Hansfield Garvin Hamilton Jr.

Last updated
Hansfield "Hance" Garvin Hamilton, Jr.
Bornca. 1721
Ireland
DiedFebruary 2, 1772(1772-02-02) (aged 51)
Menallen Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Buried
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
AllegianceUnion flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Great Britain
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
  • Pennsylvania Regiment
Years of service1755-1759
RankLieutenant Colonel
Commands Fort Lyttleton
Battles / wars

Hansfield "Hance" Garvin Hamilton Jr. (ca. 1721 - February 2, 1772) was a Pennsylvania colonist and soldier active during the French and Indian War. In 1749, he was elected the first sheriff of York County, and was later a judge. He was known for his leadership during a period when Pennsylvania settlers were threatened by attacks from French-allied Native American war parties, and was commander of Fort Lyttleton. He was eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Contents

Birth and early life

Hamilton was born in Derry, Ireland, probably before 1721. [Note 1] In August 1729 his father, Hansfield Garvin Hamilton Sr., led 140 families to emigrate from Ireland to New Castle, Delaware, at the invitation of William Penn's sons, Thomas Penn and Richard Penn Sr. They settled in what was then Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, near present-day Gettysburg. [4] : 19–20  This community later came to be known as Hamiltonban Township, Pennsylvania. [5] Hance Hamilton Jr. arrived in North America in 1732, accompanied by his older brother James. He moved to the Marsh Creek settlement in 1739. [1] In May 1742, his name was listed on a road-building crew that built a 30-mile road from Walnut Bottom across Yellow Breeches Creek to Nathan Hussey's Ferry near Goldsboro, Pennsylvania. [6] : 99  [7]

In 1749, Hamilton ran for sheriff of York County against Richard McAllister, who was supported by the Dutch immigrant community. [8] : 581–85  There was a riot as Irish voters attempted to prevent Dutch and German voters from reaching the ballot-box. [9] : 1171  McAllister was declared the winner, but Hamilton contested the results in court, [10] : 348  and was commissioned as sheriff by Governor James Hamilton. [11] : 663–665  In September 1749, he was commissioned as a judge and Justice of the Peace, and this commission was renewed in 1751. [6] : 477, 481  He was re-elected Sheriff in 1752, [1] and recommissioned by Governor Robert Hunter Morris in 1755. [12] : 108  [13] : 114  Following his military service from 1755 to 1759, he was reappointed, on April 23, 1761, as Justice of the Peace and Judge of the York County Court of Common Pleas. [14] : 166  [15] : 181–82 

Military career

Following Braddock's defeat in July 1755, Hamilton raised a company of militia. [6] : 153  He was among the first to respond to the Great Cove massacre in November, 1755, arriving at McDowell's Mill with 200 men to rescue survivors and to round up scattered livestock. [16] : 597–98 

In January 1756 he was commissioned captain of Provincial troops. [17] : 411–12  [18] : 44  [19] : 12  In February 1756, he was placed in command of Fort Lyttleton, [20] : 545  arriving on April 1, soon after Lenape warriors captured and burned Fort McCord, taking 27 settlers prisoner. On April 2, three companies of militia under the joint command of Captain Hamilton, together with Captain Chambers and Captain Culbertson, went in pursuit of the warriors and encountered Lenape reinforcements led by Shingas. [21] : 160  [22] : 104–106  In a two-hour engagement at the Battle of Sideling Hill, both sides suffered heavy casualties. [16] : 598–99  Captain Culbertson was killed, and his surviving troops retreated to Fort Lyttleton. [1] [17] : 558  Hamilton was the first to report on the battle and on those killed. [23] : 274  [20] : 542 

In September 1756, Hamilton was a company commander in Armstrong's Kittanning Expedition. [24] After returning to Fort Lyttleton following the raid, Hamilton sent "a company of Cherokee Indians in kings pay" back along the trail to see if the Lenape were in pursuit, and to look for surviving colonial troops who had fallen behind. They found Captain Hugh Mercer, injured and exhausted, who had decided to "lay down, giving up all hopes of ever getting home." Mercer was carried to Fort Lyttleton, where he recovered. [25] : 164–65  [26] : 401 

