The John Washington Adair Family

In approximately 1895, John was among the early settlers of Pinetop in Arizona Territory. Family members recall that when John rode into Pinetop he had planned to spend the night and leave the next morning. He stayed, however, and met his future wife, Cynthia Jane Penrod. They were married in Kanab, Utah Territory. John was twenty years old and Cynthia only sixteen. They were endowed and sealed in the St. George Temple, on November 8, 1895, one year after their civil marriage. They made the trek on the "Honeymoon Trail" to be sealed in the temple.

John and Cynthia lived in Overton, Nevada for several months before they settled at what is referred to as the "ranch." It was located about four miles southwest of Pinetop on the old road to Lakeside. They lived there until Cynthia got scared to stay by herself while John was working in Whiteriver. John loaded and drove freight, such as food and grain, on wagon teams that carried the supplies from Whiteriver to Fort Apache and Holbrook three times per week. It was hard work because sometimes the wheels would get buried in snow and mud that required John to dig for hours to get them out.

When the children started school, they bought some property closer to town from David Israel Penrod, Cynthia's father. John owned about seventy-five acres of land in Pinetop, which included an area above the cemetery down close to the main road now known as White Mountain Boulevard. The acreage, where the Adair homes were located, included a beautiful meadow, an apple orchard, and a corn field that grew in the upper pasture. John also continued to operate the ninety acre ranch. He owned pigs, chickens, and cattle in his earlier ranching years. The branding symbol used on his cattle was Seven-A-Bar.

John was a generous man. It has been said that after he buried his baby daughter, Thelma Gladys, his friends and neighbors later asked if they could use the same area as a resting place for their loved ones. This area is the Pinetop Cemetery. To date, seventeen members of the Adair family are buried there. They are Thelma Gladys, John Robin Adair, Cynthia Elfreda Adair Stephens, Wilmer Robin Stephens, John Taylor Adair, Millie Louise Adair, Cleo Adair, Glenn Dayton Adair, Dolan Dean Daniel, Lloyd Edwin Adair, Leslie Ronald Adair, Clements David Adair, Cynthia Jane Penrod Adair, Lawrence Edward Adair, Delbert William Adair, John Washington Adair, and James Edward Adair. The graves are located near the center of the cemetery with a brick border and white chain surrounding them. The border was a family project with John's youngest child, Genevieve, participating.

Before John's grandson, Kenneth, married Della Allan, John offered his entire social security check to help her with attorney fees to keep her children. He strongly believed that they should not be taken away from their mother. His generous offer was appreciated, but declined.

John made a lasting impression upon his family. Once, Delbert, son of Leslie Ronald, stopped in Pinetop with his family on the way to a Lilly family reunion. While there, Delbert noticed that the street his grandfather lived on was not named Adair . He was very upset that it was not named after his grandfather because he had owned much of the land in the area. Adair Drive is a small road named after John, but it is not the road he actually lived on. It is across the street and adjacent to Charlie Clark's Steak House. Another road is Adair Springs Lane, which is located off Pinecrest Lane in Pinetop.

John was well known in the Pinetop-Lakeside area. He lived there for over fifty years. Many great things have been said about him. He was respected and looked up to by his family and the community. There was an article written about the early history and settling of Pinetop by Ralph Mahoney in the Arizona Days and Ways section of the Arizona Republic Newspaper on June 20, 1954. In the article the writer states "John Adair, 80, came to Pinetop from Kanab, Utah, at the age of 25.”

John was a friend, leader, organizer, Navajo County Deputy, and a rancher. He was also an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. John was baptized by Alex Pace and confirmed by Benjamin Noble. He was ordained an Elder by T.J. Jones. On October 28, 1920, he was ordained a Seventy by Melvin J. Ballard, former general authority of the LDS church. John baptized Lloyd Edwin, Leslie Ronald, Glenn Dayton, and Genevieve (Lakeside Ward Membership Records).

There are many fascinating stories about John. For instance, he ran a foot race every year on his birthday against an Indian Chief who had the same birthday. The explorer John Wesley Powell, for whom Lake Powell was named after, spent the night on John's family's property in Utah. In the early days, John rode a horse and buggy from Pinetop to Lakeside to go to church. He kept his horse hitched to a post in front of his house when he wasn't riding into town, The house did not have electricity until around 1937.

John had a team of horses named Prince and Tom. When they were gelded, the procedure caused Tom to almost bleed to death and go blind. Prince took care of Tom and practically acted as a seeing eye dog. When Prince died, Tom would not work with any other horse. Tom was hit by a car on the highway and had to be shot. Dell did not want to and asked his cousin, William (Bill) Fredrick Stephens to shoot him. Bill had ridden Tom many times and reluctantly agreed to do it. They got another work horse named Dick, and they also had a high spirited horse named Brownie.

