My 64 ~ Researching My Fourth Great Grandparents : Hans Hamilton and Jane Cottam

My fourth great grandfather, Hans (also spelled Hants) Hamilton, was born on January 1, 1780, in Truro, in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, the sixth son and youngest of nine children born to Robert Hamilton and Agnes "Nancy" Ferguson.

In the summer of 1771, his parents Robert and "Nancy" and his five oldest siblings, had immigrated from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, aboard the schooner "Hopewell" to Halifax, Nova Scotia. From there, they had moved to Truro.

Later, his father Robert was among a group of men who received a grant of land at "Wilmot River," which later became known as the Stewiacke River. He was settled there with his family by 1792.

On November 14, 1811, Hans married Jane Cottam, the daughter of James Cottam, Sr. and Mary Wilson. Hans was 31; Jane was 18.

My fourth great grandmother, Jane Cottam, was born on February 22, 1793, the oldest of seven children. Many of her family members, including my 5th great grandparents, are buried in the Cottam Settlement Cemetary, near Debert.

James Cottam and Mary Wilson
Graves
Cottam Settlement Cemetery
near Debert, Nova Scotia

Alan Ross made a short video of his visit there, about a year and a half ago:

Together, Hans and Jane had 13 children, from 1813 to 1840 (27 years):

Agnes, b. 1813

Mary, b. 1815

Robert, b. 1817

Agnes, b. 1818

James, b. 1921

Hants, b. 1823

John, b. 1825

Jane, b. 1927

Susan, b. 1830

Margaret, b. 1832

William Alexander, b. 1834

Rebecca, b. 1837

Robert Samuel, b. 1840

A farmer all his life, Hans passed away on February 4, 1858, at the age of 78.  Jane died a little over a year later, at age 66. Both died in Upper Stewiacke. Hans is buried in Riverside Cemetery, in Upper Stewiacke. Jane is probably buried there as well.

Hans Hamilton's Grave
Riverside Cemetery
Upper Stewiacke
Nova Scotia

Sources:

1838 Census, Colchester Historeum (http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/search/)

"Cottam Settlement Cemetery" video recorded by Alan Ross, published Oct. 8, 2015. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAXrpN41iYs). Used with permission.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com  : accessed 23 Feb 2017), memorial page for Hans Hamilton (1780-1858), Find A Grave Memorial no. 153020671, citing Riverside Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Four Nova Scotia Families: Hennigar, Elliott, Harvey, Chipman [webpage](http://www.hhennigar.ca/index.php)

Miller, Thomas, Historical and genealogical record of the first settlers of Colchester County:  down to the present time compiled from the most authentic sources  (1873; facsimile edition, Belleville, Ontario:  Mika Studios, 1972).

Wile, Jane Currie, comp. Robert & Hants Hamilton: Two Brothers in Nova Scotia; eBook content from Jane Currie-Wile's Colchester County Families Database. February 2017. PDF download. (https://www.etsy.com/listing/513880171/robert-hants-hamiltio-two-brothers-in?ref=shop_home_active_1).

My Canadian Branches ~ My Clan MacKay and My Shelburne County Roots

Alexander MacKay, my third great grandfather, arrived in Canada from the Scottish Highlands as a young man of 29.  A few years later, when he married Eleanor Brown, he was living in Jordan River, in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. These pictures (made into postcards) have my great grandmother's writing on them.

The young couple, with their first three children, Isabella, Catherine, and John, were living in Ragged Island, by the 1871 Census of Canada. The next 30 years, however, saw the family resettling and living in Upper Stewiacke, in Colchester County. There were six children in all, the first three born in East Jordan, the younger three born in Upper Stewiacke. The oldest, Isabella Fulton MacKay, is my second great grandmother.

       Standing: Hugh Dunlap MacKay, Catherine Margaret MacKay,
 John William MacKay, Isabella Fulton MacKay, George Alexander MacKay.
  Seated: Flora Jane MacKay, Alexander MacKay, Eleanor MacKay (Alexander's wife).

