. Son Thomas Blair, 10 lbs. Son-in-law John Holliday. Son-in-law William McGibbin, tract in partnership with William Alison, 300 a., for which I obtained a warrant in Fennet Township, adjoining land of John Elliot, Robert Willson and Alexander Lowry; also Negro boy Bob. Dau. Kathrine Blair, minor, 200 lbs. Grandson John Blair, son of Thomas Blair, 130 a., in the Shade Valley which I purchased of John McClellan. Step sister Elizabeth Black, debt due me by estate of Robert Baker, Dec'd., 5 lbs., 6 shillings. Exs: John Holliday and Thomas Blair, son and son-in-law, and wife Elizabeth and James Maxwell. Wit: Robert Anderson, Robert Moore, Will: Maxwell. B. 21-23.

From Cumberland County Will Abstracts, F. Edward Wright: Will of John Blair, written February 13, 1769, proven 24 May 1769. Plantation, 200 a. and Negro man and woman to be sold. Wife Elizabeth. Son Thomas Blair, 10 lbs. Son-in-law John Holliday. Son-in-law William McGibbin, tract in partnership with William Alison, 300 a., for which I obtained a warrant in Fennet (Fannett) Township, adjoining land of John Elliot, Robert Willson and Alexander Lowry; also Negro boy Bob. Dau. Kathrine Blair, minor, 200 lbs. Grandson John Blair, son of Thomas Blair, 130 a., in the Shade Valley which I purchased of John McClellan. Step sister Elizabeth Black, debt due me by estate of Robert Baker, Dec'd., 5 lbs., 6 shillings. Exs.: John Holliday and Thomas Blair, son and son-in-law, and wife Elizabeth and James Maxwell. Wit: Robert Anderson, Robert Moore, Will: Maxwell. B. 21-23.

There is no township given for residence, but he would seem to be related to John McClellan of Peters, will written January 16, 1769, proven 25 January 1769. Wife Ruth. Three sons-in-law, William Holiday, James Galbraith and Thomas Blair. Son John. Grandsons, William and Patrick McClellan, minors. Guardians to said grandsons, James Maxwell, Esq., and Robert McCrea. Exs.: son John McClellan and kinsman, John Allison, John McClellan, Ruth McClellan. Wit: Richard Brownson, Patrick Maxwell. B. 7-8.

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GEDCOM Note

From Ireland with 4 brothers? From County Down? May have been first Blair in America in 1831? Born in Ayrshire, Scotland?

GEDCOM Note

May be other children?

GEDCOM Note

(Research): «b» The Origins of the Scots-Irish "«u»«/b»Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Northern Ireland, «/u» «u»and uncorked in America!«/u»" «u» «/u» They have been called a people without a name. Their roots go back to Scotland but don't think tartans & bagpipes. They were Lowlanders, mostly coming from the border regions. Our Blairs came Ayrshire & our Flemings possibly from Lanarkshire. They spoke English & were Protestant, specifically Presbyterian. But they were definitely not English either. They didn't support the Anglican Church, remembering the bloody massacres suffered at the hands of the English. They were caught between the Highlanders to the north & English to the south. When James IV (Stuart) assumed the English throne as James I, he schemed to 'civilize' Ireland by planting his own countrymen into the north of that country. In the 17th C. Scottish & English landowners sought tenants to populate the northern regions of Ireland & drive out the Catholics. The Lowland Scots fit the bill. Having suffered endless suffered from raids on their lands, & living on infertile, over-farmed land, the prospect of large, bountiful lands, just a short jaunt over the Irish Sea-was more than appealing. Almost from the time of their arrival in Ireland, the Scots cause problems for the English. They were too successful economically & threatened English domestic producers of farm products & textiles. Also, not surprisingly, the Irish Catholics sought vengence against the Scots for occupying their land. Terrible massacres occurred which the Scots repaid in kind. The Scots, however, persevered. But as decades passed, they became known as dissenters. Most were Presbyterian & did not vow allegiance to the Church of England, protesting tithing to a church they didn't support. Law prevented them from voting, bearing arms, or serving in the military. Dissenters could not be married, baptized or buried without a minister ordained by the state. Rents on the land rose & some exports were suppressed. They became increasingly discontented. Family members who had already migrated to America, came back with glowing reports of that fruitful land. Thus began the waves of emigration to America of those known as the Cost. (See Robert I's notes on the 'journey to America'.) Some early Cost pioneers like our ancestors, moved into the Western part of Pennsylvania. Others moved into the frontier, some became Methodists or Baptists or abandoned their faith altogether. Their contributions to this new land are incalculable. Their belief in the importance of education & self was among the great contributions to this fledgling country. There were schools in every parish. No ethnic group did more to help America with its Westward movement than the Scots-Irish. Having endured previous tyranny, they were unwilling to endure it here. They were in the forefront of the Revolution & many of the founding fathers & U.S. Presidents have been Scots-Irish descent.
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From Cousin Effie Blair Wall's Blair history: Our Blairs...during the Persecution of the Presbyterians had fled across the narrow strip of sea dividing them from Ireland, & settled in County Down, Ulster--near the Armagh border. They had signed the Solemn League and Covenant with their own blood. They were Lowland Scots--living in Ayrshire. Although no records have come to light...there is certain internal evidence: The Blairs were Presbyterian in faith...And it must be kept in mind, if one would fully understand these Scots who were our ancestors, that the "Killing Year", in Scotland, & through the time following: Marriages were not legal, unless performed by a priest. Children of marriages not so performed could not inherit, could not be taught to read or write-though parents may have been able to teach them. Books were forbidden in these homes. As I recall my childhood visits to the homes of Uncle James Allison (Uncle Jim),Uncle Martin Guian* and Uncle Joe, in Loveland, Colorado, I appreciate the hold it (the family tradition) had on their lives & their dealing with their fellow men. These families remained loyal to the United Presbyterian...the latest form of the Old Coventer Faith in America.

