| Notes |
- The 1892 Biography of Alexander Hamilton says his grandmother died when Rebecca was but young & she was raised by an older sister. The most like possibilities for the 'older sister' could be:
1. Elizabeth Lawrence Tarbox, living in 1821 at Caledon East, Peel Co., & fairly close to James Hamilton at his farm in Chinguagousy Twp., Peel; or is Rebecca was still in Toronto:
2. Second eldest sister, Margaret Lawrence Johnston, who lived at 179 King St. East, Toronto, which is based on Richard Hamilton, Rebecca's eldest son's statement that he was born in Toronto. King St. was a principal street in Toronto, where indeed, James Hamilton would have done business with the Canada Land Company.
DOB 1815; UCLP at age 18, Married c 1833, at about age 18; First child at c. 19 years old.
Upper Canada Land Petition #179, 1818 Apr 14,
Patented: 1833 Jul 4: Lot 7, Con 18, Garafraxa Twp., [Gore District], Wellington Co., Ontario.
Witnesses to Oath of Rebecca Hamilton, Page 179a, C2052, Home District (Toronto),
We, D'Arcy Boulton the Quarter Chairman & Steven Washburn … Clerk of the Peace certify that Rebecca Hamilton personally appeared at the general quarter Sessions of the Peace in & for said Home District this day & is recognized by the Magistrate to be a Daughter of the late Richard Lawrence of the Township of Harwich in the Western District of London, formerly of the Twp. of York, deceased, who retained his Loyalty during the late war [1812] without suspicion of without suspicion of aiding or assisting the Enemy. Dated at the Court House of York (Toronto), the 28th day of February, 1833.
UCLBooks, 1833 Feb 7, Thursday, York Council Chamber, Present Peter Robinson, Geo. H. Parkland, Jos. Wells.
Rebecca Hamilton, H179, Wife of James Hamilton of Toronto, Yeoman. Praying for a grant of 200 Acres of land, as the Daughter of the late Richard Lawrence, formerly of York, an U.E. Loyalist. Recommended.
Ref: UCLBook, C105 p 354.
- Land Registration Office Wellington County, Lot 7, Con 18., Garafraxa West,
Hamilton, Rebecca. Granted & sold 1836.
Notes on the purchaser: Pattullo. Others settlers began to arrive at an early period, doubtless sent forward by the enterprising Land Agent at York. In the autumn of 1820 Alexander Pattullo, native of Prestonpems, near Edinburg, but more recently a resident of Glasgow, arrived at Rockside, having left behind him his wife & family of 3 sons & 2 daughters, wile he spied out the land & prepared a home for them. In a letter from Paisley dated Apr 2, 1823 he stated that a young man James Pattullo who was about to emigrate to Canada & intended to settle in Caledon along with his father who had preceded him, offered to convey letters.
Ref: Rockside Pioneers.
1834 Dec 19, Petition of Rebecca & James Hamilton of the Twp. Nassagaweya, requesting deed of Lot 17, Con 18, Garafraxa Twp., which is too far James Hamilton to improve, as he already has a farm on Nassegaeweya, with 40 acres of improved land. Signed for them by Toronto, 29 Dec 1834, Tos. Talbot. Granted 11 Apr 1836 [5?]. Ref: UC Sundries C6884, p1279.
- At James Hamilton's death there was nothing left for his wife & family of seven children, all of whom were under age. It was in this crisis that Alexander Hamilton's sterling character made itself evident. Though but eighteen years old, [1854 or 55], he assumed the care of the family & until the day of his death none of them ever went to him in vain for assistance of any sort. His devotion to his mother was particularly beautiful & even when the others were able to contribute to her comfort he never yielded his privilege of being the first to bear burdens in her behalf; & this even when hard times often made it difficult to provide for his own family as he wished.
* This biography continues at 1892 & 1912 Biographies of Alexander Hamilton & at James Hamilton.
Note1: Husband James Hamilton died in 1855 (& no later than 1858], probably in Esquesing Co., Halton County, Ontario. Rebecca had moved to Flamborough Twp., Wentworth County by the time son James Hamilton was baptized a Methodist.
By 1856 son Richard L Hamilton was living alone in a log cabin near Acton, Ontario. He was working as a carpenter, no doubt earning money to help support his family.
In 1864 Alex Hamilton went to Ohio & afterward to Michigan to make fruit farm to Saughatuck, MI. Mary Jane Hamilton landed in the US in 1866 so it would seem probably she would have lived with her mother Rebecca, at least up to that time.
1859 Flamborough West, Canada West., Tp. in Co. Wentworth. For office Post office see: Strabane.
Ref: The New World in 1859: Being the US & Canada.
