Familypedia
Modern Map - Adair estates in Ireland and Scotland

Modern Map - Adair estates in Ireland and Scotland

Adair Family Coat of Arms

Adair Family Coat of Arms

Exploring the early history of the Adair Family in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Italy and its many royal ancestry links.

Early Family History[]

Family History Overview[]

The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland began in 1169, led by mercenaries aiding the Irish king Dermot MacMurrough.  Several members of the FitzGeralds played an important role here.

The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland began in 1169, led by mercenaries aiding the Irish king Dermot MacMurrough. Several members of the FitzGeralds played an important role here.

Adair is a surname of Scotland. A common misconception is that the surname is related to Edgar, Eadgar, O'daire, or MacDaire. It is not. Robert Fitzgerald De Athdare, Ireland was the first Adair. He was from what is considered Limerick, Ireland today.

The earliest Adair Patriarchs are traced to the Norman conquest of the British Isles of the High Middle Ages', a period that spans roughly from the 11th to the 13th centuries. This era is characterized by significant developments in European history, including the growth of cities, the establishment of universities, and the flourishing of medieval culture and architecture.

See below for a detail history of the earliest and most famous Adair and a trace of it is several distinguished branch lines. This path leads to the early Royal European ancestors of the Adair Family - Including English, Norman, Irish, Scottish, French and Russian notable figures.

House of Deheubarth[]

The House of Deheubarth was a prominent Welsh dynasty that ruled over the kingdom of Deheubarth in South Wales. It was founded in the 10th century by Hywel Dda, who is known for codifying Welsh law. The kingdom included regions such as Dyfed, Ceredigion, and parts of Carmarthenshire. The House of Deheubarth played a significant role in Welsh history, often engaging in conflicts with neighboring kingdoms and the Normans. Despite periods of decline, it remained influential until the late 13th century when it was eventually absorbed into the Kingdom of England.

# Name Birth Death occupation ancestry
WL-01 Gwriad ap Elidir (755-c810) Unverified ruler of Gwynedd
WL-02 Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad (790-844)
King of Gwynedd
WL-03 Rhodri Mawr ap Merfyn (820-878)
Rhodri the Great
Consolidated several kingdoms in south Wales including He succeeded his maternal uncle Cyngen ap Cadell as King of Powys in 855. He succeeded in 872 as King of Seisyllwg. Died in battle against the Saxons.
WL-04 Cadell ap Rhodri Mawr of Dyfed (855-909) Castle Dinefwr
WL-05 Hywel Dda ap Cadell (880-950),
King of all Wales
Wales Wales in 920 he unified several kingdoms in South Wales. After that he completed the first code of Welsh Law and did pilgrimage to Rome.
WL-06 Owain ap Hywel (913-988),
King of Deheubarth
Wales Wales His legacy includes his efforts to defend and consolidate his kingdom during a turbulent period in Welsh history.
WL-07 Einion ab Owain (c933-984)
Prince of Deheubarth
Wales Led several military raids against other Welsh and English kings. Joint rule with his father. Predeceased his father.
WL-08 Cadell ab Einion (970-1030) Pembrokeshire, Wales Rebel warlord
WL-09 Tewdwr ap Cadell (c1018-) Pembrokeshire, Wales Rebel warlord
WL-10 Rhys ap Tewdwr (c1040-1093)
Last King of Deheubarth
1040, Wales Beheaded in Easter Week, 1091, after losing battle Inherited kingdom from a distant cousin. Last king of the Welsh, hepaid tribute to William the Conquereor. Died in fighting to other Welsh warlords His children inter-marry with the Norman conquerors and have many descendants:
1)Nest ferch Rhys (c1085-1136) - Daughter/ Matriarh for the FitzGerald dynasty (see below).


FitzGerald Dynasty[]

A drawing of  from a manuscript of the Expugnatio Hibernica, an account of the 1169 invasion of Ireland written in 1189 by Maurice's nephew, .

