George Washington ADAIR

                   History of George Washington Adiar who came to Utah in 1847.   Filed with Wandamere Camp by Pioneer Florence Ellen Fowler Adair April 1938.   George Washington Adair was born March 18,1818 in Alabama. His father was Thomas Adair. He was familiar with the early persectuions of the church. He joined the Saints in their journeys to the mountains and was given the job of driver of one of the teams in Ira Eldredge's Company. George was a very large man, being very powerful. He was a man you could depend on. In traveling across the country they stopped to make camp one night where some of the other saints were camped and around the camp fire he met a young lady by the name of Miriam Billingsly. They saw a great deal of each other int he weeks following and fell in love with each other. Soemtime later they were married a t Mt. Pisga. The wedding took place on one of the camp wagons with one of the eldres presiding. Their progress across the plains were very slow, finally arriving in Salt Lake City in September of 1847 with a very small baby. They named this little girl after her grandmother Emiline Northcott. Their first wingter was spent ina little log cabin on thenorth side of Pioneer square. The roof of this house was made of dirt and at times leaked so badly that when it rained hard Miriam would have to hold quilt over the baby to keep it dry. George would shove dirt onto the roof between each storm in order to try adn keep the house comfortable. They had very little money to do with and his great anxiety to have work was the reason for their moving out to Sugar House to live, as he could get work in the saw mill. They lived on the north side of 21st south in a dug out in the side of a hill. They were a long way from neighbors. AT this time all tof the saitns wer ehaving a very hard time to get enough food and when their crops were ready the crickets were so bad they had to fight to save enough to live on and many tiems were compelled to live on sego r oots and pig weed roots adn many other kinds of roots. The walked in to Salt Lake City to attend church in the Old Bowery, whent he weather was good enough. One time when they had gone to church someone left them a plate full of slides of gbread spread with butter and as they were very hungry and had so little on hand to eat they enjoyed this very much. They never did find out who their benefactor was, but felt that the great giver of all good had indeed blessed themn. Sometimes when Miriam would get so hungry she felt she could not stand it any longer she would go to her chest and take a bit and chew and chew and this would seem to help. They lived in Salt Lake iuntil after their second child was born and they were called on to part iwth both of their little girls. This was very hard for them. When the saints were movingto the southern part of the state they decided to go to Dixie and live and they had been advised by Brigham Young to go there and take up the cultivation of cotton. They prepared to make the trip and traveled as far as Provo and sotped to earn msome more supplies. While there they met some very dear friends, that they hnad known before and non other than Geroge Albert Smith and family, who asked them to stay a few weeks with them, they did and helped gather leaves for sugar. They gathered the leaves and washed them in tubs of water and then boiled the water down until they gathered 50 lbs of sugar eand enough syrup for winter use. Thjey went on to Dixie to live and bought them a farm and her George spent his time farming, raising cotton and raising sheep and cattle. He also went to the mountains to haul wood. He made all of their furniture. He also made Miriam a loom as his wife understood how to make clothing and in fact made everyting they wore. She was a very beautiful seamstress. Later they moved to Minersville so he could get work adn they lived in a house built of cedar logs. Here they had a few chickens and sheep. His son Jedediah was two years old when they made a trip from Minersville to Dixie in a wagon. his mother would often drive over to see he
r husband and take the children along. On one of these trips he remembers that the molasses got spilled all over the bedding in the wagon and what a trerrible time she had to clean it up. Wherever they lived George Adair farmed and worked in the saw mills and hauled wood from the mountains. he always tried to make a comfotable home for them and the spirit in their home was veyr beautiful, they were nev er blessed with very mucht o do with. They were fiathful Latter Day Saints living their religion and doing all the good they could. He was the father of 11 children and after the deaeth of two of thier own children, took the grand children into their home and raised them as their own. They lived in Orderville and lived in the United Order in 1876. He did a great deal of temple work in his later life and came up from Orderville in July 1877 to the Juibleee and marched int he parade at the enveiling of the Brigham Young Monument. One of his daughters was Count Queen and it was her lot to present the pioneers with their bades.   He died at Orderville in August 1897. The following March he would have been 80 years old. A pair of his hand made britches are now in the Relic Hall at Liberty Park. They were made from the Virgin wool and woven by his wife and sewed together by hand. Facts were furnished by his Jedediah Adiar and wife Florence Ellen fowler Adair and presented; to the Wandamere Camp.