• My great-grandfather--father of Dr. Fred Blair.

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OUT OF SCOTLAND "O Scotia! my dear, my native soil! For whom my warmest wish to heaven is sent! Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil. Be blest with health and peace and sweet content! [from «i»Cotter's Saturday Night«/i» by Robert Burns]

"There is only one thing wrong with Scotsmen, there are too few of them." Winston Churchill addressing the House of Commons

One Scot is a store. Two is a church. Three is a bank. --saying in pioneer America

"From the lone shieling of the misty island, Mountains divide us, and the waste of seas-- Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is Highland And we in dreams behold the Hebrides."A Gaelic exile
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The Celts of Ireland and Scotland are believed to have come from the Iberian Celts (Spain) and they in turn came via the Mediterranean region, out of the central Caucasus somewhere (accounts vary). Haunting echoes of events in the mountains northeast of Turkey may well find their way into Scottish and Irish mythology. Who knows? Joseph J. Carr «i»The Highlander Magazine «/i» Mar/Apr 1999 Pg 56
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From an issue of «i»The Blair Family Magazine«/i»: Fall 1986 Vol IV, No.3, Pg 156: In this family, which has never been a clan, there runs through generation after generation a greatness and endeavor which is never quite lost. In earlier times of the feudal clans, they were subordinate septs of stronger chiefs to whom they owed fealty. They are found associated with Grahams, Murrays, and Muirs. There were probably others, since loyalty sometimes shifted around. ...[there] is strong proof that every Blair, from peer to peasant, is descended from one original (William) de Blair, who lived in the 12th century. In the long struggle for religious liberty...the Blairs were always on the side of the Covenanters. And so, when at various times members of the various branches of the family emigrated to America and elsewhere...we are not surprised to find the descendants occupying positions of honor and influence. Note: The Blair Family is now considered, indeed, a clan. According to a detailed legal opinion rendered by Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, Bt. QC Rothesay Herald at Arms to the Lord Lyon Court in Edinburgh. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs concur in this opinion. Sir Crispin states, "Clan is regularly used nowadays to describe all types of Scottish families who have an armorial chief." Chiefs of both the early branches of the Blair family, the Blairs of that Ilk-Blairs of Blair (our line) and the Blairs of Balthyock were granted arms by the Scottish Crown and therefore are armigerous families. This opinion was requested in order to obtain an authoritative definitive answer to the question of the Blair Family being a Scottish Clan.
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Letter from William Blair of «i»Clan Blair Society«/i» 1998: "Sir Bryce Blair of that Ilk nobly joined Wallace in defense of the liberties of Scotland and was knighted by Wallace. Sadly, he was tricked by the English and along with many of the leading Lairds of Ayrshire, killed in the Barns of Ayr in 1296 I believe".
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Origins of the Blair Family The Gaelic "Blar" is a territorial name meaning a clearing...The earliest recorded reference to the Scottish surname Blair is found in the descendants of the Feudal Barony of Blair which is located in the Parish of Dalry in northern Ayrshire, the location of which was to become for nearly 800 years the set of Blairs of that Ilk, and where Blair House is located today. The Barony of Blair was granted in about the year 1150 by the King of Scots (either King David I (1124-1153), or King William the Lion (1165-1214) to a Norman knight by the name of Jean Francois (John Francis). The ancient owners of the Barony of Blair were surnamed Francis rather than Blair. It is not known when the proprietors of the Barony of Blair assumed the surname Blair. John Francis' son was William Francis de Blair of the Barony of Blair. A circa 1400 charter listed an inventory of the Blair family writs is granted by Hugh Francis Blare of Blare (8th Laird of Blair of that Ilk to James Francis Blare, his son, of the lands of Jamestoun. (From The Blair Bruidhinn newsletter Clan Blair Society First Quarter 1999)