As a county sheriff, John once tracked outlaws all the way to Colorado. His house at the ranch had portholes that held rifles for protection against the Indians. At the ranch, John held and may still hold the mineral rights for clay used to make pottery. He sold one of the plots in the upper pasture next to the forest line and southwest of the cemetery, which was referred to as Adair pasture, to buy a 1947 Chevrolet pickup.

Where the motel now sits on the corner of Penrod Lane and Fir Lane is where John's barn and corral were located.

John loved to whittle wood while visiting with family members. He liked to dance and went to the local dance hall on Wednesday and Saturday nights. He wore elastic garter bands on his arms to hold his shirt sleeves up.

John loved his grandchildren. Once Ina, daughter of Leslie Ronald, was fishing across the street from John's house. She jerked the pole back and got the fish hook caught inside her mouth. Soon after, John saw her and asked what had happened. He told her to wait so he could get his pliers. Ina did not know if he was serious or joking but did not wait to find out, and went home crying with the pole in her hands and the hook still in her mouth.

Doug, son of Leslie, had his ear partially bitten off by a dog. John shot and killed the dog and had it tested for rabies. He owned a 30-30 rifle. It was a birthday gift from his grandsons, Ed and Kenneth. They sold railroad ties to old man Yoder for ten cents a tie to purchase the rifle. Incidentally, old man Yoder may have owned the only gas station in Pinetop at the time. The tanks had a glass top, which made the gasoline visible.

John had to endure many hardships and trials. The most challenging being the deaths of eleven children and his beloved wife, Cynthia. The fifty-year-old home that he started building around 1908 and finished in 1910 for his family, was destroyed by fire in 1955, just two short years before his own death. He lost everything he owned and held dear including a large bible with family records and a pump organ. Today, the Community Presbyterian Church is now located where John's house used to stand. After the fire, he went to live in Holbrook with his daughter, Genevieve, until he passed away on April 18, 1957.

John and Cynthia raised a large family. They had twelve children: Olivia, Cynthia Elfreda, John Robin, Clements David, George Daniel, Lloyd Edwin, Delbert William, Thelma Gladys, Lawrence Edward, Leslie Ronald, Glenn Dayton, and Genevieve. Their life story can be read in the John Washington Adair family history book. Click the link below for public places you can see the John W. Adair Family History Book.

• Descendants of John W. Adair and Cynthia J. Penrod
• Life stories of and John's wife, and their children
• Family Reunion held July 18, 1998 at Show Low Park
• Family Reunion held July 19, 2008 at Woodland Park in Pinetop
• Pictures of John W. Adair
• History of Adair, Apache County, Arizona Territory
• Picture of the John W. Adair Cattle Brand
• Adair Coat of Arms
• Penrod Coat of Arms
• Life stories of John's parents and siblings
• Picture of George W. Adair, Emily P. Tyler and Family
• Memories of John and Cynthia's Home by Marceline Adair
• John W. Adair Family's Chronology of Events
• Picture of John W. Adair's Headstone
• Pinetop Cemetery
• John's Paternal Grandparents Samuel Jefferson Adair and Jemima Mangum
• John's Maternal Grandparents Daniel Tyler and Ruth Welton
• Public places to see the John W. Adair Family History Book
• Corrections to the John W. Adair Family History Book
• References for the John W. Adair Family History Book
• Descendants of John W. Adair in the U.S. Armed Forces
• John's Grandfather, Daniel Tyler and the Mormon Battalion
• Streets in Arizona with the Adair Surname
• Pictures from Seneca Pines Subdivision, the area where John's family lived
• Alphabetical listing of my ancestors on the internet

The homestead that John Adair once owned is gone, but their heritage will never be forgotten. On July 18, 1998, a monument was place in the Pinetop Cemetery in honor of John and Cynthia and other family members buried there. They will always be remembered.

The family history book of the John Washington Adair family was completed in 1998. The book is hard bound and includes stories of John, Cynthia, and their children. There are pictures past and present, including the Adair family reunion held in Pinetop on July 18, 1998. Every effort was made to include all of John and Cynthia's descendants in the book. There may be an updated book printed in the future.

To ensure the next update to The John W. Adair family history book is complete as possible please check the link at the top entitled "Descendants of John Washington Adair and Cynthia Jane Penrod." If you know of any family members that should be included, but are not, please let me know. This includes individuals that marry into our family.

If you have any questions please call me at 480-892-9257 or contact me at the e-mail address below.

Sincerely,

Delbert Adair Jr.

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