Origins of "cherokee in the family" stories

Kathryn Holland Braund, the editor of a recent scholarly edition of Adair's book includes a fifty-plus page description of Adair's life in America, and the fact that virtually nothing is known of his personal history or family. He wrote about his life with the Chickasaw with the clear implication that the had a Chickasaw wife and children. When not with the Indians, he lived at New Windsor, South Carolina. He hoped to take a Chickasaw delegation with him when he went to London to get his book published. The last record of him is a signature on a lease in 1774. She points out that there is no evidence for any of the theories regarding his birth and parents. There is no evidence to connect James Adair the author with the Cherokee Adair family.

Jamey, That is the Nancy Lightfoot that I had mentioned earlier. She is blood to me thru her dad....and her husband is blood to me....two different connections. Glance at this site / page..... also, am seeing an indication that Esther / Ester McBride may have been married twice....once to a Hobson....still diggin

Dropping off the will of James Adair the Indian Trader. No sons named. I will upload to profile also.

William Curry Harllee preserved a copy of James Adair's will in "Kinfolks," pp. 1245-1247--records in Bladen County, NC, courthouse were burned in 1800. Harllee states that his will was recorded in Record of Wills, Number 1, p. 476. In the name of God, Amen, I, James Adair of Bladen County in North Carolina, being weak but praises be to the Almighty God in perfect sense and memory, I do humbly make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following:
I do recommend my soul to God who have it hoping through the merits of my Lord and Blessed Savior Jesus Christ to obtain pardon of all my sins. My body I commit to the grave to be buried.
My temporal estate my just debts being paid I do humbly appoint my loving daughter Saranna McTyre my whole and sole executor of this my last will and testament.
I give unto Robert Adair or his heirs near the town of Billymansborough [Ballymena] and Nutrann a short mile of Gilgoram in the county of Antrim in Ireland ten pounds.
I do give unto James Box or his heirs in the Island of Bennet the sum of ten pounds.
I give unto Alexander Johnston or his heirs in Ireland or his heirs in the county of Chester, Pennsylvania, the sum of seventeen pounds all proclamation money.
I give unto my daughter Saranna McTyre all my lands or improvements in Wilkinsons Swamp together with all my negros and their increase to wit: four negros, Pomp, Babby, Sam, and Jack, two negro women named Hannah and Nelly, one negro girl named Lucy, my personal and real estate both within and without doors, crop and stock, together will all money, bonds, judgments, notes of hand, book accounts, and debts, whatsoever and whomsoever during her natural life, and when my daughter Saranna McTyre receives and collects in my money due on judgments, notes of hand, and book debts, I desire it may be put out immediately on good security mortgages on improved lands and negros until there is a fair and open trade from Guinea to this country for negro slaves, then to call in all the money into her hands immediately lay the money out in purchasing and buying negro slaves, boys and girls, and when bought then I give a part of the negros so purchased and bought as has cost my executrix four hundred pounds proclamation money with their increase unto my daughter Elizabeth Hobson Cade during her life and at her death I give the said negros with all their increase unto my three grandsons, Stephen, James, and Washington Cade, and their heirs lawfully begotten forever, and the residue and remainder of the said purchase and bought negros, after my daughter Cade has received her part and property as above mentioned, then I give unto my daughter Saranna McTyre with all their increase during her life.
I give unto my grandson Adair McTyre the plantation whereon I now live one hundred acres more or less named Pached or Patcherly place on Wilkinson Swamp, together with all the improvements to him and his heirs lawfully begotten forever.
After my daughter Saranna McTyre's life, I give my grandson on plow horse and one cow and calf, two sow pigs, and all the working tools within and without doors, suitable for carrying on a crop and corn and provisions both without and within doors, should anything happen after my daughter's life. I give all my other lands more or less unto my grandson William McTyre and his heirs lawfully begotten forever when comes of age.
I give unto my five grandchildren Adair, Elizabeth, Clark, Katrain, and William McTyre all my negros and their increase and my personal estate to be equally divided amongst them, to them and their heirs lawfully begotten forever after Saranna McTyre life.
I do give the free use of my means to my daughter Cade's family as long as my daughter Saranna McTyre and Elizabeth Hobson Cade live convenient one to another.
I give unto my daughter Agnes Gibson and to John Gibson one shilling sterling.
I do desire my daughter Saranna McTyre take my daughter Agnes Gibson into her family should it so happen she is a widow and only one child and no good home, and maintain she and her child during widowhood and until her child comes of age in meat, drink, lodging, and washing.
I do desire none of my estate may be sold by order of court, when goods come as cheap as they have in the year 1774.
Then I do desire my executrix will buy each of my daughters, Elizabeth Hobson Cade and Agnes Gibson, a gown of black crepe and mourning ring.
In testimony of this my last will and testament I hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-first day of September one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight.
Signed: James Adair (seal)
Witnesses: Archibald McKissack, Benilla Bullard

Will was already there actually

https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000012680645255&

Tired.....think I forgot to put the site / page....

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&ra...

