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Notes for John Francis Cheairs

War of 1812 Service Records
Name: John Chairs
Company: Lieut. Col. Dodge's Command Missouri Militia
Rank - Induction: Private
Rank - Discharge: Private
Roll Box: 37
Roll Exct: 602
[Index to the Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812, ancestry.com database. Not found in the Missouri State Archives database.]

Early Settlements of Pike County, Arkansas
Little Missouri and Wolf Creek Settlements
... Others of the Samuel Bittick family (or) closely related to them in Clark and Pike county, Arkansas were Elinor Bittick the wife of John Cheairs, Robert Bittick, Jonathan A. Bittick husband of Jinsy Butler and Lucinda Bittick who married Alexander B. Caruthers. Jonathan A. Bittick left Arkansas and moved to Shelby County, Texas in 1830. John Cheairs moved to Hempstead County, Arkansas and later entered Texas by 1835.
[The Gems of Pike County Arkansas, Vol. IV, No. 4, Fall 1993, p4-54]

1825 Militia of Arkansas Territory
Clark, Hempstead and Miller County
First Regiment, Clark County
John Cheairs
Rank: Ensign
Commission Date: 20 April 1824
[The Gems of Pike County Arkansas, Vol. VII, No. 2, Spring 1996, p7-56]

1830 Hempstead Co, Territory of Arkansas, p133:
John Chairs - 1212010001/113101
1m -5 c1825-30 - Jonathan M. c1828
2m 5-10 c1820-25 - Elijah c1820
- Francis c1823
1m 10-15 c1815-20 - William H. c1816
2m 15-20 c1810-15 - John Francis Jr c1812 [son of Elizabeth Bugg]
- Samuel A. c1814
1m 30-40 c1790-1800 - John Francis Sr c1788-89
1m 70-80 c1750-60 - Elijah Cheairs?
1f -5 c1825-30 - Sarah c1827
1f 5-10 c1820-25 - Melinda c1823
3f 10-15 c1815-20 - Margaret Rebecca c1818
- Mary Ann c1819
- unknown
1f 15-20 c1810-15 - unknown
1f 30-40 c1790-1800 - Elenor Bittick b1792

1835 - John Cheairs arrived in Texas

Character Certificate
No. 3028 Nacogdoches May 25, 1835
No. 18. John Cheairs native USA family of three persons... John Cheairs.
[Character Certificates in the General Land Office of Texas, p226, edited by Gifford Whie, from the files of the General Land Office, Austin, Texas, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. courtesy of Sandra Perry]

Index to Military Records of the Republic of Texas 1835-1845:
Chains, Jno. F. - Haydon Arnold
Chairs (Chains), Jno F. - Haydon Arnold
Chairs, John F. - Haydon Arnold
Arnold Haydon, 1st Company, 2nd Regiment Texas Volunteers, San Jacinto List, Col. Sidney Sherman Command, April 21, 1836

Chairs, John F. - Elisha Clapp
Elisha Clapp, Company of Mounted Rangers from Mustang Prairie, term 3 months, enlistment Sep 10, 1836 - Dec 10, 1836.

Chairs, Samuel - Henry Reed
Chairs, William - Henry Reed
Henry Reed, Company of San Augustine Volunteers, term 3 months, enlistment June 4, 1836 - June 6, 1838, Dep. Colorado, New Years Creek, Mill Creek.

1837 - 22 April 1837 - Signed petition for the 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas creating Houston County.
William Cheairs
John Cheairs
John F. Cheairs
Elijah Cheairs
Frances Cheairs
Approved 12 June 1837.
[The History of Houston County Texas by Armistead Albert Aldrich, pub 1943, The Naylor Company, Publishers, San Antonio, Texas, p8. courtesy of Sandra Perry]

1838 Houston Co, Republic of Texas Tax Roll
Chears, Sam'l
Chins [Chears?], Jno
Moncrief, Jno (right after Chins) md a dau of John F. Cheairs

1840 Houston Co, Republic of Texas Tax List
John Cheirs - no acregea listed - $2.58
Samuel Cheirs - no acreage listed - $2.12

1846 Houston Co, Republic of Texas Poll Tax
Chairs, Elijah
Chairs, John
Chairs, Samuel
Moncrief, John A.
Ramsdale, G. L.
Ramsdale, John F.

