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

My George Washington

 
My George Washington, The Father of Our Country
By Nancy Quillin Long
19 Feb 2026

 

My ties are through his wife Martha Dandridge, daughter of John Dandridge II and Frances Orlando Jones.

George Washington married Martha Dandridge. George was her second husband. They had no children together.

Martha Dandridge’s first husband was Daniel Parke Custis. Together they had four children and two other children who died in infancy.

 

From Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, I go up a generation to her mother Frances Orlando Jones. Frances was the daughter of Orlando Jones and Martha Macon.

Frances O Jones married John Dandridge and their first born child was the aforementioned  Martha Dandridge, the Martha who became the 1^st First Lady of America.

 

MARTHA MACON was the sister to ANNE MACON (Anne is where my line connects.)

Anne Macon 1685-1728 married Charles Massie 1678 – 1749

Their son Nathaniel Massie Sr 1727-1802 married twice. Elizabeth Watkins and Ann Clark.

With his first wife Elizabeth Watkins, he had 11 children. Their first born was Mary Massie.

Mary Massie 1756 – 1820 married James Robards 1754 – 1803.

Their daughter Agnes Robards 1792- 1870 married Pleasant Henderson.

Their son James Henderson 1818 – 1870 married Susan Sewell.

Their daughter Sarah M Henderson 1853 – 1922 married Mack Manilus McNair

 

The rest is history…. down to me. The information above brings me to people who my living relatives knew.  

Odd fact: As a child in the early 1960s, my favorite doll was a troll doll that I named Massie. WHERE did that name come from when I was only about 7 years old. I wrote an article titled TOYLAND in 2019, and I highlighted my beloved Massie, a troll doll.

 

So many years ago, I read a biography of George Washington, after which I determined that he was my ultimate hero. Everything about him seemed top notch and full of character. Now today, I sit and trace my family heritage, and into the view, steps George Washington. Years ago, I was excited to see that a young George had surveyed land for my 6^th great-grandmother, Sophia Pope Muse, who had inherited her father’s land when he died.  I was excited to have such rich history and a small connection in some way to this young boy, George Washington, who would become the Father of our Country.

 

Now today, with so many references at our fingertips via computer and DNA, I see that I actually have family ties to George Washington. It is a straight line back to Ann Macon when it goes sideways to her sister Martha Macon.

Nancy < Carolita Jones < Ava McNair < Charles McNair < Sarah Henderson <  James Henderson < Agnes Robards < Mary Massie < Nathaniel Massie < Ann Macon…. Ann is the sister of Martha Macon, who was the mother of Frances Jones. Frances was the mother of Martha Dandridge who married George Washington.

 

It is no wonder now, as I look back, that these families all rubbed shoulders as they carved out the wilderness and moved forward with a common goal. These people helped build most of everything that was to become the United States of America. They came across the ocean with some recognition to their bloodlines. These were the hardy souls who shouldered all the victories and defeats of making America their home and the home of the following generations of people who have enjoyed living in the land of the free!

 

 

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

Washington became ‘the father of his country’

Article by Charles Hoskinson

Feb 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.

Constitution and Bill of Rights

 Many thanks to the National Archives for making public these important documents, for ALL to read freely, to give all Americans the right to access this important information free of charge. The following was downloaded from

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

Is four pages long and well worth viewing in entirety on this website

 

THE BILL OF RIGHTS

The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

 ~Preamble to the Bill of Rights

The Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers hadn't promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today's Americans' most valued freedoms.

Declaration of Independence

 Many thanks to the National Archives for making public these important documents, for ALL to read freely, to give all Americans the right to access this important information free of charge. The following was downloaded from
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
 
Three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States. The first of those was the Declaration of Independence.

 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Abraham Lincoln called it “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” It continues to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality.
 
The original became so faded that in …. They had a stone engraving done to preserve this document to endure the ages.
In 1820, the Declaration of Independence was already showing signs of age. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned printer William J. Stone to make a full-size copperplate engraving. This plate was used to print copies of the Declaration. The 1823 Stone engraving is the most frequently reproduced version of the Declaration.
There is a complete transcription on the above website, but here are the first and last paragraphs.
 
In Congress, July 4, 1776
 
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation……
 
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

America - The Land of the Free

 

https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=250th&msockid=36572a6063ca6688225c3edd62c267a4&asset_id=2012967189

I have often said, "I'm about as American as they get." That's because most of my family ancestorial lines go back to before the Revolution. My people helped carve out this great nation and made it a place where people from all over the world would want to come. We should always allow for immigrants to come legally here to become citizens.

I'm very proud of my heritage. As I have traced my lineage as a genealogist, I see that there are about 15 men and one woman that I could enter into DAR. I am a member of DAR, proudly documenting the service of Conrad Sherertz, and being the first to honor him with that recognition. 