I don't think that this one was on here yet....

http://www.genealogy.com/forum/general/topics/ai/28517/

Well, I think I will let you all sort it out. I am just surprised that there is no real evidence to link James Adair the Author with his descendants who are white and Cherokee and so many Adairs on the rolls.
Was there another James Adair or several born the same time as him?

I believe that John Adair and Nancy Lightfoot Adair is all over the internet as a family tree.

I think I will get a copy of the Author James Adair's book on the American Indians and see what he wrote. I would like to read it anyway.

Here’s the author page

http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/business/shadburn.html

The origins of the Cherokee Adair family are murky. Starr listed no parents for brothers John and Edward Adair, the two men who begin the Cherokee Adair family. Later records said that John was born in Scotland or Ireland. What is known for sure is that John had at least five children by a Cherokee woman named Gahoga or Nannie Foster (some believe her father was a white man named Lightfoot, Foster was her first husband) and ten more by a white woman, Jane Kilgore. He left property to both sets of children in his will, and three of Jane's children married Cherokee.

Gahoga was married only twice: to James Foster and to John Adair.

Thanks Kathryn. So going with Starr & the 2 brothers sounds like the way to go. The wives of John look correct on Geni but could use notes.

Here’s another page about Don Shadburn books

https://www.amazon.com/Cherokee-Planters-Georgia-1832-1838-Pioneer-...

Private User if the will of James Adair of Bladen is the will of James Adair the Trader, he had no sons .

So far that’s all we got.

Re: other James Adair’s.

Of course, there were several. James Adair the cooper. His cousin James Adair the saddler. I haven’t even looked at PA Adair’s, I could break down. :). Remember I come from Cunningham. Not enough lifetimes ! Luckily old John Musgrove left a will, and so did Mary’s Cunningham husband. Otherwise I’d still not know.

One thing I find interesting in my Tyner family who married an Adair is that the Adair and Tyner, Harris names are sprinkled throughout the family trees.

If my Nancy Adair Tyner is supposed to be Cherokee, I may never know.
Anyway,
this Nancy didn't marry a Tyner? As Kathryn said. So someone mistakenly put Tyner for her last married name.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65259961/nancy-adair_foster_tyner

I did see a my heritage list her with being married to Harris Harrison Tyner. They may have confused it with my Harris Tyne and Nancy Adair.

Thank you Kathryn Forbes

I don’t see any support for parents here, I’m sorry !

Nancy Jane Stevens

I found this, going to look into the Elizabeth Tyner mentioned here
http://saponitown.com/forum/showthread.php?1593-Possible-Blackfoot-...

I sourced this to her daughter
there is a gr grandson named Elijah Hackelman who wrote an account if his relationship to James Adair as gr grandfather
http://www.adair-holland.com/marj.html

I was wrong, he mentions Harris Tyner grandfather and Nancy Adair grandmother

Right - the researcher has been looking for parents of Nancy Adair, but has no supporting evidence as yet.

Here's an excerpt from James Adair's book

"The Life of an Indian Trader"

https://books.google.com/books?id=lbMLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA327&lpg...

Here is a DNA discussion for John Adair
http://dnacommunities.com/viewtopic.php?t=1780

Erica, Thank you for the book excerpt.
I found a link with the whole book online to read. I will find it later and post here.

Just curious if anyone here has bothered to perform a DNA sampling of them selves to see what they are made of?

I for 1 did and had some interesting results, for I have 1.2% Native American and the DNA degradation period is the same time line as when John Adair was on this Earth.

My Great great grand Parents were James G. Brown and Margaret L. Adair

Just getting started into ancestry research again after taking a 20 year break, this DNA sampling has opened more doors than I ever thought.

Frank Albert Brown welcome back to the frustrating hobby.

If your test was ftDNA you can link to your Geni account.

Is it possible your DNA result is from Ga-ho-ga ‘Nancy’ Adair

It seems a little distant but ...

Not sure how - did 23&me DNA test

Just looked - Yup there were Sisters if there father was Charles Duncan Adair

Charles Duncan Adair was a son of John Adaiir and his white wife, Jane/Jennie Kilgore.

Not sure if this book has already been shown on here or not....sooo many posts....

https://books.google.com/books?id=Ei0TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA336&lpg...

Yes, thanks, Diana. It's linked to the project, too--a full version that's free to read.

You're welcome Pam. The only thing though, for me, is that it's kinda hard to follow with the way they have the numbers showing the relationships.... a little confusing. Wish I could understand it a little better. I recognize a big majority of the names. Some profiles I have, or profiles I have worked on....I believe a lot involve dna matches. I'll keep trying to figure it out...

Starr is hard to follow until you learn his notation. The first person in a family is 1. The chlldren of 1 will appear as 1 1, 1 2, 1 3,etc., the children of the third child of 1, i.e. 1 3, will appear as 1 3 1, 1 3 2, 1 3 3, etc. since many of these people had a lot of children, it can get really confusing. Many people had multiple spouses as well so Starr separated the half-siblings with a line, so if you see two or three children, then a line, then more ypu know they are half-siblings.