CHAPTER XVIII
CAPT. JAMES MATHEW HAMILTON AND HIS
DESCENDANTS
James Mathew Hamilton[1],
the 2nd son of the Rev. Nicholas Hamilton (Chap XII) was b. 26 Sep
1768, at Tollynakill, Co. Down; he died on a farm on the Coldwater Road near
Orillia, Ontario, 16 Nov 1844, and was buried in the graveyard by the Church of
England in Orillia, Ontario. He entered
the 5th Foot (Northumberland Fusiliers) as Ensign 26 Oct 1786, the
Regt. being then stationed in Ireland, and on the 24 May 1787, embarked for
Canada. After a voyage of two months
they landed in Quebec, and on 6th Sep 1787, left by bateaux for the
interior, his destination being Fort Michilimackinac on Mackinaw Island, which
is situated at the junction of Lakes Huron and Michigan. This fort was at that time belonging to and
within the United States, being one of the many frontier posts of which Great
Britain retained possession of as a security for the carrying out of the Treaty
if Versailles. The post was a very
important one, being the then entrepot to the Great Unknown West for the
fur-traders and adventurers.
It was at this post that Ensign Hamilton
met his first wife, Louisa da. of Surg-General David Mitchell, to whom he was
m. 14 Nov 1791.
At this place remote from civilisation
there was no clergyman or Justice of the Peace, and in order that the ceremony
should not be delayed, they were married by the Commanding Officer of the post;
the record reads:- "This day was (sic) married by Edward Charlton, Capt.
in 5th Regt. and Commander of the post before the subscribing
witnesses – Jas. Mathew Hamilton, Ensign, to Miss Louisa Mitchell, daughter of
David Mitchell by his lawful wife.
Witness
Benjamin Roche, J.M. Hamilton,
Lieut. 5th Foot Ensign 5th Foot.
W. Glendowe, Louisa Mitchell, now Hamilton
Ensign 5th Foot. Edward Charlton,
D. Mitchell, Surgeon Capt. Comdg. 5th
Foot."
In June 1790, the regt. was transferred
to Detroit on the Straits of St. Clair River where it remained until 1792, and
later to Fort Niagara on the U.S. side of the river. While stationed here circumstances arose which seemed to make it
advisable for J.M. Hamilton and his wife to go through the marriage ceremony
again, and it was accordingly performed in the Freemason's Lodge at Newark,
Upper Canada, by the Rev. Robert Addison and was recorded in the register which
now belongs to St. Mark's Church, Niagara, Ontario. The entry is as follows:- "August 24th 1792 –
Capt. James Hamilton and Louisa Mitchell his wife. They had been previously married by some commanding officer or
magistrate and thought more decent to have the office repeated."
On 16th Jul 1794, Hamilton
became Lieut. and in 1795 was in charge of Fort Chippewa on the Niagara
River. In 1796 the regt. was
transferred to Quebec, and in 1797 the officers and sergeants were sent back to
England. J.M.Hamilton became Capt. 11
Aug 1799, and in that year took part in the Expedition to Holland; on the 12th
Mar 1800, he sold out, after which he appears to have resided in London
(England), where his wife died leaving one child, Elizabeth Ann (Betsy). While in London he made friends with the
Rev. Basil Woodd, D.D., Rector of the Parish of St. Mary-le-bone, and
eventually m. Louisa Jupp, Dr. Woodd's sister-in-law.
J.M.Hamilton remained in England for many
years after his second marriage. He
appears to have lived in London at first, after which he moved to Cornwall,
residing successively at Megavissey, St. Austell, and Bodmin in that
County. He then lived in or near
Plymouth for some years, and in the year 1829 determined to return to Canada. After an uneventful voyage of ten weeks and
four days in the brig "Salamis" of Sunderland, he and his family
landed in Quebec. Some delays and
difficulties occurred before he succeeded in obtaining a grant of land in what
is now known as the township of Matchedash on the North River in the Province
of Ontario. The tract was in its wild
state, and the first work to be undertaken was to cut boundaries through the
dense forest of White Oak. Much of the
land was prairie suitable for growing cereals, root crops and hay. Here two of his sons built a log-house where
they spent the first winter alone, subsisting chiefly on Indian corn and wild
birds, and having as neighbours timer wolves and other wild animals. The following spring the boys were joined by
their father accompanied by a house-keeper, bringing with them some cows and
oxen. After ploughing the prairie land
they made a garden and sowed oats and wheat.
