| Notes |
- The 1892 Biography of Alexander Hamilton says his grandmother died when Rebecca was but young and 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., and 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.
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.
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 and Steven Washburn … Clerk of the Peace certify that Rebecca Hamilton personally appeared at the general quarter Sessions of the Peace in and for said Home District this day and 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.
. 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.
.Land Registration Office Wellington County, Lot 7, Con 18., Garafraxa West, Hamilton, Rebecca. Granted & sold 1836.
Note1: 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.
. Biography: At James Hamilton's death there was nothing left for his wife & family of 7 children, all of whom were under age. It was in this crisis that Alexander Hamilton's sterling character made itself evident. Though but 18 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.
Husband James Hamilton died about 1856 to 1858. 'He might have become a wealthy man if he had not placed too much confidence in his friends & wreaked his own fortune by going security for others.' So this would have been a timely investment for him or the widow Rebecca Hamilton. Perhaps the tollgate didn't live up to expectations for development. In the meantime, son Rev. James Hamilton moved to Michigan & number of close relatives were also in Michigan too.
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.
* This biography continues at 1892 & 1912 Biographies of Alexander Hamilton & at James Hamilton.
Note2: Husband James Hamilton died in 1855 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.
. 1861 March Census, East Flamborough, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Broken Part 14, 2nd East Concession,
Rebecca Hamilton, age 46, Toll House, W. Methodist, Widow, One half story frame house.
Alex Hamilton, Age 23, b 1838, Nursery Agent, born Upper Canada, W. Methodist.
Richard Hamilton, Age 26, b 1835, Carpenter, born Upper Canada, frame house 1.5 stories, family member absent.
Mary Jane, Age 22 b1839, Labourer
James, Age 17 b1844, Nursery Agent, attending school.
Wm. J Hamilton, Age 15 b1846, Labourer, attending school.
Rebecca, Age 7, b1854, attending school.
. Description of Flamborough tollhouse: Neighbor murdered previous to Rebecca Hamilton taking up the house which was: The tollhouse is quite a small room & the ceiling is very low & usually a lock was applied to the door. Woodrack rails, likely cedar, surrounded the tollhouse; there was plenty of room in the shanty to stoke a blow with the stick; a 6 o'clock sounded in neighboroughood! Undoubtedly there would be quite a bit of gossip about the tollhouse where Rebecca & family lived.
. 1857 Jan 29th, Extracted from a previous coroner's murder inquest that took place:
the day previous at a shan't on the New Warterdown road, near Burlington Heights, where John Lawry killed another man supposed to have gone to the shanty for the purpose of robbing awry of his money. Lawry is about 60 years of age & Hopkins near as old.
John Smith, a teamster, was going out to the woods for cordwood & was passing the toll gate about 6:30, Wednesday morning when the toll keeper called after him & his comrade that John Hopkins came to the tollhouse about an hour before daylight that he had a letter for the toll keeper who then let him in Hopkins had a stick in his hand about 4 feet 6 inches long such as used woodrack rails & made a blow at him the tollkeeper, John Lawry. There was a fierce encounter till he succeeded in getting the stick & gave Hopkins blows to the head. Witness saw no blood on the floor. The toll keeper wanted to send word to the Watertown police.
John Gilmour resided on the hill about 100 yards from the tollhouse. Half an hour after sunrise Lawry came up the hill & called there was a dead man there near the door. He went to the house where he was told the same story. Lawry looked wild & he was glad to get out of the house, he did not appear to be drunk. The tollhouse is quite a small room & the ceiling is very low. The deceased's cap & handkerchief were lying at his feet. Gilmour asked how the deceased fall. He finally said the fell on his back, but the witness could see from the head wounds he would fall on his side. He had struck him 5 or 6 times after he was down, knocked out 2 teeth & he was determined to rub out the marks.
Lawry was a nice man, a very quiet neighbor, Never saw either of them worse of liquor. Witness has frequently seen the deceased this winter, but never saw the muffling on his feet before; had seen the shawl tied on his head, as if to keep off the cold. There was plenty of room in the shanty to stoke a blow with the stick, but not much blood on the floor inside, measuring about 3 or 4 inch broad. The previous day Hopkins was in witnesses house said he had broke his axe & said he to go to Hamilton to borrow one.
Ann fully deposed she slept at her son-in-law Hopkins' house on Tuesday night. He was going to Hamilton to borrow one. Thinks Hopkins could be about Gilmour's when the 6 o'clock bell rang. Hopkins had worn rans on his feet sine the thaw. Dr. Ryall deposed the deceased's body had contusions on head, face, 2 on thumb, & extensive 5 fractures into the brain.
John Flynn deposed the deceased told him David Smoke proved to lend him an axe & would leave the axe or word at the tollhouse.
[No further followup found, but he did not do jail time as by the 1861 Census he is the toll keeper outside of Waterdown on what is now called Waterdown Road. Back in those days Snake Rd. was called the Waterdown Rd. or the road to Waterdown]
Ref: Toronto Globe & Mail Newspaper.
Note3: One can imagine the widow Rebecca Hamilton taking up residence in this toll house where the neighbors would no doubt remind her & her family of the infamous history of this toll house. Lock you doors!
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 four 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 Gazeteer.
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.]
. 1887 Michigan Crop Report, 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 - planning forecast); Hails 31st May. This phenomena would have been much discussed in the neighbourhood. - PJA.]
3
. 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. ] - - - [1, 2]
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1815 - 1890 (74 years)