No, the man you see at the right is not Abraham Lincoln. It's none other than William Blair, the first Blair of our lineage to come to America. In the course of my research I was really hoping to find a picture of my great great great grandfather, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find a man with such a "Blair" face. The cheekbones, the soft but deep-set eyes, the prominent brow -- you could almost be looking at a picture of Granddaddy with a sweet beard. In fact, I think Banks's new 'do is even starting to look like William's. Business up front. Party in the back. I've been able to find some really neat information about William Blair.
- William was born July 31, 1820 in the town of Dundonald in Ayrshire, Scotland. His father was Bryce Blair and his mother was Annie Dunlop.
- William first stepped foot in America on August 11, 1836. His ship, the Brig. Cartha, landed in New York City on that day. Give me your tired, your weak...
- William traveled to the U.S. with his brother James. They both settled in Mumford, NY for a time and learned the machinist's trade.
- William moved to Waukesha, WI in 1845, where he started a lucrative thrashing manufactury.
- William married Nancy M. Emmons on June 1, 1847 in Le Roy, NY. They had 5 children, three of whom (Frank C., George R., and Willie G.) survived until William's death in 1880.
- Nancy Blair died on May 20, 1859. William then married Henrietta A. Emmons (presumably a relation to Nancy) on June 23, 1860. They had two children, Henry E. and Arthur J. -- the latter being Grandaddy's grandfather (or Roswell's father).
- William lived the American dream. He came to America as an immigrant and developed into a highly respected businessman and civic leader. William Blair served as state senator in WI for 6 years; he was stockholder, president, and director of the State Bank and Waukesha Co. National Bank; President of the Village Board for many years (essentially mayor); and long-time trustee of the Wisonsin Industrial School for Boys.
- William died on a Tuesday July 13, 1880 at 6 p.m. He passed away from "a cancer of the stomach" (scary), and he was noted to have fought the disease with great courage and dignity. Apparently some things are passed down through generations. He was buried at 3 p.m. on Thursday July 15, a day which the Village Board declared an offical day of mourning.
- William Blair's house, built in 1876, is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Blair House at 434 Madison St. is now used as a family health care facility, and among other things houses the Stillwaters Cancer Support Center.
- Blair Elementary School in Waukesha is named after Senator William Blair, in honor of his contributions to education and civic life.
Wow! I wish I could have known this man.
No, the man you see at the right is not Abraham Lincoln. It's none other than William Blair, the first Blair of our lineage to come to America. In the course of my research I was really hoping to find a picture of my great great great grandfather, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find a man with such a "Blair" face. The cheekbones, the soft but deep-set eyes, the prominent brow -- you could almost be looking at a picture of Granddaddy with a sweet beard. In fact, I think Banks's new 'do is even starting to look like William's. Business up front. Party in the back. I've been able to find some really neat information about William Blair.
5 comments:
Wow that picture looks so much like Granddaddy! And some erie coicidences! Side note: busy day at work today Price?
Great job on the research. Now get back to work so you can earn enough to pay for my retirement!
This is too crazy! We are related somehow. I was doing a project on my ancestry and stumbled across your blog as I was searching for William Blair through Google. My family has notes typed up from a typewriter in the 1800's of some of the Blair's -- mainly William. Ann and Brice were the first people writte about in our notes. My grandmother was Mary Margaret Hughes. I believe she was the great great great granddaughter of Brice Blair. Her mother was Olive (Emslie) Hughes-- who we always bring up around holidays, saying " 'Olive Hughes!'...'Olive Hughes, too!' haha :) My entire family lives in Wisconsin, where as you know the Blair's and Emslie's lived. It would be really cool to talk and get your thoughts on all of this! :)
This was a great read. I am wondering who the author is. I have much of the same information on William Blair. (A relative on my mothers side.) I am wondering if "Barb" or "Kathrine" are the people who invested their time in finding out this information. Or do I have other relatives I don't know about?!
I am wondering who the author of this article is. I had fun reading it. He is a relative on my mothers side. If it was submitted by "Barb" and or "Kathrine". Or do I have other relatives I am unaware of?!
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