Here is a list of other possibilities for direct lineage. These men also had brothers who fought in the Revolution.

William Lawson, George Vineyard, Christopher Vineyard, George Campbell, James McNair, Samuel Henderson, Isaac Sowell, Lazarus Hood, James Hulsey, Charles Hulsey, Richard Calloway, Peter Haynie, Joseph Humphries, John Langston, Laodicea Langston. 

Love Them Anyway

 

Rooted in God's Plan

 

Follow a Beacon of Light

 Time and Time and TIME again...over the years, I have processed and let it go...for the greater good of everyone involved. I can't this time. After processing....... I can no longer commit myself as I've done.... over and over again. It's that chip, chip chipping away, that Mother always talked about....and now, the wall has fallen.

Not my choice but thrust upon me.... I have to let it go. I cannot be accosted and screamed at over the phone. I have never been spoken to by anyone, like what I was met with back in May. I know that my sister would have NEVER screamed at me like that. She loves me; she never treated me like that, ever! I was told that I just like to fight about things....and that I always want things my way. 

It is sooooooo foreign to me and then this morning…. I feel angry and I don't feel anger hardly at ALL. But I felt angry that someone I have loved and cherished and been such a part of her life…and have held out hope that it could return to normal and that I could be the person who could help….and she called and now it feels like she accosted me. So yes, this has gone over the top. And as I calm down, it makes me bitterly sad. I have a huge lump in my throat. How could alcoholics leave such a wake with things tattered and shattered on the floor?

Once the screaming started.... over my slow and deliberate and calm voice, I reached a point where I had to scream back, just to get her attention. With God as my witness, I speak this as truth... screaming and yelling has never been a part of my adult world. I don't plan for that to be the case again.

It doesn't make any sense to me, but neither does alcoholism. Years ago, I was faced down by the demon of alcohol on a completely different front, and I swore that I would never abuse the substance. I've kept that promise to myself, but that promise could not ward off the demons of someone else. And now I'm choosing to stop letting it steal my peace and energy.

Mother fought the demon of alcohol and by the grace of God, on her own, she WON the battle. She returned to her faith, became a Sunday School teacher, studying the Bible daily, and with God's help she defeated the demon. Her words were spoken with such wisdom and still ring true in my ears on many many days. I can still hear her voice when she told me two things about my personality. 1) that I never make quick decisions, and good things happen to me because of that.... And.... 2) be careful, you are the kind of person that can be taken advantage of (THAT DOESN’T INDICATE A FIGHTER, DOES IT?) nor does it indicate someone who always wants things my way. Two things I was accused of. Boy! This caller doesn't know me.

The anger has subsided and the sadness has set in like a heavy fog over the bay. I no longer have my sister in her healthy mental capacity, but I will follow the light to a place of my own inner peace and serenity. I will leave the rest behind me.

Sensical Approach to Cultural War

 

Events — The Book Lady Bookstore

Sensical Approach to Cultural War

Stop Moaning

“This country was born in turmoil and conflict.”

 I’ve done a lot of soul searching since the pandemic when the world seemed to be turned upside down. In May 2021, my own neighborhood was invaded The Black Lives Matter organization. It was disturbing and thought provoking. I spent time wondering what I have missed and how maybe my own perspective is distorted. Then I found an article written from an interview with Annette Gordon-Reed. Annette is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. This article was about her book The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.  I think she covers it quite nicely.

As a child Annette loved to read, more specifically biographies. She read about George Washington Carver, George Washinton, Thomas Jefferson, Dolley Madison, etc. Jefferson was the most interesting to her because he loved to read, and he wrote the Declaration of Independence…but he was a slave owner. Sally Hemings’ children were fathered by Jefferson. Annette says that though they were enslaved people, bound by the institution of slavery, they were also mothers, fathers, sisters, aunts, friends, etc. They had different personalities, different ways of going through the world. Their opportunities were severely circumscribed because of slavery but she wants to view them as individual human beings.

She understands why people would not want to name something after Jefferson, but “we have to grapple with him, because he embodies the contradictions of this country, the good things and the bad things.” Members of the founding generation of our nation must be a part of the conversation. The statues and things named for them present an opportunity to talk about the way this country was born. Annette believes that we can’t take out those parts of history because they are less favorable, yet they make us who we are today.

Annette is optimistic about the young people today because they have grown up thinking there is a problem, and it’s a problem we must deal with. She believes that some don’t want to talk about history, and she thinks young people are resisting that. She plans to write more books about the Black progress that has been made.

In 1964, Annette Gordon-Reed was a child growing up in Conroe, Texas. She was part of the generation, just as I was, that lived during the integration of schools. It was intense because it was a big deal for a Black child to go to a white school. We lived during a time where we had separate waiting rooms at the doctor’s office and Blacks were seated in the balcony at theaters. We were part of breaking those barriers.