1840-49 Tax List of Nacogdoches Co, Texas, no page number - haven't found this tax list online. I don't think he was in Nacogdoches County since he is shown on several Houston County lists.

1850 Houston Co, Texas 11 December 1850, p188b:
#671/671 John Cheairs 69 m w farmer $250 Tn
Eli M. 19 m w Ar
Andrew 17 m w Tx
Elenor 58 m w can't read/write NC
Elvina 19 Tx - Houston Co
*Adeline 11 Tx - Houston Co
*Susan 9 Tx - Houston Co
*Green 7 Tx - Houston Co
*Lemuel [Samuel] 5 Tx - Houston Co
*Children of Samuel A. & Lucinda Votaw Cheairs who both died before 1850.

John F. Cheairs
He came to Texas in 1833, as is shown in the Headright Certificate issued to him March 15, 1838, for one-third of a league of land by the Houston County Board. In Service Record No. 1841 it is certified that Mr. Cheairs served in Captain Hayden Arnold's company from March 10 to June 6, 1836. On January 15, 1841, he was issued Bounty Certificate No. 9740 for 320 acres of land for having served in the army for the term stated above. Although a member of Captain Arnold's company, he was attached to Captain McIntire's company on April 21st.

Pursuant to an act of the Legislature approved August 15, 1856, a Donation Certificate for 640 acres of land was issued to the heirs of mr. Cheairs for his having participated in the battle of San Jacinto.
[Veteran Biographies, San Jacinto Museum of History. www.sanjacinto- museum.org/Hertzstein_Library/Veteran_Biographies]

Roster of the Texas Army:
Cheairs (Chevis/Chairs) John F. (John, the 1st)
Cheevers (Chevis/Chevers) John (John, the 2nd)
[http://earlytexashistory.com]

Land:
Texas Revolution, March 6 & 7, 1836 - 320 acres
Battle of San Jacinto - 1856 - 640 acres
Jasper Co, Texas - 1846 - 320 acres - see Texas Land Abstract
Jack Co, Texas - 27 July 1867 - 320 acres - see Texas Land Abstract

Deeds:
Houston Co, Texas
Deek Book 5, p43:
30 August 1850 - sale of land. Sale took place on 25 April 1859. It was sold by William Albright, administrator of John and Elenor Cheair's estate. Sold to John F. Ramsdale. [son-in-law]

Texas Land Title Abstracts:

Grantee: Francis Chearis
Certificate: 75
Patentee: Francis Cheairs
Patent Date: 10 February 1846
Acres: 320
District: Houston; Liberty
County: Polk
File: 80
Abstract #: 195
Patent #: 541
Patent Volume: 1
Class: Hous. 3rd.
District Class: Fannin Donation

Grantee: John F. Cheairs, dec'd
Certificate: 4/41
Patentee: Heirs of John F. Cheairs
Patent Date: 27 July 1867
Acres: 320
District: Fannin
County: Jack
File: 1013
Patent #: 276
Abstract #: 150
Patent Volume: 3
Page: 404
Abstract: 150
Class: Fan. Don.

Grantee: John F. Cheairs
Certificate: 4/40
Patentee: Heirs of John F. Cheairs
Date of Patent: 2 January 1873
Acres: 1,113.74
District: Harrison; Panola
County: Panola
File: 148
Patent #: 165
Abstract #: 122
Patent Volume: 19
Class: Harr'n 1st.

Grantee: John F. Cheairs
Certificate: 20/178
Patentee: Heirs of John F. Cheairs
Patent Date: 30 September 1875
Acres: 2015.64
District: Harrison; Panola
County: Panola
File: 208
Patent #: 297
Abstract #: 125
Patent Volume: 21
Class: Harr'n 1st.
[http://wwwdb.glo.state.tx.us/central/LandGrants/LandGrantsWorklist.cfm]

