John "Jack" McNair Family Group Sheet

 John "Jack" McNair and Mary Ann "Polly" Sherertz

2 John (Jack) McNair ** b: 29 Jul 1784 in Sullivan County, Tennessee, USA d: 28 Jul 1852 in Union County; Some sources state that John moved to IL in 1850 and died there in 1851. I found him in the southern censuses and also his widow with the children.

+ Mary Ann "Polly" Sherertz ** b: 05 Feb 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee, USA m: 12 Jul 1822 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA; John always wanted to serve in the military which became his focus. When he finally married, he was 18 years older than Mary Ann Sherertz. d: 09 May 1894 in Pleasant Hill, Cass, Missouri, USA

3 James Claiborne McNair b: 24 Aug 1822 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: 03 Sep 1906 in Saint Joe, Searcy County, Arkansas, USA

+ Harriett Manes b: 24 Aug 1832 in Rhea County, Tennessee, USA m: 1850 d: 05 Jun 1907 in Searcy County, Arkansas, USA

3 Martha Malinda McNair b: 06 Jan 1823 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: 22 Feb 1858 in Searcy County, Arkansas, USA

+ William L Manes b: 1823 in Rhea County, Tennessee, USA m: 15 Aug 1848 d: 21 Nov 1884 in Searcy County, Arkansas, USA

3 Myra Burnette McNair b: 15 Aug 1824 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: 14 Dec 1908 in Bradley County, Tennessee, USA

+ Alfred Davis b: 15 Oct 1817 in Tennessee d: 30 Oct 1898 in Lewisburg, Marshall, Tennessee, USA

3 John William McNair b: 31 Oct 1825 in Knoxville, Knox, Tennessee, USA d: 17 Jun 1901 in Arkansas, USA

+ Midian E Johnson b: 1840 in Arkansas m: 22 Oct 1856 d: 1917

3 Price Marion McNair b: 31 Aug 1827 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: 09 Nov 1840 in Tennessee, United States; Died from malnutrition and disease.

3 Mary Ann Hepziba McNair b: 12 Feb 1830 in Knoxville, Knox, Tennessee, USA d: 14 Dec 1908 in Missouri, United States

+ Dr. James Edward Carter b: 14 Apr 1826 in Bradley County, Tennessee, USA m: 03 Feb 1848 in Bolivar Polk, Missouri d: 26 Jun 1899 in Missouri, United States

3 Elizabeth (Betsy) Delilah McNair b: 15 Feb 1832 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: Aft. 1895 in Kansas, USA

+ George Elam b: 1819

+ Robert James Osburn b: 1840 in Tennessee d: 1890

3 David Howell McNair b: 24 Dec 1833 in Knox Co, TN d: 27 Nov 1862 ? in Civil War; I don't think this is him

3 Harriet Almeda McNair b: 26 Dec 1835 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: 24 Apr 1880 in Boone County, Arkansas, USA

+ John Wesley Manes Sr. b: 15 Oct 1836 in Bradley, Tennessee, United States d: 26 Nov 1913 in Nevada, Vernon Co., Missouri, USA

3 Nicholas Nealy McNair b: 30 Jul 1838 in Knox County, Tennessee, USA d: 20 Sep 1863 in Chickamauga, Walker, Georgia, USA; Died in the Civil War at the Battle of Chickamauga,a battle that lasted only 2 days (Sept 19-20,1863).

3 Lee Bruce McNair b: 26 Aug 1840 in Tennessee, USA d: 14 Feb 1934 in Harrison Township, Grundy County, Missouri, USA

+ Virginia Estelle Ratliff b: 11 Oct 1857 in Wayne County, Iowa, USA m: 16 Apr 1878 in Trenton, Grundy, Missouri, USA d: 29 Feb 1932 in Trenton, Grundy, Missouri, USA

3 Hannah Irena Iowa McNair b: 09 Nov 1842 in Tennessee; Named after the state of Iowa. Went blind as a teenager or early 20's after a Dr. performed eye surgery. She lived with a sister who married a Rainbolt.

