Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 48F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 48F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: October 16, 2022 @ 5:02 pm
John McNair, official city engineer during the early days the city of Oswego’s development, is buried in Riverside Cemetery with his wife, Elvira Seabury, and his parents, Matthew McNair and Linda Reed.
John McNair, official city engineer during the early days the city of Oswego’s development, is buried in Riverside Cemetery with his wife, Elvira Seabury, and his parents, Matthew McNair and Linda Reed.
Editor’s note: This piece from Natalie J. Woodall starts the second series about Masons in Oswego. This series will focus on Masons who contributed to Oswego in some way.
When John McNair was born, Oswego was little more than a collection of log cabins perched next to Lake Ontario. When he died, Oswego was a bustling city, due in no small measure to his efforts as the official city surveyor.
John McNair was born on Aug. 26, 1805, the son of Matthew McNair and Linda Reed, early settlers of the area. He graduated from Hamilton College around 1825 with a degree in civil engineering and, according to the “McNair Genealogy,” his first job was as a government surveyor assisting with a coastal survey of Florida. He was also one of the engineers when the first suspension bridge was built across the Niagara River.
In 1848, McNair was engaged to do survey work for the Lewiston and Niagara Railroad. He was hired to survey a railroad route for a line between Oswego and Rochester in 1864. He was in charge of surveying land for another proposed rail line between Oswego and Niagara Falls in 1867. He was a member of the Oswego and Syracuse Plank Road Company and the Sterling Plank Road Company.
McNair was a lifelong resident of Oswego, where as city engineer he was engaged for years in surveying various sections of the growing village. Long after his death, his name appeared in legal notices alluding to parts of the city which he had surveyed. Among them were the Varick Tract, Old Fortification Block, and Canal Company lots.
Like his father, McNair was an active member of the community. From 1839-1840 he was a village fire warden. He was a member of Oswego’s Old Volunteer Fire Company and in 1848 and 1849 was the chief engineer. He served as first ward supervisor from 1847-1849.
McNair also took an interest in the city’s cultural life. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Science. He was elected a school commissioner for the First Ward in 1864 and named to the visiting committee. He also served on the Education Commission’s executive board. In 1866 he was a member of the First Assembly District’s committee to plan Oswego County’s semi-centennial. He and his family worshipped in the Presbyterian Church.
On April 29, 1849, McNair was raised to a Master Mason in Oswego Lodge No. 127. He served as worshipful master in 1853. When Frontier City Lodge No. 422 was organized in 1857, he was a charter member, serving as treasurer from 1857-1859. Upon Franklin P. Kilborn’s death in late 1861, McNair finished the year as worshipful master. He was again elected treasurer for 1862.
McNair was appointed district deputy grand master for 1858-1859 but was never given proper credit for this service. At the time, he was a past master of Oswego Lodge and a member of Frontier City yet his name was never added to the list of grand officers of either lodge.
McNair’s interest in Masonry was not confined to Blue Lodge. In 1857 he was a charter member of Crocker Chapter No. 165 Royal Arch Masons (RAM), later known as Lake Ontario Chapter 165. He was elected the chapter’s first high priest and held that office through 1863.
Lake Ontario Commandery No. 32, Knights Templar (KT) was organized in Oswego City on Oct. 8, 1862. Among the charter members was McNair who was installed as the group’s first captain general.
On Nov. 26, 1837, McNair married Elvira Seabury in New York City. Elvira, daughter of David Seabury and Ann Lyon, was born in Groton, Connecticut. They were the parents of six known children, two of whom had distinguished careers in their own right.
Julia, born on May 1, 1840, married Rev. William Janes Wright, a Presbyterian minister. Julia was the author of many well-known religious works published in the latter part of the nineteenth century. She died in Fulton, Callaway, Missouri, on September 2, 1903.
John Sidney was born on Oct. 21, 1842, and was a senior at Hamilton College when the Civil War erupted in April 1861. Along with many others, “Sid” withdrew from school and enlisted in Co. B, 24th Regiment, enrolling as a private but ultimately attaining the rank of captain. He was severely wounded at the battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, but was able to muster out with his company in May 1863. He completed his degree in civil engineering and returned to Oswego to live.
When and where John Sidney was raised a Master Mason is unknown. He would first be eligible upon attaining the age of 21 in 1863, the year he completed his military service. It is altogether possible that he became a member of Frontier City No. 422.
Sid married Agnes Stephens of Utica in October 1868. The couple moved westward shortly thereafter. Their only child, Morris, was born in Iowa in 1869. By 1881, the family was living in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Sid was the chief engineer for the proposed Lincoln and Fremont Railway line. They finally settled in Carmi, Illinois, where Sid died unexpectedly on Feb. 21, 1909. His gravestone in Maple Ridge Cemetery is decorated with the Masonic square and compass.
Alice McNair, born Aug. 26, 1845, became the wife of Dr. William Garrett Thirkell, a prominent physician in Sodus. Thirkell was heavily involved with Masonic activity as a member of Sodus Lodge No. 392, Wayne Chapter No. 276 RAM, Zenobia Commandery No. 41, KT, Damascus Shrine Temple, Rochester. Alice died in Rochester on Aug. 6, 1923, and was buried with her husband in Sodus Rural Cemetery.
Jean McNair, often called Janie, was born in Oswego on Dec. 17, 1853. Her husband was John Dufay Whitbeck who made a fortune in the commercial laundry business. Whitbeck belonged to Genesee Falls Lodge No. 507, Monroe Commandery No. 12, KT, and Damascus Shrine Temple. He was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Jean died on Dec. 25, 1932. She and her husband are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester.
Jessie Adaline was born in 1849 and died young. The other child, Albert, was born in 1854. In 1870 he lived in Iowa with John Sidney but at some point after that he disappeared and was never heard from again. In February 1907, his sister Jean petitioned the court to have him declared legally dead.
John McNair died in Oswego on Aug. 21, 1868, at the age of 63 and was buried in Riverside Cemetery. In his short life span he witnessed Oswego’s rapid population growth which necessitated numerous land surveys to accommodate expanding domestic and business requirements. His pioneer work in civil engineering guaranteed his position as a prominent, civic-minded Mason of Oswego City.
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