John Hammill
ID # 3267
| Father | Samuel Hammill |
| Mother | Mercy Lawrason |
| Note | Such information that we have for John Hammill remains, for the moment, inferential. See Ancaster's Heritage, A History of Ancaster Township, Ancaster Township Historical Society, 1973, Vol. 1, page 217, Lot 9, Conc. 1, by Mrs. William K. Dunham, which states in brief: Thomas Steward, the Crown Patentee of lot 9/1 apparently soon sold it to John Hammill who sold it in 1816, etc. With such an early date, it's reasonable to believe John to be a son of Samuel and Mercy. So, with little else yet found, we list him here. As a purchaser and vendor of land, we may eliminate as a contender for the John Hammill referred to in the above transactions John Aikman Hammill, who appears in the Hamilton branch OGS transcription of St. John's Anglican as being born in 1818 and dying in 1855. The Abstract Index for lot 9 of the 1st concession of Ancaster, upon which Mrs. Dunham's interpretation (above) is based, is interesting to look at. It appears on microfilm GSU161077. This records the Letters Patent being granted by the Crown to Thomas Steward on 6 May 1796. There is no record of sale to anyone of this township lot by Steward. Rather, the next two transactions show the sale of, first, 120 acres from John Hammill to William Weaver on 8 July 1816; and, second, 80 acres from John Hammill to John Stenebaugh 21 January 1816. Quite missing from the record is the acquisition of this property by John Hammill. The evident reason that these two records are out of apparent order is that the first was registered on 17 September 1816 and the second on 16 January 1817, and, as with all such records, it is not the instrument date, but the registration date that governs entry. Page 277, also of Vol. 1, Ancaster's Heritage, under Lot 53, Conc. 3, by Mrs. A. McCulloch, presents us with a list of the children of Samuel and Mercy without benefit of source and makes a brief mention of John as a son. He is not shown as appearing on the Abstract Index and, indeed, we find this to be the case when the actual Abstract Index is viewed (same microfilm as mentioned above). There are transactions involving Thomas, Patrick, and Samuel Hammill, but this gets us into quite other issues. One potential candidate for John Hammill, son of Samuel and Mercy, is to be found in the 1851 and 1861 censuses at Town of Brantford. 1851 shows John Hammill, 61, born Canada West, Agent, Baptist. With him is his wife, Mary Hammill, also 61, born United States, Baptist. Also in the same household are Reuben Hammill, age 25, and James R. Hammill, 23. Both are born in Canada West and both are shown as stone cutters. 1861 shows John Hammill, age 69, born Upper Canada, carpenter, Baptist. With him is wife Julia, age 45, born Ireland, also Baptist. Despite inconsistencies, probably the John Hammill in Brantford in 1861 is the same as John Hammill in 1851. Julia is probably his second wife. No proof exists for this, however. No cemetery records for them have been found. |
| Last Edited | 7 Nov 2017 |