Hamilton leased a saw-mill on the Severn River where timber for the new
house was prepared. The house was two
stories high, built of planks two inches thick, well calked between, which made
a warm comfortable dwelling, if not very ornamental. Here the large family lived and prospered, receiving visits from
young men from the not far distant settlement of Penetanguishene, and, as more
permanent guests, two young cousins, sons of Francis William Hamilton, a
solicitor in Dublin, J.M. Hamilton's brother.
Their stock soon numbered 60 head of cattle and a dozen cows and in one
year they produced 1,000 lbs of cheese.
Hamilton resided afterwards with his wife and one of his younger sons on
a farm which he purchased near Orilia, Ontario, where he remained until his
death. James, his eldest son did not
leave England until long after the rest of the family had emigrated and
received more educational advantages than his brothers and sisters. He carried on a school for boys in Toronto
for some years. Later he was in the employment of the Bank of Upper Canada,
Toronto, finally their Agent at London, Ontario, where he lived until his death
in ?1896? . William Basil Hamilton was
the second son. He left the farm in
Matchedash and became a merchant in Penetanguishene, in Ontario from whence he
moved to Collingwood, then a small hamlet.
He became its first Mayor and later, Postmaster, which appointment he
held until 1882, resigning in favour of his eldest son, William Anderson
Hamilton. He continued to live in
Collingwood until he died in 1892, leaving his wife and a large family of sons
and daughters. Amongst his sons was
Lauchlan Alexander Hamilton, who for 20 years was the executive head of the
Canadian Pacific Railway in the sale and development of their twenty-five
million cares of land, operating in that capacity from Winnipeg in Manitoba to
Vancouver in British Columbia. He was
the surveyor who laid out the original tone of Vancouver City. Another son, Heber James Hamilton, was in
1892 a Missionary of the English Church in Canada to Japan, and later the first
Bishop of Mid- Japan.
Capt. J. M. Hamilton m. first Louisa
Mitchell by whom he had one da. Elizabeth Ann Hamilton b. 17 Sep 1796; m. 26
Feb 1820, Capt. Thos. Gummersall Anderson.
Their children were:-
(1)
Gustavus Alexander Anderson, of whom presently;
(2)
Samuel William James Anderson;
(3)
Francis Hamilton Anderson, of whom presently;
(4)
Eliza Anderson;
(5)
Martha Catherine Anderson, of whom presently;
(6)
Sophia Anderson, m. William Harvey Rowe;
(7)
Louisa Woodd Anderson.
Gustavus Alexander Anderson was in Holy
Orders; he m. Mary Clouston and had four children, William Anderson, Mary
Anderson, Gustavus Anderson and Dolly Anderson – the latter of whom m. William
Fetherston Haugh and had two children, Heber Fetherston Haugh and Pansey
Fetherston Haugh.
Francis Hamilton Anderson m. Bessie…….
and had two children:-
(1)
Francis Anderson, who m. and had (with the following children, Thomas, Birdie
and Gustavus), a son Francis Anderson, whose son was Albert Victor Anderson;
and
(2)
Elizabeth Anderson.
Martha Catherine Anderson (ob. 23 March
1907) m. 1st Sept 1859, Henry Daniel Rowe (ob. June 1907). Their children were:-
(1)
Henry Spence Rowe;
(2)
Arthur Anderson Rowe;
(3) Catherine Ann Rowe;
(4)
Augusta Sophia Rowe;
(5)
Maude Helen Rowe, m. 2 Aug 1888, John Edgar Featherstonehaugh and resides at
Toronto. Their children are Edgar
Hamilton Featherstonehaugh, Murray Harle Featherstonehaugh, Elsie Catherine
Featherstonehaugh, Dora Helen Featherstonehaugh, and Jessie Maude
Featherstonehaugh;
(6)
Lucy Hamilton Rowe, m. 5 Aug 1891, the Rev. Francis William Cassilis Kennedy,
and resides at Vancouver , B.C. Their
children are:- Hilda Anderson Cassilis Kennedy, who m. Lieut. C.J.
