UNDER CONSTRUCTION

SOME DESCENDANTS OF

JAMES BLAIR AND JANE TODD

OF SAGADAHOC CO., MAINE


     James Blair is reported by tradition to have arrived in Sagadahoc Co., Maine from England in the year 1738 with his wife JANE TODD, they being only recently married. Their eldest son Robert was reported to have been born at sea during the voyage to the colonies. tradition has also attempted to link James Blair of Woolwich, Sagadahoc Co., Me. with Col. Robert Blair from Scotland who settled in Worcester, Mass in the early 1700's. Col. Blair did indeed have a son named James but there appears to ne no documented evidence to suggest that he was the James Blair of Lincoln Co., Me.

James and Jane settled in Wiscasset, Me., in the area northeast of the Sagadahoc River which subsequently incorporated to become the towns of Woolwich, Arrowsic, and Georgetown, Me. I was once told that their graves are located in what is now the town of Arrowsic, but have never located them. There is no information yet to indicate where their dwelling or dwellings may have been located.

The U.S. Census of 1790 records James Blair and James Blair Jr, residence Woolwich, Lincoln Co., Me.. In the household of James Sr., in addition to himself, were two males over the age of 16, one male under the age of 16, and five females.

In the Vital records of Georgetown, Me. James Blair is recorded as having died at the age of 102 years, no date of death given. His wife Jane Blair is recorded to have died in 1823 at the age of 104 years. This would place her birth at around the year 1719, and would have made her about 19 years old in 1738, the year tradition places their arrival in this country. Robert, their firstborn, is reported to have died in the year 1838 at the age of 100.

I have never located any document which offers proof that they did, in fact, arrive in the Wiscasset, Maine area at the time that tradition maintains. In addition there is an oddity in the birthdates of their children, and in the advanced ages claimed for James, Jane, and their son Robert, at the times of their deaths.

As far as the records permit is seems that their next child after Robert was James Jr., who was born about the year 1753. This would indicate up to a 16 year break in child bearing in a woman who eventually had 11 children. Their ninth child, Sarah is known to have been born in 1772. If Jane actually was born about 1719 this would have made her about 53 years old when Sarah was born, with Margaret and Alexander still to come.

With the preceeding in mind, could it not be possible that a 10 year error was made in the arrival date of James And Jane in this country and that they actually arrived in 1748. Things would make much more sense if that was the case.

CHILDREN:

1. Robert Blair, b. 1783? at sea, d. 1838 in Readfield, Kennebec Co., Maine. On 11 Oct 1871 in Topsham, Sagadahoc Co., Maine Robert married Charity Knight as her second husband. She had previously been married to a man surnamed Robinson. Children:

2. James Blair Jr.,  b. abt. 1753 in Woolwich, Sagadahoc Co., Maine and d. 28 Mar 1828 in Georgetown, Sagadahoc Co., Maine. James married (1) Mehitable Robinson who died 07 Oct 1812 in Woolwich. He married (2) the Widow Mary Monroe on 02 Feb 1815. All children were from his first marriage. Private James Blair of Woolwich Maine was in Col. Michael Jackson's Reg., Capt. John Burnham's Co. of the Massachusetts Line. James was at Valley Forge.

3. Thomas Blair was b. in Woolwich, Sagadahoc Co., Maine. He had two wives Mary (Polly) Pung and Mary Reed.

4. John M. Blair, b. 1760 in Woolwich and died 10 May 1833 in Georgetown. He resided at the Chopps, on the eastern side of the head of the Sagadahoc River where it leaves Merrymeeting Bay. John married three times, (1) Hannah Russ or Rust on 20 Nov 1780. Hannah was b. in Nov 1757 and d. in Nov. of 1782 in Woolwich. They had no children. She was buried at Nequassit Meeting House, at Chopps, an area of Woolwich.

