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Name: Wiley BLAIR
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Birth: 19 Feb 1813 Loudon Co. TN
Death: 2 Aug 1854 Loudon Co. TN
Burial: Steekee Cemetery, Loudon Co TN
Cause of death: cholera
Father: James BLAIR
(1777-1826)
Mother: Jane (Jenny)
CARMICHAEL (1775-1841)
Marriage: 30 Mar 1843 Roane Co. Tennessee
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Spouse: Mary M. JOHNSTON
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Birth: 10 Jun 1821
Death: 14 Dec 1863
Burial: Steekee Cemetery, Loudon Co TN
Father: James JOHNSTON
Children:
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1 M: James Madison BLAIR
Birth: 17 Jan 1844 Loudon Co. TN
Death: 25 Nov 1920 Loudon Co. Tennessee
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2 F: Laura
Isabella Jane BLAIR
Birth: 30 Mar 1846
Death: 15 Nov 1913 Loudon Co. Tennessee
Spouse: William
Riley BLAIR
Marriage: 24 Feb 1881 Loudon Co. Tennessee
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3 M: William
Wiley BLAIR
Birth: 14 Jan 1851
Death: 5 Jan 1925 Loudon Co. Tennessee
Spouse: Mary
Frankie BROWDER
Marriage: 24 Feb 1881 Loudon Co. Tennessee
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4 F: Rachel Elizabeth C. BLAIR
Birth: 20 Oct 1848
Death: 24 Aug 1862 Loudon Co. Tennessee
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5 M: Hugh
Ebenezer Franklin BLAIR
Birth: 6 Mar 1854 Loudon Co. Tennessee
Death: 27 Feb 1916 Loudon Co. Tennessee
Spouse: Martha
Kate (Katie) ELDRIDGE
Marriage: 20 Nov 1879 Loudon Co. Tennessee
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6 F: Mary J BLAIR
Birth: 1847
Death: bef 1860
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Notes for Wiley BLAIR
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1840 Federal Census Index BLAIR WILEY Roane County
TN 049 No Township Listed
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1850 Census Roane Co. TN 512 -711
Wiley 38, Mary 26, James M. 6, Mary J. 3, Rachel
C. 2, William Thompson 38, J. Rufus Smyth 26
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Transcribed from the Loudon Heritage Book,
pp104-105
WILEY BLAIR
1813-1854
Wiley Blair was the great grandson of Hugh Blair
who immigrated to America from Scotland by way of Northern Ireland in the
year of 1746. Wiley's grandfather, John Blair, moved across the mountains
to Washington County, North Carolina (now Tennessee) from Guilford County,
North Carolina about 1780. John's son James along with several brothers,
settled on land on the north side of the Tennessee River that is now the
Blair Bend Industrial Park, about 1795. Here, Wiley Blair, the youngest
son of James Blair and Jane(Jenny) Carmichael was born in 1813. Prior to
his death in 1826, James Blair purchased several hundred additional acres
of land on the south side of the river from Pathkiller, a Cherokee Indian.
This is the land where the town of Loudon is now situated. During
this period, James established a ferry across the Tennessee River, which
gave the name of "Blairs Ferry" to the early settlement. This ferry
continued in operation under the ownership of Wiley Blair's descendants
until 1946. In his will, James left this land to Wiley on the condition
that a lawsuit with the Pathkiller family should be settled giving clear
title to the land. After years of litigation, the Tennessee Supreme
Court found in favor of James Blair's Estate. In 1850 Wiley had some
of this land surveyed and laid off a town site, naming it Blairsville.
However, lot sales were slow so a year or so later, Wiley sold much of
his interest in the town to other developers, and this enterprise evolved
into the present town of Loudon. At the time of his death in the cholera
epidemic of 1854, Wiley had become relatively prosperous and had begun
to build a "summer" home for his family on his land north of the river.
Construction was interrupted because of his sudden death and the home was
not completed until 1857 under the supervision of his widow, Mary M. Johnston
Blair. This house still stands on Highway 11 between Loudon and Lenoir
City, in the account of Wiley's death, the Loudon Free Press stated that;
among his other accomplishments, Wiley was the
largest contributor to the construction of the Loudon Cumberland Presbyterian
Church and was one of the men who gave the lot for the M.E. Church South
in Loudon, Tennessee.