3 Josiah Anderson McNair b: 15 Sep 1844 in Bradley, Tennessee, United States d: 1870 in Missouri, USA

+ Elizabeth Jane Rainbolt b: 1838 in Arkansas m: 1865 d: 1888 in Missouri, United States of America

3 Mack Manilus McNair ** b: 10 Apr 1847 in probably Bradley County, Tennessee d: 15 May 1933 in Lueders, Jones, Texas, USA

+ Sarah Merinda Henderson ** b: 10 Jun 1853 in McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee, USA m: 01 Oct 1873 d: 06 Sep 1922 in Nugent, Jones County, Texas, USA

John "Jack" McNair 1784-1852 Sources

 SOURCE SHEET: JOHN MCNAIR 1784 - 1852

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mcnair/johnmcnair1783.html

History and Folklore of Searcy Co, Arkansas, Source Book No. 1, edited by Mary Frances Harrell,published by New Leaf Press in Harrison, Ark, 1977.

Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region: A Condensed General History, A Brief Descriptive History of Each County, and Numerous Biographical Sketchs of Prominent Citizens of Such Counties. K.F. Cantrell 1894 Ramfre Press, Cape Cirardeau MO,  Reprinted in 1966, Originally Published by Goodspeed Brothers, Chicago 1894.  Digitalized 2008.

McNair, McNear, and McNeir Genealogies by James Birtley McNair. Chicago: 1929, pp 299-300.

1830 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Knox, Tennessee; Series: M19; Roll: 178; Page: 361; Family History Library Film: 0024536

1840 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Bradley, Tennessee; Roll: 517; Page: 42; Family History Library Film: 0024542

1850 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Subdivision 26, Bradley, Tennessee; Roll: 871; Page: 240b

Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm.

Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.

War of 1812 Pension Applications. Washington D.C.: National Archives. NARA Microfilm Publication M313, 102 rolls. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group Number 15.

National Archives and Records Administration. Index to the Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M602, 234 rolls.

WEBSITES:

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~mcnair/genealogy/ 

Daniel’s Descendants by Bryan Douglas McNair, lives in Garland, Texas.

John "Jack" McNair Timeline

 Chronology of John McNair 

compiled by Nancy Quillin Long

including entries from courthouse documents sent to me

1784 - Born July Sullivan Co TN

1812 - 15 Nov    Volunteered in Knox County TN. Served as a private in the company commanded by Capt. Samuel Bunch in the Regiment of Volunteers commanded by Col. John Williams.  Fought in the War with the Seminole Indians.  Volunteered for 6 months, but was needed for only 4 months and 10 days.

1813 - 25 March    Honorable discharged 

1813 - 20 Aug    Sent by brigadier General James white as a spy to the Creek nation in company of Andrew Cowan. They were to examine the situation and condition of the Indians. Upon their arrival they found the Indians embodied at 4 different places: Talladega, Tuckabatchee, Heilooly, Tallaskatcha.  The Indians were preparing an attack on the frontier so John and Andrew gave immediate notice to Governor Wiley Blount of Tennessee and Gen. White.  They were then ordered by Gen. White to continue on the frontier of the nation until an army could be raised and sent against the hostile Indians.

1813 - 1 Nov    They returned to the frontier as ordered and met the army on their way into the Nation above Turkey Tower near Coosa River.  John remained with the army but was not attached to any company.  He continued to act in the capacity of a spy under the orders of Gen. White.

1813 - 13 Dec   Honorably discharged in Knoxville, TN.

1814 - 10 Jan    Became captain of a company of volunteers in the regiment commanded by Col. Samuel Bunch in Gen. Daugherty's Brigade in the War with the Creek Indians.  He volunteered for 6 months, but actual service was for 4 months.

1814 - 24 May    He was honorable discharged at Knoxville.

