Blair Family of Massachusetts and Nova Scotia

This web page is part of A Family Reunion of Douglas J. Graham. There is a search page for finding specific information. This page has also been indexed in the Place Name Index. Last update of page: 22April 2005.

The Blair family was originally Scottish and there are many Blair place names there, such as Blair Atholl in Perth, Scotland, cited by (2) as the origin of our Blairs but there is nothing to back this up. Our branch of the Blairs were part of a large movement from the Scottish lowlands to Ireland in the 17th century, filling a vacuum left by the outward migration of many Roman Catholics from Ireland under the repression of James I. In the middle of the 17th century, they were among the more than 300,000 "Ulster Scots" living in the Ulster area of Ireland (2). More than 200,000 of them emigrated in the period from 1717 to 1775 to America and Canada escaping poverty and oppression (3).

David Blair, b. 1618 (of Ayrshire, Scotland)

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James Blair, b. ca. 1644-1650 (of Ayrshire, Scotland, to Ulster) --- m. --- Rachel Boyd (at least 2 sons)

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Robert Blair, b. 1683 (of Ulster, to Massachusetts)--- m. --- Isabella Rankin (7 sons)

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William Blair, b. 1716 (in Mass., moved to Truro, Nova Scotia) --- m. --- Jane Barns (11 children)

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Hannah Blair, b. 1747 (in Mass.) --- m. --- Robert Archibald (9 children)

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Elizabeth Archibald, b. 1768 --- m. --- Samuel Tupper (2 children)

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Hannah Tupper, b. 1787 --- m. --- William Creelman (8 children)

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Rachel Creelman, b. 1822 --- m. --- James Graham (7 children)

James Blair, b. ca. 1644-1650

According to (8), James Blair was born ca. 1644-1650 in Ayrshire, Scotland. James Blair's father was David Blair, born 1618 in Ayrshire, Scotland (wife unknown). James was married in 1660 Aghadowey, Antrim, Ulster, Ireland to Rachel Boyd, born in Scotland, died May 10 1700 in Aghadowey. James died March 10 1705/06 in Aghadowey.

Col. Robert Blair, b. 1683

According to (8), Robert Blair, b. 1683, was the son of James above and according to (9), another son was William Blair:

1) William Blair, Jr. (according to (9), descended from this William), b. 1680, d. 23 August 1724, m. to Mary Grey. Their eleven children were:

1. Matthew.
2. David, b. 1708/09.
3. John.
4. Sarah.
5. Dolly.
6. William.
7. James.
8. Robert.
9. Elizabeth.
10. Mary.
11. Joseph, b.1727, d. 8 February 1804 at 77 yrs.

2) According to (8), Robert was born in 1683 in Aghadowey, Antrim, Ulster, Ireland and he died February 2 1775 in Worchester, MA. His wife's name was Isabella Rankin.

Miller's book (2), which I suspect to be less reliable as concerns ancestors of Robert Blair, states:

A large, splendid, and expensive monument was erected about the year 1825 in the city of Londonderrry, in the North of Ireland, to the memory of the brave men and apprentice boys who defended that city so manfully during the siege, in the years 1688 and 1689. On this monument is engraved the name of Colonel Robert Blair, with a large number of others of the most brave. This Robert Blair belonged to the family of Blairs of Blairathol, in Scotland. His son, of the same name, Colonel Robert Blair, came to North America with his regiment, and brought with him his wife and family, and afterwards settled in Worcester, Mass., where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Blair died there in the year 1774, aged 82 years, and his wife, Isabella, died in the year 1765, aged 82 years.

William Blair, b. 1716, and Siblings

Robert and Isabella Blair had seven sons:

1) Matthew (more detailed information here from (10)), b. 1704/5. He had a son Isaac Blair, b. about 1741, buried in Blandford, MA (the source of (10) is descended from Isaac).

2) James.

3) Joseph, who remained on the homestead at Worchester. He married, had a son Charles, and five daughters.