A drawing of Maurice FitzGerald (c1105-1176) from a manuscript of the Expugnatio Hibernica, an account of the 1169 invasion of Ireland written in 1189 by Maurice's nephew, Gerald of Wales.

The earliest patriarchs of the Adair Family were part of the FitzGerald dynasty and are traced back to the British Isles of the High Middle Ages. This is a period that spans roughly from the 11th to the 13th centuries where leaders/warriors in the Norman Conquest of Ireland. This era is characterized by significant developments in European history, including the growth of cities, the establishment of universities, and the flourishing of medieval culture and architecture.

The FitzGerald family, also known as the Geraldines, is a prominent Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty that rose to prominence during this time. Originally of Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Norman origin, the FitzGeralds established themselves in Ireland in the late 12th century. [1][2]

The FitzGeralds held numerous titles and lands, including the Earldoms of Kildare and Desmond. They were influential in both Irish and English politics, often acting as intermediaries between the English crown and the Irish chieftains. The family became deeply integrated into Irish society, with the Annals of the Four Masters describing them as "more Irish than the Irish themselves" due to their assimilation with Gaelic culture.[3]

# Name Birth Death occupation ancestry
FG-01 Otho of Gheraldini 1020, Italy(?) 1080, France from Italy(?) to France. Unverified parentage See below. Most likely an invented person.
FG-02 Walter fitz Otho 1045, Normandy, France 1102, Berkshire, England Likely participant in the Norman conquest of England.
Castellan of Windsor Castle
Keeper of the Forests in Berkshire.
He was the progenitor of the FitzGerald, FitzMaurice and De Barry dynasties of Ireland, who were elevated to the Peerage of Ireland in the 14th century and was also the ancestor of the prominent Carew family, of Moulsford in Berkshire, Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire
FG-03 Gerald of Windsor 1070, England 1136 Wales Key participant in the Norman conquest of Wales. md Nest ferch Rhys (c1085-1136), princess, daughter of the King of South Wales. Welch royal ancestry.
FG-04 Maurice FitzGerald
Lord of Maynooth, Naas, and Llanstephan
1105, Wales 1176, Ireland Key participant in the first Norman Invasion of Ireland of 1169.
FG-05 Thomas FitzGerald
Lord of O'Connelloe
1175, Ireland 1213, Ireland Active participant in ongoing Norman conquest of Ireland, securing more lands.
FG-06 John FitzGerald
1st Baron Desmond
1200, Ireland 1261, County Kerry, Ireland Died in Battle at Callan while leading a failed Norman invasion of Irish territory. Slain by his son-in-law, MacCarthy Mor.
FG-07 Maurice FitzGerald 1225, Ireland 1261, County Kerry, Ireland Died in Battle at Callan, alongside father.
FG-08 Thomas FitzGerald
2nd Baron Desmond
1250, Ireland 1296, Ireland Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (1294)
FG-09 Maurice FitzGerald
1st Earl Desmond
1292, Ireland 1356, Ireland Captain of Desmond Castle in Kinsale, so-called ruler of Munster, and for a short time Lord Justice of Ireland. Called "Maurice the Great", he led a rebellion against the Crown, after major fighting he was captured and then ultimately pardoned. 1) Md , Lady Katherine, fifth daughter of Richard de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster.
2) Md. Aveline (or Eleanor), daughter of Nicholas FitzMaurice, 3rd Baron Kerry and Slany O'Brien, daughter of Connor O'Brien, Prince of Thomond (also Burke's Peerage 2003. Volume 2. Page 2238).
FG-10 Gerald FitzGerald
3rd Earl Desmond
"Gerald the Poet"
1335, Ireland 1398, Ireland Gerald the Poet gives us here an important family link. While serving as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1398, he "mysteriously disappeared" and was never heard from again (1398). He had many political enemies of the time any of whom could have had hand in this. However let's note his marriage to Eleanore Butler (c1348-1395) for she was the great-great-granddaughter of King Edward I of England. This union gives virtually every Adair descendant a direct lineage to many great figures of Medieval Europe including William the Conqueror, Hugh Capet, Rurik of Russia, Alfred the Great and many more. Some of these family lines trace to the Early Middle Ages.It is thru this connection that all Adair descendants can claim a direct link to royal blood of the Normans, Welch, Irish, English, and French.
FG-11 Robert FitzGerald of Adare
Very First Adair
1366, Adare, County Limerick, Ireland 1445, Dunskey Castle, Wigtownshire, Scotland fled from Castle Adare to Scotland after the killing of the White Knight. Changed surname to Adair. Captured Dunskey Castle from the local governor for the Scottish king. Arabella Campbell (1370-1450), daughter of the Lord of Argyll.
See line 1 of Adair below.

