Over the holidays, I have been
in touch with Mr. Jim Hamilton of Vancouver.
Jim’s generation is the 6th
since his family emigrated to Canada.
His family trace their roots to Alexander Hamilton (b. 1786 Drumhome,
Co. Donegal, Ireland), who came to Canada from Ireland in 1832. As a veteran of the British Army, having
served at the Battle of Waterloo, he was one of many Chelsea pensioners who
chose to commute their pensions in exchange for passage to Canada for them and
their families and a grant of 100 acres land. Two of his brothers, James Hamilton (b. 1790)
and George Hamilton emigrated at the same time to Victoria County. Alexander
worked his first grant, in Emily Twp, for four years before giving it up as a
wasted effort (Jim advises that this land remains unused to this day), and was
relocated to the Military Line in Verulam Township, just south of Bobcaygeon.
Alexander’s son, Robert
Hamilton, married Jane Cullen. Her brother,
John Cullen married Robert’s sister, Jane Hamilton, in a double wedding ceremony
at St. James Anglican Church in Fenelon Falls on Christmas Day 1845.
Their son, William Henry
Hamilton (1857-1928), owned the stationery shop in Bobcaygeon – and appears to
have done a booming business with the tourist trade. Family correspondence indicated that 1912 was a particularly good year. He had
married Margaret “Emma” Trennum in Port Perry on 14 Sep 1885. They raised their twelve
children on Mansfield Street, Bobcaygeon, by the fairgrounds.
Their son, Thorne Hamilton and two of
his brothers chose to seek adventures in Canada’s west about 1906. Before they
departed, they took a series of pictures, amongst which were these snapshots of
the Lintonia.
with apologies I don't seem to be able to up load the pictures... will sort it out and get them up ASAP. - JLK
UPDATE: 22 May 2013
We have finally been able to move pictures from the archive onto the blog again...so here are the missing pictures. Many thanks again to Jim Hamilton.
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