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.
 
 

Mack's Older Brother - Lee Bruce McNair

                                                 

I have had communication with Lee Bruce McNair’s great grandson, Lee Doyle McNair. He just celebrated his 94^th birthday. Here is the information that I have gathered about Lee Bruce and his wife, Virginia Estelle Ratliff.

Lee Bruce McNair was born on 26 Aug 1840 in Bradley Co., Tennessee.  He was the eleventh child of John and Mary Ann McNair.

His father, John “Jack” McNair, had committed his life to the military. When he finally married, John was 18 years older than his wife, Mary Ann Sherertz. After the death of John, Mary Ann moved the family to Searcy Co. Arkansas to be near her eldest son James Claiborn McNair. This move would have been sometime around 1852. 

Lee Bruce McNaair enlisted in the Confederate Army, Company G, 27th Regiment Arkansas Infantry on June 19, 1862. Lee remained with the 27th for the duration of the Civil War. After the War,

Lee B. roamed through Oklahoma and finally settled in the 'Forks of the River' area, 8 miles Northwest of Trenton, Grundy County, Missouri.

After marrying Virginia 'Jennie' Ratliff in April 1878, Lee B. seldom left his farm, dying there at the age of 93. He and his wife, Jennie, are buried in the Salem Church Cemetery in the 'Forks of the River'.

 Attach 1880 and 1900 censuses

U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865. “L.B. McNair,” Film # M376, Roll 16; National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online <http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/>, acquired 2007. [online database: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007]

Webpage of family historian Lee Doyle McNair

https://mcnare.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=mcnare&view=0&pid=1135&ver=6346#moreinfo_

THIS Baby Girl

 My niece, part of my heart and soul, was born on 15 May 1981. We spent many hours together, probably more than she can even remember. She was a huge part of my life from the day she was born. I cherish every moment that we were afforded together. Thank you, Lord, for bringing her into my life and I pray that your divine guidance will shine a light on her path forward.

McNair Brothers in the Civil War

 

James Claiborne McNair – refused to take oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, resigned his local offices and took refuge in the mountains. See attached story

John William McNair – private in 2^nd regiment Cherokee Mounted Volunteers from Arkansas

David Howell McNair – private in 1^st Cherokee Mounted Volunteers; killed in action

Nicholas Neely McNair – died fighting for the Confederacy in the Arkansas regiment 20 Sept 1863 at Chickamauga Georgia

Lee Bruce McNair – served 4 years in Confederate Army in many engagements

Josiah McNair – served in the Confederate Army, was captured by the Federals and later joined the northern forces

Testimony of Peter Tyler on the Peace Society

Among other documents found was a court case brought before the Honorable Kelly Featherston Justice of the Peace for Carroll County Arkansas.  The case was titled “The State of Arkansas vs. Knowledge of & Identity with Secret Treasonable Society” with testimony by Peter Tyler and Isaiah Ezell.  It detailed their knowledge of a secret society held together by certain oaths and signs and tokens and pass words. P.A. Tyler claims that he was a member of this society and could receive the punishment of death for revealing his knowledge of said group. He had been initiated 3 weeks prior, swearing that he was not from the north and that now he would be given home protection. He was given the oath by ? Long and D. Jamison. He was also given the signs, tokens and passwords. The first sign was placing the three fingers of the left hand angling across the nose. The answer was carelessly feeling under the chin with one of the hands. The next sign was to place one finger in the shirt collar with the left hand and the answer was to put the right hand on the left breast. The next was to raise the hat with one hand and place it back on the head. The answer was to turn the back to the person moving the hat. One sign was to hang a piece of red ribbon, calico, or flannel on the front door of the house. Another token was if they were separated, they would Hoot like an Owl and wait for a response. The answer was to howl like a wolf. Peter’s testimony included that once he was initiated, he rode his horse around and initiated more men. He gave a list of men and he included the name of James Claiborne McNair and Claiborne Manes.