Future Research Notes:

  1. See the several wives of Maurice FitzGerald (c1292-1356), 1st Earl of Desmond.

The First Adairs[]

Gerald the Poet[]

  • Father of Robert FitzGerald Adair

Gerald FitzGerald (1335-1398), 3rd Earl Desmond, aka: "Gerald the Poet", is an important family link. (See #FG-10 above) While serving as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1398, he "mysteriously disappeared" and was never heard from again. He had many political enemies of the time any of whom could have had hand in this. However let's note his marriage to Eleanore Butler (c1348-1395) for she was the great-great-granddaughter of King Edward I of England. This union gives virtually every Adair descendant a direct lineage to many great figures of Medieval Europe including William the Conqueror, Hugh Capet, Rurik of Russia, Alfred the Great and many more. Some of these family lines trace to the Early Middle Ages.It is thru this connection that all Adair descendants can claim a direct link to royal blood of the Normans, Welch, Irish, English, and French.

Robert FitzGerald, The First Adair[]

Robert FitzGerald (1366-1445), The Very First Adair (See #FG-11 above). He was a nobleman living in Ireland when he killed another Nobleman, a very grave crime of the time. He fled to Scotland and adopted the name of the Irish castle where he had been living as his new surname. He had further unsavory exploits the netted him a fine Scottish castle to live in and his own coat of arms that prominently features a gruesome severed head. See his profile for more of his store.

Adair as a unique family surname is traceable back to the early 14th century when Irish-Norman noble of the FitzGerald dynasty fled for his life and adopted the name of the family home (Adare Castle) for a new identity in Scotland.

Dunskey Castle, early Scottish home of the .

Dunskey Castle, early Scottish home of the Adair Family.

Dunskey Castle[]

Dunskey Castle is a ruined, 12th-century tower house or castle, located in Wigtownshire, on the south-west coast of Scotland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. On a clear day, the coast of Ireland is visible 21 miles away. Dunskey Castle is a scheduled monument, a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change.

The castle was home to the Adair family for over 300 years, with a brief period when it fell into the hands of the Kennedy family in 1455. The original fortification was plundered and then destroyed in 1489 by Sir Alexander McCulloch. The tower house was then rebuilt in 1510 by Ninian Adair which is when it took on its L-shaped tower house layout. This version of the castle would have had a curtain wall and a watch tower out on the cliff edge.

And this is not the only Scottish castle of the Adair's.

Plantation of Ulster[]

  in , from a postcard of the early 20th Century.

Ballymena Castle in County Antrim, from a postcard of the early 20th Century.

From the late 15th century to the 18th, the English crown organized an effort to settle Ireland and promote Protestantism by sending in English and Scottish settlers into the northern province of Ulster, transforming the region's demographic and cultural landscape. [4]

Several members of the Adair Family played important roles in this history:

Adair Migration to America[]

By the 18th century, several Adair's had migrated to America. Some of the most prominent include:

  • James Adair, the Indian Trader/Historian - an Irish-born trader and historian who became well-known for his interactions with Native American tribes in the Southeastern United States. He spent about 40 years in North America, primarily living among the Chickasaw and other tribes. He played a significant role during the French and Indian War, leading Chickasaw warriors against the French and married a Chickasaw girl, which gives his descendants a direct link to Native American ancestry.