1850 - Act of Congress passed US War of 1812 Bounty Land Warrants

Bounty Land was issued to non-commissioned officers and soldiers who served for at least 5 years. The first act issuing land was passed on the 24th of December 1811. All warrantees received 160 acres. A second series of warrants related to soldiers who enlisted after December 1814. The second series of warrants was for 320 acres of land. The land was located in one of three districts in Arkansas, Illinois or Missouri. Prior to 1842 the warrants could not be used outside these three districts and could not be sold or assigned until after 1852. The warrants could be passed on to heirs through inheritance. Some of the warrants list the name of the heirs and their relationship to the deceased veteran. The last warrant was issued in 1858. 

The warrants were kept in books similar to a stub checkbook in use today. The War Department issued the warrant by filling in the name, rank, company & date in the appropriate blanks on the warrant certificate and the stub. The warrant was then signed and torn out of the book, leaving only the stub as a record. Later the actual warrants were retained and a soldier merely received notification that a warrant had been issued in his name.

1851 - 31 May      Made a sworn statement

1852 - 26 March   Issued a certificate to entitle him to Bounty Land

1853 or 1854        Mary Ann received a land warrant of John's claim

1879 - 25 Feb       Mary Ann, Wesley Manes, Sarah Manes sworn that she was who she said 

1878 - 21 June      Applied for pension

Mary Ann was living in St. Joe, Arkansas, Searcy Co in 1878.  She gave a sworn statement on 21 June 1878.  She gave a description of John McNair at the time of his enlistment.  He was 28 Years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall with black hair.  He had a dark complexion and dark grey eyes.  Mary Ann said they were married on 12 July 1821.  She said that neither was married before that date.  Her lawyer was J. Vance Lewis.

1878 - 12 Aug    Application filed by Mary Ann

1878 - 5 Oct      2nd Application filed

1879 - 4 Feb      letter to Mary Ann from Department of Interior Pension office in Washington,    D.C. sent so she could verify her pension

1879 - 3 April    letter to lawyer about a discrepancy in her middle name

1879 - 19 May   Mary Ann made a sworn statement about her name

1879 - 6 June     The pension of $8.00 a month admitted for Mary Ann

1879 - 11 June    Service Pension admitted

UNITED STATES PENSION BUREAU 1883 Volume 5

In June of 1879, as the widow of a soldier, Lt. Col John McNair, who had served in the War of 1812, a pension for Mary Ann (Sherertz) McNair was established.  The list of pensioners on the rolls as of January 1st, 1883, shows that she was still receiving the pension at that time, in St. Joe, Searcy County, Arkansas, at the rate of $8.00 per month.

John "Jack" McNair 1784-1852 History Sheet

 

John McNair History Sheet

Compiled by Nancy Quillin Long

March 2016

Sources:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mcnair/johnmcnair1783.html

History and Folklore of Searcy Co, Arkansas, Source Book No. 1, edited by Mary Frances             Harrell,published by New Leaf Press in Harrison, Ark, 1977.

Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region: A Condensed General History, A Brief Descriptive       History of Each County, and Numerous Biographical Sketchs of Prominent Citizens of           Such Counties. K.F. Cantrell 1894 Ramfre Press, Cape Cirardeau MO,  Reprinted in      1966, Originally Published by Goodspeed Brothers, Chicago 1894.  Digitalized 2008.

McNair, McNear, and McNeir Genealogies by James Birtley McNair. Chicago: 1929.

 

JOHN McNAIR

 

John was born in Sullivan Co., TN and said to be "a well-to-do farmer, generous in the use of his means, and proverbially kindhearted and liberal in his views."

 

During the war with the Seminole Indians in 1812, John served as a private in Capt. Samuel Bunch’s regiment of volunteers commanded by Col. John Williams. At the request of Brigadier Gen. James White in the fall of 1813, John went as a spy with Andrew Cowan to the Creek nation to examine the Indian situation. On finding the Indians preparing to attack the frontiers, they immediately notified Gov. Blount of TN and Gen. White. They were ordered to continue their observation of the hostile Indians until an army could be raised. He received his commission as Captain on 23 Nov 1813 and was honorably discharged in Dec. 1813 in Knoxville, TN.

