John Henry Adair (1757 - 1840)

Born 9 Jan 1757 in Chester, South Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine (Palmer) Adair — married 10 Sep 1784 in York County, South Carolina

Descendants

Died 19 May 1840 at age 83 in Mercer, Kentucky, United States

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Preceded by 7th Governor Gabriel Slaughter Preceded by John Breckinridge

John Adair 8th Governor of Kentucky 1820—1824 US Senator (Class 3) from Kentucky 1805—1806

Succeeded by 9th Governor Joseph Desha Succeeded by Henry Clay

Biography

John Adair is Notable.

Major John Adair served with Turkey Creek Regiment, South Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

John Adair is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A000362.

John was born in Chester County, South Carolina in 1757. His parents were William Adair and Mary Moore.

John was 19 years old when on July the 4th of 1776 the The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. But before that declaration was signed the first major battle affecting his home state centered around British efforts to seize Charlestown in June of 1776. Patriots held off the combined land and sea forces at the battle of Fort Moultrie and associated Breech Inlet Naval Battle. A second British assault failed in 1779, but a third attempt on Charlestown in the Spring of 1780 succeeded.

John lived in the Up County of South Carolina. The ugliness and brutality of war came to his family and his neighbors. He was already in military service at the time of the British assault on Charleston. He fled with the surviving Patriots to the Up Country and to North Carolina.

John served his country and his state by entering military service as a Patriot soldier in South Carolina. He fought in many battles and was commissioned as an officer by General Sumter. He served until the end of the war. He filed an application for pension for his services in 1832. See Military section of Biography

After the Revolutionary War was over John returned to his home in Chester County He was a member of the South Carolina convention that ratified the Constitution of the United States. He was married in York County in 1784 to Catherine Palmer. He moved to Kentucky in 1788.

Military

John served as a private soldier in South Carolina during the War for Independence. He was commissioned a Captain by General Sumter. He was later promoted to Major and served at that rank until the end of the war. The following is his pension application: John's pension application was attested by Andrew Jackson while he was President of the United States of America. (see footnote marks 2.)

I do hereby certify that in the month of April or May 1780, Charles town having been surrendered to the Enemy, with all the regular Troops under the command of General Lincoln and the Govr. of the State having fled from the State, there being then no legal authority in the State and the British Troops under the command of Tarlton [sic, Banastre Tarleton], Rawdon and other officers, were marching through and taking possession of all parts of the state about three hundred men who had fled from the Enemy of whom I was one did assemble in North Carolina where we had fled, and enter into a solemn obligation to place themselves under the command of Genl. Thomas Sumpter [sic, Thomas Sumter] and to continue in a body and serve under his command until the war was at an end, or until heir services were no longing [sic, longer necessary, they were to find their own horses and arms, cloathing [sic, clothing] and all necessaries [sic, necessities]—It being absolutely necessary that they should act on horse back they immediately returned into South Carolina and made their first attack on a party of British and Torys [Tories] amounting to between five and six hundred men (commanded byCapt. Hoock [Christian Huck] of the Horse & a Coll. Ferguson [James Ferguson of the Camden District loyalist Militia] who commanded the Torys at Williamson's plantation [ this engagement was known aiternatively as the Battle of Williamson's Plantation, the Battle of Brattonsville, and the Battle of Huck's Defeat, July 12, 1780]—the Enemy were defeated—Hook [sic, Huck] & Ferguson both killed and a Capt. Adamson [Lt. John Adamson of Col. Henry Rugeley's Regiment] (who commanded the British Infantry) wounded and taken with between thirty and forty men—our numbers increased daily after this action and two or three weeks after, we were led to an attack on a British Garrison at Rocky Mount [July 30, 1780] but the Genl. [Thomas Sumter finding the works too strong to be taken without cannon (of which he had none) he abandoned the enterprise and eight days after (having a reinforcement of 30 men from North Carolina under a Coll. Ervin [Robert Irwin) he attacked a strong British force at the hanging Rock [Hanging Rock, August 6, 1780]—this I believe was the hardest fought Battle during the war in the South. We continued in service until the end of the war and fought many Battles which it is not necessary to name—soon after the battle of the hanging rock, I was appointed on commission by Genl. Sumpter [Thomas Sumter] a Capt. in which rank I served till in the fall I was then appointed a major in which rank I served until the end of the war, except a few months in the fall and winter of eighty, when I was a prisoner with the British and in close confinement until exchanged for a Capt. Cambel [sic, Gamble or Campbell?] of the British Army in a partial exchanging effected by the Genl. when I received from the commanding officer in Camden a passport to go to Genl. Sumpter's Camp where I immediately served three towers [sic, tours] in succession, in Coll. J. Winn's [John Winn's] regt. of militia in the year 1779 & the spring of eighty, and was on the lines in service when Charles town was surrendered to the Enemy [May 12, 1780] — I was in fourteen Battles, the last of which was at the Eutaw Spring [September 8, 1781] under Genl. Green [sic, Nathanael Greene]—I found my own horses, arms & cloathing, and only drew rations when acting under the immediate command of Genl. Greene and with his Troops—for which services & expenses I have not yet been paid— I have not attempted to describe in detail half the services we performed and battles we fought but do assert that we were in continual service from May 1780 until the end of the war and that I myself led one of the advance parties into Charles town [sic, Charleston] when the Enemy evacuated the city [December 1782] —I cannot be particular as to dates, having no record, and having understood that all Genl. Sumpter's papers have been destroyed or lost—and I further certify that the foregoing relation of facts and services are true to the best of my knowledge and recollection.Given under my hand this 12th day of July 1832.