Garrett; Frank Launcelot Cassilis
Kennedy, Gilbert Asprey Cassilis Kennedy and Arch. B.C. Kennedy.
Capt. James Mathew Hamilton m. 2ndly
Louisa Jupp. Their children were:-
(1)
James Hamilton, of whom presently;
(2)
William Basil Hamilton, of whom presently;
(3)
Gustavus George Hamilton, of whom presently;
(4)
Francis Hamilton;
(5)
Sophia Sarah Hamilton (ob. 1880), m. 1837 Paul Darling, M.D. and had two das.
Marion Darling, and Sophia Hamilton Darling – who m. W.F. Henderson;
(6)
Louisa Jupp Hamilton, of whom presently;
(7)
Caroline Jane Hamilton, of whom presently.
James Hamilton (ob. 26 Oct 1896), m. 5
Sept 1833, Eliza Hills (ob. 1 Mar 1900).
Their children were:-
(1)
Louisa Anna Hamilton;
(2)
Selina Fraser Hamilton; m. first 22 Mar 1872, Robert Prince, Major 53rd
regt. and had one da. Maude Hamilton Prince, who m. 19th Oct 1901,
John Elton Smallman, whose son b. 11 Jul 1905, is Thomas Hamilton
Smallman. Selina Fraser Hamilton m.
2ndly 4 Jan 1893, Adam Brown Mackay;
(3)
Emmeline Caroline Hamilton, m. Richard Street, and has two children, Hamilton
Street and Geralda Street;
(4)
Mary Ellen Hamilton;
(5)
Robert Jupp Hamilton;
(6)
James Mathew Hamilton;
(7)
Joseph Morrison Hamilton;
(8)
Nicholas George Hamilton;
(9)
Basil William Hamilton.
William Basil Hamilton[2],
2nd son of Capt. James Mathew Hamilton m. first Mary Wasnidge, by
whom the had one da., Mary Hamilton who m. William McDougal. Their son is John Heber McDougal.
William
Basil Hamilton m. 2ndly Janet Jamieson Campbell. Their children were:-
(1)
William Anderson Hamilton, of whom presently;
(2)
Laughlan Alexander Hamilton, resides at Lorne Park, Ontario. For 20 years
General Land Commissioner for the Canadian Pacific Railway. War service: Chairman County of Peel War
Auxiliary and Patriotic Fund; Tribunal under Canadian Military Service Act; m.
first Isobel Leask, and has one da. Isobel Ogilvie Hamilton[3]. He m. 2ndly Constance Eaton Boddington;
(3)
Heber James Hamilton of the Univ. of Toronto; B.A. 1885; D.D. 1912; Deacon
1887; Priest 1888; Curate of St. John's, Port Hope, Ontario, 1887-9; Dean of
Wycliffe Coll., Toronto 1889-92; Missionary in Japan 1892-1912; 1st
Bishop of Nagoya, Mid-Japan 18 Oct 1912; m. Mary Jane Spence and has one da.
Bessie Campbell Hamilton;
(4)
Basil George Hamilton who resides at Invermere, British Columbia, m. Anna Maud?
Mary Crawford;
(5)
Frank Hamilton;
(6)
Annie Hamilton;
(7)
Sophia Hamilton;
(8)
Frances Russell Hamilton, m. 1874, the Rev. William Murray Charles Clarke,
Rector of Great Saxham, Suffolk, son of
Gen. Clarke, Indian Army. Their
children were Frances Augusta Hamilton Clarke, William Murray Fincastle Clarke,
Supt. Indian Police, Bombay (ob. 1911); Gunning Campbell Charles Clarke, Major
10th Jats, Indian Army; served in Mesopotamia; Nona Jessie Hamilton
Clarke, and Basil Gordon Dunmore Clarke, in Holy Orders; Curate of St. John's
Church, Bury St. Edmunds;
(9)
Isabella Jupp Hamilton, m. John Leask, and had one da. Isabel Jessie Jean
Hamilton Leask, who m. Charles Thompson, who was killed at the Battle of Ypres,
leaving a son Charles Hamilton Thompson;
(10)
Jessie Louisa Hamilton, m. 27 Jun 1888, the Rev. Arthur Ch…man Miles (ob. 1915)
of the Parish of Sunderland, Ontario.