Alexander MacKay (1830-1901)

Eleanor Brown MacKay (1835-1924)

Their Children:

Isabella Fulton MacKay (1861-1945)

Catherine Margaret MacKay (1864-1927)

John William MacKay (1866-1945)

George Alexander MacKay (1872-1955)

Flora Jane MacKay (1874-1941)

Hugh Dunlap MacKay (1878-1934)

Alexander and Eleanor MacKay are buried in the Burnt Hill Cemetery, in Upper Burnside, Nova Scotia. My great grandmother took this picture many years ago:

A recent photo by a findagrave volunteer shows the monument today:

Sources:

1871 Census of Canada; Census Place: Ragged Island, Shelburne, Nova Scotia; Roll: C-10547; Page: 41; Family No: 132. http://ancestry.com

1881 Census of Canada; Census Place: Upper Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia; Roll: C_13175; Page: 4; Family No: 12. http://ancestry.com

1891 Census of Canada; Census Place: Upper Stewiacke East, Colchester, Nova Scotia; Roll: T-6311; Family No: 124.  http://ancestry.com

1901 Census of Canada, http://automatedgenealogy.com/census/ViewFrame.jsp?id=8896&highlight=38.

Colchester Historeum Marriages 1864-1914, http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/search/.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  4 Dec 2015), memorial page for Alexander MacKay (1823-1901), Find A Grave Memorial no. 124797256, citing Burnt Hill Cemetery, Upper Burnside, Colchester County, Nova Scotia.

My Canadian Branches ~ Bella MacKay Hamilton and the Moose Chair

Peter Suther "PS" Hamilton and Isabella "Bella" MacKay Hamilton, my 2nd great grandparents, lived in Burnside, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, their whole married lives. They raised nine children, one of whom was my great grandmother, Melvina Jane "Vina" Hamilton Bustin, from whom I inherited a wonderful treasure trove of photographs.

I came across two pictures that piqued my interest. The first shows my great grandmother's mother, Bella, in front of the "old home" in Burnside, posing beside what appears to be a wooden sculpture of some kind.  It looks like antlers to me.

The second, more yellowing, photo provides another clue.  It was a chair, made out of, presumedly, moose antlers. The handwriting on the front is my great grandmother's, and the back states the same, The Moose Chair, in Bella's handwriting.

Was this some kind of trophy chair made from antlers of hunted moose, or was it a household curio, with no particular connection to family lore?

I have learned that my great grand uncle and aunt, unmarried brother and sister Bert and Stella Hamilton, were the last two family members to live at the old place, so I have to wonder whatever became of the "Moose Chair."

My Canadian Branches ~ Jane Soley Hamilton's 776 Babies

When Jane Soley married Robert Hamilton (my 3rd great grand uncle) in Lower Truro, Nova Scotia, in 1825, she never envisioned the local legend she would become. The daughter of  William and Mary Soley, she and Squire Robert, welcomed seven children into the world. Two of these children died in infancy, but it wasn't until her youngest, Baxter, was in his 10th year, and she in her 42nd, that her life would take on an expanded role in her community, and future generations still honor her selfless fortitude and courage.

It wasn't until July of 1851 that Jane was called upon to help a woman deliver a child. The mother was Elizabeth Hamilton (probably a relative) and she bore a son. Jane's presence and assistance as a midwife began a long and remarkable career.

In a small, care-worn, "birth book," Jane recorded every birth she attended, with the date, name of mother, and sex of the child. In 1852, she delivered 8 babies, and her path was determined. She averaged 20 entries each year for the next few years, with her busiest year being 1867, when she helped deliver 32 infants. There is no recording on any compensation for her work, although she may have received some small change that the family could spare.

Jane delivered many babies in Brookfield, where she lived, but also attended at births in Hilden, Pleasant Valley, Alton, and even as far away as Middle Stewiacke.

The surrounding cemeteries and graveyards contain many small unmarked stones in family plots, standing sentinel to the early deaths of children who perished too young. Brookfield and Pleasant Valley cemeteries hold at least nineteen of Jane's babies, documenting the epidemics and hardships families faced in those days. Scarlet fever, cholera, croup, dysentery, whooping cough, and diphtheria all took their toll.

"Aunt Jennie's" midwifery career spanned 42 years, and brought 776 children into the world, including 4 sets of twins. By the age of 80, she slackened her practice considerably. Several of her last patients were Hamiltons, probably related to her. In 1893, at the age of 88, Jane delivered Mrs. Sinclair Hamilton of a daughter. The little girl, named Mabel, who only lived four years, was Jane's great granddaughter.

