McNAIR, McNEAR, AND McNEIR GENEALOGIES Compiled oy JAMES BIRTLEY McNAIR CHICAGO PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR i9z3 COPYRIGHT 1923 BY ]ADS BIR.TLE1!' MCNAIR All Rights Reserved Published April 1923 Composed and Printed By The University of Chicago Press Chica~o. Illinois, U.S.A. PREFACE In this book is given the legends which show that the McNairs are a division of the MacFarlane clan and that their home was on the borders of Loch Lomond, Scotland. It is also shown that the name Macnayr has been found on documents as early as 1390 and that a coat-of-arms was given by King Robert Bruce to a chieftain of the McNairs at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. All the McNair, McNear, and McNeir genealogies obtainable have been collected in their more or less complete forms. Those in the United States have been arranged as far as possible under the states in which the head of the family resided at the time of the the first census in 1790. In order to show the distribution of McNairs in the United States at that time, that part of the census of 1790 which deals with McNairs is included. It is hoped that a later edition can be published which will con­ tain more information about the McNairs and McNair genealogies. I wish to express my grateful appreciation to those many members of the clan whose assistance has made this work possible, as well as to Mr. Albert C. McFarland and Miss Mary D. Alexander, of the University of Chicago Press, for careful editing of the manu­ script. JAMES B. MCNAIR UNIVERSITY OF CmCAGO CmCAGO, llI.INOIS 1922 ... lll CONTENTS PAGE •• LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS • . Vll THE c~~ MACFARLANE OF WmCH THE McNAIRS MAY BE A DIVISION. 3 THE DMSION OF THE M.AcF ARLANE CLAN . II EARLY ORIGIN OF THE McNAIRs . 17 licNAIRs IN ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND ScoT~"D Descendants of David MacNair, of Plymouth, England . 21 Descendants of David MacNair, of Stirling, Scotland . 22 Descendants of Rev. James Macnair, of Glamaronan . 25 Descendants of James McNair, Laird of Greenfield . 26 Descendants of James McNair, of Dunkeld, Scotland . 28 Descendants of John McNair and Jeannie Ballantyne. 30 Descendants of John McNair and Ann Chapman . 31 Descendants of Neill McNair . 33 John Frederick Adolphus McNair 34 William Watts McNair. 36 1vicNAIRs IN CANADA Descendants of Hugh McNair. 43 Descendants of James McNair and Elizabeth Crawford . 44 Descendants of John J\iicNair and --Chapman . 46 Descendants of Nathaniel McNair and --Henderson 47 HEADS OF MCNAIR FAMJIJES AT THE FIRST CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1790. 53 THE LIBERTY BELL . 59 McNAIRs OF GEORGL\ Descendants of Daniel J\iicNair and Catharine -- and Elean Martin . V • Vl Contents PAGE McNEARS OF MAINE Descendants of John McNear and lvlary Shirley . 75 George Washington McNear . 79 McNEIRs OF MARYLAND Descendants of Thomas McNeir and Nancy Burgess . 83 McNAIRS OF MICHIGAN Descendants of John S. McNair . 89 MCNAIRS OF MlsSISSIPPI Descendants of John E. McNair and Nancy Fletcher. 93 J\IcNAIRs OF MissoURI Descendants of Duncan McNair and--McDougall 99 McNAIRS OF NoRTH CAROLINA Descendants of Duncan McNair and Katie McCallum 103 Descendants of J aphath McNair . 104 Descendants of James McNair and Margaret McCracken. 105 Descendants of John McNair and Clementine Baldwin . 110 Descendants of John MacNair and Jennet Smylie and Cath- erine Buie . I 12 Descendants of John D. McNair and Nancy Grafton . • . 115 McNAIRs OF Omo Descendants of Edward Keenen McNair and Rebecca A. Weaver . 119 McNAIRS AND McNEARs OF PENNSYLVANIA Descendants of David McNair and Anna Maria Dunning. 123 Descendants of John McNair and Christiana Walker . 157 Descendants of Samuel McNair and Anna Murdock . 209 Descendants of Thomas McNair and Ann Wallace and Mary Strain . 251 Descendants of William McNear • • . 275 Descendants of Da.vid McNair and Nancy Smith . 280 McNAIR.s OF Saum CAROLINA Descendants of Duncan McNair and Susan Greer LaCoste 293 INDEX . • 297 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE MAcFARLANE ARMs, A.D. 1568 6 MACNAIR OR MACNAYR ARMS, A.D. 1314 . 18 PORTRAIT OF EvA.i.-WER McNAIR (1820-1902), BRIGADlER GEN- ERAL, Co~"'FEDERATE STATES ARMY · · · · · · 94 PORTRAIT OF FRED WALTER MCNAIR (1862-), PRESIDENT OF MICHIGAN COLLEGE OF MINES • . 108 PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER l\ilcNAIR (1774-1826), FIRST GOVERNOR OF MISSOURI . 134 PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK VALLETTE MCNAIR (1839-1900), REAR ADMIRAL, UNITED STATES NAVY . 