"Adair History and Genealogy." Compiled, Edited, Published by James Barnett
Adair, M.D.  Los Angeles, H.S.A., 1924.
 
GENERAL JOHN ADAIR OF ASTORIA

     John Adair, (3 Governor John, 2 William, 1 Thomas Adair), was born at White
Hall, Ky., Aug. 8th, 1808. He was the youngest child in a family of eleven
children, of Governor John Adair and Anna Palmer Adair, his wife. John Adair was
a small boy when his father was Governor of Kentucky.
     After he finished his education, he married, in 1834, Miss Mary Ann
Cockburn Dickerson, b Feb. 15th, 1816.
     He was naturally a pioneer and wanted to go West. After he was a grown man,
he tired of slavery and emancipated his negro slaves, moved to Indiana, and
settled on the Wabash near Terre Haute, with his family and some of his
emancipated slaves. This was in 1884. This proved to be an unhealthy climate and
he lost three of his children there, and he and his wife determined to move. At
this time, 1848, President Polk appointed him Collector of Customs at the port
of Astoria, Oregon. This occurred before the discovery of gold in California was
known on the Atlantic side of the country. So on the 18th of Dec. of that year
John Adair took his wife and six children aboard the steamer Falcon at New
Orleans, bound for Oregon, via the Isthmus of Panama. Before the boat sailed,
the news of the discovery of gold in California had spread over the country, so
the boat became crowded to the limit with passengers. Among the passengers was
Gen. Percifer F. F. Smith and his staff, including Gen. E. R. S. Canby. The
Falcon landed her passengers at Chagres, from which point they had to make their
way by canoes and mule-back across the isthmus to Panama. This journey was
particularly difficult and dangerous; the trails were almost impassable and the
cholera broke out among these six hundred passengers while they were making this
perilous journey. When they reached Panama they had to wait for the steamship
California to take them to San Francisco.
     The Adair's had six children, and while waiting, the old town of Panama was
filled to overflowing with Americans, who were wild to get on to the gold mines,
but many of this eager crowd yielded up their lives to cholera before getting
beyond Panama. At last, after nearly two months of weariness and expense, the
steamship California reached Panama, and Adair was, with great difficulty, able
to get his family aboard for San Francisco. Tickets were re-sold for as much as
fifteen hundred dollars. This Pioneer steamship reached San Francisco on Feb.
28th, 1849, having been 29 days out of Panama, out of fuel twice, on fire twice,
and poorly fitted at any time for the immense load of passengers.  Arriving in
San Francisco, the Golden City, Adair found everyone going, or wanting to go, to
the mines.  Many prominent men urged him to remain in San Francisco and report
back to Washington that a Collector of Customs was vastly more needed than such
an officer could be needed at Astoria; but Adair thought it clearly his duty to
push on to his destination.  He therefore set about getting transportation to
the mouth of the Columbia River.  After trying various vessels, he fortunately
met Capt. Nathaniel Crossby, an early Portlander, who was going to Oregon with
the little brig Valdora, and took passage on that.  The little vessel had been
28 days in making the trip, and her passengers were indeed glad to get ashore,
having served 24 days their turns at the pumps, in order to keep the Valdora
afloat.
     General John Adair was made welcome to his new home by the few white people
living there, and during the summer of '49 moved his family into their permanent
home.
     Adair was so successful as Collector of Customs, and his services were so
well appreciated by the authorities at Washington City, that he was continued in
office for twelve years, during the administrations of Polk, Taylor, Pierce and
Buchanan.
     Adair was a leading Democrat, yet no efforts of his opponents were
sufficient to have him removed as Collector of Customs at Astoria.  He retired
voluntarily at the end of President Buchanan's terms.  After his retirement from
the collectorship, he engaged in stock farming and other lines.  He was never a
military man, but was dubbed "General" in honor of his distinguished father, the
Governor of Kentucky.  General John Adair led a pure and upright life, and was
universally revered and respected accordingly.
     He died on the 9th of April, 1888, at his home in Astoria, age 80 years.

 
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in December 2010 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.