Jane retired from this life's work at 88. Her career spanned 42 years and brought 776 children in this world. She passed away on October 2, 1897, aged 92 years and 8 months. Obituaries appeared in four newspapers,* but perhaps this unidentified newspaper clipping says it best:

"This venerable lady was one of the best known and most respected women in the place .... Ever ready to respond to the call of duty, she faced the most inclement weather at all hours and braved dangers that well might have tried the courage of strong men .... wherever sickness and trouble were, she was ever ready to lend a helping hand and in her quiet, cheerful way, did all that lay in her power to soothe the suffering. Hers was a truly unselfish, Christian life, entirely devoted to the welfare of other." **

Jane is buried next to her husband, Robert, in Brookfield Eastside Cemetery, in Colchester County, Nova Scotia.

*Colchester Sun (Truro), 6 October 1897
  Novascotian and Weekly Chronicle (Halifax), 16 October 1897
  Presbyterian Witness (Halifax), 9 October 1897, p.328
  Truro Daily News (Truro), 6 October 1897

** This obituary was found in an unidentified newspaper clipping in a scrapbook belonging to Mrs. Prudence Parker, North River, Colchester County, Nova Scotia. As of 1982, the scrapbook was still in her possession.


Photo Credit:

"Public Member Trees," database, Ancestry.com, "MacIntosh," for Jane Soley (d.. 2  Oct 1897), with linked images.

Sources:

"Colchester Women" by the Colchester Historical Society.

"Jane Soley Hamilton, Midwife," by Joan E. Kennedy, Nova Scotia Historical Review, Vol. 2, #1 (1982), pp.6-29. [Contains Record of Children Delivered by Jane Soley Hamilton, 1851-1893]

Miller, Thomas, Historical and genealogical record of the first settlers of Colchester county (Halifax, 1873), pp.357-358.

My Canadian Branches ~ Finding Fulton Graves (From Afar)

Like so many other descendants of James and Margaret Fulton (my 6th great grandparents) of Bass River, Nova Scotia, I was familiar with the early family history: the immigration from Ireland, the settlement in New England, and the re-settlement in Nova Scotia. Short of visiting the ancestral homeland, I have immersed myself in the rich saga of "Judge" James Fulton, and his son, the chair-maker, George Fulton.

When it came down to locating the final resting places of my Fulton ancestors, however, it is a mixed bag.  To get a clearer picture of the graves I had located online, and to determine those I was missing, I put all I had in an Excel spreadsheet. I included Relationship, Name, Cemetery, Source/Site, URL/FAG #, and Picture?. This exercise showed me some burial plot patterns over time, but contained some surprises.

My 6th Great Grandparents, James and Margaret Fulton, three of my 5th Great Grand Uncles (with their wives), as well as a 4th Great Grand Uncle and his wife are buried in the Island Cemetery, in Bass River. Another 5th Great Grand Uncle and his wife are buried in the Portaupique Cemetery, in Portaupique.

Fortunately, I found pictures of all 12 of these graves on either Find A Grave, or Canada Gen Web's Cemetery Project.

The first surprise was the absence of any burial information for my 5th Great Grandparents, George Fulton and Esther Creelman. For each of them to be from two of the more prominent Colchester County families, this baffles me.

I also have found four Fulton cousins, most with spouses, buried in Pembroke Cemetery, in Upper Stewiacke, 7 out of 9 with pictures. And, yet, surprisingly enough, I have no burial information for my 4th Great Grandparents, Isabel Fulton and John Brown.

I posted my spreadsheet, from my Dropbox under Files on the Genealogy of Colchester County Facebook Page, and also posted a request for anyone to stop by and fill in some of my photo gaps. This resulted in my receiving some wonderful pictures from Burnt Hill Cemetery, in Burnside, of the graves of my 3rd Great Grandparents, Alexander MacKay and Eleanor Brown. Though not Fultons, these pictures were a great gift. With the photographer's permission, I was able to add them to their Find A Grave memorials.

