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I'm
Rob Salzman of
4130 SW 117th Ave # 415 Beaverton, OR,
97005 USA.
Welcome to e-familytree.net. E-familytree.net is my personal genealogy hobby site.
The data contained here has been gathered through 20 years of genealogy. Some small
part of it is my original research, but most of it has been shared with me.
It is important to understand:
This is SPECULATIVE DATA. Most of it is unverified. Use it for hints and pointers, but DO
YOUR OWN RESEARCH!
You can leave a comment on each page here. If you want to be notified
when this site changes, you can leave contact information here. I can
always be reached at the mailing address above, or by email at genealogy at e-familytree dot net.
This website built on November 02, 2009.
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Family Sheet
HUSBAND
Name: James Blair GeneralMale Note
Born: 26 Sep 1786 1786-9-26 at Lancaster County, South Carolina Lancaster County, South Carolina
Married: 6 Feb 1820 1820-2-6 at Kershaw District, South Carolina Kershaw District, South Carolina
Died: 1 Apr 1834 1834-4-1 at Washington, DC Washington, DC
WIFE
Born: 1787 at North Carolina
Died: 1852 at Wilson s Springs, North Carolina
Father: Lovick Rochelle
Mother: Elizabeth Perkins
CHILDREN
Born: 10 Jul 1821 at Red Oak Camp, Kershaw County, South Carolina
Died: 4 Jul 1882 at South Carolina
Wife: Sarah T. Workman
NOTES
1). James Blair was elected General of the Militia in 181 8 at the age of twenty eight. Thereafter, he was called Ge neral Blair. General Blair was six feet, six inches tall, w eighed about three hundred pounds, and was very hot tempere d. He was elected to the U.S. Congress by Kershaw, Lancaste r, Chesterfield, and Sumter Counties in 1821, and resigne d in 1822. He was re elected in 1828. He lived about six mi les from what is now Bethune at Red Oak Camp on Lynch Creek . He was addicted to drugs and alcohol as pain killers fo r rheumatism. He fought many duels, and once fired at an ac tor on stage in Washington. He shot himself in a hotel roo m in Washington in 1852, and is buried in the Congressiona l Cemetery in Washington. Gen. James Blair, a native of the Waxhaws of Lancaste r District, was one of the most intriguing figures in Sout h Carolina during the early 1800s. James Blair, born about 1790, was the son of William an d Sarah Douglas Blair. William Blair came to America fro m Ireland when he was 13 years old. An ardent Whig, the se nior Blair was a Revolutionary War soldier who personally a bhorred the notion of receiving a pension for fighting fo r independence. Young James Blair grew up in a ScotchIris h family and community which prided itself on its sturdy in dependence. James Blair s physical size alone was enough to impres s any frontiersman. He was six feet six or seven and weigh t about 350 pounds, all in perfect proportion. Writers attempting to describe the colorful figure wer e likely to such expressions as one of nature s noblemen, or magnificent giant. At the same time, there was a da rker side to Blair. The biographer s high praise was quick ly followed with such phrases as hot spur temperament, i ndulged in excess, and both loved and feared. Blair early joined the Waxhaw militia. The muster, in t hose days, was more than drilling and practicing with weapo ns. Militia drills were punctuated with all sorts of show s of strength wrestling, boxing, foot racing, even eye gou ging. Tales of James Blair s size and strength were told a far. One story that has come down to us tells of the North Ca rolina champion wrestler coming to the Waxhaws in search o f Blair. The Waxhaw Giant was found in the fields plowin g. The North Carolina man, eager for a match, proposed a s et to on the spot. Blair unhitched his mule and took on th e stranger. The North Carolinian was soon tossed over th e fence in such bad condition that he had to stay in the Bl air home several days in order to recover enough to travel. Such exploits made it easy for Blair to be elected to of fice. He never lost an election. While still in his earl y twenties, Blair was sheriff of Lancaster District. At th e age of 28 he was elected general of the Eighth Brigade o f state militia. He did not wear a uniform but wore instea d a rich blue cloth suit, ruffled shirt and gold headed ca ne.... In 1821, James Blair was elected to Congress. Afte r 18 months he resigned for reasons never explained excep t that Blair called them private concerns. Blair came back to his plantation on the Lynches River i n Kershaw District. His days were occupied with the hunt a nd his evenings with study. A very tall Catawba Indian ta ller even than Blair known as Chunky Bone, was Blair s m ost constant companion, other than his wife and son. Blair was involved in a number of brawls and duels. Th e most famous incident has been told in several versions . Dr. J. Marion Sims version was that the editor of the C amden newspaper, Thomas Evans, offended Blair who, drunk, r ode his horse into the house over Mrs. Evans and the baby s cradle. Evans reluctantly accepted Blair s challenge t o a duel. The two men met in Augusta, Ga., a favorite duel ing spot of the time. Evans arm was shattered and he wa s left crippled. Col. James Hammond, later South Carolina governor and se nator, was challenged by Blair. Influential Lancaster me n interceded and arranged apologies. Blair had resigned from Congress in 1822 in 1829 he ra n again and won handily. In March 1834, Washington society was shocked at Blairs behavior at the theater. Upset with the performance, Bla ir shot at one of the actors on the stage. A physician tes tified in court that Blair was under the influence of brand y and morphine, which was used to alleviate the pain of rhe umatism. The court fined Blair only five dollars. A mont h later, in a fit of depression, Blair placed the pistol t o his head and committed suicide. His native genius wa s never quite fulfilled. !DEATH Headstone, Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC, H eadstone, Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC
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