Biography of William Mathias Lair (1853-1921)

William Mathias Lair, a well known farmer of Kelly Township, is the son of William Lair, one of the earliest pioneers of Warren County. The senior Lair was born in Warren County, KY, April 3,1797. His father was German by birth and his mother was born in North Carolina. They were among the very first settlers in Warren Co., KY, and their son, the father of the gentleman who is represented in this sketch, was the first white child born there. He was reared to be a farmer, and passed the whole of his youth in his native county. He was married there, Feb 5, 1827, to Sarah R. Wallace. She was the daughter of William and Nancy (Smith) Wallace and was also a native of Warren County, KY. Her grandfather, Robert Wallace, came from Ireland. She was born May 8, 1809. In 1832, they left their native county with their family, setting out with their own conveyance, for the State of Illinois. They brought with them their household appurtenances and camped and cooked by the wayside. They were four weeks on the road. They passed a year on the Spoon River, in Knox County, Il, and after reaching Warren County settled for a summer in Monmouth. Mr. Lair then bought land on section 30, in "Township 12, Range I", now Kelly Township. He set about perfecting the arrangements common to pioneers, built a log house for the temporary accommodation of his household, and proceeded with all possible dispatch to the work of improving his claim. Soon after, the first log cabin was replaced by a double-hewed-log structure of goodly dimensions, which constituted their home until 1858. In that year the family removed to the southeast quarter of the same section and once more lived in a pioneer's cabin. This they inhabited until 1861. They then removed to a school house, in which they lived six weeks, while their own house was in preparation. The new house was a commodious frame building, and was the home of the senior Lair during the remaining portion of his life. His demise took place April 7, 1872. Six of the children born to him and his wife (thirteen in all) are still living. They are Robert W., who married Mary A. Quinn, and to them were born four children: Annie, William, Addison, and Fannie. Addison is deceased. Robert lives in Spring Grove Township. Harriet is the wife of Dwight Corning, and is the mother of ten children: the names of the six living being Benjamin, Jennie, jessie, Clark, Helen, and Alice. The family reside in Crawford County, KS. Helen is the wife of Samuel McKahan, and they are residends of Crawford County, and the parents of five children, namely: Charley, May, Hattie, Altie, and an infant deceased. Sarah E. Married R.B. Ball. Rosa and Fielding F. are the names of their children. They reside in Rice County, KS. Ella J. is the wife of Ferdinand Burtschy, a resident of Nodaway County, MO. Four children were in their family--Etta,Ada, Freddie, and Gracie. Freddy is deceased. The next in order of birth was William M., the subject of this notice. Catherine, who is now deceased, was the wife of James T. Gilmore. Fielding A. is also deceased, but had married Margaret S. Pedigo. Anna E. is also deceased, became the wife of Irvin Robinson. The remaining five children died while young.

William Mathias was born on the homestead of his father, in Kelly Township, 5 Feb 1853. He had the training and education of the farmers' sons of that period and, in connection with his mother, ably manages the estate life by his father. A view of the old homestead is given on page 428. He married 2 Aug 1876, to Nancy A Pedigo. Their family now includes four children--Florence, Clark, Maggie, and Robert. Mrs. Lair was born in KY, in the same county in which her husbands' parents were early settlers. The date of her birth was 4 Sep 1857. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Millegan) Pedigo, who were of natives of Warren County, KY. They came to this county about 1860, and settled in Kelly Township. The father died in 1872. His widow is still living and resides in Iowa. Mr. Pedigo had previously been married, by which union he had five children, and by his second marriage had ten children. Three of the fifteen are deceased.