Cherokee Adairs[]

 , Cherokee Tribal Leader and Colonel of Second Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, Confederate Army Cavalry, U.S

William Penn Adair (1830-1880), Cherokee Tribal Leader and Colonel of Second Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, Confederate Army Cavalry, U.S. Civil War

The Cherokee Adairs are a notable family with deep roots in both Cherokee and European ancestry. The family traces its origins to John Adair (1754-1815) (son of James Adair, the trader), a Scotchman, who married Ga-ho-ga, a full-blood Cherokee woman of the Deer clan. They had several children, and after Ga-ho-ga's death, John Adair married Jennie Kilgore, a white woman, with whom he had more children.

Mormon Adairs[]

One notable early member of the Adair family who helped settle Utah was Samuel Jefferson Adair (1806-1889). Born in South Carolina, Samuel and his family were among the pioneers who crossed the plains with the Benjamin Gardner Company in 1852. Several members of his family marched west with the Mormon Battalion in 1846-47. After arriving in Utah, the Adair and Mangum families settled in the Payson-Nephi area.

In 1857, Brigham Young called Samuel and a group of ten southern families to settle the southwestern part of the territory and grow cotton. They established the town of Washington, Utah, and called the area "Dixie" after their southern homeland. Samuel and his family lived in Washington for 20 years before moving to Nutrioso, Arizona.

Adair Family contributions to the settlement of Utah and Arizona are a testament to the resilience and determination of early pioneers.


Adair Baronets[]

Escutcheon of the Adair baronets of Flixton Hall

Escutcheon of the Adair baronets of Flixton Hall

The Adair Baronetcy, of Flixton Hall in the County of Suffolk, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom, created on August 2, 1838, for Sir Robert Shafto Adair, he was a prominent figure and the patriarch of the Adair baronets.

Here are some notable members of the Adair Baronetcy:

  1. Sir Robert Shafto Adair, 5th Baronet (1862–1949): He succeeded his brother and maintained the family's prominence serving as Justice of the Peace for both Norfolk and Suffolk, Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim.
  2. Sir Allan Henry Shafto Adair, 6th Baronet (1897–1988): a senior officer of the British Army who served in both World wars; as a company commander in the Grenadier Guards in World War I, and as General Officer Commanding of the Guards Armoured Division in World War II. He was the last to hold the title, which became extinct upon his death.

The Adair baronets were influential in both political and military spheres, contributing significantly to British society during their time.


Old Draft[]

Scottish Heritage[]

Stewarts of Garlies[]

Adair / Kennedy Line[]

  1. Robert III of Scotland (1337-1406) - King of Scots
  2. Mary Stewart (c1383-) - Princess of Scotland
  3. Gilbert Kennedy, 1st Lord Kennedy of Dunure (1405-1489)
  4. John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy of Dunure (bef1454-c1508)
  5. David Kennedy, 1st Earl of Cassilis (1463-1513)
  6. Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis (1485-1527)
  7. Helen Kennedy (1507-1572)
  8. Ninian Adair (1531-1608) (#07 Wigtownshire Adairs below)

Campbell Nobility (Scotland)[]

See notes about wife of Robert FitzGerald of Adare.

