Robert Hamilton was born in Armagh, Ireland, November 8th, 1734, and Agnes Ferguson, his wife, was born March 5th, 1739. They were married about the year 1757. They removed to Nova Scotia, in the summer of the year 1771, and settled in Truro, on the farm on which Mr. David Cameron now resides. He died there December, 1814, aged 80 years, and his widow died at Upper Stewiacke, 1835, aged 96 years.
William Hamilton, their eldest son, was born in Ireland, December 28th, 1758, and was brought by his parents to Nova Scotia, when he was in the 13th year of his age. He was married to Louisa Thomson, daughter of Aaron Thomson, of Onslow, January 29th, 1789. He had been living in Brookfield, and clearing his farm four or five years before he was married, and they resided there the remainder of their lives. He died there January 20th, 1838, aged 79 years, and his widow died December 19th, 1846, aged 79 years.
Sarah Hamilton, their eldest daughter, was born April 14th, 1791. She was married to Adam Miller, third son of Isaac Miller and Elizabeth Dickey, March 12th, 1829. They have three daughters. Agnes Hamilton, their second daughter, was born July 7th, 1793. She was married to Captain Samuel Soley, of the Lower Village of Truro, July 29th, 1813. They had seven sons and two daughters.
Aaron Hamilton, their eldest son, was born Jany. 30th, 1796. He was married to Nancy Boomer, daughter of Joseph and Jane Boomer, September 25th, 1820. He settled on the farm that his son William now resides upon, west of the Brookfield station, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. He died there March 10th, 1844, aged 48 years, and his wife died April 28th, 1844, aged 55 years. William Hamilton, their eldest son, was born June 9th, 1821. He was married to Margaret Jeffers, April, 1848. They had three sons and one daughter. Mrs. Hamilton died March 17th, 1864, and he was married again to Martha Jane Withrow, March 3rd, 1868. He inherits what was his father's farm. They had one son. James Joseph, the second son of Aaron and Nancy Hamilton, was born October 8th, 1822. He was married to Margaret Williams, May 13th, 1852. They had two sons and four daughters. He removed and settled at Point Brule, May, 1867. He has held a Commission of the Peace several years. Mary, the eldest daughter of Aaron and Nancy Hamilton, was born July 7th, 1827. She removed to the State of Maine, and was married to James Wright, an Englishman. They had one son and one daughter. Louisa, the second daughter of Aaron and Nancy Hamilton, was born July 7th, 1829. She removed to South Boston, and died there October 1st, 1850, aged 21 years. Elizabeth, the third daughter of William and Louisa Hamilton, was born May 24th, 1798. She was married to John Conley, February 13th, 1824. They had two sons and two daughters. She died June 18th, 1834, aged 36 years.
Robert, the second son of William and Louisa Hamilton, was born April 30th, 1800. He was married to Sophia, the eldest daughter of Peter and Mehetabel Stevens, March 10th, 1825. He inherited a part of his father's farm in Brookfield, and built the two-story house in which Mr. Robert Dinsmore now resides. He died at North River, January, 1857, aged 56 years. Peter Stevens Hamilton, their eldest son, was born in Brookfield, January 3rd, 1826. He studied law, and now resides in Halifax. He was married to Anne, daughter of Thomas I. Brown, Esq., and Rachel Pearson, December 8th, 1849. They had three sons and two daughters. Louisa, the eldest daughter of Robert and Sophia Hamilton, was born March 3rd, 1828. She died October, 1835, aged seven years. Mehetabel, their second daughter, was born June 30th, 1830. She removed to Boston, and was married there to Alexander Fraser. They had two sons and one daughter. Edmond W. Hamilton, their second son, was born January 18th, 1835. He was married to Nancy Harriet, daughter of Simeon H. Blair and Janet McCurdy, September 21st, 1858. They had one son and three daughters, besides several others that died young. George R. Hamilton, their third son, was born May 16th, 1839. He removed to British Columbia. Helen Mercy, their third daughter, was born February 27th, 1837. She was married to John McCullion, of Pugwash. They had two daughters. She died June 11th, 1870, and her husband died July, 1872. Laura Hamilton, their fourth daughter, was born June 16th, 1846. She removed to the United States.
William, the third son of William and Louisa Hamilton, was born November 17th, 1803. He was married to Martha Prestley, June 1st, 1834. Emeline, their daughter, was born May 29th, 1835. He was married again to Mary Irwin, widow of the late Duncan McShanick, April, 1864. They have two sons and two daughters. He inherits a part of what his father's farm in Brookfield, and goes by the name of Queer Bill. Louisa, the fourth daughter of William and Louisa Hamilton, was born July 20th, 1806. She was married to James Stevens, Esq., January 22nd, 1829. They had six sons and five daughters.
