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James Hamilton Family

TyroneDesertcreat (Tyrone)

I would like to take you up on your offer to assist in my genealogical research on a member of my County Tyrone family branch.  I should note that there are a couple of us working this question. The person we are interested in, is I believe the youngest daughter of James Samuel Robert Hamilton (1750-1820) and Jane Boyd (1750-1849). Our research to date has found 8 children born to Samuel and Jane (Samuel, Mary, Nancy, Jennie, James, Elizabeth, Rosanna, and Robert) plus in some cases a ninth unknown daughter. I believe this unknown daughter is in fact Jane M. Hamilton my 3rd great-grandmother born about 1790 in County Tyrine and dying in 1860 in the State of Pennsylvania, USA.  She was buried in Richland County, Ohio, USA.  I should also note that she married a Major John Smith most likely about 1820, marriage location unknown.  There is some question of Jane’s birth location, I believe she was born in Desertcreal, County Tryone, NI.  However, the 1860 U. S. Federal Census for Pennsylvania shows her birth location as Pennsylvania.  I do not believe that location is correct because James Samuel Robert Hamilton, her father, died in County Tyrone in 1820 having never left Ireland.  Jane Boyd did leave Ireland after her husband died and came to the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died in Pittsburgh in 1849.  In support of the father/mother child relationship another person looking into Jane has been able to find a DNA trace though Jane to James, the father, and down two of the father’s known children.  Not being a DNA person, this seems to add addition support to our theory.

As near as I can tell both the Hamilton and the Boyd families were notable families in County Tryone during the 1700s and early 1800s and being so they most likely maintained and left behind family, church and/or civil records related to their births, deaths, and marriages.

The question therefore becomes: Do you think there may be a record of my grandmother’s birth available in County Tyrone and if so, how do I get a copy.  If this request is beyond your normal volunteer service, I fully understand and then would ask for a recommendation(s) for a method to look for a birth record or a similar record using a paid researcher.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Philip Jones

Maryland, USA

pwjones01@verizon.net

pwjones01@veri…

2 replies

You ask about finding a birth record for Jane Hamilton born c 1790. You haven’t said what denomination she was but, if born in Desertcreat parish, none of the churches there have any records for the 1700s. The Church of Ireland (Anglican) has records from 1812; Sandholes Presbyterian has records from 1863 and Roman Catholic records start in 1827. So not promising.

Copies of most of the surviving church records for Ulster are held in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. So where records do still exist, that's the usual place to obtain them.

I searched the on-line newspaper archives for Major John Smith’s marriage in Tyrone c 1820 (something that you would expect to be reported) but without any success.

I searched the 1901 census for Tyrone to get a sense of how common the surnames Hamilton & Boyd were in the county. 1101 named Hamilton and 308 named Boyd. Most were either Presbyterian or Church of Ireland. Both are obviously Scottish names and so your family are likely descended from Scots who settled in Tyrone in the 1600s. The most famous Hamiltons in the county are the Abercorn family, headed by the Duke of Abercorn. Originally from Paisley, near Glasgow, they have resided in Ireland since the early 1600s and the current Duke still lives at Baronscourt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Abercorn http://sgni.net/

For paid researchers, try the Society of Genealogists in Northern Ireland: http://sgni.net/

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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