Hamilton - from Banbridge, Ireland to Canada?

[ghmyrtle]

My grandfather was Robert James Hamilton (1872-1924) of Banbridge, Co. Down.  He married Ethel Evans in 1920, but died soon after my father was born, and I have little direct knowledge of his family.  We know that he had several younger brothers and sisters, several of whom died young: William (1874-1885), Thomas K (1884-1885), and Mary A (1894-1895).

However, several of his brothers and sisters survived to adulthood, and we believe that most if not all of them emigrated to Canada and the US.  One of them, Samuel Harrington Hamilton (1883-1955) arrived in the US in 1912, married Mary Arlow, and lived in Erie, PA; he had a step-son but, so far as I know, no children of his own.

My main interest is in the other four of my grandfather's siblings, all of whom were born in Banbridge:

Clara Hamilton - born about 1876/77

John Alexander Hamilton - born 2 November 1878

Sarah McBride Hamilton ("Sadie") - born 25 September 1880

William Wesley Hamilton - born 30 April 1887.

I've recently discovered that William Wesley Hamilton married Anna Mary Shannon in Bannside Presbyterian Church, Banbridge in 1920, and travelled to Canada in 1921 with both his wife and his sister Sadie.    They arrived at St John, New Brunswick, on the "Empress of France", on 15 April 1921, and their onward destination was stated to be Gull Lake, Saskatchewan.

I have no idea why they were heading for Saskatchewan.  Could Clara and/or John perhaps have already been living in the area?   There was a John Alexander Hamilton aged 28, occupation: clerk, leaving Ireland and arriving in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in November 1910, but I do not know if that is the same person.

I have no information at all about what happened to any of the four siblings I've listed, or whether they had any descendants in Canada (or elsewhere).  Any information would be gratefully received!

[DORAN54]

there is a ref for   sarah hamilton on the canadian passenger list 15th april 1921 destination  gull lake saskatchewan

also a baptism for sarah mcbride hamilton 1880 parents robert hamilton &mary anderson hamilton

[ghmyrtle]

Yes, thanks, Sarah and Sadie were one and the same person. 

[DORAN54]

william wesley hamilton married anna mary shannon 19 oct banbridge

arrived new brunswick 21 april1921

[DORAN54]

john Alexander Hamilton arrival Quebec 23 may 1912

 a ref to him on the u s  federal census 1920 but i haven't got access to that

[*Sandra*]

Hi ghmyrtle,

Do Clara or John appear on 1901 or 1911 Ireland census  Just to give an idea of the time frame if possible.

What was Johns occupation please ?

Canada has very strict privacy laws and each province imposes its own even further.  Additionally, some provinces are more research friendly than others so researching in Canada can be challenging.  The last available Canadian Census was 1911 apart from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta which was 1916.  As a guide BMD Records are only available for births more than a 100 years ago, marriages 80 years ago and deaths 70 years ago. The 1921 Canadian Census is due out next year. Trying to trace modern day families in Canada depends on newspaper announcements, cemetery records, obituaries, telephone directories.

Canadian Passenger Lists do show a couple of John Hamiltons arriving 23 May 1912 on the Montrose, one was 26 years old so we can discount him. Another was transcribed as 33 years old and travelling with Eve but the surname for both looks more like MacMillan on the image rather than Hamilton. The reference to the 1920 Census looks to be for a Alexander Hamilton.



Sandra

[ghmyrtle]

Thanks for the replies so far. 

We have John Alexander Hamilton's details from the Irish birth records - http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=fsirelandcivregbirth&h=3058772&ti=5538&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t42175844_p19741224038_kpidz0q3d19741224038z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgPLz0q3dpid - with his birth date confirmed by local parish sources.  We haven't tracked him down in either the 1901 or 1911 censuses, so don't know his occupation. 

I had noted the John Alexander H who arrived in Quebec in 1912, but mentally ruled out the Alexander Hamilton in Pennsylvania because it gives his arrival in US as 1900 and his mother tongue as Irish rather than English.  It may well not be him - there were several possible John Alexander Hamiltons - but on the other hand naming his first son as Robert W (William?) would match the family tradition, Robert being a much-used family name especially for eldest sons.  It's also common in the family for people to use their second rather than first names, so using Alexander rather than John is possible.

For Clara Hamilton there is the reverse problem - we can't find her in the births or parish records, but she is shown in the 1901 census, as a milliner - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000698340/.  That form also shows William Wesley H, "Saidie" H (who both arrived in Canada in 1921), Samuel Harrington H (who we know went to the US in 1912), Robert James H (my grandfather), and their parents Robert and Mary.  Clara is not shown on the 1911 census form, and we haven't found her elsewhere.

[cosmac]

There are Ocean Arrivals Form 30A for all three of the Hamiltons you refer to.  On ancestry Sadie is indexed as S.M.B. Hamilton.  Sadie's form indicates she is going "to live with married sister on farm" and William's and his wife's show them going to a brother-in-law.  The married sister's husband's name is James but his last name is unclear - might be Baxter?

Debbie

[ghmyrtle]

That's really interesting, thanks.  It implies that James Baxter must have married Clara Hamilton - but, I can't find any record of that marriage in Ireland.  I'm quite new at this so may have missed something.