John Francis Cheairs

In 1816 John Cheairs and his bride of four years Eleanor (Biddix) [Bittick] moved from Central Tennessee to the town of Washington in the present day Hempstead County Arkansas. They traveled by keel boat up the Mississippi and ultimately the Red to Fulton. After this long trek they might have been content to stay there except that about 1830 the town of Washington became the headquarters of freebooters and others planning to liberate the State of Texas from Spain's Mexican Colony. Among those there at this time were Sam Houston and Jim Bowie. It must have been evident that such men would realize their dreams. The forbears of John Cheairs had been prominent in the development of the Eastern Shore of the Colony of Maryland when Jan de la Chere went there as a Huguenot refugee from France via England, changing his name enroute to John Cheairs. Jan's sons and grandsons had moved with the tide of America after the Revolution and had been early settlers in central North Carolina and later middle Tennessee. The cousins of John F. Cheairs were even then pioneering the settlement of Alabama and Mississippi and one would move on to northern Florida where upon his death he was judged to be the wealthiest man in the southeastern United States. Eleanor's Dutch ancestors had also infused her with the pioneer's vision and courage so, in 1832 John led his family and in-laws to the town of Nacogdoches on Spain's eastern frontier with France in America. He received Naturalization Certificate No. 782 and a league of land as a ‘stockraiser' with family.

Soon Mexico declared its independence from Spain and the die was cast for Texas to choose whether it would peacefully become a State in the Republic of Mexico or a Republic with ties with the United States. The leaders of the Mexican Government settled the issue by revoking many of the guarantees promised to immigrants by Spain. The rest is history. In the successful struggle for independence John and his three eldest sons were among Sam Houston's soldiers. John Jr. was with Houston at San Jacinto.

John Jr. remained in present day Angelina County were he and his wife, Bachruba Stanley, were to rear their family. The Cheairs and Stanley's among others moved to the new frontier of western Nacogdoches County at Mustang Prairie. In 1837 John, four of his sons and two son-in-law signed the petition which resulted in the creation of Houston County with its seat in a new town named, Crockett. John and two sons had town lots and John reportedly built the first frame house and one of the first mills. John and his son Samuel carefully bought and traded land and by 1840, he and Samuel were paying taxes on over 6,000 acres of titled land. The Cheairs home plantation was located on the Old Spanish Trail to San Antonio five miles west of Crockett where the family lived the comfortable but vigorous life of pioneer settlers. Then came Eleanor's death in 1851 followed by the Civil War so that by 1860 little was left of the Cheairs property or land which once numbered over 15,000 acres in east central Texas. Upon his death that year John left his estate to his son Jonathan because he had already provided for all the other children except Andrew Jackson who was being reared by his sister Elizabeth who had married George Ramsdale. Soon the decision was made by the Cheairs and Ramsdales to move to west central Texas leaving in Houston County only Eli M. Cheairs who had married Rachel M. Albright. Their descendants live some on land originally homesteaded by John F. Cheairs when he was a Spanish, Mexican, Texas and U.S. citizen, in Houston County.

The children of Eli Cheairs who stayed in Houston County and reared families were John E. who married Elizabeth Irwin; Susan who married a Boggs; William M. who married Mary Elizabeth Allee and George M. who married Viola Lott.

The children of John E. Who remained in the county were Alie who married Thomas W. LaRue; Eli Jackson who married Fannie F. Hirams; Mattie who married Lee Hirams; Nanny Lula who married Jep R. McDonald; Bertha M. Who married Frank M. Alford; Susan J. who married Guy Swearington; Mary Magdelene who married J.E. Womack and William Edward who married Lizzie Irvine.

Submitted by David C. Ellis in 1979. (David is a great-great-grandson of John F. Cheairs through his son Andrew Jackson, his son George Andrew Francis and his eldest daughter Viola Lillian.)
History of Houston County, Texas 1687-1979, compiled and edited History Book Committee of Houston County Historical Commission, Third Floor, Court House, Crockett, Texas. Heritage Publishing Company, Tulsa, Okla. Family #148, p293. [Courtesy of Sandra Perry and Lavinia Nance]

In June 1998 a reunion was held in Austonio, Texas for the Descendants of Jan DeLaChaire, the original immigrant from Rouen, France in 1666. There is a large plantation west of Crockett, Houston Co, Texas where Andrew Jackson Cheairs, son of John and Elizabeth Bittick, grew up. Don R. Cheairs is a great-grandson of Andrew Jackson and helped provide information on his family.
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