Jamison Web Generation One

1. FRANCIS¹ JAMISON was born in what is present–day Northern Ireland in the eighteenth century. He lived in Buckna, County Antrim. Francis died in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (see map under John Jamison, #3, in Generation Two), date not known, and is buried in Middle Church Cemetery, north of Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Pleasant Township.¹ Francis married MARGARET [—?—], born probably in northern Ireland; died in Westmoreland County; buried in Middle Church Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Francis Jamison, Sr., was probably still alive in 1789. Francis Jamison, Sr. [“Sr.” is reported in the tax list], Francis Jamison (single), John Jamison, Marmaduke Jamison (single, renter), and Robert Jamison were taxed in the 1789 tax list for Unity Township, Westmoreland County. Since Francis was known to have had sons Francis, Marmaduke, John and Robert, the Francis Jamison, Sr., taxed for 5 d., was probably the father of the other Jamisons of the tax list. In 1790, a Francis Jamison (all our Westmoreland County Jamisons enumerated in 1790 were enumerated as “Jemisons”) and one female were enumerated in Washington Township, Westmoreland County.² Possible by 1790, Francis [Jr.] had married and the couple was enumerated in Washington Township, but the Washington Township report could be that of Francis [Sr.] and Margaret Jamison.

Besides a short biography of Francis and Margaret Jamison and their family in Jameson (1901),³ there is a short biographical section for Francis Jamison in Boucher and Jordan, Volume III (1906), page 419. Information in the Kepler (1979–1980) letters also pertains to Francis Jamison. Finally, David S. Jamison’s (1992) Jamison provides three separately written accounts of our early Jamisons, with speculations on our Jamisons of Great Britain. One of David S. Jamison’s (1992) sections is by Margaret Jamison (#77), a daughter of Hugh, #20, and Jane (Stewart) Jamison, born 1828, died 1911. Margaret is cited as the family historian by David S. Jamison and also by E. O. Jameson (1901). For more information on E. O. Jamison's book, The Jamisons in America, see endnote #3. Below is a short synopsis of the studies cited in this paragraph, with, where indicated, additions by me.

Francis Jamison’s ancestors might have been associated with the Clan Gunn in Caithness, in northeast Scotland. The circumstances for the move to the north of Ireland is not known. Probably they were part of the seventeenth century resettlement of lowland Scots to northern Ireland, the so–called Scottish plantations. The Jamisons were eventually located in Buckna, probably the Parish of Racavan, County Antrim. Buckna is about 5 miles northeast of Ballymena and about 40 miles northwest of Belfast. There is no evidence that the Jamisons were landowners. One account suggests they were linen weavers. But they could have been tenant farmers and hence possibly subject to extravagant rents. Perhaps this “rack–renting” or differences between the established Church of England and the Presbyterian Church or both influenced their decision to emigrate to North America.⁴ Regardless, a certificate (see below), dated 17 July 1764, Buckna, attesting to the family’s good standing in the Presbyterian Church and “wherever it may please providence to cast their lot” is good evidence that the family shortly was to emigrate to North America.

From Boucher and Jordan, III (1906), page 419:

The certificate of which the following is a copy was given to the great grandfather [Francis] of Joseph Jamison. “That Francis Jamison, his wife and family lived within the bounds of this congregation from their infancy, always behaving themselves in a sober, regular and Christian manner, free from all public scandal or church censure, and may be admitted to church privileges in any Christian society wherever it may please providence to cast their lot, is certified at Buckna this 17th day of July 1764 by me, John Logue, Mod.”

Probably the Reverend John Logue also immigrated to North America in November 1772.⁵ A hand–written copy of the original certificate is in the possession of the Jamison family of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.⁶

The family was probably in North America by late summer, 1764, landing in Philadelphia. One account states they first settled in Maryland, near the location of the 1862 Battle of Antietam.⁷ But most accounts infer they went directly to present–day Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The family settled in western Franklin County, the Conococheague area, which at one time consisted of several settlements including Conococheague Station. According to Jamison (1992), page B–5, the Conococheague area where the Jamisons settled was a few miles west of Mercersburg. Iscrupe and Iscrupe (1990), page 241, puts Conococheague in Antrim Township, which is east of Mercersburg. However, since the Conococheague area would encompass any part of the Conococheague valley, and the stream heads west of Mercersburg (flowing southeast), the Jamison site could be west of Mercersburg, in which case it would be in Montgomery Township.

The opening of the Land Office in Westmoreland County in 1769 probably induced Francis’s two oldest sons, Robert and John, to take out claims in Westmoreland County. Regardless, John and Robert apparently came to what would in a few years (1773) be Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in 1769.⁸ Robert’s claim was in the Pleasant Unity area and John’s was further north, on Dry Ridge, between present–day Greensburg and Latrobe. (These early warranties and some other documents have the name spelled variously as Jamison or Jameson.) For the first one of two years in what was to become Westmoreland County, the land was improved with the brothers returning to Franklin County in the autumn. In 1773, both Robert and John married in Franklin County.⁹

Elizabeth Gaff (Robert’s wife) was from Franklin County and Janet Martin (John’s wife) was from adjoining Fulton County (then Bedford County), the Big Cove area.¹⁰ The Martins had been in the Big Cove area for several years, but, as explored further below, there is evidence that Elizabeth Gaff was a widow, having perhaps come to North America on the same ship as the Jamisons, with her husband dying during the trip, leaving her and five children: “A stranger and widow in a strange land.”¹¹

Apparently the remaining brothers and sisters soon followed Robert and John west, but not Francis, Sr., and Margaret. However, both Francis and Margaret died in Westmoreland County, either while visiting their children or after coming to Westmoreland County to live with their children.¹² According to the Kepler letters (1979–80) (see References section), Francis, Sr., and Margaret continued to live in Cumberland or Franklin County, but died while visiting their children in Westmoreland County. And then this from the Kepler letters: “our family story hints at drowning in an accident—fording a river.”

**Children of Francis and Margaret [—?—] Jamison:¹³**

+	2	i.	Robert² Jamison, born 1745 in what is present–day Northern Ireland, probably in Buckna, County Antrim. Robert died 24 August 1825 in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; married (Mrs.?) Elizabeth Gaff.
+	3	ii.	John Jamison, born 1749;¹⁴ died 1819; married Janet Martin.
+	4	iii.	Marmaduke Jamison, ¹⁵ born 1757.
+	5	iv.	Francis Jamison, Jr., born 1760, died 27 March 1823 in Ross County Ohio; married.
+	6	v.	Margaret Jamison, born 1762; married (first) John Robinson; married (second) John Peebles (also Peoples).
	7	vi.	Roseanna Jamison, born 1764 in northern Ireland or possibly on board ship to North America; married John Kilgore. According to a series of letters, 1979-1980, called the Kepler letters, John was a neighbor of the Jamisons.¹⁶ I have no information on children. See also statement by E. O. Jamison (1901) under Francis Jamison (#5). For more information on the Kepler letters, see endnote #61.
+	8	vii.	Mary (Mollie) Jamison, 1767; married James McCartney.