Joseph Adair, Sr.
1711–1789, Duncan Creek, Laurens County
Joseph Adair, Sr. was my 7th great-grandfather. His son, Joseph Jr, was my 6th. Joseph was a cooper by trade, a highly-skilled barrel maker. Barrel Steve Road in modern-day Clinton, SC, was named for the operation on the Adair homestead off Duncan Creek. Most of the Adairs in the south can be traced back to old Joseph.
At a Glance
- Born: 1711, Ireland
- Died: 1789, Laurens County, South Carolina; buried at Duncan Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery
- Wives: Sarah Lafferty (died 1770); Susanna Long (married 1771)
- Came to Duncan Creek: 1750, by the Old Wagon Road
- Service: signer of the James Williams Petition (1779); commissary to the Little River Regiment (1780–81); first coroner of Laurens County (1785)
- Will: 1788. He was my 7th great-grandfather.
On This Page
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1711 | Born in Ireland |
| 1732 | Married Sarah Lafferty in Pennsylvania/Delaware |
| 1733 | Son Joseph Adair Jr. born May 12, 1733 |
| 1738 | Daughter Jean born |
| 1740 | Daughter Sarah born |
| 1747 | Son James born, married Rebecca Montgomery (per Mildred Brownlee, Early Adairs of Laurens County) Not to be confused with James Adair, the Indian Trader (c. 1709-1783), thought to be possibly a brother of Joseph Adair, Sr. |
| 1750 | Joseph brought his family to Duncan Creek, via the Old Wagon Road |
| c. 1752 | Son Benjamin born (year inferred from his gravestone: died Sept. 8, 1823, aged 71; no reliable birth record found) |
| 1763-64 | Joseph Adair, with Thomas Erving, William Hanna, and Andrew McCrory and his brothers, united in building a house of worship at Duncan Creek |
| 1766 | The congregation visited by Mr. Duffield, Mr. Fuller, and Mr. Campbell |
| 1766 | Plat for 200 acres in Craven County |
| 1769 | Land grant for 200 acres on Millers Creek 6/2/1769 |
| 1769 | Memorial for 200 acres on Miller Creek, Berkly County-9/9/1769 |
| After 1769 | Ordained an Elder of Duncan Creek Presbyterian by Rev. Hezekiah Balch, along with Andrew McCrory and Robert Hanna; James Pollock and Thomas Logan were chosen elders on producing their certificates |
| 1770 | Wife Sarah Lafferty Adair dies |
| 1770 | Land grant for 250 acres in Craven County-11/27/1770 |
| 1770 | Memorial for 250 acres on Duncans Creek, Craven County-11/29/1770 |
| 1771 | Marriage to Susanna Long |
| 1774 | Land grant for 250 acres in Craven County-9/30/1774 |
| 1779 | Signer of the James Williams Petition (with sons Joseph and Benjamin). Twelve Adairs signed in all, including both men named Joseph Adair, Jr. — his own son, and the Joseph Jr. who was son of James and Eleanor. |
| 1780-81 | Commissary, Little River Regiment, Col. Casey’s Regiment. 100 days’ service, 20 August to March, supplying Col. William Washington’s men, Capt. Vardry McBee’s horse and Col. John Jones of Georgia, and boarding two of Gen. Greene’s wounded (S.C. Audited Account SC100; the account as drawn up in 1783 dates the service a year later) |
| 1781 | Homestead burned, in the same November raids that burned John Gray’s house and killed the Dugan brothers |
| 1785 | First Coroner in Laurens County, August 16, 1785 – 1789 at the latest (no end date was recorded; his death in 1789 is the tighter bound, since his successor Michael Crisp carries no dates at all) |
| 1785 | Trustee, College of Cambridge in Ninety-Six |
| 1788 | Will of Joseph Adair, Sr. |
| 1789 | Died Laurens County, SC; monument at Duncan Creek Presbyterian |
Want the long version? Joseph Adair, Sr. — A Sourced Timeline sets each of these entries against the war going on around Duncan Creek, with the documents behind them and the places where the records disagree.
Sources
Each entry is documented, with its source, on the Sourced Timeline.
Open Questions
- The birth years of Jean (1738) and Sarah (1740), and the 1732 marriage, come from a DAR application and have not yet been matched to a stone, probate record or audited account.
- Which Benjamin, and which Isaac, signed the James Williams Petition?
- A compiled patriot roster gives his death as 1801; his stone says 1789 and his will is dated 1788.
How You Can Help
If you descend from Joseph Adair, Sr., or have records that confirm or correct any of these dates, I would love to hear from you.
Adair Family: Family History · Joseph Adair, Sr. · Sourced Timeline · Adair Family Scrapbook · James Adair · Marj’s James Adair Research · Adair Heraldry