228 PORTRAIT OF WnLIAM SHARP MCNAIR (1868-) MAJOR GENERAL, UNITED STATES ARMY. 234 COPY OF CHURCH CERTIFICATE OF THOMAS MCNAIR (1737-1830) 252 PORTRAIT OF THOMAS SPEER MCNAIR {1824-1901), CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER . • . • 26o vii THE CLAN MAcF ARLANE OF WHICH THE McNAIRS MAY BE A DIVISION THE CLAN MAcF ARLANE OF WHICH THE McNAIRS MAY BE A DIVISION* Concerning the origin of the earls of Lennox there is much uncertainty. Willi~m Skene, in his Highlanders of Scotland, tells us that during the lifetime of David I the earldom formed a part of the principality of Cumbria, and claims that the family of Lennox, before they acquired the earldom, were hereditary sene­ schals of Stratherne and baillies of the abthainrie (or abbacy) of Dull in Atholl. We have the account of Peter Walsh, in his Animadversions on the History of Ireland, who derives their descent from Mainus, son of the Irish king of Leinster, and Mungenia, daughter of Fincor­ machus, king of Scotland. William Buchanan, of Auchmar, considers this account "too fabulous to deserve any credit," and continues, "Our own antiquaries with far greater probability, which is also confirmed by a constant and inviolable tradition, derive the origin of this ancient family from Aluin, or Alcuin, a younger son of Kenneth III, king of Scotland, who died in the year 994." However this may be, we find that all historians agree in believ­ ing that a certain earl of Lennox, also named Aluin, had two sons, Malduin, or Maldowen, heir to the earldom, and Gilchrist, ancestor of the MacFarlanes. About the year r200 Gilchrist obtained from his elder brother a grant of certain lands of Arrochar. The charter from Maldowen, earl of Lennox, to his brother Gilchrist, is still preserved, and the lands, at all times the principal seat of the MacFarlane clan, continued in their possession for six hundred years. Arrochar is a beautiful district at the head of Loch Lomond, situated not many miles distant from the city of Glasgow. Buchanan, writing in 1775, says: The laird of MacFarlane had a very good old castle in an island of Lochlomond, called Island-Rowglas, which was burnt by the English * Data from Mary Wilson MacNair, The Clan MacFarlane. The Division of the Clan (Hartford, Connecticut, 1914). 3 4 McNair, McNear, and McNeir Genealogies during Cromwell's usurpation, and never since repaired. He had also another pretty good house and gardens in an island of the same loch, called Island-Vow. But his principal residence is at Inverloch or New Tarbet, which is a handsome house beautified with pleasant gardens, situated in the paroch of Arrochar and shire of Dumbarton near the head of that large loch or arm of the sea called Loch-Long, where there is excel­ lent fishing for herring, and all other sorts of sea-fish. Gilchrist left issue a son Duncan, called in old charters "Duncan filius Gilchrist," or "MacGilchrist," and to this Duncan was given a charter by Malcolm, then earl of Lennox, confirming the grant of the lands of Arrochar. Duncan married his cousin Matilda, daughter to the earl of Lennox, and their son was named Malduin or Maldonich. Malduin's son and successor was named Partholan, or Parlan (Gaelic for Bartholomew), from whose name the family assumed the patronymical surname of MacPharlan. The three generations before this had been known as MacGilchrist, from Gilchrist, brother of Malduin. To Partholan succeeded his son Malcolm, who was in turn succeeded by his son Duncan, sixth laird of MacFarlane. Soon after the death of Duncan the ancient line of the earls of Lennox became extinct at the death in 1460 of Isabella, countess of Lennox, whose aged father had been beheaded by James I, king of Scotland. Three families thereupon laid claim to the honors and titles of the earldom of Lennox, the MacFarlanes claiming them as heirs male, and offering powerful resistance to the claims of the Stewarts of Darnley, who were descended from a female branch of the Lennox family. The stout resistance of the MacFarlanes was all to no purpose, however, and appears to have resulted in the almost total destruction of the clan, the chief and his family falling in defense of the cause, and many being scattered abroad for refuge to distant parts of the kingdom. At this juncture the ruin of the clan was happily prevented by the support given by one of its houses to the Darnley family, whereupon its head, Andrew Mac­ Farlane, married the daughter of John Stewart, lord of Darnley and earl of Lennox, and was put in possession of most of their former property. Clan MacFarlane 5 Hereafter the MacFarlanes appear to have been loyal supporters of the lowland earls of Lennox. Little is known of the clan for several generations, and they seem to have enjoyed a period of prosperity, protected in the possession of their ancient property by the powerful earls whose standard they followed. In the sixteenth century Duncan MacFarlane of that ilk is frequently mentioned as an adherent of Mathew, earl of Lennox. He was present with the earls of Lennox and Glencairn and three hundred of his followers at the disastrous battle of Glasgow Muir in the year 1544, and shared in the ruin and forfeiture which followed.