Joseph Adair : Short Biography

No legible entry was found for the baptism of Joseph Adair in the First Dromara Presbyterian Church register. Some of his siblings were found in the register. From his tombstone in Avondale Cemetery, Stratford, Ontario, we can say he was born in 1809. This birth occurred in Gransha Townland, Dromara Parish, County Down, Ireland. His Father is John Adair, whose baptism is in the register as 1765 "Samuel Adair Mary McClughan had a male child born August ye 14 baptised ye 18 called John". John also migrated to Canada, and died in 1850 or 1851. The precise date of death is not known as someone put reinforcement bars into the memorial stone in Ingersoll, which destroyed it with the elements. His Mother is Jane Rankin whose baptism is in the register under Renkin in 1775 "John Renkin & Mary Wilson had a female child born March 13, baptised 19 called Jane".

The house was on the East side of Gransha Road, a short distance south of Grove Road. At one point, the farm touched Slievenaboly Road.

In 1827, Joseph Adair initially migrated to Bertie Township, which was later (1967) merged with Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. The Coulter family migrated with the Adair family and had attended the same church in Ireland. In Bertie, Joseph married Mary Eliza Coulter, though that register was destroyed in an 1835 fire. Mary's baptism is in the Dromara register 1814 as "Samuel Coulter & Sarah Livingston had a female born May 23rd baptised 30th called Mary". Mary Eliza's birth is often conflated with her sister, Elizabeth Ellen in 1817. In 1839 or 1840, Joseph and family leased to buy land from the Canada Company in the Gore of Downie, Perth County, Upper Canada.