James Adair was a native of County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, who came to North America, and became a trader with the Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 of the southern states. He resided in their country forty years, beginning in 1735, and was almost entirely cut off from the outside world, and from the year 1744 he resided chiefly among the Chickasaw

Chickasaw

The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...

.

In 1751, Adair moved to Laurens County, South Carolina. He published a very elaborate work on their manners, endeavouring to prove they descended from the Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

. It is entitled The History of the American-Indians, particularly those Nations adjoining the Mississippi, East and West Florida, South Carolina, &c. London, 4to. 1775; but the work has been distrusted, although Dr. Boudinot

Elias Boudinot

Elias Boudinot was a lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a U.S. Congressman for New Jersey...

, in his Star in the West, has adopted its views.