 

John was called back into action and served from Jan 10 to May 18 in 1814 as a Capt. of a company of volunteers during the war with the Creek Indians.  His company was in the regiment commanded by Col. Samuel Bunch in Gen. Daugherty's Brigade of the East TN Militia. (John’s service in Bunch’s Regiment (1814) for the E. TENNESSEE MIL. is documented in the National Archives, Roll Box: 141 – Roll Exct: 602) It is said that John’s regiment was part of the right line of American Forces in The Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  The line of march went through Camp Ross (near present day Chattanooga), Fort Armstrong (located on Cherokee Land) and Fort Jackson. This Regiment was in General Doherty's Brigade and many of them stayed after the enlistment expiration of 17 May 1814 to guard the posts at Fort Strother and Fort Williams until June/July.  John served for four months and nine days and received pay of $171.61.  Nearly 40 years later on May 31, 1851, John applied for a military pension in Bradley Co., TN. The above information was stated on the application.

 

It is said that on December 2, 1815, John was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Commandant of the Tennessee 10^th Regiment.  I have never found documentation of this.  It is my belief that as the official military moved on, there was still a need for local militia.  To honor his service, John was placed in charge of the local volunteers, giving him this title.  There were many men called Captain or Colonel who were not a part of the true military.  It is also my belief that his focus as a young man was to be in the military.  He did not marry until he was 37 years of age and his bride, Mary Ann Sheretz, was 19 years old.

 

John’s marriage was announced in the "Knoxville Intelligencer" on 23 Jul 1822.  It read, "Married on Friday the 12th inst., by Robet Houston, Esqr., Col. John McNair and Miss Polly Sheritze."

 

As stated in my introductory history sheet for the McNair family, this was the first line that I attempted to research and with great enthusiasm after I found them listed in many documents in Knox County, I sent for and received nearly 3 envelopes of copies of legal pages from the county courthouse.  I was now trying to document for my DAR application.

 

The documents include land deeds, their witnessing of other people’s land deeds, having their lands processioned, etc.  But then there was one document that caught my eye…. a bastardy case filed against John.  This would have been shortly before his marriage to Mary Ann Sherertz.  The woman accusing him of “having begotten the said child” could not read or write.  She had to sign the document with an X.  She gave birth to this child on 27 May 1821.  It appears that in Oct 1821, John came to court again and made payment to Mabel Burnett. I would have never known this had it not been one of the court documents sent to me.

 

Here’s the hard part for me.  The old published trusted books claim that John and Mary Ann moved to Union County, Illinois, in 1851 where John died in 1852. The same documents say that Mary Ann moved to Pleasant Hill, Missouri with her children after his death.  These are very old documents dating to 1894, but the main purpose of these books was to document counties and prominent families, not necessarily family history. To make matters worse, Find A Grave has all the same information listed, but no documentation of a grave or burial. The good part is that the information links us to Mack Mannilus McNair and his brothers and sisters.  The bad part is that I feel these books have our McNairs in the wrong localities at the end of their lives.

 

I found another genealogist that questions the same and here is his statement: "The move to Union County, Illinois has been oft-repeated, but I have found nothing to support that contention. Indeed, Union County, Tennessee was formed in 1850, from Anderson, Campbell, Knox, Claiborn and Grainger, but no county court or records were kept until 1856. As the McNair's had property in Knox, as well as Bradley County, I am tempted to venture a guess that John may have ended up in Union, Tennessee, without physically moving at all." ~ Roger McNair

I, too, am going to differ from the information published in 1894 because I have found John in the southern censuses (or what I think is our John) and I have found Mary Ann, with the children correctly listed living with her after John’s death also in the Tennessee and Arkansas censuses. None of my documents match Illinois or Missouri.  For me, to follow the course of this family into Illinois for a couple of years, then to Missouri for a few years with lots of small children and then to settle at last in Arkansas seems confusing.  Even the well documented Sherertz family (Mary Ann’s parents) settled in Tennessee. I will go with my research, but I cannot discount the fact that there is contradictory information as I cannot disprove that John died in Illinois.  Mary Ann was buried in a private McNair cemetery in Searcy Co Arkansas.  No mention of John McNair’s grave.

