mcnair, mcnear and mcneir genealogiesby james birtley mcnair

North Carolina Office of Archives and History

McNair, McNear and McNeir Genealogies by James Birtley McNairReview by: D. L. CorbittThe North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. 2, No. 1 (January, 1925), pp. 108-110Published by: North Carolina Office of Archives and HistoryStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23514416 .

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108 The North Carolina Historical Review

because the editor justly regards the Federal Constitution as the

logical completion of the Revolution. Fully five-sixths of the selec

tions are not to be found in other sourcebooks; and four are taken

from manuscripts: the royal instructions to colonial governors, 1774;

petitions of Massachusetts towns showing the background of Shay's

Rebellion, 1786; letters from the French charge d'affairs at New

York, 1786; and a letter from Gouverneur Morris to Washington, 1787.

A scholarly introduction serves as a guide to the documents and

analyzes the origin and certain phases of the revolutionary movement.

Of particular value is the discussion of the relations of the Western

problem to the imperial policy of England before the war and of

the United States after the achievement of independence. A. b. Newsome.

University of North Carolina.

McNair, McNear and McNeir Genealogies. By James Birtley McNair.

(Published by the author. Composed and printed by The University of Chicago Press 1923. pp. 315).

Legendary material, which is used as a source from which sprang the McNair, McNear and MclSTeir scions who are now living in

Scotland, Canada, and various states of the United States, is given first place in this book. The author states in the preface that the "leg ends show that the McNears are a division of the MacFarlane clan and that their home was on the borders of Loch Lomond, Scotland. It is also shown that the name Macnayr has been found on documents

as early as 1390 and that a coat-of-arms was given by King Robert

Bruce to a chieftain of the McNairs at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314."

After having given the legendary evidences of the line of descent, the derivation of the name, McNair, is given as taken from the Ety mological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language which was published by

Stirling in 1911. There is also included in the chapter on the orgin of the McNairs, a description of the coat-of-arms traditionally said to have been presented to the MclSTair clan in 1314.



Book Reviews 109

The author using this material as a background begins the actual

writing of the book by arranging the descendents nationally. The

McNairs of Scotland, Ireland and England are soon disposed of.

Then following these nations in which there are only a few des

cendents, the Canadian McNairs are traced through the years. But

the greatest number of these people lived in the United States

and in order to have the proper basis of procedure, the author uses

the census of the United States in 1790. From this list the heads

of the McNair families in the various states in the Union are obtained

and traced down to the present decade. Of the states of the United

States, Pennsylvania seems to have had more of the McNairs than

any other state, and North Carolina comes second. Other states of

the Union which have had and have McNairs and their descendents

are Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri,

Ohio, and South Carolina.

There are Portraits of a few of the most noted of the McNairs and

a brief sketch of their lives and achievements. Among these are

Evander McNair, Brigadier General in the army of the Confederate

States; Fred Walter McNair, President of Michigan College of

Mines; Alexander McNair, first Governor of Missouri; Frederick

Yallette McNair, Rear Admiral United States Navy; and William

Sharp McNair, Major General United States Army. There are very

brief sketches of other prominent McNairs whose portraits are not

included.

In some instances only parts of the names are given. This was

supposedly from insufficient data. There are a few errors in the

book in the chronology of events, which will probably be eliminated in

the second edition. The author expressed hope that a second edition

will be printed for he said in the preface, "It is hoped that a later

edition can be printed which will contain more information about

the McNairs and McNair genealogies." This book, as all books on genealogies, is useful specifically to the

descendents whose ancestors form the subject. It might be used

advantageously by those who are interested in the different lines of

descent of the clan, as it will eliminate some of the labor and re

search. But even in that case the researcher or seeker would have to



110 The North Carolina Historical Review

go to the original material to gather information about the public services of the ancestors along the line, except in the cases of those

mentioned above. The usefulness of the book is increased by a

good index.

Raleigh, N. C.

D. L. COEBITT.



mcnair, mcnear and mcneir genealogiesby james birtley mcnair

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