Taking the Bad with the Good
The McNair line was the first line that I attempted to document back into the 1700's in order to gain admission to Daughters of the American Revolution. Back in the 1980's and 1990's, any genealogical work had to be done the old-fashioned way: pounding the pavement, going to cemeteries and courthouses, writing letters, waiting by the mail and making payments by checks in order for someone else to xerox copies in the archives of their libraries. I did just that for James McNair. I've got ALL the documentation for James under his name but never filed for DAR....yet. The registrar for Daughters of the American Revolution of the Thankful Hubbard chapter was helping me find legitimate sources, and we hit a wall with James. BUT she uncovered Conrad Sherertz's service. Conrad was Mary Ann's father. (Mary Ann was the wife of John McNair, son of James). Being that so much time had been spent, I followed that line and gained my DAR membership being the first person to ever document Conrad Sheretz. It was quite an honor.
With that said, I had FRIED myself with all the research done and I put genealogy away for about 3 years. When I picked it up again, I DID follow through with gathering all the documents for James McNair's service in the Revolution.
I had received 4 envelopes of copies of legal pages from the Knox County, TN courthouse. The documents included 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 translation as best as I could read the documents:
17 SEPTEMBER 1821
Knox County
Be it remembered that on this 29th day of Sept. in the year
of our Lord 1821. John McNair of the said county and William
S. Howell and John Boyd both of the said county, came
personally before Robert Lindsey and Robert Houston two of
the Justices of the peace for said county, and acknowledged
themselves to owe to the state ? the said John McNair
the sum of $400 and the said William S. Howell the sum of
$200 each to be respectively levied of their goods and
chattel, lands, and turnover to the ? of the state if the
said John McNair shall make default in the performance of the
condition underwritten.
The condition of the ? is such that whereas on the
examination of a Mable Burnett of said county single woman
lately taken on oath before Robert Armstrong and Robert
Lindsey two of the justices of the peace for said county. It
appears that on the 27 day of May last she the said Mable
Burnett was delivered of a female bastard child, which is
likely to become chargeable to said county and the said Mable
Burnett on her oath before said having accused the said John
McNair with having begotten the said child.
Now if the said John McNair shall personally appear before
the justices of the court of pleas and ? ? to be held
for the county of Knox at the courthouse in Knoxville on the
1st Mon of Oct must then and there to abide by and perform
what shall be enjoined on him by the said court the promises
? the above ? to as said, otherwise to remain on ? form and ?
Taken and acknowledged before us Robert Lindsey and Robert
Houston
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