Graves of Alexander MacKay and Eleanor Brown
Burnt Hill Cemetery, Burnside
c/o Floyd Mesheau

Sources:

Bass River Heritage Society http://www.bassrivermuseum.ca/

Bass River...the Fulton ancestors http//www.mytripjournal.com/travel-103622-bass-river-judge-james-nova-scotia-prince-edward

Colchester Historeum Cemetery Index http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/search/

Dominion Chair Company, Our History http://dominionchair.ca/our-history/

History of Bass River, by Marion R. Davidson, written for the centenary edition, Truro Weekly News, June 29, 1967.

History of Bass River, produced by the Women's Institute of Bass River in 1955, and revised in 1978 by the Bass River Senior Citizens Club.

History of Founders of Bass River, by J. Currie Creelman (1935).

James Fulton, in Dictionary of Canadian Biography http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/fulton_james_6E.html

The Fulton Family of Atlantic Canada; Sponsored by the Fulton Family Associates, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada - 1979., The Fulton Family of Atlantic Canada, (Sponsored by the Fulton Family Associates, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada - 1979).

The Island Cemetery http://bassrivermuseum.tumblr.com/post/36082884378/the-island-cemetery-bass-river-nova-scotia-1790

52 Ancestors: #49 Peter Suther Hamilton (1852-1929)

Peter Suther Hamilton, my second great grandfather, was born on this date in 1852 in Burnside, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, the sixth of eight children born to Hants Hamilton and first cousin Mary Hamilton, and their fifth son.

His grandfather, John Hamilton, had traveled with his family, as a two-year-old, from Armagh, in what is now Northern Ireland, to Nova Scotia, in 1771.

The Hamiltons were farming folks, and it can be assumed that the young Peter was raised with his share of chores.

The Hamilton Farm
 "The Old Home"

At the age of 25, Peter married 18-year-old Isabella Fulton MacKay, from Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Her father had emigrated from Scotland.

Together, Peter (or PS, as he was most often called) and Bella (as she was known) raised nine children:

George Bradford, b. 1878

Mary Ellen, b. 1880

Alexander Archibald, b. 1883

Melvina Jane, b. 1886 (my great grandmother)

Agnes Rachel, b. 1889

Catherine Margaret, b. 1892

Albert Thorburn, b. 1895

Stella Rowan, b. 1899

Daniel Gordon, b. 1901

Of their nine children, only George Bradford, known as Brad, and Albert Thorburn, known as Bert, remained "down east."  The rest of their children eventually immigrated to the States. Bert was the last of his generation to reside in the old farmhouse.

Here are two pictures of PS and Bella, from my great grandmother's collection:

Peter Suther Hamilton passed away on October 9, 1929, in the same farmhouse he was born in 76 years before. He and Bella were married for just over 50 years, the occasion having been marked by this family photograph:

He is buried in Pembroke Cemetery, in Upper Stewiacke, Nova Scotia.

Photo Credit:

Peter Suther Hamilton Grave Stone. The Sprague Project, Albert Arnold Sprague, IV, webmaster (http://www.sprague-database.org/genealogy/showmedia.php?mediaID=1498&medialinkID=2687)

Sources:

1864-1914 MARRIAGE RECORDS; on-line records at Colchester Historical Society Museum Archives, Colchester Historical Society Museum Archives, (http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/).

"Canada Census, 1871," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M4D3-F66 : accessed 24 Jun 2014), Hans Hamilton, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing p. 40, line 10; Library and Archives Canada film number C-10559, Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2229147.

"Canada Census, 1881," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MVX9-QVD : accessed 24 Jun 2014), Hans Hamilton, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing p. 7; Library and Archives Canada film number C-13175, Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 1375811.

"Canada Census, 1891," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWKR-TLG : accessed 13 December 2014), Peter S Hamilton, Upper Stewiacke East, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148113.

"Canada Census, 1901," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KHK2-TGC : accessed 13 December 2014), Peter S Hamilton, U, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing p. 12, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.

"Canada, Marriages, 1661-1949," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F229-TSN : accessed 13 December 2014), Peter Luther Hamilton and Isabella Fulton Mckay, 16 Nov 1878; citing Up. Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia, reference p 147 cn 127; FHL microfilm 1,298,865.

Nova Scotia. Historical Vital Statistics. Registration Year 1878, Book 1806, Page 147, Number 147. Peter Suther Hamilton and Isabella Fulton MacKay. (https://novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=1806-147&Event=marriage&ID=17924  : accessed and downloaded 6/30/20113.

