Samuel Robert Adair (1867 - 1936)

Born 4 Sep 1867 in Owen Sound, Ontario

Husband of Catherine Alice (Nolan) Adair — married 2 Apr 1893 in Brainerd, Minnesota

Died 14 Dec 1936 at age 69 in Brainerd, Minnesota

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Biography

Sam was the son of Irish immigrants, Alexander Walter Adair,^[1] and Mary Ann Houghton Adair, who lived in Quebec before settling in Owen Sound, Ontario.^[2] He was one of six children. He and four older brothers all immigrated to the US. Sam went to Chicago for two or three years, working as a watch-maker, a trade he had learned at home.

Move to Brainerd

When he was 19, he moved to Brainerd, Minnesota and worked in jewelry store. His obituary identified him as "one of the early young men who helped in the development of this city [Brainerd].^[3] When the jewelry store owner died, Sam purchased the stock in the business and remained in the same location until 1902.^[4]

Sam served as a city alderman for a time ^[5] and was elected County Treasurer of Crow Wing County, Minnesota in 1904, serving in that post for over 30 years.^[6][7].

He was also a captain in the Company F, 3rd Infantry, Minnesota National Guard. He was part of the National Guard that was called up in 1898 after the Battle of Sugar Point, called the "last Indian Uprising in the United States."

Family

Sam married Alice Nolan when he was 26. They are the parents of two daughters.^{[8] [9]}His wife worked with him in the jewelry store. They lived for many years in a home at 9th and Ivy streets,^[10] and also had a lake cabin between Gull and Love Lakes, which still remains in their extended family.

Community Activities

Sam was one of the founders of the Crow Wing County Historical Society and its first president, and a member of the Brainerd Park Board. He was active in several other community groups, including the Eagles, Elks, Modern Woodmen of America, Knights of Pythias, and Royal Arcanum. He was a member of a bicycle club, and traveled with four other members by bicycle from Brainerd to Minneapolis to see a baseball game.

He chaired a Chamber of Commerce committee to organize the Brainerd Building and Loan Association in 1922.^[11]

Death

He died at age 69 after "recurrent heart attacks." ^[12][13] and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Brainerd, Minnesota.^[14]

Research Notes

There is a discrepancy in sources on when Sam moved to Brainerd. His wife's oral history for the county historical society said he arrived at age 19, while his Brainerd Tribune obituary lists his arrival age as 21, two years later.

Sources

1. ↑ "Canada Census, 1871," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4QH-T4P : 2 April 2016), Samuel Adair, Derby, North Grey, Ontario, Canada; citing p. 10, line 1; Library and Archives Canada film number C-9954, Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 4,396,339.
2. ↑ "Canada Census, 1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVF5-R35 : 30 June 2017), Robert Samuel Adair in household of Alex. Walter Adair, Owen Sound, Grey North, Ontario, Canada; citing p. 31; Library and Archives Canada film number C-13261, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 1,375,897.
3. ↑ S. R. Adair Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Early Thursday. . ., " Brainerd Tribune, December 10, 1936, p. 1.
4. ↑ Oral history of Samuel R. Adair, given by his wife, Recorded by Rose Parker, July 1938, for Crow Wing County Historical Association.
5. ↑ http://www.crowwinghistory.org/early_accounts.html#SAMUELROBERTADAIR
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2L2-Y9M : accessed 4 September 2020), Samuel R Adair, Brainerd Ward 2, Crow Wing, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 32, sheet 5A, family 92, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 694; FHL microfilm 1,374,707.
7. ↑ Oral history of Samuel R. Adair, given by his wife, Recorded by Rose Parker, July 1938, for Crow Wing County Historical Association.
8. ↑ "Minnesota State Census, 1895," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQD2-MXL : 3 April 2016), Samuel Adair, Brainerd city, Ward 05, Crow Wing, Minnesota; citing p. 34, line 12, State Library and Records Service, St.Paul; FHL microfilm 565,768.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9S3-N8D : accessed 4 September 2020), Sam R Adair, Brainerd city Ward 5, Crow Wing, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 59, sheet 11B, family 239, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,761.
10. ↑ "Minnesota State Census, 1905," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPSV-N5J : 1 August 2017), Samuel R Adair, Brainerd, Ward Number: 02, Crow Wing, Minnesota; citing p. 91, line 1318, State Library and Records Service, St.Paul; FHL microfilm 928,774.
11. ↑ Oral history of Samuel R. Adair, given by his wife, Recorded by Rose Parker, July 1938, for Crow Wing County Historical Association.
12. ↑ "Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835-1990," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDDV-6B4 : accessed 3 November 2015), Alice Adair in entry for Samuel Robert Adair, 10 Dec 1936; citing Brainerd, Crow Wing, Minnesota, United States, reference p 3368; FHL microfilm 2,242,376.
13. ↑ S. R. Adair Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Early Thursday. . ., " Brainerd Tribune, December 10, 1936, p. 1.
14. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #63328569 Samuel Robert Adair