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COAT OF ARMS of the AYRSHIRE BLAIRS The Ancient Blair of Blair: Arms: Argent, on a saltire sable, nine mascles of the first, in chief a mullet. Crest: a wreath argent and sable a stag mounted proper. Motto:. 'Amo Probos' (meaning I love virtue or the virtuous). The saltire cross was one upon which St. Andrew was crucified and consequently was granted to one who was steadfast in his beliefs. The mascles (lozenges) were supposed to represent the belt buckles and armor buckles used on a knight's apparel. These are emblematical of one who would "gird his armour and sword in defense of the right". The stag signifies peace and harmony. The wreath is called a "torse" and two ends of the mantle twisted around the base of the crest. The helmet in profile, with its vizor closed is emblematical of Esquires and Gentlemen. The flowing mantling that surrounds the helmet is drapery used to shield the helmet from the sun's rays during the Crusades. The Blairs of Ayrshire and the Blairs of Balthayock in Perthshire date back to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Whether they share a common ancestor continues to be debated, as their arms bear no resemblance to one another. Some believe that the difference comes from the consequence of marriage-to accept the arms of the wife's family in order to acquire her family's lands; that the two branches of the Blair name are, probably of the same origin.
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THE BLAIR TARTANS There are four accepted Blair tartans: The Blair Ancient and Blair Logie have a green ground with black and orange-the Blair Logie also has white...The Blair Dress has the same color scheme but with a predominance of white (as do all 'dress' tartans). The Blair Modern has a dark, black and navy ground with red accents.
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ORIGIN OF THE NAME BLAIR It is usually defined as a plain, a plain cleared of woods or cleared field. Because a plain was generally chosen for battles, it gradually came to mean 'a battlefield'. (I have also seen it described as a "moss") Therefore, the name Blair can refer to place as well as a family...Eg. Blair Castle has never been owned by a Blair but is a designation of place. It is pronounced in Gaelic-plar. The name is purely Gaelic. The 'de' in Norman rendering 'de Blair' is redundant meaning 'of Blair'. The first mention of it in history is in 83 A.D. when Agricola, the Roman warrior, defeated the tribes of Caledonia at the Hill of Blair, in Perthshire. There were two large lines of the family, which were probably originally of the same stock in Scotland, in the middle ages. They were the lines of Blairs of Blair in Ayrshire, and the Blairs of Balthayock in Perthshire. There is no doubt that the Blairs of Ayrshire and those of Perthshire are of the same family. The original families settled in Scotland in the reign of David I, (1122-1153) and their immediate successors were Anglo-Norman in origin. Our family descends from David I, William de Blair was the first of the name mentioned in «i»"History of Ayrshire and Its Families"«/i». He was with others a party to a contract signed in 1205. He appears to be a descendant from an Anglo-Norman, and evidently won his name: "Million of the Battlefield" at the Battle of Standard, fought by David I against the English in 1138. Effie Blair states that William was a Norman Warrior, on whom William the Conqueror bestowed the lands of Blair. He died during the reign of King Alexander II, leaving a son named William--this William II was the father of Sir Bryce and David... (Our family also descends from William the Conqueror.) ... Bruce's adherents in 1305 included Sir Bryce de Blair... Cousin Effie give the following possible progenitors for our line: Copied as written... William de Blair of Ayrshire, living 1205, died in the reign of Alexander I of Scotland. had: William II had: Sir Bryce dsp. 1296 David Roger Hugh had: James de Blair (to son James to son Hugh)? Sir John progenitor of the Blairs of Adamton of Ayrshire John, succeeded by his Uncle James, above John Patrick, 1545 John 1545 William also cousin Robert. John married Grizel, daughter of Sir Robert Semphill. Bryce, succeeded 1609 Alexander, m. Elizabeth Cochrane James Robert Sir Adam Blair Bryce above married Annabell Wallace Two sons, five daughters.
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THE SCOTS IRISH "If all else fails, I will retreat up the valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand among people who will never submit ot British tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger." George Washington at Valley Forge