Archibald Hamilton, their fourth son, was born February 17th, 1810. He was married to Ruth, daughter of Peter and Mehetabel Stevens, November 29th, 1830. He inherits the homestead and a part of what was his father's farm at Brookfield. Maria Hamilton, the eldest daughter of Archibald and Ruth Hamilton, was born May 30th, 1832. She was married to James Dinsmore. They had two sons and four daughters. Esther, their second daughter, was born August 5th, 1833. She removed to the United States, and was married there to George Edwards. They have one son. Alfred, their eldest son, was born June 16th, 1835. He was married to Rachel Wrath, October 27th, 1857. They have two sons and three daughters. Rhoda, their third daughter, was born June 24th, 1839. She was married to Mr. Hawes, of the United States, and had one daughter. Mr. Hawes died, and she was married again to Mr. Oliver, of the United States. They have one son. They now reside in Granville, N. S. David, their second son, was born August 1st, 1841. He removed to Kansas, U. S., and was married there to Dorah McLain, about the year 1865. Minerva, their fourth daughter, was born January, 1845. Harriett, their fifth daughter, was born March 31st, 1847. She removed to the United States, and was married there to Joseph Wilkens. They had one son and one daughter. William Augustus, their third son, was born July 1st, 1849. Thressa, their sixth daughter, was born August 30th, 1851. Sophia, their seventh daughter, was born May 6th, 1854.
Mary, the eldest daughter of Robert Hamilton, Sen., and Agnes Ferguson, was born in Ireland, January 21st, 1761. She was brought by her parents to Nova Scotia when ten years old. She was married to John, the eldest son of Thomas Archibald and Janet Orr, in the year 1784. They had four sons and four daughters, who appear among the Archibald families. She died at Brookfield, August 20th, 1847, aged 86 years; and her husband died at Upper Stewiacke, September 1st, 1832. Margaret, their second daughter, was born October 4th, 1763. She died unmarried.
Robert Hamilton, second son of Robert and Agnes Hamilton, was born in Ireland, February 16th, 1765. He was brought by his parents to Nova Scotia when six years old. He was married to Phebe Ann, the eldest daughter of David McCollum, Sen., and Margaret Moore, in November, 1794. They had one daughter. Her name was Nancy. She died when about ten years old. He settled on the farm that Charles Cox recently owned, on the interval south of the River in Upper Stewiacke, and he died there in December, 1815. His widow was married again to Robert Gammell, June 20th, 1816. She died April 8th, 1859, aged 82 years.
John Hamilton, the third son of Robert Hamilton, Sen., and Agnes Ferguson, was born in Ireland, July 31st, 1768. He was brought by his parents to Nova Scotia when three years old. He was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Archibald and Janet Orr, October 27th, 1796. He settled in Brookfield; and, in January, 1800, he was paralyzed. (And, on this occasion, the Rev. John Waddell visited him, and preached the first sermon that was ever preached in Brookfield. His text was Isaiah 35th chapter and 1st verse-- "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.") Shortly after this, he removed to Upper Stewiacke, and resided there for about eight or nine years, and then returned to Brookfield, where he spent the remainder of his days. He died July 1st, 1835, aged 67 years, having been for thirty-five years deprived of the use of his limbs. His wife died February 18th, 1831, aged 60 years. They were buried in the Truro Cemetery.
Thomas Hamilton, their eldest son, was born in Brookfield, October 29th, 1797. He was married to Agnes, daughter of William Carter and Agnes Cox, his wife, April 8th, 1830. They settled in Brookfield, where they reared their family. He died there July 14th, 1868, aged 71 years. His widow perished on the railroad, above William Murray's, in February, 1873. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Thomas and Agnes Hamilton, was born January 17th, 1831. She was married to George Risa in November, 1858. Eleanor, their second daughter, was born June 6th, 1832. She died when young. Charles Hamilton, their eldest son, was born November 2nd, 1834. He was married to Catherine McCulloch, of Pictou, November, 1857. They had four sons and one daughter. They reside in Truro. John Hamilton, their second son, was born August 20th, 1836. He was married to Sarah Jones, July 12th, 1862. They have three sons. Nancy, their third daughter, was born April 10th, 1837. She was married to Alexander Davies, October, 1864. They have three sons. George and Eleanor, twins, were born October 26th, 1841. Eleanor was married to George Bagleman, November 15th, 1859. They have five sons and one daughter.