  1. Robert FitzGerald (1366-1445) of Adare = fled from Adare, Ireland to Scotland. Changed surname to Adair. Captured Dunskey Castle from the local governor for the king. Md Arabella Campbell, daughter of the Lord of Argyll.
  2. Niegel Adair (1392-1475)= (Scotland)

French Royal Ancestry: Adair /Butler /Ormond[]

  • Research more above?
  1. Pepin of Herstal (635-714)
  2. Charles Martel (686-741)
  3. Pepin the Short (714-768)
  4. Charlemagne (747-814)
  5. Louis the Pious (778-840)
  6. Charles the Bald (823-877)
  7. Rothilde (871-929)
  8. Richilde du Maine (892-922)
  9. Gerlotte de Blois (910-c957)
  10. Anslech de Bricquebec (927-974)
  11. Eremburge de Bricquebec (945-c992)
  12. Thorold de Pont-Audemer (970-1042)
  13. Josceline Torfulus de Pont-Audemer (1000-1068)
  14. Roger I de Montgommery (1020-1094) = Battle of Hastings ??
  15. Arnulf of Montgomery (c1068-c1120)
  16. Alice of Montgomery (c1120-aft1175)
  17. Gerald FitzMaurice (c1150-bef1204)
  18. Maurice FitzGerald (1194-1257)
  19. Thomas FitzGerald (c1242-1271)
  20. John FitzGerald (c1250-1316)
  21. Joan FitzGerald (c1282-c1320)
  22. James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde (c1305-1337)
  23. James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormonde (1331-1382)
  24. Elinor Butler, Ormond/Hereford nobility) (Ireland) (See #10 of FitzGerald)
  25. Robert FitzGerald (1366-1445) of Adare = fled from Adare, Ireland to Scotland. Changed surname to Adair.


Irish Heritage[]

English Heritage[]

Danish Heritage[]

Other Early European Heritage[]

Adair of Wigtownshire: First Generations[]

Cherokee Adairs of Kilhilt Tower[]

In about 1642, the Adairs were part of a colony transplant from Scotland to County Antrim in Ireland and the establishment of the Greater Presbyterian Church, in rebellion to the authority of the official Anglican Church. Bold equals full profile completed.

# Name Birth Death occupation ancestry
01 Robert FitzGerald of Adare
Very First Adair
1366, Adare, County Limerick, Ireland 1445, Dunskey Castle, Wigtownshire, Scotland fled from Castle Adare to Scotland after the killing of the White Knight. Changed surname to Adair. Captured Dunskey Castle from the local governor for the Scottish king. Arabella Campbell (1370-1450), daughter of the Lord of Argyll.
See Royal Ancestry above.
02 Niegel Adair
AKA: Neil of Portrie
1392, Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1475, Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland
03 William Adair 1418, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1485, Wigtownshire, Scotland
04 Alexander Adair 1445, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1513, Northumberland, England Killed in the catastrophic Battle of Flodden (1513), Scottish invasion of Northern England. Md Euphemia Stewart (1454-1525), a descendant of the royal Stewart Family.
05 Ninian Adair 1470, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1525, , Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland
06 William Adair 1500, , Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1575, , Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland md Helen Kennedy, daughter of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis (1485-1527) of Scottish Peerage and ggg-son of King Robert III of Scotland (1337-1406) and Scottish Royalty. (See below)
07 Ninian Adair 1531, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1608, Castle of St John, Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Scotland Sold off Dunskey Castle to purchase lands of Ballymena Estate in Ireland
Builder of Castle of St John c. 1510.
08 William Adair 1565, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1626, Ballymena Castle, County Antrim, Ireland Circa. 1580, William sails from Scotland to Northern Ireland. Traded Dunskey Estate for Ballymena Estate to settle debts.
1626 Receives Ballymena from King Charles I of England (1600-1649) for his patrimony.
md Helen Kennedy (1507-1572) of Kennedy Family and Campbell Family of Scottish nobility.
09 Rev. John Adair of Genoch House 1598, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1675 While father migrated to Ireland, John stayed as a Episcopalian minister in Scotland where his young son Patrick went to school. John's older brother inherits Ballymena and begins building castle there.
See Below: Ballymena Family Line
Married to Helen Cathcart (1590-1640) of the Cathcart Family of Scottish Nobility.
10 Rev. Patrick Cathcart Adair 1625, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1604, Belfast, Ireland was Episcopalian until a religious revolution caused him to change to one of the founding fathers of the Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland. His service covered some 28 years at Cairncastle, County Antrim before he was removed to Belfast where he led the church there for another 20 years to his death. Ulster Plantation.
11 Alexander Adiar 1652, County Antrim, Ireland 1715, County Antrim, Ireland
12 Thomas Adair 1680, County Antrim, Ireland c1740, Pennsylvania Immigrant to America with 3 sons; James, Joseph and William
13 James Adair 1714, County Antrim, Ireland 1796, South Carolina Great Indian historian Forefather of Cherokee Adairs
Md into Choctow Tribe.
See Also James Adair in the Ninety-Six District
14A John Adair (1754-1815) 1754, Chickasaw Nation 1815, Oconee County, South Carolina Cherokee chieftan, founder of Adairsville, Georgia, originally a Cherokee village. md. Nancy Ga-Ho-Ga Lightfoot (1760-1789) of the Cherokee Nation.
15A Walter Washington Adair (1783-1835)
AKA: "Black Watt"
1783, Adairsville, Bartow County, Georgia 1835, Adairsville, Bartow County, Georgia
16A George Washington Adair (1806-1862) 1806, DeKalb County, Georgia 1862, Cherokee Nation Cherokee Tribal Chieftan
Signatory of 1835 New Echota Treaty
17A William Penn Adair (1830-1880) 1830, Gordon County, Georgia 1880, Washington, D.C. Cherokee tribal leader and Confederate Cavalry office in the American Civil War, namesake of Will Rogers.