Census 1861 East Flamborough, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Rebecca Hamilton, age 46, Toll House:
Note2: The Toll House was on the Snake Road (because it wandered) & was originally an native path leading to Burlington Bay & itself on Lake Ontario. The Toll House belonged to the Hamilton & Milton Road Company. 'The easterly limit of what is commonly known as the Ordnance lands on Burlington Heights.' When I visited the Toll House in October 2009 the small 2 story wood house was in need of repair & a fire had recently destroyed the roof. The house sits on the Burlington town line & other the other is surrounded on all sides by the Hamilton Royal Botanical Gardens. A by-law prevents a building permit, thus hastening the deterioration of the building.
Looking in the past we can image this house sitting in this small sheltered valley creek a mile or so from the Lake. Oak trees line the hillsides. Two roads meet here separated by a bow in the river. Across the washed-out bridge on the west adjacent hillside sat a hotel. 'Lots of drinking went on there at night time,'at the hotel just a little away up the hill. The creek ripples through the pond just in front of the Tollhouse. Fresh water drinking water was fetched from the spring just behind the house. Large & plentiful perch, trout, salmon harboured in this pond during the winter. 'The best perch fishing in all of Ontario' said the current owner. The actual toll both sat a 100 feet from the house. Farmers on the 2 joining roads would have to travel this way to go to the Hamilton market. -
Ref: P J Ahlberg, Researcher, Oct. 2009.
Further research Note: Census 1851 Flamborough W, Ward 1, Toll Keeper is 1. Michael Brown, also a couple of houses away from Dr. James Hamilton of Scotland, Board Shanty. [No relation], #2 Toll Keepers (other end of Flamborough: Hugh Connell & Thos. Dickson & family.
For further research are: The Wallace House", 173 Main Street North:
One of the earliest buildings in the village, the land on which the Wallace house sits passed through a succession of owners before it was sold in 1846 to William Magill. Magill is regarded as the builder as its late Georgian & NeoClassical features date c. 1840-1850 & its position faces Dundas Street & not the toll road built in 1853 (present day Main Street). Its Salt Box shape is particularly interesting as it is a design commonly seen in New England but rarely seen in this area of Ontario, especially as a feature of a stone construction. In 1853 the property was sold to Hugh Creen, described in the 1865 Wentworth County District as a "gentleman" &1807 Centre road: Bakersville settlement & as the tollgate keeper on this section of Centre Road, in Flamborough.
Note3: 1861 Census of East Flamborough, Wm. Stuart, Enumerator, had this to say about the 4-6th Concessions on the south side: General flat but sufficient rolling to afford ever faculty drainage. The timber is mostly pine with some hard wood Oak, Buck, Maple Timber is generally Black Ask & Elm with a sprinkling of White Cedar.
The Farms have been cleared within the last 25 years. Concession roads are mostly cleared of Stumps & graded. Farms where the Timber was mostly hardwood, the stumps are all out, but on the pine land they are still pretty thickly scattered, however with the last 5 or 6 years many of the Farmers have been clearing their land of stumps by use of Stumps machines. [The white pine roots would have been deep & massive. - PJA 2013.]
GANGES, Michigan
1878, Allegan is county seat, 3,000 inhabitants on the Kalamazoo river, 25 miles nw of Kalamazoo, 2 Grand Rapids railroads pass through Allegan. 3 flouring mills, 2 saw mills, 2 planning mills, 1 foundry & 1 woolen mill.
It is an excellent farming twp. & near the lake the land is devoted chiefly to the cultivation of peaches. In the spring of 1880 the number of peach trees reached 84,000, of which 30,000 were 445 years old over. The fruit of Ganges is mainly sent on the Chicago W Michigan Railroad. It was of her son Alexander Hamilton who started these trees. - PJA
Ref. Polk Michigan State Gazetteer.
Michigan Crop Report 1887, Ganges. Large meteor seen through the fog on evening of May 23, first appearing in the east. 45 degrees above the horizon, moving north. Optical phenomena, Ganges 2 May: Solar halos were observed (i.e. weather - planing forecast); Hails 31st May. This phenomena would have been much discussed in the neighbourhood. - PJA.]
Rev. James Hamilton, Jr. "God-fear mother dedicated him to the service of the pulpit before he was born" in Feb. 17, 1843, Trafalgar, Ontario.
1890 Michigan Death Registration:
Rebecca Lawrence-Hamilton was living with daughter Mary Jane Wanner at the time of her death.
Registration #1600, died 17 Feb 1890, widow, aged 74y 11 months, Ganges Twp., Allegan Co., Michigan .
[Born 17 Mar 1815, compare Monument date, equals born 4 May 1815. ]
Born Canada, parents Mary & Richard Lawrence.
Transcripts by P J Ahlberg. Thank you. - - -
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1815 - 1890 (74 years)