Their children were:- (a) Heber Hamilton Miles [4];
(b) Jessie Miles; (c) Frederick Miles, 75th Canadian Batt. 4 years
service in France; wounded and gassed; m. 19?? Ethel Brown, and (d)
Frank Miles.
William Anderson Hamilton, the eldest son
of William Basil Hamilton, resides at Collingwood, Ontario; m. first 7 Jun
1877, Florence Ellen Forbes (ob. July 188?) .
Their children were:- Mary Hamilton, Florence Jessie Hamilton and
William Gerald Lee Hamilton, who resides at Carmangan, Alberta, Canada; m. 27
Oct 1915 Helen Mary Ainslie, and has a da. Hester Mary Hamilton. William Anderson Hamilton m. 2ndly 23 April
1897, Elizabeth Mary Wheeler, by whom he had the following children:- Kathleen
Hamilton, Frances Russell Hamilton, Josephine Mary Hamilton and Basil Dennis
Hamilton.
Gustavus George Hamilton, the 3rd
son of Capt. James Mathew Hamilton, m. 27 April 1846, Mary Eliza Maguire (ob.
1904). Their children were:-
(1)
James Hamilton;
(2)
Mary Ellen Hamilton;
(3)
William Hamilton;
(4)
Louisa Essington Hamilton, who m. John Cornelius Wellington, and had two sons,
Wilfred Wellington and Arthur Wellington; and;
(5)
Katherina Helena Hamilton, m. 1862, Charles J,. Browne, and had three children,
Hamilton Browne and Constance Browne.
Louisa Jupp Hamilton, da. of Capt. James
Mathew Hamilton m. first Andrew Mitchell.
Their children were:-
(1)
Harriett Mitchell, who m. J. Keating and had several children;
(2)
Andrew William Mitchell;
(3)
David John Mitchell; and
(4)
Louisa Mitchell, who m. Henry Thompson and had the following children:- Arthur
Anderson Thompson, Henry Fulton Thompson, Horace William Thompson, Charles
Edgeworth Thompson, Alice Mary Thompson, who m. Walter John Keating; Jane N
Mitchell Thompson, who m. W.H.Jewson; and Isobel Louisa Thompson.
Louisa Jupp Hamilton m. 2ndly James Stewart Darling. Their children were:- James Stewart Darling
and Agnes Eliza Darling who m. 5 Feb 1859, James Ilderton Weatherly, and had two
das:-
(1)
Agnes Darling Weatherly, who m. the Rev. Robsart Welman Plante, and had the
following children:- Woodford Plante, Stuart Plants, Marjory Plants, Rita
Plante, Alada Plante and Isobel Plante; and
(2)
Maude Essington Weatherly, who m. Allan Steekle.
Caroline Jane Hamilton[5]
(ob. 23 Jan 1900), da. of Capt. James Mathew Hamilton, m. 11 Feb 1840, her
first cousin Basil Robert Rowe (ob. 29 Dec 1894). Their children were:- Caroline Hamilton Rowe, Charles Hamilton
Rowe, Mary Hanna Hamilton Rowe, Charlotte Frances Hamilton Rowe, Basil Hamilton
Rowe, Stanhope Essington Rowe and Anna Hamilton Rowe.
[1] There are other records of him and his son William Basil in the Pentanguishene Museum, Ontario. C.F.B.H.
[2] W.B.H's autobiography is attached at Appendix 8. C.F.B.H.
[3] Note in margin states "Died at Lorne Park in 1962" Now a suburb of Toronto.
[4] In Sep 2004 I was contacted by Pam Noxon, the daughter of Heber Hamilton Miles who sent me copy of W.B.H's autobiography.
[5] See also her autobiographical notes in Appendix 8. C.F.B.H.