Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Edward Adair

Male Abt 1756 - Aft 1800  (~ 44 years)


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  • Name Edward Adair 
    Born Abt 1756  Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died Aft 3 Nov 1800  of, Oconee, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I4602  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Father James Adair,   b. Abt 1714, of, County Antrim, Ireland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. From 25 Feb 1784 to 12 Feb 1796, of, Laurens, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 70 years) 
    Mother Eleanor,   b. Abt 1726, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 7 Jan 1803, of Duncan Creek, Laurens, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 77 years) 
    Married Abt 1744  Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F1142  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Margaret 
    Married 7 Apr 1784  Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1859  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Elizabeth Martin,   b. Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 13 Jul 1816, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married Abt 1789  Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F2118  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. The following genealogical summary of the family of James Adair was provided to me from Shawn Potter Aug 2015. Shawn and his wife Lois are the authors of a book to be published sometime in the future entitiled "Chickasaw Wife and Family of James Adair, Author of the History of the American Indians." The book uses extensive historical documentation and modern DNA analysis to assemble the following family. I provide only a summary of the family and the book should be consulted for the footnotes, more detail, and evidence which all support the following conclusions. (If you are a descendent of this family, Shawn would appreciate your contacting him if you are willing to submit your DNA test results as part of the study upon which the book will be based.) The summary:
      "James Adair was born probably in Ireland say about 1714. He immigrated to America before 1735. James married Eleanor of the Chickasaw Nation in about 1744. Eleanor was born in the Chickasaw Nation say about 1726. She was a member of the Panther clan. James died probably in Laurens County, South Carolina, after 25 Feb 1784 and before 12 Feb 1796. Eleanor died probably in Laurens County after 3 Jan 1803. James and Eleanor were the parents of the following children:
      1. James Adair, Jr., was born in the Chickasaw Nation say about 1748. He married Hannah probably in Laurens County say about 1772. Hannah was born probably in Laurens County on 28 Sep 1750. James died in Laurens County on 18 Aug 1818. Hannah died in Laurens County on 10 Nov 1826.
      2. Joseph Adair was born in the Chickasaw Nation say about 1750. He married Sarah probably in Laurens County say about 1776. Joseph died perhaps in Laurens County after 5 Feb 1804.
      3. John Adair was born in the Chickasaw Nation say about 1754. He married first Ga-Ho-Ga of the Cherokee Nation probably in Laurens County say about 1780. Ga-Ho-Ga was born in the Cherokee Nation say about 1760. Ga-Ho-Ga died perhaps in Laurens County after 7 Feb 1789. John married second Jane Kilgore probably in Laurens County say about 1790. Jane was born probably in Laurens County say about 1773. John died in present-day Oconee County, South Carolina, after 4 Nov 1815 and before 4 Dec 1815. Jane died perhaps in present-day Oconee County after 4 Dec 1815.
      4. Edward Adair was born in the Chickasaw Nation say about 1756. He married first Margaret in Philadelphia on 7 Apr 1784. Edward married second Elizabeth Martin of the Cherokee Nation probably in the Cherokee Nation say about 1789. Elizabeth was born probably in the Cherokee Nation say about 1769. Edward died probably in present-day Oconee County after 3 Nov 1800. Elizabeth died probably in the Cherokee Nation after 13 Jul 1816.
      N.B. James and Eleanor had "children" in 1748; and a daughter lived in Georgia between 1788 and 1791."

      2. Typescript "Early Adairs of Laurens County, South Carolina." Compiled by Mildred Brownlee; Source Records: Wills; Intestate Estates; Deeds; Court Records; Cemetery Inscriptions. Some dates of birth and death obtained from Lineage Charts. Dates of birth and death subject tocorrection. Spelling of names subject to correction. [Note that bracketed comments, if any, are later additions by other reviewers including myself - Kerry Petersen.]:
      "Also in Anderson County was another Adair family. John Adair died there in 1815 leaving a widow, Jane, and 15 children. His actual birth date is not known but he was born before 1755. He was a merchant and large land-owner near Pendleton. His will states that he was due money from the Cherokees. Research shows that this John Adair was son of the Indian trader, James Adair, and a Cherokee woman. A number of John Adair's children migrated into the Cherokee country of north Georgia and later into Okla. John Adair had a brother, Edward, who also lived in Pendleton District before moving into north GA. These Adairs established or aided in the establishment of New Echota, the national capital of the Eastern Cherokees in 1825."

      MARRIAGE:
      1. From Shawn Potter 6 Sep 2015 -- I asked him the source of the maiden name Elizabeth Walker. He responded with the following:
      Source 1: "Annie Walker Burns, "Military and Genealogical Records of the Famous Indian Woman: Nancy Ward," (Washington, D.C.: Published by the Author, P.O. Box 6183, Apex Station, 1957), 1-40. Edward Adair married a maternal-line granddaughter of ᎾᏅᏰᎯ (A-Gi-Gau) Nancy Ward (c. 1722-1822), Beloved Woman of the Cherokee Nation. Nancy's mother was a sister of Attakullakulla (c.1708-1778), First Beloved Man - Principal Chief - of the Cherokee Nation from about 1761 to 1777. When Nancy's first husband, Kingfisher, was killed in battle at Taliwa in 1755, she picked up his weapon and fought in his place. The Cherokee named her Beloved Woman in recognition of her courage and devotion to her people. After her husband's death, Nancy married Irish deerskin trader Bryan Ward. Their daughter, ᎪᏌᎢᏍᎦ (Go-Sa-I-S-Ga) Betty Ward, married Irish deerskin trader Joseph Martin. Their daughter, Elizabeth Martin, married Edward Adair."
      Source 2: "Emmett Starr, "History of the Cherokee Indians," (Oklahoma City, OK: Warden Co., 1922), 419. Elizabeth previously married James Vann, William Sparingston, and John Shepherd.
      Shawn comments on these two sources as follows:
      "Starr is consider to be a reliable source, but not as complete as one would like sometimes. From memory, I don't think Starr lists Elizabeth's parents, for example. But it seems to be accepted among Cherokee historians that Elizabeth was descended from Nancy Ward. Burns lists Elizabeth's descent from Nancy Ward. Burns is not so well known, so I can't speak about her reliability for certain, but her information seems to make sense.
      In regards to her later surname of Scott, Shawn responds as follows:
      "Edward was administrator of Walter Scott's estate. So some have speculated that Elizabeth either was Walter's daughter or widow. After Edward's death, Elizabeth applied for the pension of her son James Adair, who was killed in the war of 1812. She called herself in that pension Elizabeth Scott. This is all very confusing. Since we know Edward was married to Margaret during the time frame when Walter Scott Adair, son of Elizabeth, was born, we suspect Edward didn't divorce Margaret and did not marry Elizabeth in a church wedding. If Elizabeth had yet another husband, Walter Scott, and she kept his surname, at least after Edward died, this all makes sense. But we are not sure about Elizabeth's other marriages before or after Edward.

      2. Unsourced quote from the Internet: "The town of Adairsville, Georgia where Major Ridge first homesteaded, was named after John Adair who was married to the Cherokee woman Ga-ho-ga (aka Nancy Lightfoot) and also an Indian trader. He supposedly was born in 1753 to a James Adair who may have been born in 1709 in Ireland. One site, <http://www.tngenweb.org/cherokee_by_blood/migrate.htm> indicates that one of this John's son, Edward Adair, married Martha Ritchie."