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Archiver > ADAIR > 2002-11 > 1036806381
From: Lisa Bowes <>
Subject: Re: [ADAIR] Ann McCarty nee McBride ? m. James Adair
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2002 17:46:32 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <MFMBM002SS9iuG7Z2JQ00000ce9@mfmbm002.myfamilycorp.local>
James Adair of Fairfield, Connecticut
Thank you to the Fairfield Historical Society who kindly provided copies of these records to me. I am in possession of Photostat copies of the following:
From: History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield
VOL II, Part 1;
Compiled and Edited by Donald Lines Jacobus, M.A.; Fairfield, CT; 1932;
p 6
Adair, James
He m. 3 June 1744, Ann Carter; or by church record, 18 Oct. 1744, Ann McCarty, which is more accurate.
Will 21 Oct. 1766, proved 4 Nov. 1782; wife Ann; four daus. Mary, Esther, Ann and Sarah; son Andrew.
Children, rec. Fairfield, bapt. Greenfield:
Andrew, b 23 Apr, 1745, bapt. 1745/46
Mary, b. 3 Jan. 1747, bapt. 12 Jan 1746/47; [m. Epaphras Merwin, of Easton].
Esther, b. 2 July 1749; m. 20 Dec. 1770, James goodsell.
Ann, b. 2 Feb. 1752.
Sarah, b. 1 Mar. 1755.
James, b. 26 Aug. 1757, d.y.
From: Fairfield Connecticut First Congregational Church
Records, 1694-1806; Hartford Connecticut State Library; 1929;
handwritten ledger in Old Script
James Adair and Ann McCarty were married Octo 18, 1744
Noah Hobart, V.D.M.
From: Greenfield Hill or Northwest Society and Church
Records, 1668-1878; Vol I, Parts I - V, Church Records 1668-1883;
handwritten ledger in Old Script
Mr James Adair Born Bapt
Ann wife to Mr Adair Born Bapt
Their Children
Andrew Adair Born Bapt. 1745/46
Mary Adair Born Bapt. Jan 12 1746/7
Esther Adair Born July 1799 Bapt July 18 1749
/////////////////////////////////////
Fairfield(s) Plantation, NCWho Was James Adair's Wife? And other mysteries to solve...
Ann Carter - Married in Fairfield, Connecticut June 1744. (Fairfield Co. records and will written in 1776; probated 1783; will shown in separate section of this page) Children attributed to this union: Andrew (April 1745), Mary (1747), Esther (1749), Ann (1750), Sarah (1752) Were Ann Carter and Ann McCarty the same person? Harllee said they were not. (Kinfolks p. 1292)
Ann McCarty - Married in Fairfield, Connecticut October 18, 1744. (Fairfield Co. records.) Ann McCarty had two children by a prior marriage, Elizabeth and John, who were also baptized in Fairfield Co. 1742. Elizabeth, has been confused by some with our ancestor, Elizabeth Hobson Adair. William Harllee, in his book, "Kinfolks," (pp. 1291-1293) accepted Ann McCarty as the wife of James Adair and the mother of Sara Anne.
Harllee was influenced by the fact that James had named his manor in North Carolina, "Fairfield" (Note: Ginger has uncovered some information that points to a Fairfields Parish in the VA area where the Plantation was thought to have been located. This is important information) and by concluding the middle initial M. in Ann McTyre's name was for McCarty, as her mother tended to use family names in naming her children.
Ginger notes: Under the heading "Who Was Adair's Wife?" Harlee begins "We have seen that Adair's wife was buried at "'Fairfields' (p. 191) On p.193 he says, "The circumstances that the marriage of James Adair and Ann McCarty occurred in Fairfield, Conn., and that our James Adair (CA2) named his manor plantation in North Carolina 'Fairfield' or 'Fairfields' suggest (italics Ginger's) that the wife of our James Adair was Ann McCarty." (His other "circumstance" for reaching that conclusion is that his (Harllee's) grandmother has a middle initial M. but, I point to the granddaughter in Adair's will, Clark Adair, as even stronger evidence for Clark Hobson as James' wife.)
The manor of James Adair and Hobson (Clark) Adair was named "Fairfield." Wm. C. Harllee in his book, "Kinfolks," believed that the name had some significance, and used it to support the marriage of James Adair and Ann McCarty in Fairfield, Connecticut. However, there is also evidence of a James Adair married to Clark Hobson of Northumberland Co., Virginia, where there was at that time a parish named Fairfield.