Robert, the second son of John and Elizabeth Hamilton, was born September 23rd, 1799. He was married to Jane, the only daughter of William and Mary Soley, of the Lower Village of Truro, October 27th, 1825. He inherits a part of what was his father's farm in Brookfield. He has been a Justice of the Peace for about thirty years. John Hamilton, their eldest son, was born March 1st, 1827. He was married to Eleanor, daughter of William Moore and Alice Kennedy, January 30th, 1851. They now reside in the house with his parents. William Soley Hamilton, their second son, was born July 5th, 1831. He was married to Martha Ryan, May 1st, 1856. They have four sons and five daughters. He now carries on the blacksmith business in Brookfield. Mary, the eldest daughter of Robert and Jane Hamilton, was born September 16th, 1828. She died February 23rd, 1831. Mary Jane, their second daughter, was born March 8th, 1834. She was married to James Kennedy, February 14th, 1865. They have three sons. They now reside about two miles north of Brookfield. Samuel George Hamilton, their third son was born April 5th, 1836. He died March 11, 1842. James Hamilton, their fourth son, was born July 9th, 1838. Baxter Hamilton, their fifth son, was born November 11th, 1841. He was married to Lavinia Clark, August, 1864. They have three sons and two daughters.
Elizabeth and John Hamilton, twin daughter and son of John and Elizabeth Hamilton, were born in Stewiacke, September 23rd, 1803. Elizabeth was married to Edward Brinton, and had four sons and six daughters. John Hamilton was married to Martha, daughter of Moses Clark and Elizabeth Fisher, his wife, December 20th, 1832. They now reside on the homestead that was his father's. Moses Clarke Hamilton, their eldest son, was born February 18th, 1834. He was married to Maria Jane Dinsmore, of Economy, January 28th, 1868. Timothy Hamilton, their second son, was born November 19th, 1839. He was married to Ellen Boomer, April 28th, 1866. They have one son and two daughters. Anne, the only daughter of John and Martha Hamilton, was born April 2nd, 1841. She was married to Dr. Charles H. Munro, of Pictou County, September, 1861. They have one son and three daughters.
William, the fourth son of John and Elizabeth Hamilton, was born in Stewiacke, January 24th, 1807. He died a bachelor, September 9th, 1868, aged 61 years. Hants Hamilton, their fifth son, was born in Stewiacke, May 10th, 1809. He was married to Phebe Ann, daughter of John Archibald and Mary Hamilton, December 27th, 1830. They had one son and two daughters. Mrs. Hamilton died August, 1837, and he was married again to Mary, daughter of Hants Hamilton and Jane, his wife, of Upper Stewiacke, November 27th, 1839. They had five sons and three daughters. He resided for some time in what was his father's old house, at Brookfield, and then removed to Pembroke, in Upper Stewiacke, where they now reside. Agnes, the second daughter of John and Elizabeth Hamilton, was born in Brookfield, August 21st, 1811. She was married to John Carter, November 29th, 1827. They had five sons and four daughters. She died June 13th, 1854, aged 43 years. Rachel Hamilton, their third daughter, was born April 16th, 1814. She was married to John Clarke, in 1833. They had three sons and two daughters. They now reside in Masstown, Londonderry.
Archibald, the fourth son of Robert Hamilton, Sen., and Agnes Ferguson, was born March 19th, 1771, on the passage out. He died a bachelor.
George Hamilton, their fifth son, was born in Truro, January 5th, 1774. He was married to Eleanor Wilson Archibald, third daughter of Matthew and Janet Archibald, November 23rd, 1802. He built the house that Mr. George McLeod now resides in, on the north side of Salmon River, in which he resided. He carried on the shoe-making business in a shop that stood on the bank, where Mr. William McLeod now resides. He then sold out in Truro, and removed to Upper Stewiacke, to the farm that Mr. Hugh Dunlap now resides upon, where he spent the remainder of his days. He died there September 13th, 1842, aged 68 years, and his wife died August 15th, 1857, aged 76 years.
Robert and Matthew Hamilton, their twin sons, were born in Truro, October 11th, 1803. Robert was married to Ann, the eldest daughter of David Hingley and Sarah Fulton, of Merigomish, July 27th, 1837. They had three sons and three daughters. They reside on the south side of Stewiacke River, Upper Settlement. Matthew, their other twin son, was married to Catherine Holdman in 1833. They had six sons and three daughters. Mrs. Hamilton died, and he married again to Susan Dean, of Musquodoboit. They had three sons. He settled, and still resides in Musquodoboit. Nancy, the eldest daughter of George and Eleanor W. Hamilton, was born in Truro, September 19th, 1805. She was married to John Holdman, of Musquodoboit. They had seven sons and four daughters. She died some time ago. Janet Hamilton, their second daughter, was born March 17th, 1810. She was married to John G. D. Archibald, February 8th, 1838. They had three sons and three daughters.
