Passage to America

(Some Jamesons) "Hugh and Christine (Whitehead) Jameson lived in or near Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ulster, Ireland, where all their children except Molly were born. On the map of Ulster in the last posting, Coleraine is to the east-north-east of Londonderry just on the other side of the River Bann. He worked as a cordwainer (shoemaker) and with their children they emigrated to America in 1746.

Sloop of the type of "Molly" (circa 1622)

"They sailed August 4, 1746, on the sloop 'Molly' from Port Rush, on the northern Coast of Ireland, for Boston, New England. The cost of the passage was agreed and bound by a contract ("note of hand" seen below) signed August 4, 1746, the actual day of sailing, with Robert Gage of Coleraine, Ireland, where Hugh and a fellow passenger, Robert Parkinson (his niece's husband), promised to pay the cost, L6-13s (for both), two years from the date of arrival in Boston.

Passage Payment Agreement:

We, Hugh Jamison and Robert Parkinson Doo bind

oursleves our ____ ____ ____ a figures in the fair

and just sum of six pounds thirteen shillings ____

lawful money of Great Britain to be paid unto Mr.

Robert Gage Mert (merchant): of Colerain in Ireland or his ______

to be paid in two years from the date here of

and after our arrival in Boston in America

as witness our hands and seals this August 4th ____

There is little to indicate why they left. In 1740-41, cold winters and poor harvests caused the Forgotten Famine during which 400,000 people died in Ireland. However, it is difficult to link that tragedy with the Jamesons' emigration five years
later.

"With him on board were his wife, Christine, and six or seven of their children, his sister, Elizabeth (Jameson) Woods, his niece, Esther (Wood) Parkinson and her husband, Robert Parkinson, as well as what is thought to be his younger brother, Thomas. Among his children were two young sons, whose names are no longer known, who died during the trip. It is said that the second boy died at the grief of the loss of his younger brother. They were both buried at sea. It is interesting to note that about two years after arriving in America, Hugh and Christine had a daughter born to them, to whom they gave the name Molly.

"Their route most likely would have been down the western coast of Ireland, the usual course of ships in those days bound for America from the northern ports of Ireland. This would have been a difficult and dangerous trip in the mid 1750's, lengthy too, especially for smaller ships like those typically sailing from Port Rush. The sloop 'Molly,' with fair sailing, would have reached the American coast in the early autumn of 1746, and probably landed her passengers in Boston, Massachusetts Bay, as that was the intended port, although the ship belonged in Salem, MA."

In the next post, we'll discover the continued influence of Robert Gage in the life of the Jamesons, Hugh's position in the town in which they settled and his role in the Revolutionary war.

Jamesons Arrive in Templemore Parish, Ulster

The website "SomeJamesons" traces the line back to William Jameson, the first Jameson born in Ireland. William's parents came from Scotland in 1619 from the southwestern county called Argyle (or Argyllshire), as in the socks.

Argyle is the archaic spelling of Argyll, which is the southwestern (pink) section on the map

William's parents emigrated to Ireland, or more precisely Ulster (Northern Ireland), in the early 1600's. "At the beginning of the 1600's, James I, of England, began a re-population of northern Ireland with mostly Scottish Protestants. The area was at the time largely occupied by the Desmonds, who had been defeated and depleted in various rebellions with the crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. This forced re-population started in 1611 and was an effort by the king to colonize this here-to-fore troublesome area with a more sympathetic and supportive people. The incentives were lucrative with large quantities of land available to each immigrant. Many Scots took advantage of this offer and is undoubtedly why the ancestors of Hugh Jameson found their way to Ireland. This population was largely increased with further immigration over the next 50 years as a result of persecutions by English Kings Charles I and Charles II in their effort to establish the Church of England in Scotland."

The family took up residence and William was born in Templemore Parish of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The distance across the channel is not very far. Notice Scotland in the upper right hand corner of the map of Northern Ireland. William (1) was born in 1646.

"The Scottish colonists resided in Ireland over several decades during the middle 1600's. They lived somewhat autonomously, retaining their culture and traditions. Intermarriage of Scots with the Irish were exceedingly rare, so that the Scotch race remained nearly as distinct as it was prior to its settlement in this new land. They attended their own churches and continued life pretty much as it was known to them in Scotland... The Jamesons in general were said to have been a robust, active, muscular, and prolific race of people undoubtedly descended from the son of James or Jamie..."

"William Jameson was said to be a vigorous Scotchman, who was thought to have served in the defense of Londonderry during the siege of 1689, and probably the Battle of Boyne in 1690 with distinguished gallantry and such bravery that he was made free from taxation throughout the British dominion by William III, Prince of Orange."

Battle of Boyne (Wikipedia)

The Battle of Boyne was a decisive battle in turning back King James II of England, Scotland and Ireland. He was Catholic and for him the war was an attempt to regain the throne so he could create sovereignty for Ireland, religious freedom and the right to own land for Catholics. No surprise, most of his soldiers were Irish Catholics.

Conversely, for William of Orange and his soldiers, the war was about maintaining Protestant and English rule against the fear that if James retook the throne he would take their land and or kill large numbers of them.

William of Orange (Wikipedia)