Today, we name things also for ALL people who have made a difference in communities, state, and nation. There are no barriers. The walls have crumbled, and we must be aware how much we have grown as a nation. A new school in Conroe was recently named Annette Gordon-Reed Elementary School. Let’s celebrate our successes and stop groaning about the history which led us to this place today.

KUOW - In 'On Juneteenth' Annette Gordon-Reed chronicles hardship and joy on the path to Black freedom

Mack's Son, Alfred McNair, Proof of Sarah's Name

 Alfred Minlus McNair

Alfred filed for a delayed birth certificate. It reveals his parents' names. What was of interest to me was that he gave his mother's name as Sarah Miranda Henderson. I have long said that her name was Sarah Merinda Henderson, but I have had a hard time substantiating that. Here is my proof.

Curious About Jimsonweed

 

Devils Weed Background Images, HD Pictures and Wallpaper For Free Download | Pinetree

Jimson weed is a plant. The leaves and seeds are used to make medicine.

Uses: Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...Asthma, Cough. Nerve diseases. Causing hallucinations and elevated mood (euphoria).

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of jimson weed for these uses. A few other names for the plant: Angel Tulip, Datura, Devil's Apple, Devil's Trumpet, Jamestown Weed, Locoweed, Mad-apple, Nightshade

Despite serious safety concerns, jimson weed is used to treat asthma, cough, flu (influenza), swine flu, and nerve diseases.

Some people use it as a recreational drug to cause hallucinations and a heightened sense of well-being (euphoria).

Jimson weed contains chemicals such as atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. These chemicals interfere with one of the chemical messengers (acetylcholine) in the brain and nerves.

In the United States, the plant is commonly known as "Jimsonweed" (or, more rarely, "Jamestown weed"). This name derives from Jamestown, Virginia, where soldiers sent to suppress Bacon's Rebellion in the English colony of Virginia reportedly consumed the plant and spent eleven days in altered mental states:

Datura stramonium - Wikipedia 

Mack McNair's Wife - Sarah Henderson

                                 History Sheet

                        Sarah Henderson
                        compiled by Nancy Quillin Long
                        1991- for my 1st McNair booklet
 
 
     Sarah Henderson was born around 1858 to the parents of
James Henderson and Susan (Sewell) Henderson.  She married
Mack McNair 1 Oct 1873, and they had 12 children.
 
     Sarah and Mack moved their family to Texas around 1896
and settled near Waco, Texas.  From there they moved to Jones
County, Texas between Leuders and Avoca.
 

     Sarah was a very small person.  She was real quiet and

suffered greatly from asthma of which she eventually became
an invalid.  She smoked a corn cob pipe with jimsonweed to
relieve her asthma
 
     The following letter was written from Lessie (McNair)
Rawlins to Ova Kerr and explains Sarah McNair well.
 
          "If I have left out anything--Something you think I
          may know.  Martha Jane died bowel trouble.  Like to
          have lost your dad (Frank McNair) when he was
          young.  Dr. said he could not seem to do enough.
          An old man traveling through town came and spent
          the night with Dad and Mom (Mack and Sarah).  He
          told them he could cure their baby (Frank).  Here's
          what he did.  Fried bacon crisp and that is all
          Frank ate for three days and he was well.  Mom and
          Dad (Mack and Sarah) said he really ate that bacon.
          Mama (Sarah) went to Dallas.  Sister's baby was
          with summer complaint and the Dr. had told them the
          baby would die.  Mama (Sarah) said 'If I could get
          to the baby I could cure it.'  She was in bed with
          asthma.  Alf and Ethel, Thelma and Lee put her in
          buggy and took her to where the baby was and bacon
          is what she fed the baby.  Dr. came by next day and
          said, 'O, I finally found a cure for the baby.'
          It's mother said, 'You did nothing.  Mrs. Mcnair
          took over the day he gave up.'  Dr. got mad told
          them to just call Mrs. McNair when they need a Dr.
          My arm is about to play out and this is on the
          family record I forgot about that
                        Love you much
                              L T R    "
 
     Sarah died at the age of 64 on 6 Oct 1922.  She is
buried in Bethel Cemetery near Avoca, Texas.
 

We drove in and found the graves. Mother, Carolita Jones Quillin, is standing beside her car.

 

Our Baby Brother

 TROY ROBERT LONG

1961 - 2019

We lost our baby brother on 20 May 2019. Oh, how my heart hurts for what could have been. We had recently been reunited with him and were looking so forward to him coming to join us on the mountain on May 28 when his son Isaac got out of school. (we had fallen out of his favor when we purchased the mountain property in 2008) It was going to be the start of what I had dreamed about! I loved Troy as the little brother that I never had. He was one of the two people that I always thought would be there for me. That wasn't in God's plans. 