John married (2) Martha Carlton on 28 Mar 1784. Martha was b. abt. 1764 and d. 27 Oct 1798 in Georgetown, Maine. She was possibly the dau. of John Carlton of Woolwich, Maine. John and Martha had:

John married (3) Elizabeth, the widow of Pushard Marson, on 17 Sep 1801 probably in Dresden, Maine. Their Children were:

5.WILLIAM BLAIR

6.Mary Blair, b. 03 Jan 1765 Woolwich and died in Bowdoinham, Sagadahoc Co., Maine. On 07 Mar 1793 in Topsham, Maine she married Richard Knowles of Topsham, in a double wedding with her brother William Blair and Rebecca Knowles sister of Richard. Richard Knowles was b. 03 Feb 1767 in Topsham, Maine and probably died in Bowdoinham where he and Mary removed sometime after January of 1799. "VITAL RECORDS OF TOPSHAM, MAINE", Vol. 1, p. 19; Vol. 2, p. 156 and "HISTORY OF DRESDEN MAINE", Charles Edward Allen, p. 735. Richard and Mary had:

7. JANE TODD BLAIR*, b. Abt 1766 in Woolwich, Maine, married JOSEPH CLARK ATKINS of South Gardiner Maine. See Atkins line for descendants.

8. Nancy Blair, b. Woolwich Maine and d. 25 Sep 1830 in Woolwich. On 05 Dec 1780 in Dresden, Lincoln Co., Maine she married Thomas Stinson b. 22 Jul 1757 in Georgetown, Sagadahoc Co., Maine, and d. 12 Feb 1825 in Georgetown. He was the son of James Stinson of Woolwich, Maine and Mary Robinson of Topsham.

9. Sarah Blair, b. 15 Jul 1772 Woolwich, and d. 28 Mar 1863 in Bowdoinham, Maine. On 03 May 1798 in Woolwich, Maine she married Charles Perry of Topsham, Maine. He was b. 16 Mar 1773 in Topsham and d. 25 Jan 1863 in Topsham. He was the son of Jonathan Perry and Margaret Robeson of Topsham.

10. Alexander Blair, b. in Woolwich and died probably in Dresden, Maine. On 07 Jun 1808 Alexander married Elizabeth Pollard. He was a Private in Capt.Benjamin Goodwin's detached company of Milita of Lieut. Col Ezekiel Cutter's Reg. raised in Dresden, Maine and in service at Wiscassett and vicinity from 6 - 28 Sep 1814. also in the company were Samuel Blair and John Blair who are assumed to be either cousins or Nephews.

11. Margaret Blair, b. Woolwich. On 31 Oct 1802 in Woolwich she married Francis Norris, the son of James Norris and Mary Towle of Epping and Chester, New Hampshire. Francis was born 14 May 1775 in Epping, N.H. They had children:


WILLIAM BLAIR , b. 02 Apr 1763 in Woolwich, Sagadahoc Co., Maine. On 19 Sep. 1790 he married (1) Mary Blinn, the daughter of Harrison Blenn of Woolwich and Eunice Meserve of Kennebunk, Me. Mary died shortly thereafter, date unknown; no issue.

William married (2) REBECCA KNOWLES of Topsham, Me. on 7 March 1793. Rebecca was the daughter of RICHARD KNOWLES SR, of Topsham, and his wife MARY ORR, of Brunswick, Cumberland Co., Maine. According to The Topsham Vital records William Blair and Rebecca Knowles had a double wedding with William's sister Mary Blair and Rebecca's brother Richard Knowles II.

On the 1880 Census of Gardiner, Maine. Mary (Blair) Atkins, the daughter of William and Rebecca (Knowles) Blair, indicates that her mother Rebecca was born in England. This would imply that her grandmother, Mary (Orr) Knowles, was in England at the time of Rebecca's Birth.

CHILDREN:

1. William Blair, of Topsham, Sagadahoc Co., Maine

2. Henrietta Blair, b. Topsham, m. Thomas Foster of Topsham

3. John Blair, b. Topsham, m. Elizabeth Williams of Topsham

4. Mary Blair, b. Topsham, m. ______ Gahan. Vital Records of Topsham, Me., v.2 pp. 7, 50

5. Rebecca Blair, b. Topsham, m. William Blinn son of Harrison Blenn and Eunice Meserve.

6. Susan Blair, b. Topsham, m. Alexander Blagden

7. Tares Blair, b. Topsham, m. Abram Blagden in 1834 in Topsham. Vital Records of Topsham,      Me. v.2, p.7, 30

8. Elizabeth Blair, b. Topsham, m. Theodore White

9. ANNA BLAIR, b. abt. 1805 in Woolwich, Maine, died 15 Jul 1882 in South Gardiner, Kennebec Co., Maine. In 1828 in Topsham she married LEVI ATKINS, the son of JOSEPH CLARK ATKINS and JANE TODD BLAIR of South Gardiner. Gardiner Vital Records indicate that their int. to marry, made 21 Oct. 1827, gave Anna's residence as Dresden, Me. See Atkins line for issue.


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