Does anyone know of a Margaret Jess, probably born in the 1840s who married a John Hamilton and emigrated to Australia? May have been the brother of a Thomas Jess. Husband has a strong family connection to Jess family in Victoria Australia via Ancestry DNA to Thomas but our connection is through the female line - an unknown Margaret.
Mandy,
I tried to research your Margaret Jess married to John Hamilton. I have not found a connection. Per Ancestry.com, there was a John (37) Hamilton and Margaret (35) in the Sterlingshire Ship travelling from Scotland to Australia in 1884 with their six children, one born at sea. John was from Lanark, Scotland and Margaret was from County Down, Ireland. I think they married about 1870. I found an 1881 census for the family in Scotland. Records attached identify her as McCallister.
Do your records show Margaret Jess married to John Hamilton? Did they have any children? When did they come to Australia?
Regards- Mary
Thanks. The family always said family was fromTipperary. I made an error above. Margaret Jess was his mother and his father was William Hamilton - sorry for confusion, I had “John” on my mind -shouldn’t be so hurried. After catching up with family last week and checking my files: My brother-in-law (John’s grandson) has done an Ancestry DNA which gives a 7% match to Victorian Jess family on Ancestry who I believe are from Tipperary. John was born on August 1,1878 (based on records 1878 seems most likely, family gives his birthday as August 1). According to his marriage certificate he was born in Ballarat, and according to his surviving daughter and his oldest grandson he was born in Middle Creek (near Ballarat). John is named as John Melrose Hamilton when he enlisted for the Boer War as a horse breaker from Donald and William is listed as next of kin and a farmer at Ararat. After the war, John had a falling out with his family (said to be over the farm which was given to his brother) and returned to Sth Africa. He married twice there (first wife died) and returned to Australia around 1914-15 going to Broken Hill mines. He became ill and came to and died in Melbourne on August 8, 1932. John never told his family anything other than the names of his parents, where he was born and that he disliked his father. No records concerning John or his family can found prior to his enlisting for the Boer War.