Some Jamesons

Isaac & Laura Jameson Dakin on Laurel Glen circa 1890

Laura Jameson Dakin was an equal partner with Isaac in their contribution to life in Knight's Ferry. What prepared her for that role? Where did her people come from and what pressures, accomplishments and other experiences shaped their lives? Those are questions that we will explore over the next several posts. Before we get started a couple of preliminaries. I am deeply indebted to the Jamesons, especially John Jameson, who put together material for http://www.somejamesons.com/. Much of the information that follows comes from that website and the sources cited there.

A preview of major players in the postings/generations to follow may be helpful to keep them straight. As usual there are fathers and sons with the same name which tends to confuse things. In that regard, the first father and son combination does not disappoint.

William Jameson (1) born 1646, was the first Jameson to be born in Northern Ireland. The family was from Scotland. William (1) was a war hero in the Battle of Boyne and received a significant reward for his service. His son William (2) was also born in Northern Ireland about 1675. His son Hugh was a pivotal figure.

Hugh Jameson, born 1713, and his wife (first wife in the family for whom we have a name), Christine Whitehead, were the brave and/or desperate souls who fled Ireland for America. We'll explore the circumstances that likely forced them to leave Ireland and see some of the documents that mark that passage and its differed payment.

After Christine died, William (2) met and married Jane McHenry in New Hampshire. Their first born (1760) was Alexander (1). Alexander was Laura Maria Jameson Dakin's grandfather. We gain some interesting insights into the social life of the early colonies through an arrangement Alexander and his brother, Daniel, made with their parents.

Alexander's (1) family broke up after the death of his first wife, Janet Brown Jameson around 1800. When his mother died and he was little more than 3 years old, Alexander (2) was taken in by his aunt and uncle, Zuar and Mary (Brown) Eldridge also of New Hampshire. There is an interesting story (or perhaps legend) around the break up of the family. Alexander (2) is also the first Jameson whose picture we have to post.

Up until Alexander (2), almost everybody is still in New Hampshire. That is, until we find Laura Maria Jameson getting ready to marry Isaac Dakin in Knight's Ferry, CA, in 1859. I'm hoping I'll know a lot more about how Laura got to California by the time that posting comes long.

The Jamison Sister Organize Knights Ferry

Laura Jamison Dakin (circa 1870) Her unusually short hair

is thought to be the result of scarlet fever suffered early in life.

The future looked so rosy in the new community that Mary Locke persuaded Laura, who in turn finally convinced her husband to relocate there. There were no regrets. The two families worked and played together and were soon the most influential residents in town.





Arrival of the Jamison sisters marked a turning point in the tortunes of Knights Ferry's life. Both were well educated and progressive young ladies whose ideas for the fledgling village were a settling and civilizing influence.





Laura had a flair for writing and indeed was a regular contributor to such famous women's magaines as Harpers Weekly, the Stockton Daily Independent, Harper's Bazaar and the prestigious Godley's Ladies Magazine.





Isaac subscribed tothe Wagon Builder's Journal, The Rural Press, The Horticulturalist's Monthly and, to keep up with the times, the New York Tribune, so there was no scarcity of educational material coming into the Dakin home.





Besides reparing equipment of travelers passing through town, Dakin and his partner Lewis McLauflin made new wagons in their shop on Main Street, wagons that found a ready market.





But it was the sisters who left the greatest impression on the village. Laura organized the Ladies Literary Guild and invited all the women to join her in disscussing needs of the community. They all came, eager for information on what could be done for their children and their husbands as well as their homes.





There wre lively discussions about a school, a church, and a community center. About activities in to which everyone could join. On household hints and gardening, about improving the water supply, the latest styles and clothing, food recipes, and so on. The weekly meetings in the Dakin home were well attended by enthusiastic ladies wanting to do something constructive for themselves and the town.