In 1862 during the Civil War, Rachel, a sixteen
year old daughter of Wiley died after contracting a disease while helping
to care for sick and wounded Confederate soldiers in Wiley's home, Colonel
Fain, commanding a Georgia regiment occupying Loudon, dispatched a letter
to her mother, Mary offering condolences and proposing the attendance of
his regiment at the funeral in gratitude for Rachel's kindness in caring
for the sick men. Rachael was buried in the Old Steekee Cemetery
in Loudon. Mary, Wiley's wife, died on December 14, 1863 shortly after
Civil War skirmishing had erupted around their home. Wiley and Mary
are buried side by side in the Old Steekee Cemetery in Loudon. As of 1998
there were 156 descendants of Wiley with 121 of them still alive and living
in four different states. However, over fifty percent of the 121
still live in Loudon County. After the death of their parents, the
four surviving children of Wiley and Mary continued to hold the land north
of the river despite the fact that the oldest was only 18 years old and
the turmoil of the war and reconstruction surrounded them. Also much
of the farm property, fences, and buildings had been damaged or destroyed
by Federal troops who occupied the property for some 18 months. Several
acres of this original possession of his descendants with the Sugar limb
Industrial Park occupying the remainder.
Submitted by, Martha Weaver Malloy, 7866 E.
Lee Hwy., Loudon, TN 37774
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TRANSCRIBED FROM MICROFILM, 1048 THE BLAIR-JOHNSON
PAPERS, ON FILE AT THE TENNESSEE ARCHIVES. - Transcribed by Jane Douglas
THE WILEY BLAIR HOME Location: On highway 11 halfway
between Lenoir City and Loudon
The country home was built by the widow of Wiley
Blair in 1857. Mr. Blair was the son of James Blair, who owned 640
acres on the present site of Loudon, as well as several hundred acres on
the opposite side of the river. James Blair and his family operated
a ferry for several generations and gave the town its first name of Blairsville.
He gave to his son, Wiley, a considerable amount of land on both sides
of the river. Wiley had both a town house and a country house - the
town house, which burned shortly after the Civil War, being at the present
site of 800 Atlanta Avenue, now occupied by Mrs. O. V. Harrison.
In addition, Wiley Blair planned the country home, but before construction
began he died during a cholera epidemic in 1845. His wife, Mary Johnston
Blair, had the house completed in 1857. Alexander McInturff was the contractor
of this spacious home, and he gave great attention to details. All
bricks for the foundation and chimneys were hand made by slave labor; the
remainder of the house is built of heart-of-pine brought from Georgia.
The front of the house originally faced the river for the highway was on
that side. However the highway changed so the present owner remodeled
extensively in 1935 adding the high porch and columns to face the new road.
During the civil war because it was unsafe for the Blairs to stay in the
country house, they moved to their town house. Union troops invaded
the country home and used it for headquarters and a hospital. It
is evident that some skirmishes took place around the grounds. Cannon
balls and Minie balls have been found and parts of three earthen fortresses
remain today. Since the house faced the river, a beautiful
grove of trees extended in that direction. During the war, Longstreet
crossed nearby with his Southern Army, and Union forces cut the grove to
fall like matchsticks in disarray to slow his progress. The house and land
have never been owned outside the Blair family. Its present occupants
are Mrs. Laura Blair Vance, Miss Kate Blair and Mr. Albert Blair.
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Roane County Chancery Book:18241845 The following
genealogical gleanings were abstracted by the late Willis Hutcherson and
Marilyn McCluen and appeared in the old Roane County Historical Society
newsletter in the 1970s.
Volume 5 Issue 5, May 1974
Jane BLAIR complains and Wiley BLAIR complains
by his next
friend he being under 21, all of Roane County.
In 1820, Charles
McCLUNG bought at the sale of the land in Hiwassee
District, at
Knoxville, 31 1/2, 159 1/2, and 80 acres which
he assigned to James
BLAIR in the same year and BLAIR received grants
from the State of
Tennessee. James BLAIR took possession in 1821
and died on the
land 6 Nov 1826. He left a will wherein Jane BLAIR
was given an
interest for a limited time and the land itself
to Wiley BLAIR. A certain
Indian called PATH KILLER claimed the land as
part of a life estate
reservation by him taken under treaties of 1817
and 1819 between
the U.S. and Cherokee Nation. William GARDENHIRE
claimed an
interest in PATH KILLER'S reservation. PATH KILLER
moved to the
body of the Cherokee Nation of Indians east of
Mississippi. Pleasant
M. MILLER was PATH KILLER'S attorney. May Term
1832. pp
647-658.
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Several historical homes, once owned by members
of the Blair Family, are still standing today. They are the John Blair
House (1838), William Blair House (ca. 1845), Wiley Blair House (1857,
build by his widow Mary Johnson Blair), and Hugh Blair House (1864).
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