(See notes under Colonel Robert Blair II: «i»'How Our Ancestors Got Here«/i»') The Scots Irish, (sometimes called Scotch Irish-but «u»'Scotch' is the drink, not an ethnicity«/u»)--were Lowland Scots who migrated to Northern Ireland and settled in Ulster in the late 1600s. The majority came between 1690 and 1697. They stayed in Ireland for several generations, then because of oppressive landlords, bad harvests and famines, they migrated to America from about 1717 to 1775. The voyage took eight to ten weeks and often longer. Many of the Blairs were in the Lowland families who were divested of estates and wealth in the Jacobean uprising of 1715 and 1745. They were a dispersed people and many turned to the professions and were in the early migrations because of their education which opened doors in new lands. The Scots-Irish were primarily from the working classes. In spite of their humble origin, they made an indelible impression on their new homeland. Many distinguished themselves as Revolutionary War patriots & frontiersmen. Others later became captains of industry, presidents, justices, legislators, physicians & governors far in excess of their proportional numbers. They provided the original democratic influence of the country, helping to shape the Constitution, giving America it republican form of government By the time of the signing of the «i»Declaration of Independence«/i», the Scots-Irish dominated the Middle & Southern colonies & accounted for about one sixth of the total population of the colonies. They provided about a third of the revolutionary army...again, far in excess of their proportional numbers.