S/ John Adair

He served as a Major of volunteers in Kentucky in an expedition against the Indians under General Wilkinson in 1791 and 1792 during the Northwest Indian War. He was a Lt. Colonel under General Scott in 1793.

During the War of 1812 John again provided service to his country. He commanded the Kentucky Rifle Brigade under General Jackson in 1814 and 1815.

(2) I have read and carefully examined the above and within narrative made by Genl. John Adair. It accords with my recollection of the history of the times referred to. We were school fellows at the Waxhaw's academy, I a boy, the Genl grown when he left it. When the British advanced and overran the country, this academy was burnt by Major Coffen's corps, under the command of Lord Rodney [sic, Rawdon?]. At this period all were compelled to leave the country that would not take protection under the British. Genl. Adair was one of those who rallied under the Eagle of his country, fronted the battles storm, and at the close of the war ranked a major. S/ Andrew Jackson July 13th, 1832

General John Adair made oath in due form of law that the above statement is correct to the best of his knowledge and belief.S/ S. Burch, Justice of the Peace[p 7, Sarah Miles of Nelson County, Ky, gave testimony that she was intimately acquainted with Genl. John Adair and his wife, Catharine, formerly Catharine Palmer, having been a bridesmaid at their wedding on the 10th September 1784 in York County SC; she also states she knew of his death on May 19, 1840.]

[p 9][On August 16, 1841, in Monroe County, Ky., Catherine Adair, 73 as of 17th October next, filed for a widow's pension under the 1838 Act stating that she is the widow of John Adair who served as a Major in the Revolutionary War; that she married him on September 9, 1784 in York County, SC; that he died May 19, 1840.] [p 14]

[On April 27, 1853, in Shelby County, Tennessee, Catharine Adair, 84, a resident of Memphis, filed for her bounty land entitlement under the act of 1850; she states that she is the widow of Brigadier General John Adair who served under Major Genl. Thomas in the War of 1812; she states her husband died in Mercer County, Ky on May 18, 1840.]

[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $600 per annum commencing March 4th, 1832, for service as a Major for during the war in the South Carolina service. His widow was pensioned in a like amount.

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was serving as the seventh President of the United States at the time he signed this affidavit on behalf of John Adair.

Legacy

Three US states have named counties in John Adair's honor: Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Children listed in DAR record

1. ANN PALMER m. JOHN L BRIDGES
2. ISABELLA MC CALLA m. BENJAMIN F PLEASANTS
3. ELIZA PALMER m. THOMAS B MONROE
4. ISABELLA MC CALLA m. BENJAMIN F PLEASANTS
5. WILLIAM PALMER MOORE m. ELIZABETH CROMWELL
6. MARY m. MARK HARDIN
7. MARGARET LAPSLEY m. WILLIAM PRESTON ANDERSON
8. NANCY PALMER m. ] JOHN L BRIDGES
9. JOHN m. MARY ANN C DICKERSON
10. CATHERINE m. JOHN M FOSTER

Sources

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 17 Feb 2024), "Record of John Adair", Ancestor # A000362.
• Revolutionary War Soldiers for NC and SC, Data provided by the website Carolana.
• Find A Grave Memorial# 6864701
• John Adair on Wikipedia
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Hannings, Bud, The War of 1812, 2012, p. 305.
• Dibble, Ernest F., Joseph Mills White: Anti-Jacksonian Floridian, 2003, pp. 1-5, 8,10-12, 14, 144, 151-152.
• http://revwarapps.org/w2895.pdf
• 1924 Adair History and Genealogy . Adair, James Barnett, ed., Adair History and Genealogy. Los Angeles, California: James Barnett Adair, MD, pp. 111-113. GooglePlay 111-113, ([1]: accessed 27 March 2022)