More Adair Family Lines[]

Adairs of the Mississippi Saints[]

This is my personal connection (User:MainTour) to the Adair Family and the Mississippi Saints 1846 Pioneer Company who joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

# Name Birth Death occupation ancestry
13 James Adair 1714, County Antrim, Ireland 1796, South Carolina Great Indian historian Forefather of Cherokee Adairs
Md into Choctow Tribe. All children are 50% Native American.
See Also James Adair in the Ninety-Six District
See Line 13 of the Wigtownshire Adairs.
14B Joseph Adair 1745, Chickasaw Nation 1820, Laurens County, South Carolina
15B Thomas Adair 1774, 1858 His wife and many children joined they original branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in upstate Mississippi and they followed Brigham Young (1801-1877) and the Mormon pioneers west to Utah, while Thomas stayed behind by himself.
16B Margaret Ann Adair Richey 1804, Laurens County, South Carolina 1852, Sanpete County, Utah Early Mormon Pioneer to Utah Md William Richey (1796-1879) - missionary to the Cherokee Indians
Brother John Wesley Adair (1820-1903), veteran of Mormon Battalion,
17B James Richey 1821, Pickens County, Alabama 1890, McKinley County, New Mexico Listed on Adair Spring Monument in Washington County, Utah alongside several Adair Family cousins. Md Lucinda Mangum
18B James Moroni Richey (1848-1930) md Mary Ann Chapman (1872-1973), centenarian.
19B Leigh Montrose Richey (1902-1989)
20B Ramona Bethene Richey (1930-2012)
21B Bryce Hall (1962) (aka: User:MainTour)


Adairs of Dunskey Castle[]

In about 1642, the Adairs were part of a colony transplant from Scotland to County Antrim in Ireland and the establishment of the Greater Presbyterian Church, in rebellion to the authority of the official Anglican Church. Bold equals full profile completed.

# Name Birth Death occupation ancestry
01 Robert FitzGerald of Adare
Very First Adair
1366, Adare, County Limerick, Ireland 1445, Dunskey Castle, Wigtownshire, Scotland fled from Castle Adare to Scotland after the killing of the White Knight. Changed surname to Adair. Captured Dunskey Castle from the local governor for the Scottish king. Arabella Campbell (1370-1450), daughter of the Lord of Argyll.
See Royal Ancestry above.
02 Robert Adair of Kilhilt ???, Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland ???, Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland

Adairs of Ballymena Castle[]

This family line descent includes the Adair Baronets whose family owned Ballymena Castle in County Antrim for many years.