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From «i»The Family Tree Newsletter «/i»of the Odom Genealogy Library August/September 2003, pg 5 'Scottish Lowlanders and Ulster-Scots': Scotland's Lowlanders' heritage is made up of several different races including an Irish Celtic tribe (the Scots) who invaded the Lowland areas in the 3rd and 4th centuries and established colonies there. In skirmish between the Highlanders and the English, the Lowlands which were between the two, were continual battlefields. Overplanting also caused their crops to diminish. Their lives were unstable and eventually untenable.
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Cousin Effie Blair states that our line is from these Lowland Scots originally from Ayrshire. These Blairs who went to and migrated from Ulster were probably from the Ayr-Wigtown branch in the southwest. The ports of entry were mostly Philadelphia, Newcastle, and Lewis. Pennsylvania was a desirable area because of its low taxes, good laws and religious freedom. The majority of Scots Irish were Presbyterians, with others being Episcopalians, Quakers, Baptist and Methodists. They took their religion seriously as it was an essential part of their lives.
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From «i»Ancestry.com«/i» re: the Scots-Irish: "James Logan, who was later governor of Pennsylvania wrote to John Penn, son of William Penn in 1729-"It now looks as if Ireland or the inhabitants of it were to be transported hither. Last week I think no less than 6 ships arrived at Newcastle and Philadelphia and they are every 2 or 2 days, when the winds serves, that there are some grounds for the common apprehensions of the people that if some speedy method be not taken, they will soon make themselves Proprietors of the Province. These people were by temperament of the utter antithesis of Quaker calm and German thrift. They took the land they wanted and dared anybody to move them, and seldom did anyone do so." An estimated 200-250,000 Scotch-Irish migrated to America from 1711-76; 99% were Protestants. At the time of the Revolution it is believed that about 10-15% of the American population was comprised of these immigrants who had "negative feelings about the English." (Little did they know...just wait until the Revolution!) These immigrants were sturdy, enterprising and liberty loving, willing to fight to keep these rights. They were hardy, fearless and capable of being quickly molded into an efficient fighting force; they did well in the armies of the Revolutionary War. (And no wonder-- 'Scots Wha Hae Where Wallace Bled!'--"fierce", fighters doesn't begin to describe the Scottish tradition of battle!) The Scots Irish never called themselves that in Ireland, only in America and here they were called Americans of Scottish descent. They were natural pioneers. The men were good huntsman...and the women could mold bullets and handle a rifle to defend herself and household..also use an ax either on a tree or on an intruder. Her greatest anxieties were having enough provisions to last through the winter and keeping her home safe from Indians and wolves. We are descendants of these remarkable Scots Irish immigrants. When Knox and Calvin won so many of the Scots to their Protestant ways against Rome, the Covenanters as they were called were persecuted, & the Lowland Scots particularly found the way of escape...across the narrow strip of water....But they went into a stronghold of the church from which they fled...----------------------------- From «i»The Blair Society for Genealogical Research, «/i»Sept 1990, Vol 5: Life was not good in Scotland when James II came to the throne in 1685 and forbade any religious meeting to be held in Scotland other than those by the prescribed English Church. Armed troopers were sent to hunt them from their hiding places; helpless men were seized at their work, tortured, and put to death for refusing to abjure. The times were so terrible that the hunted people tore themselves from their beloved mountains, and from 1684 to 1688, there was a continual exodus to Ireland. 1685-1686 was called "The Killing Time".
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In «i»"Introduction to the Journal of Braddock's Expedition" «/i»by Winthrop Sargeant 'The Scotch-Irish Character": The were hardy, brave...their hand opened as impetuously to a the friend as to the enemy. They loathed the Pope as sincerely as they revered Calvin and Knox and they did not particularly respect the Quakers...Impatient of restraint, rebellious against everything that in their eyes bore the semblence of injustice, we find these men readiest among the ready in the Battlefields of the Revolution...------------------------------ Many of the immigrants to Ulster were from the province of Galloway. (See notes Roland McDonal Lord of Galloway)
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THE BLAIRS FROM ULSTER «i»"A Short HIstory of the Early Blairs" «/i»by George D. Blair Jr., (Page 89) states that In 1612, King James divided some millions of acres in Northern Ireland into small holdings, at low prices, so that millions of Scots were enabled to acquire some land...a band of young men, several of whom bore the name of Blair, from Argylshire, settled in Londonderry. From this time until 1641 controversies ensued between Scotch and IrIsh; then there was a long period of open hostilities, with the Crown sometimes supporting one side, then the other, until the Siege of Londonderry which began on November 23, 1683 and lasted for one hundred and five days. It was broken by friendly forces just in time to save the besieged. Captain Thomas Blair and Lieutenant David Blair were among those mentioned for leadership and bravery.