In October 1757, Hamilton was involved in an effort to persuade soldiers, whose term of enlistment was ending, not to leave military service. This effort was successful, and he received a monetary reward of £59, 3s, 8d. [17] : 420  On December 6, 1757, Hamilton was promoted to major, [18] : 98  and on May 31, 1758, he was commissioned lieutenant colonel, First Battalion, Pennsylvania Regiment of foot. [18] : 178 

In September and October 1758, Hamilton was arrested three times. The full details of these incidents are unknown, as only part of the correspondence has survived, but it appears that on September 13, Hamilton struck an artificer sergeant during a dispute. Hamilton apologized to Colonel Henry Bouquet, and no action was taken. [27] : 167–68  On September 29, Hamilton was again arrested, although the reasons for this are unknown. [27] : 186–87  In October, Hamilton used insulting language in a dispute with Bouquet himself, apparently while intoxicated, and took a sword from another officer. [27] : 191–92  Bouquet ordered a court-martial, but canceled the order after Hamilton apologized, writing on October 19: "I was wrong, & hope from Colonel Bouquet's Honor, that this Acknowledgment may engage him to consider all the Incidents of that night as the effects of too Liberal a Glass...even next morning I remembered very little of what passed the night before." [28]

Hamilton resigned from military service in March, 1759. [18] : 280 

Later life and family

Little is known of Hamilton's life following his military service. In 1761 he was appointed Justice of the Peace and Judge of the York County Court of Common Pleas by Governor James Hamilton. [15] : 181–82  Records show that he was a trustee for the Upper Marsh Creek Church in Cumberland Township in May 1765, when he and other trustees applied for a warrant for one hundred acres to be used by the church. [10] : 335 

Hance Hamilton had seven sons: George, William, James, John, Hance Garvin Jr., and Thomas. [29] He had four daughters: May, Mary, Harriet, and Sarah. [19] : 77  [30]