Nova Scotia.  Historical Vital Statistics.  Registration Year 1929, Book 119, Page 941. Peter Suther Hamilton. https://novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=119-941&Event=death&ID=202865 : accessed and downloaded 6/30/2013.

"Nova Scotia Vital Records, 1763-1957," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KMLX-GCR : accessed 13 December 2014), Peter S. Hamilton and Isabella F. Mckay, 1878, Marriage; citing p. 147, volume 1806, , Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada; Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax.

"Nova Scotia Vital Records, 1763-1957," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KML6-XRG : accessed 13 December 2014), Peter Suther Hamilton, 1929, Death; citing p. 941, volume 119, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada; Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax.

***

This is the 49th in a series, “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks,” coordinated by Amy Johnson Crow at

 No Story Too Small.

You might also enjoy:

52 Ancestors #1: William Brackley, Jr. (1788-1873)

52 Ancestors #2: Stephen Morse (1803-1886)

52 Ancestors #3: Frederick James Dargavel (1901-1987)

52 Ancestors #4: Betsey Brackley (1813-1891)

52 Ancestors #5: Hannah Wilson Leighton (1760-1813)

52 Ancestors #6: Samuel James Bustin (1921-1962)

52 Ancestors #7: Kathleen Coffen Seavey (1905-1979)

52 Ancestors #8: James Leighton (1797-1844)

52 Ancestors #9: William Archibald (1765-1836)

52 Ancestors #10: Benjamin Bishop Bustin (1879-1975)

52 Ancestors #11: Major Plaisted (1798-1887)

52 Ancestors #12: Solomon Libby (1785-1861)

52 Ancestors #13: Lyman Seavey (1837-1881)

52 Ancestors #14: Rosanna Austin (1737- ?)

52 Ancestors #15: Albert Thorburn Hamilton (1895-1979)

52 Ancestors #16: Howard Clarence Seavey (1897-1956)

52 Ancestors #17: George William Smith (1844-1925)

52 Ancestors #18: Stephen Blizzard Bustin (1877-1964)

52 Ancestors #19: Susan Morse (1804-?)

52 Ancestors #20: Edward Skillings (1711-1779)

52 Ancestors #21: Hugh Libby (1793-1872)

52 Ancestors #22: Edmund B. Clayton (1833-1864)

52 Ancestors #23: Daniel Leighton (1787-1860)

52 Ancestors #24: Emma Jane Deyarmond (1867-1947)

52 Ancestors #25: Cynthia Ellen Leighton (1847-1847)

52 Ancestors #26: Arvilla Megquier McIntire (1875-1945)

52 Ancestors #27: Lucy Jordan Davis (1795-?)

52 Ancestors #28: Flora Jane MacKay (1874-1941)

52 Ancestors #29: Frederick Parker Bustin (1886-1965)

52 Ancestors #30: Elizabeth D. Hawkes (1914-1973)

52 Ancestors #31: Stanley Bustin (1891-1974)

52 Ancestors #32: William S. Libby (1829-1894)

52 Ancestors #33: Bessie Judson McCain (1877-1958)

52 Ancestors #34: Beniah Pratt Brackley (1833-1896)

52 Ancestors #35: Stephen Leighton (1804-1820?)

52 Ancestors #36: Bartholomew Clayton (1801-1882)

52 Ancestors #37: Jonathan Turner (1646-1724)

52 Ancestors #38: Content Nye (1693-1775)

52 Ancestors #39: Eugene Clayton Brackley (1912-2003)

52 Ancestors #40: John Clayton, Jr. (1795-1876)

52 Ancestors #41: George Leighton (1727-1807)

52 Ancestors #42: John C. Brackley (1818-1897)

52 Ancestors #43: Thomas Herman Bustin (1881-1950)

52 Ancestors #44: Moses H. Jordan (1814?-?)

52 Ancestors #45: Harriett Elizabeth Seavey (1847?-1925)

52 Ancestors #46: Charles L. Ingalls (1839-1864)
52 Ancestors #47: Suther Ross Bustin (1908-1990)

52 Ancestors #48: Mark Samuel Leighton (1885-1970)