Fought at the Battle of San Jacinto.  His name can be found on the Memorial wall at the San Jacinto Memorial / Monument.

JOHN CHEAIRS

An order of the Clark County, Arkansas territory Court of Common Pleas at its March term in 1822 appointed John Cheairs a commissioner with Jacob Chandler and William Kelley to "view and mark" a road "passing by the residence of James G. Melson" to the Little Missouri river. The

Melson improvement (fields) were located in Township 9, South of Range 23, West according to the original government survey in 1819: specifically the south- west quarter of the northwest quarter and the West half of the southwest quarter of Section 7; and the Little Missouri river entered into the east corner boundary of the Missouri Township of Clark, now Pike County, Arkansas:  beginning in Section 14 continuing through Section 18. Here the Little Missouri River served as a bound between Clark and Hempstead County and now a boundary between Pike and Nevada County.

John Cheairs was born in North Carolina in 1788 and lived in Missouri prior Arkansas where he married Eleanor Bittick about 1811. Their time of arrival in present day Pike County is not known, but information concerning their first child, a son, indicates a birth in Arkansas in 1812. John Cheairs moved his family to Hempstead County, Arkansas in 1828. Sam Williams

states in his memoirs, "a man by the name of Chairs (Cheairs) or Cheers lived at the place

which ... Hugh Blevins afterward owned and where he died and a little northeast of that William Wingfield improved a farm." He says this was on sandy land in what was known as the "pinewoods." He adds, "The general opinion of the early settlers was that the pine lands were so poor a man could not earn a living on them. What a mistake! Most of the strangers to the sand and pine and having no experience with them jumped to the conclusion that the land was worthless and only fit to be utilized as a range for their stock." Officially John Cheairs purchased 40 acres of the public land, the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 3, in Township 10, South of Range 24, West in Hempstead County on December 12, 1832 then moved to Texas. He settled in what became Houston County.  Settlers who arrived before late 1835 were eligible for land grants under Spanish or Mexican law in the original Texas land

Francis Cheairs, William Cheairs, John F. Cheairs, and Francis Bittick. Another petition was presented after Houston County was formed dated September 4, 1837 and its signers were "feeling ourselves aggrieved and injured by some of the Acts of our last Congress ... First the Tariff is insufferable ." followed by a "litany of complaints against the Ad Valorem tax law." Signers included: in order, John Cheairs, Swanson Yarbrough, Samuel Cheairs, and William Cheairs.

The Congress of Texas enacted legislation in January 1838 that set of local boards of land commissioners in each land district (essentially the counties) to receive applications from the residents for land. The petitioner was required to bring two creditable witnesses who could swear to the truth of answers to questions posed by the land law. The local board issued certificates to the successful applicants, stating the amount of land to which they were entitled

and summarizing the personal facts on which their claim was based. It may be assumed

that the issue of an Unconditional Certificate proves the settler still to be living and to have

met the residence requirements, unless the name of a representative appears.

Houston County began to hear petitions for, land on 4 January 1838. The county was barely organized. This shows the eagerness of the settlers to start the chain of actions needed to obtain patents for their land.  Commissioners for 1838 were appointed by Congress. Beginning in January 1839, they were the elected justices of the county. The Clerk of the Board (after 1838 he was the County Clerk) made periodic reports to the General Land Office. These Clerk.s

Reports were copies of minutes kept in the original county. They provided information

about applicants, quantity of land, and their time of emigration:.

The GEMS of Pike County, Arkansas is a publication of the Pike County Archives and History Society

14-101 Return No.1 from January 4, 1838 shows Swanson Yarbrough applicant, 1 league and 1

labor of land, emigrated 1832.  Return No. 2 from January 23 to February 22, 1838 shows Samuel Chairs applicant, 1/3 league of land, emigrated 1832.  Return No. 3 from February 23 to March 29, 1838 shows Samuel Chairs applicant, 2/3 league of land, emigrated 1833 and John

Chairs applicant, 1 labor of land, emigrated 1833.

[The First Settlers of Houston County, Texas by GiffordWhite; 1983]

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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

John Francis Cheairs

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 Francis Cheairs SR. was born in 1788 in N. Carolina the son of Elijah Cheairs and Francis Cheairs.

John first married Elizabeth Bugg on April 17, 1810, they had one child born to there marriage John Francis Cheairs Jr.was born in 1812 his Mother Elizabeth died in Child birth, her son John Jr. fought in The Battle of San Jancinto.

John Francis Sr. later married Eleanor Bittick they had a large family John servered in the War of 1812.

He was later commissioned an Ensign by Governor

A.H.Sevier on April-20-1824 in the Arkansas Territoral Militia Clark Co.

He was later promoted to rank of "Major" in the Missouri Miitia.

They first went to San Augustine Co. TX. and were there a few years.

On May-25- 1835 John Cheairs and serveral of his sons received a Mexican Land Grants and moved to the area of Mustang Praire which became Crockette, Texas, they lived near Crockette where they were living when Eleanor died in 1851.

John lived his remaing years there, he would go and visit with his children and to Florida where some of the Cheairs lived were not sure where he was when he died in 1859 maybe at home and I believe hes buried in The Boggs Cemetery near his Wife Eleanor and Daughter Mary Ann Cheairs and her husband Stephen Jefferson Stanley JR.