The Blair Family Of New England Revisited
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For twenty years prior to his death in 1899, William Blair of Chicago interested himself in his family history. As the facts accumulated led further afield, he entrusted the work to a searcher, Emily Wilder Leavitt, "who began with the first generation next his own and carefully traced by indications leading from county records until individuals were connected and their places of residence assured. Then town after town was studied: church and town books were carefully read, and thereby the lines indisputably established." [Leavitt, page 5]. She later contacted as many of the living descendants of the immigrant ancestors, Robert Blair and Isabella Rankin, as could be traced and they sent their family records, adding valuable family history and lineages. Leavitt interviewed and was assisted by Robert and Isabella's great, great grandson, Robert Horace Blair who had inherited the old Worcester homestead and many of the old family papers. He allowed Leavitt to use these in compilation of the work, "while he [took] an active, unwearied interest in procuring all possible information towards a fuller record of his ancestors." Neither these papers nor the material gathered by William of Chicago have been located.
William and his wife visited Londonderry in 1891, where they "met and interviewed old residents who were familiar with the history of that famous place, securing also some rare publications. These were apparently enough to show them that their immigrant ancestor was from that area, and William hired a researcher, Miss Mary Semple, of Mounthill, Larne, County Antrim, to undertake further research. Her letters relevant to Aghadowey, County Derry, Ulster are discussed in a later chapter of this book, but were taken by William to prove that Robert, William and Abraham Blair were living in the town, and that it was from there that they immigrated.
The Blair Family of New England, was commissioned by William's wife, Sarah Maria (Seymour) Blair and his only surviving son, Edward Tyler Blair, at the time of William's death in 1899. William Blair, with his researchers, Mary Semple and Emily Wilder Leavitt, very importantly laid out a framework upon which researchers have since been able to build their individual lineages. As was customary of the time, although records were searched and data gathered, few source citations were given in the 1900 book. The purpose of the current volume is to find sources for the data given, and to update and expand the lineages as much as possible.
In 1900, William, and his researchers had access to family documents and memories no longer available. It is with humble appreciation to them that this current volume is dedicated; they saved data that preserved not only the direct line in which William descended, but provided connections to the broader family - to all the lines of the children of Robert and Isabella, and their descendants.
As with any genealogical work, this book was compiled upon the research of countless past genealogists. A special acknowledgment is due to Elsie Thoresen, whose work makes up the major portion of Chapter A.6, William Blair of Nova Scotia, and who kindly called me to offer her extensive notebooks for my use. I also owe John K. Leppman special acknowledgment for allowing me to quote his unpublished work on William Blair of Framingham. The Blair Society for Genealogical Research opened its collection for my use, as did the Blandford, Massachusetts Historical Society. The work of the late Doris W. Hayden, for her eighteen-volume Families of Blandford, and her daughter, Jean Hayden York, for many hours of consultation, must also be especially acknowledged, as well as the other early Blandford historians who so carefully kept family records, gave talks on the history of the town, and wrote books; Rev. Sumner Gilbert Wood compiled four books on Blandford that are very important in tracing Blairs in its early history.
The current work does not pretend to be an exhaustive authority on the New England Blair families. It is rather a visitation and collection of data towards that goal. Assumptions and speculations are sometimes included, posing puzzles for those who would later take them up. Some lines are followed down, some are not; some researched more thoroughly than others. The intent is that the data given will be more readily available to the next visitor to the New England Blair families than what I found, and that researchers will build upon what is included.
William and his wife visited Londonderry in 1891, where they "met and interviewed old residents who were familiar with the history of that famous place, securing also some rare publications. These were apparently enough to show them that their immigrant ancestor was from that area, and William hired a researcher, Miss Mary Semple, of Mounthill, Larne, County Antrim, to undertake further research. Her letters relevant to Aghadowey, County Derry, Ulster are discussed in a later chapter of this book, but were taken by William to prove that Robert, William and Abraham Blair were living in the town, and that it was from there that they immigrated.
The Blair Family of New England, was commissioned by William's wife, Sarah Maria (Seymour) Blair and his only surviving son, Edward Tyler Blair, at the time of William's death in 1899. William Blair, with his researchers, Mary Semple and Emily Wilder Leavitt, very importantly laid out a framework upon which researchers have since been able to build their individual lineages. As was customary of the time, although records were searched and data gathered, few source citations were given in the 1900 book. The purpose of the current volume is to find sources for the data given, and to update and expand the lineages as much as possible.
In 1900, William, and his researchers had access to family documents and memories no longer available. It is with humble appreciation to them that this current volume is dedicated; they saved data that preserved not only the direct line in which William descended, but provided connections to the broader family - to all the lines of the children of Robert and Isabella, and their descendants.
As with any genealogical work, this book was compiled upon the research of countless past genealogists. A special acknowledgment is due to Elsie Thoresen, whose work makes up the major portion of Chapter A.6, William Blair of Nova Scotia, and who kindly called me to offer her extensive notebooks for my use. I also owe John K. Leppman special acknowledgment for allowing me to quote his unpublished work on William Blair of Framingham. The Blair Society for Genealogical Research opened its collection for my use, as did the Blandford, Massachusetts Historical Society. The work of the late Doris W. Hayden, for her eighteen-volume Families of Blandford, and her daughter, Jean Hayden York, for many hours of consultation, must also be especially acknowledged, as well as the other early Blandford historians who so carefully kept family records, gave talks on the history of the town, and wrote books; Rev. Sumner Gilbert Wood compiled four books on Blandford that are very important in tracing Blairs in its early history.
The current work does not pretend to be an exhaustive authority on the New England Blair families. It is rather a visitation and collection of data towards that goal. Assumptions and speculations are sometimes included, posing puzzles for those who would later take them up. Some lines are followed down, some are not; some researched more thoroughly than others. The intent is that the data given will be more readily available to the next visitor to the New England Blair families than what I found, and that researchers will build upon what is included.