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From«i» Blair Society for Genealogical Research Newsletter«/i», Sept 1990, Vol 5: James I schemed to tranquilize and civilize Ireland by planting his own countryman into the north of Ireland but almost from their arrival they caused nightmarish difficulties for the English. They were too successful economically and threatened English producers of farm products and textiles. In the early 1600s..England's supply of wool became acute....Since the Scots were the best sheep-men, it was desirable to put the best sheep men and their flocks into the best place for production of wool: Ulster. James I also saw it as a place to send 'pesky' Scottish border families to quiet the border between Scotland and England. Thousands of Lowland Scots migrated to Ulster Plantation, bringing with them their Presbyterian religion and their very strong feelings of independence from England. Cousin Effie Blair states that our Blairs fled from Scotland during the Religious Persecution of the late 1600s to Ireland, settling along the border of Counties Down and Armagh. They are the true Scots-Irish: the pure Scot born in Ireland. Practically no intermarriages have been found between the two peoples in Ulster. They were never absorbed by the native population. Even though the Irish were genetic 'kin', the Scots-Irish stuck together by the sharp lines of religious faith and keen difference of race...
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From«i» Life of George Donnell«/i» by T.C. Anderson, 1858 Pp 30-31: About the year 1610 the emigration from Scotland to Ireland commenced. All the northern and central parts of Ulster were settled by the Scotch immigrants. Some Englishmen settled the southern part. To distinguish themselves from the native Irish, called themselves Scotch/Scots-Irish. They brought this appellation with them when they came to America. ...It is estimated that between 1720 and 1750 there were an average of 12,000 a year...The Scotch-Irish came mainly through the ports of Philadelphia in the north and Charleston in the south. Many stopped in the settled areas but a steady stream passed directly to the mountains and over them...until about 1850, the Scots-Irish were the typical American frontiersmen, especially in the great middle West and Southwest. They showed marvelous power to assimilate other elements that mingled with them-German, French, Welsh and the real Irish and Scots who came in small numbers before the revolution.
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From «i»The Highlander «/i»magazine, Mar/'April 1999 article-Scottish Genealogy by Joseph Carr Pg 56: The year 1688 came at the end of what is called the "Killing Time." As Presbyterians --it didn't matter to them whether the "Protestants" (the Church of England) or the Catholics won the religious wars as they would likely be persecuted by both sides as they were "dissenters" to one faction and "heretics" to the other. So it seems reasonable to assume that emigration to northern Ireland would have provided them with a viable option.
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THE FIRST BLAIR EMIGRANTS Article by Dr. B.G. Foster-College Station, Texas-«i»BSGR Magazine«/i» Fall, 1987: Many Scots-Irish lived in Ireland for nearly a century then, when Catholic persecution began anew under the new King, they again sought freedom. This time in America. The latter part of the 17th century and into the 18th century saw tens of thousands of immigrants enter the ports of Pennsylvania. They also began the opening up of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Also, the rents on their farms were driven up by the law of supply and demand, so that the original holders could not afford to renew their leases-that in some cases had been held for 100 years. The great migration of Scots-Irish from Ulster to America is generally accepted as beginning in 1717. Between 1717 & 1776, up to 200,000-250,000 Scots-Irish are said to have migrated to the American colonies. A massive famine struck in Ireland in 1740 with an estimated 400,000 dying in that year alone. Thousands emigrated to southwestern Pennsylvania and pushed beyond York County....then into Virginia... York County, Penn. became the home of our Blair family... From«i» BSGR-Magazine«/i» Spring 1987 Vol V No.1: Ulster alone produced a great Presbyterian outpouring of more than 200.000 people who sailed to America between 1718 and 1775...their descendants played a prominent part in the American Revolution. The D.A.R. Patriot Index, alone, contains some 54 Blairs... These are our people. Mimeographed copies Blair Family-Research Notes on the Blair Family-compiled by Effie Blair Wall Effemey Wall Blair Written in the 1920s by cousin Effemey Blair Wall Cousin Effie left copies of her extensive Blair research to members of the family. I found one of these at Uncle Lea Blair's home about 1967. I took it home, and that was the beginning of these many years of genealogical endeavors...All because of Cousin Effie. She had no children, but what a legacy she left. I found copies of her work in the L.A. Library--and I made sure copies of her Blair Family history are now in the archives of the Clan Blair Society and the Blair Society for Genealogical Research... I am told I met her when I was a very little girl...Little did she know that I would be the one to carry on her work. We owe her alot. Y Y Blair Society The Blair Magazine The Blair Society for Genealogical Research Numerous issues... Y Y Periodical Genealogical Helper The Scotch-Irish Ralph C. Kennedy M.Ed. Everton's Genelogical Helper 570 Research Parkway, Suite 106 North Logan, UT Jan/Feb 2006 Y Y Pp 23-28 3 "Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Northern Ireland, and uncorked in America." Periodical Genealogy Helper The Scotch-Irish in America Ron Bremer Everton Publishers POB 368 Logan UT Nov-Dec 1999 Y Y Pp 42-43 3 Genelogical Helper Tracing the Scots-Irish Cindy Thomson Everton Publishers POB 368 Logan UT 84323 Jan/Feb 2005 Y Y Pp 23-32 3 A Gaelic exile-poem Isles of the West Brian Bailey Realm The Magazine of British History and Countryside Aug 2000 Y Y Pg 47 3

GEDCOM Note

Some reports that Hugh moved in Erie County--but cousin Margaret Vandelaan has found no evidence of this and believes that "our" Hugh lived in Westmoreland Co., Pa. There is also a Hannahstown in Westmoreland Co. Could that have a connection to our Hannahs?
Cousin Effie's notes: There are no dates for Hugh Blair. He was a school teacher; settled in Erie Co., Pa. in 1834. he visited his nephews in Beaver Co., bringing with him a daughter.

GEDCOM Note

"Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thaing thu."
Remember the men from whom you have come. (AND the women!)

