 Adair moved to Atlanta in 1854 at the age of 31 and there established what would be his permanent home.Under the firm name of Adair and Ezzard, Adair embarked in the mercantile business, but after not entirely successful two years, he launched into the general trading, auctioning and real estate business, which would engage him throughout the remainder of his career.During the Civil War, Adair was a newspaperman and a cotton speculator.