Barry Hamilton, their third son, was born April 24th, 1812. He was married to Agnes Jane, second daughter of James M. McCurdy and Margaret Miller, March 17th, 1840. They had two sons and one daughter. Mrs. Hamilton died April 19th, 1846. He was married again to Susan Dunlap, widow of the late William Gammell, Esq., January 15th, 1850. They had two daughters. Mrs. Hamilton died December 29th, 1860, and he was married again to Alice Tupper, widow of the late James Creelman, Esq., January 2nd, 1862. Phebe Ann, the third daughter of George and Eleanor W. Hamilton, was born February, 1814. She was married to Alexander McDougall, of Musquodoboit, August, 1841. They had one son and one daughter. Mr. McDougall died January, 1848, and she was married again to John Olgivie, of Musquodoboit. They had two sons and two daughters. George, the fourth son of George and Eleanor W. Hamilton, was born in 1816. He was married to Margaret, daughter of William Fraser and Eleanor Archibald, of the Middle River of Pictou. They had two sons and three daughters. He settled in Pictou, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died there in September, 1860, aged 44 years. Elizabeth Hamilton their fourth daughter, was born in 1818. She was married to George Archibald, March 30th, 1839. They had five sons and one daughter. Sarah Hamilton, their fifth daughter, was born in 1820. She was married to Thomas Ellis Archibald, February, 1850. They had three sons and four daughters. These last two families have removed to the United States. Eleanor Hamilton, their sixth daughter, was born in 1822. She was married to David Fisher in 1849. They had two daughters. She died in 1860.
Agnes, the third daughter of Robert Hamilton, Sen., was born in Truro, April 26th, 1776. She died when young.
Hants, the sixth and youngest son of Robert Hamilton, Sen., and Agnes Ferguson, was born in Truro, January 1st, 1780. He was married to Jane, daughter of James Cottom, of Debert River, and Mary Wilson, November 14th, 1811. They settled in Upper Stewiacke, on the North side of the river, where they reared their family. He died there in 1856, aged 76 years, and his widow died in May, 1859, aged 66 years. She was born February 22nd, 1793. Agnes Hamilton, their eldest daughter, was born April 24th, 1813. She died January 6th, 1817, aged nearly four years. Mary, their second daughter, was born February 28th, 1815. She was married to Hants, son of John Hamilton, November 27th, 1839. They had five sons and three daughters. Robert, the eldest son of Hants and Jane Hamilton, was born January 27, 1817. He died unmarried, February 16, 1839, aged 22 years. Agnes, their third daughter, was born November 30th, 1818. She died November 12th, 1823, aged five years. James Hamilton, their second son, was born April 11th, 1821. He was married to Hannah H. Murray, of Musquodoboit, December 31st, 1841. They had one son and five daughters. He died April 6th, 1861, aged 40 years, and his widow was married again to William Deyarmond. Hants, the third son of Hants and Jane Hamilton, was born January 5th, 1823. He was married to Elizabeth, daughter of William Dunlap and Rachel Logan. They had three sons and five daughters. Mrs. Hamilton died June 30th, 1865, aged 37 years. John Hamilton, their fourth son, was born February 22nd, 1825. He removed to the United States, and was married there to Hannah Lylia, and they have a family of children. Jane, their third daughter, was born August 27th, 1827. She was married to James Rutherford. They had two sons and one daughter. She died in February, 1862, aged 35 years. Susan, the fourth daughter of Hants and Jane Hamilton, was born March 1st, 1830. She was married to Daniel Bently in 1849. They had one son and four daughters. Margaret, their fifth daughter, was born January 16th, 1832. She was married to Thomas Croker in 1858. Mr. Croker died April 22nd, 1871. They had two sons and two daughters. William Alexander Hamilton, their fifth son, was born February 9th, 1834. He was married to Martha, daughter of William Gammell, Esq., and Susan Dunlap, October 8th, 1863. They have one son and one daughter. He inherits what was his father's farm. Rebecca Hamilton, their sixth daughter, was born February 22nd, 1837. She was married to James Thompson, December 27th, 1866. Robert Samuel Hamilton, their sixth and youngest son, was born March 15th, 1840. He was married to Janet Proven, December 31st, 1870.