 

Back then information was passed along by word of mouth and factual information often got lost in translation. What makes me chuckle, though, is that I found my great-great grandfather, Mack Manilus McNair (who is John’s son) in the 1870 Arkansas census working in Illinois Township, Pope Co, Arkansas, just miles from his family home.  And what makes me chuckle even more is that on Mack McNair’s death certificate, the informant, meaning well I’m sure and just pulling from memory, not knowing for certain, gave the information of Mack’s parents as: father, Jackson McNair born in Scotland, and mother Hall Scherrod born in Germany.  This is close and I feel that it substantiates the names and heritage…just wrong generations.  With that information said, I believe that John and Mary Ann may have lived in or around Illinois Township in Arkansas when John died. 

 

John's widow Mary, applied for a widow's pension while living in St. Joe, AR, declaring that John served in three campaigns. She also gave a full description of her husband at the time of his enlistment as--age 28 years, a farmer, resident of Sullivan and Knox Counties in TN, height 6 ft. 2 in., hair black, eyes dark gray, complexion dark. She also stated that they were married in Knoxville, TN on 12 July 1821 by one Robert Houston who was Justice of the Peace.

Martha Dandridge Washington - my connection

 

Martha Washington | First Lady, Biography, & Facts | Britannica

Short Bio for Martha Dandridge Washington

https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/martha-washington/

 

 

Martha Washington — America’s First Lady

1731–1802

 

Martha Washington (1731–1802) was the wife of President George Washington and the first Lady of the United States of America.

Written by Randal Rust

 

Martha Dandridge was born on June 2, 1731, in New Kent County, Virginia. She grew up in a traditional 18th-century household and received an education that focused on domestic skills and academics. When she was 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy plantation owner who was significantly older than her. Together, they had four children, but two of them died in infancy.

 

In 1757, Martha became a widow when Custis died, leaving her with substantial wealth and the responsibility of caring for their two surviving children. It was during this time that she caught the attention of a rising military and political figure named George Washington.

 

Martha and George Washington were married on January 6, 1759, marking the beginning of their lifelong partnership. As George’s military and political career progressed, Martha supported him both privately and publicly. During the American Revolutionary War, she joined him at military encampments such as Valley Forge, Morristown, and Newburgh.

 

After the war and the ratification of the United States Constitution, George Washington was elected as the First President of the United States. Martha, known as the First Lady, embraced her role as a gracious hostess and supported her husband during his presidency. She lived with him in New York City and then Philadelphia.

 

Following his second term as president, Martha and George retired to Mount Vernon. Among their visitors were the Marquis de Lafayette and Catharine Macauley.

 

Unfortunately, President Washington passed away in 1799, leaving Martha a widow for the second time. She outlived her husband by a few years and passed away on May 22, 1802, in the presence of her granddaughter.

Martha Washington is important to United States history because of the role she played as the wife of George Washington, the first President of the United States. During the American Revolutionary War, she supported her husband, joining him at military encampments and helping provide comfort to the soldiers. As the nation’s first First Lady, she established the social customs and expectations for the position.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

 

Short Bio for George Washington

https://share.america.gov/how-george-washington-became-father-of-his-country/

Article written on February 11, 2026

 

Like the monument standing in the U.S. capital that bears his name, George Washington’s place in American history is towering. As a general, his commanding presence inspired the Army that won independence from Britain. As a statesman, he presided over the Constitutional Convention that shaped the United States. And as the country’s first president he established lasting traditions, forging a reputation as “the father of his country.”