Death and burial

He signed his will on January 27, 1772 [15] : 77  and died four days later on February 2, in Menallen Township, [13] : 114  in Adams County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 51. His six slaves were sold at public auction in 1773. [6] : 156  [31] : 184  His remains were first interred in Black's Graveyard, on Upper Marsh Creek, and were moved in 1848 to Evergreen Cemetery, in Gettysburg. [29] His original headstone was cracked and nearly illegible, [15] : 246  so a new one was made, [29] with a possibly incorrect birthdate. [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ His birth date is uncertain, and is often recorded as 1721, however records also show that he purchased land soon after arriving in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania in 1732, [1] which would not have been possible for an 11-year-old. One researcher believes that his original headstone showed a birthdate of 1711, and was rendered illegible. [2] A new headstone was made with a speculative birthdate of 1721. [3] This, in turn, raises the question of his father's age, as Hance Hamilton Sr. is usually listed with a birthdate of either 1695 or 1700. Additional confusion is due to the fact that there are at least four persons known as "Hance Hamilton."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 B. F. M. MacPherson, "Some History on Col. Hance Hamilton, part 1 of 2," in The Gettysburg Times, Saturday, February 22, 1958, Page 6
  2. 1 2 Lou Poole, "Re: Hance Hamilton (Disambiguation)," November 02, 2011
  3. ↑ Photo of Hance Hamilton's headstone at Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaGravestones.org, 6/28/2012
  4. ↑ The Boyd family: including the allied families of Bell, Bracken, Culler, Cunningham, Finley, Gaut, Hoover, Hough, Markley, McGrew, Parrish, Perry, Pinkerton, Scholl, Speer, Warfel, Welday, Williams; with special reference to Louise B. Mercelia. Dalcassian Publishing Company, 1935.
  5. ↑ Early History of Hamiltonban Township (1730 – 1860)
  6. 1 2 3 4 Prowell, George R. History of York County Pennsylvania, Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1907
  7. ↑ Wesley Zhang, "The Beginning of the Road System in Adams County," Adams County Historical Society, Feb 5, 2020
  8. ↑ Rupp, Israel Daniel, History of York County, Pennsylvania: From 1719 to the Present Time. Lancaster: Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services, 1845
  9. ↑ Egle, William Henry. An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Civil, Political, and Military, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Including Historical Descriptions of Each County in the State, Their Towns, and Industrial Resources. DeWitt C. Goodrich, 1876.
  10. 1 2 The Scotch-Irish in America: Proceedings and Addresses of the Scotch-Irish Congress, 1st-10th, 1889-1901. Scotch-Irish Society of America. Harrisburg: Bigham & Smith, 1897.
  11. ↑ William Henry Egle, ed. Pennsylvania Archives: Third Series, vol VIII, Harrisburg: Clarence Busch, 1896.
  12. ↑ William Henry Egle, ed. Pennsylvania Archives: Third Series, vol IX, Harrisburg: Clarence Busch, 1896.
  13. 1 2 Carter, William C., Glossbrenner, Adam John. History of York County, from Its Erection to the Present Time. York: A. J. Glossbrenner, 1834
  14. ↑ Forges and Furnaces in the Province of Pennsylvania, Lancaster: Committee on historical research for the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1914
  15. 1 2 3 4 Samuel Bates, et al. History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania: Containing History of the Counties; Their Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania, Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, Chicago: Warner, Beers, 1886
  16. 1 2 William H. Koontz, ed. History of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1884
  17. 1 2 3 Hunter, William Albert. Forts on the Pennsylvania Frontier: 1753–1758, (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited, 2018
  18. 1 2 3 4 Pennsylvania Archives: Officers and Soldiers in the Service of the Province of Pennsylvania, 1744-1765, Vol. I, 5th series; 1992 reproduction
  19. 1 2 History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania, Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886
  20. 1 2 Thomas Lynch Montgomery, ed. Report of the Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, vol 1, Harrisburg, PA: W.S. Ray, State Printer, 1916
  21. ↑ Archibald Loudoun, A Selection of Some of the Most Interesting Narratives, of Outrages, Committed by the Indians, in Their Wars with the White People, A. Loudoun Press, Carlisle, 1811; pp. 181-186
  22. ↑ Rupp, I. Daniel, The history and topography of Dauphin, Cumberland, Franklin, Bedford, Adams, Perry, Somerset, Cambria & Indiana counties, Lancaster City, PA: Gilbert Hills, 1848
  23. ↑ Sipe, Chester Hale. The Indian Wars of Pennsylvania: An Account of the Indian Events, in Pennsylvania, of the French and Indian War, Pontiac's War, Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War and the Indian Uprising from 1789 to 1795; Tragedies of the Pennsylvania Frontier Based Primarily on the Penna. Archives and Colonial Records. Telegraph Press, 1931.
  24. ↑ "Enclosure: William Trent to Adam Stephen, 21 January 1756," Founders Online, National Archives, The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, vol. 2, 14 August 1755 – 15 April 1756, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983, pp. 307–309.
  25. ↑ Robert Robison, "Colonel J. Armstrong's Attack on the Kittaning", in A Selection of some of the most interesting narratives of outrages committed by the Indians in their wars with the white people, Archibald Loudon, ed. Carlisle: A. Loudon Press, 1811
  26. ↑ William Albert Hunter, "Victory at Kittanning", Pennsylvania History, vol. 23, no. 3, July 1956; pp 376-407
  27. 1 2 3 Sylvester K. Stevens and Donald H. Kent, eds. The Papers of Col. Henry Bouquet, prepared by Frontier Forts and Trails Survey, Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration; Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical Commission, 1941
  28. ↑ "Orderly Book, 25 October 1758," Founders Online, National Archives,The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, vol. 6, 4 September 1758 – 26 December 1760, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1988, pp. 91–93.
  29. 1 2 3 B. F. M. MacPherson, "Some History on Col. Hance Hamilton, part 2 of 2," in The Gettysburg Times, Saturday, March 8, 1958, Page 6
  30. ↑ Lou Poole, "Hamiltons of Guilford Co, NC, and Middle TN," January 10, 2012
  31. ↑ Yeager, Kevin Lee, "The Power of Ethnicity: the Preservation of Scots-Irish Culture in the Eighteenth Century American Backcountry," 2000. LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses, 7401
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