Chickacoan Parish was one of two of the earliest parishes of Northumberland Co., Virginia. The boundaries, established in 1653, were changed in 1657 and again in 1658. A description of the revised boundaries of Chickacoan Parish, October 21, 1658, refers to a location called Fairfield. " ... abutting upon the Northwest side of an Indian field known by the name of Fairfield ..." On February 4, 1644 the following order was issued by the court of Northumberland County: "Whereas a great part of this county is by the Assembly ordered shortly to be taken in and included in Westmoreland County and the parishes in this county formerly laid out and bounded cannot so stand unless one of them be in two counties which may be inconvenient either to the counties or the parishes, it is therefore ordered that this county of Northumberland be divided into two parishes and thus named and bounded namely: The Parish of Chickacoan so formerly called is to be the Parish of Fairfield and the bound!
aries thereof from the north side of the Great Wiccocomoco River to the upmost bounds of the Country." Parish lists of 1680, 1702 and 1714 include Fairfield Parish. In 1698 St. Stephen's Parish was formed and included the former parish of Fairfield. "However, the parish continued to be known by the old name of 'Fairfield' until well into the eighteenth century." (Source: "Parish Lines, Diocese of VA" by Cocke, pp. 162-164, pp.162-164)
That Harllee reached his conclusion based on the stated clues is understandable as the following YET UNPROVED THEORY used the same approach with different results. It's my opinion the James Adair that married Ann McCarty IS NOT the same person as James Adair, Indian trader and that the mother of James daughters named in his will was Clerk Hobson of Virginia.
Most descendants of Elizabeth Hobson Adair have thought that Hobson was a family surname, and it is true that surnames were often used in naming children. Note that three of James' grandchildren have a first or middle name of Adair. Harlee gave Elizabeth Hobson Adair an unknown mother with the Hobson surname, and encouraged future researchers to search the records in Virginia and Pennsylvania for an Adair-Hobson connection.
Taking Harlee's advice, and using the same clues (i.e. the plantation name of "Fairfield" and a middle name (this time, Hobson), the following information was discovered:
LDS records show James Adair and Clark Hobson married July 29, 1740 in Northumberland County, VA and had Ann, born October 5, 1743 and Hobson, born June 23, 1745. I have written to Northumberalnd County for the records to support the Northumberland theories.
Clerk Hobson - Married July 29, 1740, in Northumberland Co., Virginia. Their children were Ann, born October 5, 1743, and Hobson, born June 23, 1745. (LDS records)
There were Hobsons in Chester County, PA (based on posts from the Hobson GenForum; further documentation needed. Any contributions of documentation would be greatly appreciated!)
Based on this new found information, and pending further research, I lean havily towards Clark Hobson being the mother of James' three daughters mentioned in his will, and as the wife buried at "Fairfields". Discussion is welcome and encouraged!
Lisa note: I wholehartedly agree with Ginger on many of these points:
1. James of Connecticut and James, Indian Trader, were two separate people.
2. Clark Hoson as the mother of James' daugheters, and buried in VA.
Ginger questions for discussion: (We want your input!)
Is it possible that Ann and Sara Ann are the same person, and that Hobson and Elizabeth Hobson are also the same person? Or, were they both born later? Clark had older sisters named Sara Ann and Elizabeth; it would have been common practice to name her children after her sisters.
Perhaps the names Sara Ann and Elizabeth were added later. It is my understanding that this practice was common when a family member died.
Agnes named one of her daughters Clark (mentioned in James' Will).
If Ann, born in 1743, is also Sara Ann, she would have been sixteen years old at the time the gift of part of Fairfield was made to Ann and her husband, William McTyre. Sixteen would have been more likely an age for marriage than fourteen, if she was the daughter of Ann McCarty
There were Hobsons in Chester County, PA so it is possible that if James and his father Thomas and brothers Joseph and William were also there, that James could have met when Clark was in PA visiting relatives. The Chester County, PA connection also strengthens the case for Thomas Adair and his sons being in PA prior to 1740.
wrote:
This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Adair, McCarty
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/JG.2ADEB/713.710.1
Message Board Post:
If Elizabeth's surname was McCarty, then her mother was Mrs. McCarty (nee...........?.).
As one of her daughter's was named Esther, would there be any likelihood of Ann being Esther McBride ?
Were these Adairs relatives of Bixby / Bigbee / Bigby families and also of Foster ? Thankyou
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