Selected writings
24 publicly shared writings. The complete set is available to family members and invited researchers — sign in if that's you.
A letter to J.M. Powell detailing the trip West on the Oregon Trail in 1851. J.M. Powell was a decendant of John A. Powell the captain of the Powell Train that Supplina journeyed with.
Supplina Hamilton
Thanks to Kathi (Hamilton) Keith for forwarding this wonderful letter. Kathi obtained a copy from Irene Pease. Irene is the wife of Effie's grandson Tommy Pease. They live in Clarkston, WA.
Effie (Hamilton) Darland
Alexander Sumpter, Jr. was the younger brother of Sarah Jane "Jane" (Sumpter) Hamilton, the wife of Supplina Hamilton. Alexander, Jr.'s notebook was passed down to his son, John A. Sumpter, and now to their descendants in Oregon. These few family history notes are a wonderful gift from our distant Uncle Alexander. I wish we had this kind of outline on the Hamilton side. If we did, our difficulty in understanding the history of John Hamilton, father of Supplina and William, would be eased immensely. Though originally loyal English subjects of King George, the Sumpter family became strong American Patriots. Not only did the family men serve with distinction and note in the Revolution, but in that generation and down until recent generations the family gave their male children the first name of 'George' and 'Washington'. Additionally, if the child was named George the middle name was then Washington. Originally, this helped to make it clear that the child was named for the first American President and not the King of England! The comments in brackets [] are from long-time Sumpter family researcher, Jane Malone-George, "pure speculation and unproved theories, mostly" her words. Jane sent this text version to me via email the last week of 2011. I've also added extra comments in parentheses () and edited the flow of the text for added readability.
Alexander Sumpter, Jr.
The service history of Hiram Hamilton, who served in the Western Gunboat Service during the Civil War, is complicated due to a mix-up with the records. His widow mistakenly used the military records of a different and much younger Illinois soldier, an infantryman named Hiram S. Hamilton, for her pension applications.
Glen Hamilton
John Ramsay was the father of James W. Ramsay among other children. This text of this last will and testament was provided to us by Kathryn Davis a descendant of one of John's sons, George Ramsay.
Glen Hamilton
Cousin Cynthia Hamilton of Boston recently shared the obituary of our Hamilton cousin, Steven Earl Hamilton of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Cynthia Hamilton and Steven were close Hamilton cousins and good friends.
Glen Hamilton
On June 26, 2026, my son Alex Hamilton and brother-in-law Greg Hazard and I searched in the rain in Athens, Illinois, for Aunt Mary's long forgotten grave. We were successful, thanks to the eagle eye of Alex and then digging up a gravestone that was 90% buried and broken in the sod of the cemetery.
Glen Hamilton
Searching Cherry Grove Cemetery in Mason County, Illinois for the grave of Lt. James M. Hamilton (1834-1869) of the 85th Illinois Infantry, twin brother of William McCord Hamilton.
Glen Hamilton
A 1921 obituary sent from Tuscola County, Michigan points to Allen Darious Hamilton, killed at the Battle of the Wabash in 1791, as the likely father of our John D. Hamilton, overturning the parentage listed in 104 online family trees.
Glen Hamilton
A researcher recently shared a rescued 1906 portrait of Lillian "Lillie" May (Ramsay) Fee | Galloway (1887–1974), which was originally saved from a North Vancouver second-hand store and uploaded to FamilySearch. The photograph belonged to Danny Hamilton's maternal grandmother, who was also the author's great-grandmother. Handwritten notes on the back confirm her birth, her 1906 marriage to Wesley Fee, and the names of her children.
Glen Hamilton
An eyewitness account by 17-year-old Cape Cod patriot Isaac Snow (1758–1855) highlights local involvement in the Revolutionary War, including the Siege of Boston and the fortification of Dorchester Heights. Following the siege, Snow served under Chatham's Captain Thomas Hamilton, a direct ancestor connected to prominent Cape Cod families and Mayflower lineages. His account illustrates how these tightly knit colonial families served and fought alongside one another to help secure American independence.