 P. A. Tyler was Sworn and subscribed to before the J.P. on this 18th day of Decr. 1861

Signed Kelly Featherston J P

Arkansas Peace Society - James Claiborne McNair

 Arkansas Peace Society / Federal Raids on Burrowville Historical Marker

Now..what is interesting is that in Oct 2020, I learned of James Claiborne’s resistance to the civil war, which is mentioned in the last paragraph of the story.  The rest of the story is as follows:

SOURCE: From: Arkansas Historical Quarterly (Spring, 1958) page 83

Arkansas Peace Society

In the mountain counties of North Arkansas in the fall of 1861, secret organizations were formed for self-protection and apparently to resist Confederate authority. Total membership in the organizations was estimated at 1700 and was concentrated in Searcy, Marion, Carroll, Izard, Fulton, and Van Buren counties. In these counties and perhaps in several others, the local units of the Arkansas Peace Society were quickly suppressed by extra-legal citizens committees acting with the county militia units and with justice of the peace courts. Many of the arrested members were forced into Confederate service either by local citizens committees or by the state military board at Little Rock. Some were tried for treason in Confederate circuit and acquitted. Many of those forced into Confederate service deserted and joined the Federal army. Only a part of the records relating to the Peace Society survived, but they are sufficient to show the scope and nature of the organization. Surviving documents contain the names of 240 members and suspected members. Of these, 181 were located in the United States census manuscript schedules, 1860. An analysis of that record revealed that of the 181, 115 were born in Tennessee, 13 in North Carolina, and 11 in Arkansas. The leadership of the movement was also predominantly Southern-born. Six preachers among the leaders seem to have been especially influential. The brotherhood was indigenous, composed of mountaineers who had no intention of going to war on either side and who wanted to be left alone. There could of course be no neutrality, and the members were forced to take sides. (then there was a list of names)

MEMBERS OF THE PEACE SOCIETY 1861

There was a complete listing of names. Among them was the name James Claiborne McNair and Claiborne Manes.

My Notes on the 1894 Story

 Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region

Source: Reminiscent History Of The Ozark Region, pub. Goodspeed Brothers, Publishers, Chicago 1894
Compiled by Nancy Quillin Long
2 April 2016

 
We are blessed in the south with old books that were written after the Civil War to restore the history that was lost.  These authors included family stories that are invaluable in piecing together our family histories.  The McNairs were a large, respected family included in this history book.  Our great-great grandfather, Mack Manilus McNair, would have been 47 years old when this book was published.  We are fortunate because his name was always included which gave me the opportunity to establish Mack's family ties.  Though Mack was not researched, his very much older brother, James Claiborn, was a well-established man in the community and much of their history and family lines were researched and documented.  I have been strongly linked through DNA back to James McNair, Mack's grandfather, through the Manes DNA circle. James Claiborn McNair married Harriet Manes. The following story about James Claiborn not only ties us to the McNair family but also gives information about the Sherertz family putting us back another generation on Mack's mother's family.
 
I have struggled with contradicting information from this book published in 1894, but I believe that this author was relying on information given in interviews with family members.  It is a condensed general history, with a brief descriptive history of each county, and numerous biographical sketches of prominent citizens of those counties. It is a county history book, which is different from a research book of one given family. There are many pronouns with unclear antecedents which can often mislead readers, but the wonderful history of James Claiborn sheds light on our great-great grandfather's generation and their ties to the previous generation.
 
This history gives me clues as to why we may have misleading information about Illinois and Missouri.  During any war, families are displaced and lives are interrupted.  James Claiborn took refuge in Missouri during the Civil War because of his own convictions.  I believe his mother (also our Mack's mother) followed James Claiborn to Arkansas (and possibly for a few years to Missouri) to be near family after John died.  There could be some confusion linking Mary Ann to Pleasant Hill, Missouri, during the time frame of the Civil War, but she is clearly in Arkansas in the 1860 census. As far as their father John (Jack) McNair, moving to Union County, Illinois, where they claim he died in 1852, I have stated my difference of opinion in my history sheet of John (Jack) McNair, our 3rd great grandfather.