Bold equals full profile completed.

# Name Birth Death occupation ancestry
01 Robert FitzGerald of Adare
Very First Adair
1366, Adare, County Limerick, Ireland 1445, Dunskey Castle, Wigtownshire, Scotland fled from Castle Adare to Scotland after the killing of the White Knight. Changed surname to Adair. Captured Dunskey Castle from the local governor for the Scottish king. Arabella Campbell (1370-1450), daughter of the Lord of Argyll.
See Royal Ancestry above.
02 Niegel Adair
AKA: Neil of Portrie
1392, Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1475, Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland
03 William Adair 1418, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1485, Wigtownshire, Scotland
04 Alexander Adair 1445, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1513, Northumberland, England Killed in the catastrophic Battle of Flodden (1513), Scottish invasion of Northern England. Md Euphemia Stewart (1454-1525), a descendant of the royal Stewart Family.
05 Ninian Adair 1470, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1525, , Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland
06 William Adair 1500, , Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1575, , Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland md Helen Kennedy, daughter of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis (1485-1527) of Scottish Peerage and ggg-son of King Robert III of Scotland (1337-1406) and Scottish Royalty. (See below)
07 Ninian Adair 1531, Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1608, Castle of St John, Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Scotland Sold off Dunskey Castle to purchase lands of Ballymena Estate in Ireland
Builder of Castle of St John c. 1510.
08 William Adair 1565, Wigtownshire, Scotland 1626, Ballymena Castle, County Antrim, Ireland Circa. 1580, William sails from Scotland to Northern Ireland. Traded Dunskey Estate for Ballymena Estate to settle debts.
1626 Receives Ballymena from King Charles I of England (1600-1649) for his patrimony.
md Helen Kennedy (1507-1572) of Kennedy Family and Campbell Family of Scottish nobility.
09 Robert Beatty Adair 1583 1655 1st Granted major landholdings at Ballymena in 1626 by King Charles I of England. Robert begins construction of Ballymena Castle.
10 William Adair 1624 1661
11 Robert Adair 1659 1745
12 William Robert Adair 1690 1762
13 William Robert Adair 1728 1798, Ballymena, County Antrim
14 William "Hugh" Adair 1754 1844
Add to Ballymena estates with purchase of Heatherton Park and Colehayes Park.
15 Robert Shafto Adair
1st Baronet Adair
1786, Ballymena, County Antrim 1869, Inherits Ballymena Castle and Flixton Hall from his father
16 Hugh Edward Adair
3rd Baronet Adair
1815, Suffolk, England 1902, Kent, England Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim
1865 his older brother, 2nd Baronet, makes extensive improvements to Ballymena Castle.
Hugh's family primary residence is Flixton Hall.
17 Robert Shafto Adair
5th Baronet Adair
1862, England 1949, England Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim
18 Maj. Gen. Allan Adair
6th Baronet Adair
1897, London, England 1988, England Officer in British Army in World War II Last of the Adair Baronets.
His son died in the same war.
1957 Sold and demolished Ballymena Castle.


African-American Adairs[]

The Adair Family lines of African-American ancestry can probably trace their genealogy to the slave holder Adair Families of The Cherokee Ancestry as well as the American South in general. In many cases slaves adopted those family surnames.

Prominent individuals include:

  • Benjamin Frank Adair (1852-1902) - African American politician from Arkansas
  • Christia V. Daniels Adair (1893–1989) = African-American suffragist and civil rights worker


References[]

  1. ^ FitzGerald Dynasty - Wikipedia
  2. ^ History of the FitzGerald Family - IrishCentral.com
  3. ^ Annals of the Four Masters - CELT - Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition - University College Cork
  4. ^ Ulster Scots people - Wikipedia

See Also[]