Bair Family

About the Bair Family

Cornelius Bair was born near Canton, Ohio in 1839.  His parents joined the Bethel Colony. He and his brother Eli came to Aurora in 1863.  They lived in the Colony for a short time, but soon struck out on their own, establishing a business presence near Aurora in Canby.  Both men did quite a lot of business with the Colony store.

Missouri Relatives

At least five other Bair siblings have been identified as remaining at Bethel. One sister, Matilda, married a Bower.  The Bowers joined the Bethel Colony on a probationary basis and left the society after three years. 

Descendants Speak

Patrick Harris interviewed Olga Bair in 1984.  Her comments provide much detail concerning the influence of the Bair family in the establishment of Canby.

Both the text of the interview and the family photographs are part of the museum collection.