We had just gotten to the mountains on May 15, had settled in when a heavy snow began to fall. We had gone out to play in the snow when we got a call from his son Michael that Troy had been found deceased in his home, earlier that morning. Nightmares are created from this type of call. We were frantic to make arrangements to get off the mountain and head back home, and we were trying to support Michael long distance. The snow had begun to melt, but we only had a window of time to get out on the road. More snow was on the way. I think we were packed and ready to leave by 1 pm. Our journey out was a bit dicey, but we got off the mountain. What lay ahead of us was to be the heaviest snowfall that Colorado had seen that late in the year since 1898. Another nightmare. We altered our route and made it home safely, but there were days and weeks of mourning the loss of one of my soulmates. He guarded and protected me through many occasions, and I miss him just as much or more today as I did on the day we lost him.

James Claiborne McNair's daughter - Martha Delilah

 Martha and Benjamin Franklin Henley 

picture found on Ancestry

originally shared by Karen Cook on 20 Feb 2014

When Martha Delilah "Manda" McNair was born on July 21, 1849, in Knoxville, Tennessee, her father, James Claiborne McNair, was 26, and her mother, Harriett Manes McNair, was 16. She married Benjamin Franklin Henley on June 19, 1864. They had 11 children in 22 years. She died on August 6, 1927, in St Joe, Arkansas, at the age of 78, and was buried in Searcy, Arkansas.

Jean Henley Southworth copied the foregoing from Godspeed’s Ozark Reminiscences, from a volume at that time (1921) in possession of Dr. James A Henley, B.F. Henley’s son.

“At Springfield, Martha Delilah, daughter of James Claiborne and Harriet McNair, met Captain Benjamin Franklin Henley, stationed there with his regiment the 2^nd Arkansas Cavalry, and after a whirlwind courtship, married him on July 19, 1864, two days after she was fifteen. (Story goes that Martha Delilah had a small business was washing clothes for the public.  Grandpa B.F. brought his clothes to her to wash.  He picked them up later in the day.  The next day he brought them back to her to wash.  She looked at him and said, “Didn’t I just wash these yesterday, and you haven’t even worn them?”  He was caught red-handed!)   They ordered his regiment away the next day, and she did not see him again until the end of the war.  They returned to Searcy County Arkansas with Grandfather McNair and homesteaded land adjoining his where they raised a family of twelve.

History Sheet Sarah Henderson- wife of Mack McNair

 

That is Mother (Carolita Jones Quillin) standing beside her car near  their graves.

                                History Sheet

                        Sarah Henderson
                        compiled by Nancy Quillin Long
                        1991- for my 1st McNair booklet
 
 
     Sarah Henderson was born around 1858 to the parents of
James Henderson and Susan (Sewell) Henderson.  She married
Mack McNair 1 Oct 1873, and they had 12 children.
 
     Sarah and Mack moved their family to Texas around 1896
and settled near Waco, Texas.  From there they moved to Jones
County, Texas between Leuders and Avoca.
 
     Sarah was a very small person.  She was real quiet and
suffered greatly from asthma of which she eventually became
an invalid.  She smoked a corn cob pipe with jimsonweed to
relieve her asthma
 
     The following letter was written from Lessie (McNair)
Rawlins to Ova Kerr and explains Sarah McNair well.
 
          "If I have left out anything--Something you think I
          may know.  Martha Jane died bowel trouble.  Like to
          have lost your dad (Frank McNair) when he was
          young.  Dr. said he could not seem to do enough.
          An old man traveling through town came and spent
          the night with Dad and Mom (Mack and Sarah).  He
          told them he could cure their baby (Frank).  Here's
          what he did.  Fried bacon crisp and that is all
          Frank ate for three days and he was well.  Mom and
          Dad (Mack and Sarah) said he really ate that bacon.
          Mama (Sarah) went to Dallas.  Sister's baby was
          with summer complaint and the Dr. had told them the
          baby would die.  Mama (Sarah) said 'If I could get
          to the baby I could cure it.'  She was in bed with
          asthma.  Alf and Ethel, Thelma and Lee put her in
          buggy and took her to where the baby was and bacon
          is what she fed the baby.  Dr. came by next day and
          said, 'O, I finally found a cure for the baby.'
          It's mother said, 'You did nothing.  Mrs. Mcnair
          took over the day he gave up.'  Dr. got mad told
          them to just call Mrs. McNair when they need a Dr.
          My arm is about to play out and this is on the
          family record I forgot about that
                        Love you much
                              L T R    "
 
     Sarah died at the age of 64 on 6 Oct 1922.  She is
buried in Bethel Cemetery near Avoca, Texas.