Glen Hamilton
A linked PDF details the 1851 Oregon Donation Land Claim (Certificate #2969) for Supplina's 138-acre homestead, a key reason the family settled in the Pacific Northwest. The file includes valuable genealogical records and affidavits from neighbors Robert and Joseph Earl, as well as wagon train captain and minister John Alkire Powell. An accompanying image overlays a historical survey map onto Google Earth to show the property's modern location.
Newly digitized 1820s Allegany County court records broke through a long-standing genealogical brick wall by identifying ancestor John Hamilton with the middle initial "D" (likely Daniel or Darious). Corroborated by appearances of his Judd in-laws and an unrelated juror named Freeborn Hamilton, the find confirms his identity alongside the 1830 Amity census, where he was the only John Hamilton heading a household in the county.
Glen Hamilton
This post shares the Civil War story of James Hamilton, an identical twin to William McCord Hamilton and one of the youngest children of John and Altha (Judd) Hamilton, born April 10, 1834, in Morgan County, Illinois. The tribute includes links to a dedicated podcast and an overview video exploring his life and wartime service.
Glen Hamilton
This post highlights Hiram Hamilton (1822–1862), the eldest son of John and Altha (Judd) Hamilton, whose life and descendants were uncovered through genetic and historical research. It shares a deep-dive audio podcast and a video slide overview detailing the investigation into "Uncle Hiram."
Glen Hamilton
This update revisits the August 2023 DNA discovery connecting the Peterson and Derrickson lines to the Hamilton family history. It features a newly released four-minute podcast detailing Roy Albert Peterson's large family alongside a restored wedding photograph of Roy and his bride, Essie Pearl Nichols, from their October 11, 1915 wedding in Dayton, Washington.
Glen Hamilton
This post explores the life of John Pooler Hamilton (1829–1895), featuring Podcast #4 and an overview video about the uncle who "left between two days." It showcases a color-restored circa 1864 photograph of the 3rd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry musicians at Camp Douglas, Utah Territory, which likely captures John as one of the seated front-row drummers. Supporting links provide access to his Civil War pension files and an 1894 letter written from Santiago, Chile, to his nephew Duron Hamilton in Washington State.
Glen Hamilton
Listen to the truly amazing story of aunt Elizabeth Hamilton, one of the older children of John & Altha (Judd) Hamilton our common ancestors. Link to Podcast: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OnnRqlKGmnBXHQqPtA6_CtMd…
Glen Hamilton
Podcast link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10YuCvxZ4K9_pADxUtrAJ1TCyR6wh27gp/view?usp=sharing
Glen Hamilton
Launching A Family History Podcast Series Thanks to the help of Google Notebook LM I'll be sharing some of our family history in podcast form over the next few months. Here is the first installment: Podcast #1: The Life …
Glen Hamilton
"Oldest Inhabitant of Scio" Photo reconstructed from a picture of Alexander Sumpter in The Sunday Oregonian newspaper published Sunday, July 14, 1901. Alexander's wife, Nancy, had passed in 1895. He was living with his d…
Glen Hamilton
Here is but a sampling (there are so many) of newspaper clippings of the Frank and Julia Aletha "Allie" (Templeton) Hamilton family during their Montana years. Frank was a son of Supplina and Jane (Sumpter) Hamilton. Fra…
Glen Hamilton
August 20, 2025 It finally happened, after 22 years of looking by myself and years before that by the late Joyce Elthea (Stover) Hamilton, wife of Gordon Wilbur Hamilton, .... and 175 years after his death, we (his famil…
Glen Hamilton
After 130 years, a major research breakthrough has reconnected the family with close cousins from the Peterson line across Eastern Washington and Linn County, Oregon. The post welcomes new cousins Cathy Peterson Marsh Baker, Barb Peterson Little, Tina Crume, and Ericka Mackey, and our Peterson | Derrickson cousins while sharing a recorded discussion with Cathy alongside a linked document mapping out the evidence behind the discovery.
Glen Hamilton