James Hamilton

Brief Life History of James

When James Hamilton was born on 29 May 1792, in Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, his father, John Hamilton, was 49 and his mother, Jannet Smelie, was 42. He married Paterson McAlpine on 13 January 1833. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 6 daughters. He died in 1867, in his hometown, at the age of 75, and was buried in Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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Family Time Line

James Hamilton
1792–1867
Paterson McAlpine
1810–
Marriage: 13 January 1833
Isabella Hamilton
1833–1834
Margaret Hamilton
1835–
James Hamilton
1836–
William Hamilton
1838–1840
William Hamilton
1840–
William Hamilton
1840–1918
Agnes Hamilton
1843–
David Hamilton
1844–1918
Ellen Hamilton
1847–1918
Euphemia Paterson
1850–
Jane Hamilton
1850–

Sources (7)

  • James Hamilton, "Scotland Census, 1851"
  • Legacy NFS Source: James Hamilton - Birth record or certificate: birth-name: James Hamilton
  • James Hamilton, "Scotland, Civil Registration, 1855-1875, 1881, 1891"

World Events (8)

1802 · John Playfair publishes summary of James Hutton's theories of geology.

In 1802, John Playfair published the Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth. His influence was by James Hutton’s knowledge of the earth’s geology.

1811 · The Tron Riot

The Tron riot was a riot which occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland on New Year's Eve. A group of young men attacked and robbed wealthier passers-by. One police officer was killed in the riot. Though the total count of participants is unknown, sixty-eight youths were arrested, with five sentenced to death for their actions during the riot.

1813 · The Court of Session Act 1813

The United Kingdom Parliament helped Scotland by creating the divisions necessary for better construction of their judiciary system. The Act was later repealed by the Court of Session Act 1988.

Name Meaning

Scottish and northern Irish: habitational name from what is now a deserted village in the parish of Barkby, Leicestershire. This is named from Old English hamel ‘crooked’ + dūn ‘hill’. Hamilton near Glasgow was founded by the English Hamiltons and named after them, and later bearers took their surname from the Scottish place. In the north of Ireland, where many Hamiltons settled in the 17th century, this surname may sometimes have been adopted for Hamill . It has also been adopted as an Anglicized form of southern Irish Ó hUrmholtaigh.

History: This name is borne by one of the most distinguished families of the Scottish nobility; they hold many titles, including marquessate and dukedom of Hamilton, the marquessate of Douglas, the dukedom of Abercorn, and the earldom of Haddington. They are descended from Walter FitzGilbert de Hameldone, a Norman baron who gave his support to Robert the Bruce in the 13th century. A member of this family was Sir William Hamilton (1730–1803), a British diplomat and archaeologist, whose wife, Lady Emma Hamilton (c. 1765–1815), became the mistress of Admiral Horatio Nelson. A branch of the family was established in Ireland by Sir Frederick Hamilton (died 1646), who served in the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus. He later became governor of Ulster, and his descendants were created viscounts Boyne. The family have given their name to Newtownhamilton and Hamiltonsbaron in County Armagh. Another branch of the family were to be found in Denmark, where Henrik Albertsen Hamilton (1588–1648) was a noted Latin poet. A 17th-century example of a Hamilton from Glasgow, Scotland, is recorded in the Netherlands, where the name is found in the form Hamelton. Another Scottish Hamilton, James, went to the West Indies in the 18th century and was the father of Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), who arrived in NY in 1772 and became the first US secretary of the Treasury.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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