THE BLAIRS-SCOTLAND TO AMERICA There were two main branches of the Blairs in Scotland-one in the Highlands- the other in the Lowlands. Our Blair ancestors were of the latter: from Ayrshire (& Wigtown) located in the Southwest corner of Scotland where the Norman influence was very strong. «i» The Blair Magazine«/i», May, 1930, Page 158: There seems every reason to believe that the first BLAIR won his name at the Battle of the Standard...One son founding the Ayrshire family, another founding the Perthshire family; and that all the Blairs in existence sprang from one or the other of these sources. From «i»Ancestry.com «/i» The name Blair is Scottish & northern Irish: habitational name from any of the numerous places in Scotland called Blair, named with Scottish Gaelic «i»blàr«/i» (genitive «i»blàir«/i») 'plain', 'field', especially a battlefield (Irish «i»blàr«/i»)

It is also said to be gaelic in origin meaning a 'cleared place suitable for combat or battle'. Dating back to the time of the Romans: in 63 A.D., Aricola defeated the Caldonis at 'The Hill of Blar'. With the coming of the Normans the "deBlar" was changed to Blair-also appearing: Blare, Blayer, Bliar, Blear etc.
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Naming Customs in Scotland The following system was often employed among the families of Scottish ancestors: The 1st born son named after the paternal grandfather The 2nd son, after the father The 3rd son, after the mother The 1st born daughter, after the maternal grandmother The 2nd daughter, after the mother The 3rd daughter, after the paternal grandmother. Other sons and daughters were named after older generations of uncles and aunts who derived their names from their fathers, mothers, and grandparents etc. Exceptions were found to this custom, but there were usually obvious explanations. A natural exception occurs in the case of the father having the same name as his father or when the father himself is a second son. In this case, the second male child would be named after his mother's father. A special case existed where the father was illegitimate. He had the same name as his natural father. If he had strictly followed the custom, he would have used the name of his father for his first child, but it is reasonable that he felt little affinity for his natural father who did not raise him. Exceptions without obvious reasons were rare. This system can be used to identify more remote ancestors in research and when finding two or more persons of the same name living at about the same time.
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The earliest record of our American Blairs is sketchy. Our Blairs are of Scots-Irish descent. It is said that "four brothers emigrated from Ireland"...They may have been the first Blairs in America-1831. Possibly from County Down, Ireland? Letter from Doris Brinegar says that four brothers emigrated from Ireland 1732-1735, originally from County Ayr, Scotland--(source for info. unknown). First named is our probable ancestor- William died 1773 York Co., buried King's Creek Cemetary, Beaver Co., PA John I. Tradition says-located in New Jersey Thomas Tradition says he located in Virginia, then going to Kentucky Hugh Tradition says he located in Maryland
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There were also Blairs in VA...one note refers to 1678-1771, Williamsburg... Our line probably went to York Co PA. These countless Blairs in America have distinguished themselves. They include: The Blair House in Washington, the President's Guest House, named for successful newspaperman-Francis Preston Blair who purchased the home in 1836. The founder of the College of William and Mary was Dr. James Blair and there is the Old Blair Homestead at Williamsburg, Virginia once lived in by the nephew of Dr. Blair's nephew, John. And Most Worshipful John Blair, First Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, was a signer of the U.S. Constitution.

GEDCOM Note

The Mark of the Scots The Mark of the Scots Their Astonishing Contributions to History, Science, Democracy, Literature and the Arts. Duncan a. Bruce Kensington Pub. Corp.
850 Third Ave NY NY 10022 1998 Y Y

Födelsedatum ca 1685 ca 1683

Födelseort Aghadowey, Antrim, Ulster, Ireland Aghadowey, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Aghadowey, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Dödsdatum ca 1769 c. februari 2, 1775

Dödsort Fannett, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United State.

John Blair FamilySearch släktträd Födelse: 1685 - Agahdowney, Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland Död: Mellan 1768 och 1770 - Fannett Township, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, United States Föräldrar: James Blair, Rachel Blair (född Boyd) Fru: Elizabeth Blair (född Cochran) Barn: Alexander Blair, Hannah McKibben (född Blair), Jane Blair, Katherine Blair, Thomas Blair, Mary Houston (född Blair), Thomas Blair, och namn på 2 mer barn Syskon: Robert Blair, William Blair, William Blair, Abraham Blair, James Blair, William Blair.

John Blair WikiTree Födelse: 1685 - Ireland Död: PA, USA Föräldrar: James Blair, Rachel Blair Maka: Martha Mays Barn: Hugh Blair