I am a descendant of Major Thomas Blair who married the widow, Jane Ruth McCuiston in about 1763 in the part of Rowan County, North Carolina that became Guilford County in 1771. I descend from their daughter, Martha Blair, born February 12, 1771 in Guilford County, NC, who married her first cousin, John Blair, born October 22, 1767 in the part of Rowan County, NC. that became Guilford county in 1771. John and Martha Blair married on April 27, 1790 in Guilford County, North Carolina, and soon moved to Logan County, Kentucky, and then to Tennessee, first settling in Davidson County where her brothers, John Calhoun Blair and Samuel Ruth Blair had settled about 1785. Samuel Ruth Blair also participated in the American Revolution, and in his War Pension File there is an affidavit stating that Martha Blair was a sister of Samuel Ruth Blair.
John Calhoun Blair fought Indians with his neighbors at Fort Buchannan and followed the Indians when they broke off the fighting, but was shot, tomahawk, scalped, and left for dead. Uncle Scalpy, as John Calhoun Blair was then called, recovered and lived another 64 years finally to die in Nashville and was buried on his brother, Samuel Ruth Blair’s farm, located on Murfreesboro Pike. Thomas Blair, Jr. born March 11, 1773, in Guilford County, NC, was the younger brother of Martha Blair, and he also came to Tennessee after June 25, 1800 when he married Eleanor Doak. Thomas Blair, Jr. was said to have put his ear to the ground to listen to the cannons firing when his father was fighting at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. It is also said that Thomas Blair, Jr. fought in the war of 1812.
John and Martha Blair had a daughter while the family was living in Davidson County, Tennessee named Tennessee Blair, who was born there on July 26, 1809. Tennessee Blair first married William M. Seaton on December 9, 1828 in Madison County, Tennessee, but he died about 1839 and Martha Blair Seaton moved her children to Pontotoc County, Mississippi where she met and married the widower, Major James Morton Rush about 1844 and their rather large combined family moved to the Republic of Texas in the spring of 1845, first settling in the Mercer Colony in the part that became Van Zandt County, Texas. Their daughter, Van Burena Rush (born December 27, 1846) married my mother’s grandfather, Archibald Cockerell July 9, 1878 in Tyler, Texas where the Rush family had been living since about 1847.
John and Martha Blair had moved their family from Davidson County to Madison County, Tennessee probably after 1821 when the county was formed from Indian land. John and Martha Blair settled south of Jackson, Tennessee, and started the community of Blair’s Chapel, which still exists today. John and Martha Blair donated the land to build a Methodist Church and cemetery where both are buried. I have a copy of the land deed giving the land to the church. John Blair died December 18, 1844, and Martha Blair died February 10, 1853. I do have the will of John Blair, the father of Tennessee Blair, and several of his estate settlement documents, and his will names his daughter Tennessee Rush, proving her second marriage.
I have documented the father of my Major Thomas Blair who was a John Blair that did live in Guilford County, North Carolina, but I question the theory that the October 8, 1770 last will and testament contained in the John Blair of Guilford County, North Carolina book is the correct will. This will name the wife of John Blair as Martha and one son, also named John Blair, so it could be the correct will, but I question the omission of his son, Major Thomas Blair from the will. I realize it was not uncommon for a father to give his children their inheritance before he died, and then not mentioned these children in his will, but I located an August 21, 1787 Guilford County, North Carolina land deed which states that the land Major Thomas Blair was selling to William Dick, had been inherited from his father John Blair’s last will and testament. The land deed goes on to say that the land had been part of a 640-acre tract that John Blair had purchased from James McCuistian. James McCuistian was the father of Robert McCuistian, who had married Jane Ruth in Maryland, and brought his family to Rowan County, North Carolina in about 1756, where Robert McCuistian died on September 28, 1760. The widow, Mrs. Jane Ruth McCuistion then married Major Thomas Blair in about August of 1763. On November 20, 1761, John Blair had purchased this land from James McCuistion, and in this land deed it is stated that John Blair was from Baltimore County, in the Province of Mary-land. These land deeds do give some credence to the story of the migration of the John Blair family from Maryland, but more proof is needed to prove the story in the John Blair book in my opinion. Lucy Echels Blair’s book on John Blair of Guilford County, discusses the theory that these Blairs arrived in America in 1746 and first settled in Rising Sun, Pennsylvania, and were members of the Nottingham Colony Presbyterian Church, before moving to Rowan County, North Carolina in 1753.
As you are aware, Lucy Echels Blair believes that Hugh Blair, who married Mary Dawson, was a son of the above John and Martha Blair of Guilford County, NC, and the birth of their daughter, Jane Blair Cummings, who was born at sea on August 20, 1746 is the proof of the year of the arrivals of this Blair family in America. I have a copy of the poem inscribed on Jane Blair Cummings tombstone located in the Round Hill Cemetery, but the question is how was Hugh Blair related to my John Blair, and did they all come together? I corresponded with Dr. B. G. Foster, 2130 Santa Fe Trail in Tyler, Texas 75703-7659 for some time, and he believes that Hugh Blair was a brother of my John Blair, not his son. This would make him an uncle to my Major Thomas Blair. Dr. Foster also believes that the James Blair, who married Mary Colbert and died March 11, 1776, and is buried in the Alamance Cemetery was also a brother to Hugh Blair and my John Blair.
I located a book in the Nashville archives that reproduced all the applications for the original members of the Blair Society, and Dr. Alexander Doak Tadlock’s application interested me greatly. According to his chart, his father’s grandfather was John “The Miller” Blair, and his mother’s grandfather was Lt. John Blair, the son of John “The Pioneer” Blair. Dr. Tadlock stated that his G. G. Grandfather was Hugh Blair of the Hon River Colony. I assume the writer misread Haw River for Hon River due to the location of Hugh Blair’s land on the Haw River. Dr. Tadlock goes on to say that Hugh Blair and his son, Col. Hugh Blair eventually went to Georgia, but his son John “The Miller” Blair remained in Washington County, Tennessee. I know nothing about the son of Hugh Blair being a Colonel, but wonder if this is the Col. James Blair who rode to gather the over the mountain men for the Battle of King’s Mountain? He did migrate to Georgia after the Revolution.
Dr. Tadlock goes on to say that his grandfather married Jane Blair, the daughter of James Blair (2) and his wife Mary. Then Dr. Tadlock says that John “The Miller” Blair and James Blair (2) were first cousins. This is the information that interest me the most from Dr. Tadlock’s application. According to my research, James Blair (2) married Ann Hays about 1762 and died in North Carolina about 1783. James Blair (2) was the son of the James Blair who died on March 11, 1776 and is buried in the Alamance Presbyterian Church Cemetery. If his son, James Blair (2) was a first cousin of John “The Miller” Blair this means that Hugh Blair, that married Mary Dawson was a brother of James Blair (2) and both were the sons of James Blair (1).
Compiled by Thomas Bruce Green, III