 

Washington’s journey to greatness was no coincidence. When he showed up for the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in his militia uniform in 1775, Washington helped the other delegates to see him as a natural choice for Army commander.

 

Though he resigned his commission after the Revolution, he stayed involved in political affairs, arguing for a stronger national government. This made him a natural choice to lead the Constitutional Convention. “He was the moving force for the Constitution,” says Edward J. Larson, a law professor at Pepperdine University and author of George Washington, Nationalist. Other delegates had trust in Washington, according to Larson, and that trust moved the effort along. Washington’s central role in developing the Constitution, in turn, would make him a favorite choice for president among the leaders in attendance.

 

Early Life

 

Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the first child of Augustine and Mary Washington, who would have five more children. At the time George was born, they lived in Pope’s Creek. Raised in Virginia by his mother and brother, Washington succeeded as a surveyor on the state’s frontier.

 

In 1735, the family moved to Little Hunting Creek Plantation, on the Potomac River. The Plantation would eventually be renamed Mount Vernon. They lived there for a short time, and moved to Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River, across from Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1738. Washington spent most of his youth at Ferry Farm, although very little is known about his childhood.

 

His father died when he was 11, and he became the ward of Lawrence Washington, his half-brother. Augustine had three children with his first wife, Jane, who died in 1729. Lawrence inherited Little Hunting Creek Plantation. Lawrence was married to Anne Fairfax, the daughter of Colonel William Fairfax. Fairfax had political connections and had been an appointee of the British Crown in the Bahamas and the Colonies.

At the of 16, in 1748, Washington helped survey Virginia’s western frontier. He spent the next few years surveying land and received an appointment as the official surveyor of Culpepper County, Virginia.

 

He inherited Mount Vernon in 1752. Lawrence died in July from tuberculosis. Soon after, his only heir, his daughter Sarah, also died. This left the estate to Washington. He was 20 years old at the time. Adding to his responsibilities, Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, Robert Dinwiddie, appointed him as major in the Virginia militia.

 

 As a young militia leader in the French and Indian War (1754–1763), he overcame early setbacks and led British forces to safety during the Battle of the Monongahela after their general was mortally wounded.

 

Washington’s heroics — surviving the Monongahela, despite four bullets passing through his coat made him an obvious choice to lead the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Believing in his own suitability for the job and arriving at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia wearing his militia uniform, Washington inspired confidence. The Congress founded the U.S. Army on June 14, 1775, and named him commander in chief the next day.

 

The next year, on Christmas night 1776, Washington led his soldiers, weary from defeats, across the freezing Delaware River for a surprise attack that brought victory and a morale boost for his men. A few years later, in 1781, Washington deceived the British into anticipating an attack in New York and instead moved south to Virginia, capturing thousands of British troops at Yorktown.

 

On March 15, 1783, in Newburgh, New York, officers under Washington’s command met to discuss whether to mutiny because the Continental Congress had not paid them. Instead of having them arrested, Washington came to address them. He began reading his prepared speech, which would chide the conspirators. At some point he paused to put on his glasses, saying, “Gentlemen, you must pardon me, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service to my country.”

 

By that action, the conspiracy died. Later that year, Washington resigned his commission as commander of the Continental Army. When British King George III was informed that Washington would resign, rather than take over leadership of the new country, he was reported to have said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

 

Yet in 1789, Washington was unanimously elected the first U.S. president. His decision to serve only two four-year terms set a precedent that lasted more than a century and influenced a 1951 constitutional amendment that set a two-term limit for future presidents.

 

At his funeral in 1799, Washington’s friend Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee described him  as, “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

George Washington Sources

 
George Washington – Sources
 
https://gw.geneanet.org/tdowling?lang=en&p=frances+orlando&n=jones
by Tim Dowling (who I followed many years ago. I found his information on Geneanet
 
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/martha-washington/
For biographies
 
https://share.america.gov/how-george-washington-became-father-of-his-country/
picture I will use in my blog for introduction
 
WikiTree has sources listed for the Massie family