4) John, settled at Warren, Mass. (just west of Worchester) and had a family. According to (7), he was born in Ireland, 1710, died Warren, MA in 1796. According to Joe Blair's site (3), he probably was m. to Ann Pepper in 1747 in Hardwick, MA (see that site for his children).

5) David, also had a family and settled at Warren.

6) Francis, came with the original settlers to Onslow, Nova Scotia and with 47 others was granted the 50,000 acres of Onslow Township. The grant was made 21 February 1769 by Lord William Campbell, Governor of Nova Scotia. Francis however became discouraged with the hardships of settling the new land, sold his 1700 acres of Onslow land for eight dollars (!) and returned to New England.

7) William, b. 1716 in MA, married in 1740, in New England, to Jane Barns. Capt. William Blair (2) first came to Nova Scotia in 1758 on military duty. He assisted in subduing the French and taking Louisburg. He returned to New England, but when relieved of military duty, emigrated to Nova Scotia with his wife and family. They were among the first settlers of Truro in 1760. They settled on the North River but a few years later moved to Onslow. William died 4 August 1791. He was buried in the "Burial Island"; (1) reports that the inscription on his monument reads: "Here lies interred the body of William Blair who departed this life on the 4th day of August 1791 aged 75 years". That of his wife reads: "Jane Blair Consort of William Blair Senior who died on the 8th day of January 1814 in the 91st year of her age".

He and Jane had eleven children, considered in the following section. Miller writes the name as "Barns" but (11) uses "Jane Barnes".

Hannah Blair, b. 1747, and Siblings

The eleven children of William and Jane Blair were the following:

1) Susan, b. 1741. She m. on 10 June 1763 to Isaac Farrell and they returned to New England. Isaac was an officer and fell at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

2) Sarah, b. 1743. She m. Ephraim Howard on 8 December 1763. According to (1) this was the first marriage recorded in "The Book of Records for Deaths, births, and Marriages for the Town on Onslow", begun in 1761. They settled on the North River where Ephraim built the first mill in Onslow. He later sold his mills and they moved to St. Andrew's River. He built more mills there and continued in the milling trade for the rest of his life. They had one son and six daughters.

3) Hannah, b. in New England, in 1747. She married April 2 1767 (1) to Robert Archibald, son of David Archibald and Elizabeth Elliott. They had nine children, one of whom was Elizabeth, who married Samuel Tupper. She died at Musquodoboit on 4 November 1834, aged 87. See the Archibald family for their children.

4) William, b. in New England in 1750. He m. on 26 November 1772 to Mary, b. 1750, daughter of James Downing and Janet Montgomery. They settled on a farm on the North River where they raised their large family. Mary d. in November 1817 and he d. in March 1841, aged 91. Their ten children were:

1. Jane, b. 30 March 1773. She m. Archibald Taylor on 4 May 1797, son of Matthew Taylor and Elizabeth Archibald. Jane d. 19 October 1799, aged 26.
2. Robert, b. 1 November 1774. He m. first to Mary, daughter of Ebenezer and Catherine Hoar of Onslow. They were m. on 20 January 1801 and had three children. In November 1810 she died and he remarried, on 1 May 1814, to Elizabeth, b. 1793, daughter of William Taylor and Margaret McCurdy and a granddaughter of Elizabeth Archibald. About 1819 he switched farms with his brother William and at his new farm started the first carding mill in Nova Scotia. It was considered a great curiosity and attracted many visitors. He d. 21 December 1843 and she d. 4 November 1855. There were six sons and three daughters by the second marriage. Cindy Donovan (11) is descended from this second marriage.
3. John, b. 8 February 1778. On 22 September 1807 he m. Isabella McNutt, b. 1789, the only daughter of Samuel McNutt. They settled on Onslow Mountain where they reared their family and stayed the rest of their lives. On one Sunday morning, John tackled his horse and went to work, plowing potatoes. One of his neighbors came over and reminded him it was the Sabbath. John was apparently much grieved at his sad mistake. The neighbor was the Rev. Hugh Graham (!). John Blair d. 31 January 1831 and his wife d. 11 September 1846. They had six sons and four daughters.
4. William, b. 1 August, 1779. On 6 March 1815 he m. Sarah Campbell of Queen's County, N.B. He d. 10 June 1852. They had two sons and three daughters. Two sons married Whiddens and one daughter m. a Blair cousin.
5. Catherine, b. 22 April 1782. She m. on 30 May 1803 to John Staples, b. 1767, son of Matthew Staples and Sidney Homes. John had been previously married to Jane Cutten, daughter of John and Joanna Cutten of Onslow (see Mayflower chapter for more on the Cuttin family). He inherited a part of his father's farm on the Chiganoise River. In 1820 he sold the farm and they moved further up the river. Catherine d. on 18 January 1830 and he d. 25 July 1855. They had five sons and four dughters. Four of their sons married four daughters of Samuel and Letitia Rude!
6. Daniel, b. 20 October 1784. In 1807 he m. Rebecca Freeman, b. 11 September 1790, of Cumberland County. They settled near the Onslow Cemetery, which Daniel moved to after his death 10 January 1862. They had five sons and two daughters.
7. Alexander, b. 6 March 1787. He m. on 28 December 1815 to Sarah Bebee of Wallace River in the County of Cumberland. He inherited the homestead part of his father's farm and was a Captain of the Militia. In September 1816 he was helping to build a house when a joist on an upper floor gave way and he fell to the cellar onto a heap of small stones. He was injured so badly he could not be taken home for two weeks. Miller wrote tht "he still shows the effects of this fall by the way that his head stands forward". His wife d. 4 December 1864. They had two sons and six daughters.
8. Ephraim, b. 17 February 1789. He m. on 20 January 1814 to Abigail Hall of Onslow Mountain. He was a shoemaker. He d. 22 January 1864. They had six sons and four daughters.
9. James, b. 28 May 1792. He moved to New Brunswick and in 1815 m. Mary Breggs of Queen's County. In 1830 he was drowned from a fishing boat in the Bay of Fundy, just below St. John. His body was found and buried in St. John. They had three daughters.
10. Oliver, b. 7 October 1794. He m. on 20 Decemer 1817 to Mary, b. 1799, eldest daughter of John Smith and Jane Cock. He inherited a half of his father's farm where they raised their family. Mary d. in July 1869 and he d. 23 November 1871. They had four sons and four daughters.

5) Dorothy, b. in New England in 1753. She m. in 1775 to Simeon Whidden of Truro and had eleven children. She died in November 1827.

6) Rebecca, b. 1757. She m. Thomas Lynds on 27 January 1774. Thomas was born in Ireland in 1747 to Jacob Lynds and Mary Guild (Jacob and Mary Lynds had emigrated to New England in 1756 and to Onslow in 1761; Mary, after being widowed, would later marry James Whidden). Thomas and Rebecca Lynds raised their family and lived together for 63 years. She d. 9 January 1838 aged 80 and he d. 6 January 1839 at the age of 92. Their twelve children were:

1. Benjamin Lynds, b. 15 November 1774. He m. Mary McNutt on 12 September 1793. They settled on the top of the East Mountain of Onslow but later built a second house at the base. He d. in October 1858 and she d. 18 September 1853. They had six sons and four daughters.
2. Simeon Lynds, a twin of Benjamin, was a wheelwright. He d. a bachelor on 15 August 1852, aged 82.
3. Susan Lynds, b. 2 September 1776. In 1794 she m. Robert McCurdy, b. 1785, and had one son. She d. 18 January 1862 and he d. 16 September 1863.
4. Lydia Lynds, b. 11 March 1778. She m. on 5 November 1798 to Nathaniel Marsters, b. 1758 (he had been married previously with Sarah Upham with whom he had two sons). They had two sons and one daughter. She d. in April 1830 and he d. 19 July 1843.
5. Jacob Lynds, b. 1780 and d. young.
6. David Barns Lynds, b. 10 September 1781. He m. in October 1810 (or 1811?) to his cousin Sarah, daughter of John Blair. He practiced as a doctor until "the infirmities of old age came upon him". They had one daughter and lived in Truro. He d. 9 June 1871 aged 89.
7. Elizabeth Lynds, b. 22 September 1783. She m. Nathaniel Wiswell in 1802. They had four sons and five daughters. In 1841, Nathaniel died when he fell from the staging of a St. John House he was working on. Elizabeth d. in 1850.
8. Rebecca Lynds, b. 24 September, 1785. She m. Philip Freeman in 1805. They had two sons and moved to the States where she and her husband died.
9. James Lynds, b. 23 October, 1787. He m. Margaret Hall on 9 November 1809. They settled on a part of his father's farm where he d. 5 January 1852, leaving no children.
10. Dorothy Lynds, b. in April 1790. She d. unmarried on 12 October 1866.
11. Thomas Lynds, b. in March 1792. He inherited the homestead and a large part of his father's property where he d. a bachelor on 28 March 1865.
12. Sarah Lynds, b. 20 July 1795. She m. Wren Johnson on 15 May 1828. They had one daughter and he d. 28 September 1862.

7) John, b. 1758. He was two when his family came to Nova Scotia. On 20 September 1781 he m. Agnes (Nancy?) Downing, b. 23 January, 1762, a daughter of James Downing and Janet Montgomery. He inherited his father's farm in Onslow where they lived. She d. 9 January 1829 and he d. 5 October 1847. They had eight children:

1. Samuel Barns Blair, b. 10 March 1782. On 25 January 1805 he m. Nancy Archibald, daughter of James Archibald. He inherited a part of his father's farm where he built their house. They had three sons and six daughters. His wife d. 29 December 1857 and he d. 14 October 1862. We found the gravestones of Samuel and his wife in the Truro Cemetery in August 2005 (12).
2. James Downing, b. 28 December 1783. He m. on 26 October 1809 to Esther, daughter of Joseph McLain and Esther Hamilton. He d. 4 November 1867 aged 84. They had one son and eight daughters.
3. Susannah, b. 8 March 1786. She m. Matthew Archibald, b. 1 February 1788, another son of James Archibald. They had two sons and four daughters. He d. 24 July 1831 and his widow d. 29 July 1850.
4. Sarah, b. 15 November 1788. She m. her cousin, Dr. David B. Lynds (see above).
5. John, b. 3 February 1793. He m. Elizabeth McNutt on 3 February 1814. They had three sons and five daughters.
6. William, b. 27 September 1795. On 19 November 1819 he m. Susan, b. 1796, youngest daughter of James Kent. He was a tanner and a shoemaker. They had three sons. He d. 9 August 1834 and his widow d. 7 February 1864.
7. Simeon H., b. in July 1799. He m. Janet G., second daughter of Daniel and Eunice McCurdy on 14 December 1820. He inherited the homestead of his father's farm where they lived with four sons and four daughters. He d. 19 October 1866.
8. Olive, b. 14 February 1805. She m. Charles, the eldest son of Daniel and Ellice McCurdy (Eunice?), 14 December 1829. They had one son and three daughters. They moved to Pugwash where Olive d. 28 September 1860.

8) James, b. 19 July 1766. He m. first on 20 July 1792 to Isabella Catherwood. They had two children but then she died 16 April 1795. He remarried to Sarah Cutton (parents not given; see also Mayflower chapter under Cuttin) on 4 February 1800 and had five more children. He d. 1 November 1858 aged 91 and Sarah d. 27 October 1872. The children by his first marriage were:

1. Robert Catherwood Blair, b. 25 March 1793. He m. Mary Ann Silkring Cock, second daughter of Capt. William and Anne Cock, on 18 March 1818. He moved in 1834 to a farm in the Lower Village of Truro. He died there 6 May 1869 aged 77. They had six daughters.
2. Isabell, b. 1795. She m. John Browning and they had two sons and six daughters. She died in 1868, some time after her husband had died.

