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75th Birthday Celebration of Henry ADAIR
born Saturday, January 19, 1924
From The
McDonald PA Record, January 18, 1924, page unknown:
Saturday, January 19, 1924 will be the seventy-fifth
anniversary of the birth of Henry ADAIR, one of the best-known residents
of Washington county. Mr. ADAIR was born in County Down, Ireland, of a
stock of thrifty, long-lived, hardy Irish. He spent his early childhood
in Ireland and Scotland. His father, Captain Samuel ADAIR, was owner of
a fishing schooner as well as captain of a sea-going vessel, making
foreign ports. Henry ADAIR early learned the duties of a fisher-boy. He
tells a vastly interesting tale of when only a boy of twelve years,
while his little fishing schooner was trying to escape the vandals who
lay in wait for the well-loaded fishing ___. Returning from a night’s
work his boat was struck by a larger and heavier ship. The little
fishing boat was cut in half—only eight men and a boy on board. Henry
ADAIR was the boy and only throwing a rope over the mast of the other
vessel and hanging on was he saved but not until after he had a cold
bath in the sea. Five days later he got back to Queenstown, none the
worse, but Mr. ADAIR says that was the worst scare of his whole life of
many thrills, hardships, and adventures. He accompanied his father on
two voyages, each lasting two years, sailing to Calcutta, India. The
voyage was made on a sail vessel, its speed depending upon the wind,
some days making seventy-five miles when the breeze was good, other days
making only a mile a day against the wind. It took a whole month to
unload the cargo.
He came to America with his sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. John
MCCLEMENTS. They came directly to Midway, a much different Midway then
than today. Both Mr. MCCLEMENTS and Mr. ADAIR helped to open the famous
old Walnut Hill mine. He worked there about eighteen months, then there
came a long strike among the miners. Seven young men, including William
ALLEN, Henry ADAIR, Robert HERD and David ENGLES left to seek work in
the West. While en route to Harvard county, Kansas, where they heard
work was abundant, there was an uprising of the Indians there. Many of
the white people were killed. The soldiers had to be called out to make
peace. The boys decided to change their destination and went to Morres,
Illinois, where Willie ALLEN’s uncle lived. There they found work
a-plenty and Willie ALLEN found a rich wife. After two years of hard
work and careful living Mr. ADAIR went back to his old home in Ireland.
Later he went to Scotland to work in the ironstone mines. He was
entombed in those mines for three days and nights when the river broke
in and experienced a most thrilling ordeal. He might have escaped far
sooner if he had deserted his buddy, Paddy FARRELL. Pat was too fat to
crawl through the tiny opening into the other workings. The mining of
ironstone in those days was a most unique process. The stone was dug
three hundred fathoms or eighteen hundred feet under the ground, then
brought to the surface, burned in great piles like the slate dumps that
we now know as red dog. After it had burned out it was carried by
incline cars to the furnaces for refining.
While in Scotland at the ironstone mines Mr. ADAIR met and married Miss
Janie SMITH, a sister of Mrs. Elizabeth SHERMAN. To this couple came a
family of six children, four of whom were born in Scotland and Ireland.
The ADAIRs then came to Midway. Sara and John were born in the ADAIR
homestead on Dickson street. Mrs. ADAIR died in February 1886 when john
was a mere baby. It was then Mr. ADAIR says he experienced the greatest
trials of a long rugged, struggling life. Nevertheless he kept his
little family together and managed some difficult situations to the
credit of all concerned. His children have all gown to be respected,
law-abiding citizens.
Mr. ADAIR started in the livestock business, buying and selling cattle
and hogs, later engaging in the butcher business, slaughtering his own
meat. A disastrous fire destroyed his business but the old adage that
“you can’t keep a good man down” applies her. Mr. ADAIR entered
the junk business a quarter of a century ago. Many a lad, who now has a
little lad of his own, can recollect the joy with which he collected
rags, iron, bones and old paper to sell to Henry ADAIR. Children knew
and know him far and wide.
In the twenty-five years Mr. ADAIR has bought and sold many thousands of
tons of things that other people have discarded as useless. He had
bought most everything under the sun, from a dog-power machine of fifty
years ago to a Packard automobile of today.
Mr. ADAIR has always enjoyed excellent health, coming from a family
famous for their temperance and long lives. An aunt, Mrs. Nancy FINLEY
of Curcubin, County Down, Ireland, is one hundred and thirteen years
old.
Many of the older residents will recall the strike of thirty years ago
by the generosity of Mr. ADAIR in helping the commissary feed the
starving miners.
Henry ADAIR is a vastly interesting intelligent talker, recalling
vividly the many changes since he first came to Midway. Dickson street
then boasted only three houses: the town had but two small stores.
Mr. ADAIR has worked hard, endured many hardships unknown to anyone
except himself, yet he has the satisfaction of knowing that his life has
been worthwhile and most useful. He has acquired a comfortable and
substantial amount of the world’s goods only by his … ingenuity,
thrift and hard work. … ADAIR has always tried to do his … by his
fellow man in his own… Remainder of article is crumbled away...
Webmaster Note: Born about 1849.
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