The children by James Blair's second marriage were:

1. Eliza, b. 9 Febru ary 1805. She m. George Herron and had a family.
2. Jane, b. 8 February 1807. In 1835 she m. William Elliott, b. 28 June 1807, the son of William Elliott and Patience Miller. They had five sons and two daughters and then she died in 1848. William married again, to Eleanor Yuill in 1848, and had another six children.
3. Lydia, b. 3 February 1810. She m. Emmerson Herron on 2 April 1828 and had four sons and five daughters. She d. in 1850.
4. Eleanor, m. to Robert Redpath on 19 September 1839. They had one son. Robert drowned in a creek in Onslow on 19 July 1841 so Eleanor remarried to Thomas Johnson. They moved to the States.
5. Rebecca, m. to Samuel Perry. They also moved to the States with one son and two daughters. She d. in 1870.

9) Elizabeth, b. in Onslow on 2 July 1768. On 19 September 1793 she m. Shelomith Woodworth, b. 1766. She d. 5 October 1848 aged 80 and he d. 19 May 1850 aged 84. Their eight children were:

1. Hannah Woodworth, b. 28 November 1796. She m. Elijah Bill and they had one son.
2. Jane Woodworth, b. 4 November 1798. She m. Joseph Sibley, b. 1791, and they had six sons and four daughters. He d. 1 February 1862.
3. Benjamin Woodworth, b. 9 February 1801. He m. Fanny Jane O'Brien in 1827 and they had three sons and six daughters. Benjamin inherited a part of his father's property at Lower Stewiacke.
4. Lydia Barns Woodworth, b. 11 January 1803. She m. Barnabas Knowles in 1833. They had three sons and three daughters.
5. Sarah Woodworth, b. 25 November 1804. She m. Absalom Pickings, 21 September 1845. They had one son.
6. Ingram William Woodworth, b. 9 February 1807. He m. Hannah McDonald in June 1844. He d. in Halifax on 16 January 1873.
7. Asel Woodworth, b. 22 May 1809. He m. Louisa Williams on 19 February 1836. They had six sons and five daughters and he d. on 1 May 1857. She d. 31 May 1859.
8. Nancy Barns Woodworth, b. 2 May 1811. She m. William Faulkner of Truro on 3 June 1839. They had two sons and two daughters.

Sources

The detailed information on the Blairs of Nova Scotia comes primarily from Miller's genealogical history of Colchester County (2). Unless stated otherwise, the information comes from this source. There seem to be a very large number of excellent sites (e.g. 3, 4, and 5) on the Blair family and several organizations devoted to Blair genealogy. Many of them have extensive information on the history and origins of the family.

Footnotes

(1) Israel Longworth's History of Colchester County, Nova Scotia (circa 1886). Edited by Sandra Creighton and privately printed in Truro, 1989. Consulted by me in Boston in July 1999; I have a photocopy of the Onslow chapter.
(2) Miller, Thomas. 1873. Historical and Genealogical Record of the First Settlers of Colchester County. Halifax, N.S. Halifax, A. & W. MacKinlay (facsimile edition by Mika Studio,Belleville, Ontario, 1972).
(3) "Joe Blair's Guide to Blair Genealogy" with a good overview of Blair Genealogy and many interesting links.
(4) Site of the Clan Blair Society of North America also has good general information.
(5) Blairs of the World is the site of Shawn Blair of Maine and includes many genealogical links.
(6) There is also general information at another Blair clan site.
(7) GENFORUM (Internet query board) posting of David Goldrup on April 17, 1999 (his source unknown, as is the case for all these Genforum postings).
(8) GENFORUM posting of Roland Sheppard on April 18, 1999 (he is researching Bairds of Ayrshire).
(9) GENFORUM posting of Robyn King on May 1, 1999.
(10) GENFORUM posting of Katrina _____ on May 8, 1999.
(11) GENFORUM posting of Cindy Donovan of Nova Scotia on May 17, 1999 (and other postings).
(12) Personal visit of myself and William and Margaret Graham to the Truro Cemetery on 22 August 2005. A few more detailed notes in my own records. This was not a systematic visit but rather just a few quick observations.