• history

    Mayflower Lineage

    By / November 17, 2020

    Our family descends from multiple Mayflower passengers. That said, Deacon John Dunham was not one of them – he was rumored to have traveled on the Mayflower under the name of John Goodman, but that has since been debunked. He was part of the separatist group that left England for Holland, but didn’t arrive into Plymouth until 1631. It appears to have been a bit of revisionist history by Isaac Watson Dunham in his treatise of the Dunham family (which is unfortunate, as it rendered the book less reliable, even though his treatment of our family branch is largely accurate). An aside – we have an original version of the Dunham Genealogy in the Family Library, if interested.

    That said, we do descend from John Alden, through the descendancy listed below. Hat tip to Duncan who was kind enough to give me the roadmap. Alden was the last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact, and there is a replica of his home at Plymouth Plantation.

    If anyone else is interested in joining the Society of Mayflower Descendants, or for that matter the Alden Kindred of America, let Danny or Duncan know and we’d be happy to help with your application.

    And it’s a fun year to celebrate (in a year in need of things to celebrate) as it’s the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage.

    John Alden m Priscilla Mullins
    Joseph Alden m Mary Simmons
    John Alden m Hannah White
    Thankful Alden m Francis Eaton
    Joseph Eaton m Hannah Crossman
    Abigail Eaton m Abner Shaw
    Lucy Shaw m Nathaniel Pratt
    Abigail Pratt m David Andrews
    Ziba Andrews m Thankful Washburn
    Rachel Andrews m Samuel Dunham
    Fannie Frances Dunham m Harry Hamilton

  • dunham family,  history

    John Dunham

    By / October 28, 2020

    Deacon John Dunham was an early settler of Plymouth (but *not* on the Mayflower, as had at times been rumored). He was however one of the original separatists who left England for Leiden, Holland. His first wife passed after having 3 children, and we descend from his second wife, Abigail Barlow via their son, Joseph Dunham.

    You can learn more about him from the John Dunham Society, as well as join their membership by demonstrating your connection to him.

    John-Dunham-Society-Membership

  • carter family,  history

    You are a descendant of William the Conqueror!

    By / October 14, 2020

    We’ve talked in the past about James Carter, our original Blue Hill ancestor who arrived on Blue Hill Neck in February, 1771. His Granddaughter is Sukey Carter, wife of Thomas Hamilton and progenitor of the Tribe of Tom.

    James’ parents were John Carter, of Scarborough, Maine and Hannah Sands of Biddeford (which is right next door). They were married 27 Jan 1738 in Biddeford.

    Hannah comes from a long line of nobility, including William the Conqueror. He is my generation’s 28th Great Grandfather.

    This is sourced from the Carter Family History, which we’ve posted in the Documents section. It’s a fun read about that branch of our family.

    ~ The Royal Ancestral Lineage of Hannah Sands ~

    Hannah, the daughter of James Sands Jr and Emma Jepson
    He, the son of James Sands Sr and Patience Gibbons
    She, the daughter of James Gibbons II and Dorcas Seeley
    He, the son of James Gibbons I and Judith Lewis
    She, the daughter of Thomas Lewis and Elizabeth Marshall
    She, the daughter of Roger Marshall and Katherine Mitton
    She, the daughter of Edward Harpersfield-Mitton and Anne Skrimshire
    He, the son of John Harpersfield, Esquire and Joyce Mitton
    She, the daughter of John Mitton II, Esquire and Constance de Beaumont
    She, the daughter of Sir Henry de Beaumont III and Lady Eleanor Sutton
    He, the son of Sir Henry de Beaumont II and Lady Joan Herronville
    He, the son of Baron Henry de Beaumont I and Lady Elizabeth Willoughby
    He, the son of Baron John de Beaumont and Lady Catherine Everingham
    He, the son of Baron Henry de Beaumont and Lady Margaret De Vere
    He, the son of Baron John De Beaumont and Countess Eleanor De Lancaster
    She, the daughter of Earl Henry De Lancaster and Lady Maud De Chaworth
    He, the son of Edmond the Crouchback and Blanche De Artios
    (Brother of King Edward I of England)
    He, the son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor Beringer
    He, the son of King John of England and Isabella De Taillefer
    (Brother of King Richard the Lionheart)
    He, the son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor De Anquitaine
    He, the son of Geoffrey V and Matilda the Empress
    She, the daughter of King Henry I of England and Edith of Scotland 
    (Brother of King William II. Edith is the Widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V)
    He, the son of King William I of England and Matilda of Flanders
    (aka William the Conqueror)
    He, the son of Duke (King) Robert I of Normandy and Gunnora
    He, the son of Duke (King) Richard II of Normandy and Judith of Brittany
    He, the son of Duke (King) William I of Normandy and Luitgarde of Vermandois
    He, the son of Duke (King) Rollo of Normandy and Poppa of Bayeux 
    (The Viking King who conquered Normandy, France) 

  • carter family,  hamilton family,  hamilton shores,  history,  photos

    Thomas and Sukey Hamilton

    By / August 31, 2020

    Hi all, been a bit quiet here as I have spent the last 6 weeks on Hamilton Shores. While here I raided my Mother’s basement which has all of Nancy Nivison’s (Aunt Nancy to many of you) records. She saved everything and was active researching our genealogy so lots of great stuff that I am slowly scanning into the Documents area of the website.

    But perhaps the most interesting find were these pictures of Thomas Hamilton and Susan (Sukey) Carter, who together started the Tribe of Tom. Neither Duncan nor I have come across photos of them to date4 so we believe this is the first and only set in existence.

    Both look like photos of pictures hanging on a wall. Anyone recognize them and know where they were (or are)?

    Thomas Hamilton, 1810 – 1891
    Susan (Sukey) Carter, 1806 – 1881
  • history,  photos

    Family Picture, 1949

    By / July 2, 2020
    Hamilton Family, 1949

    This photo has the entire Nanna Hammie (Frances Fannie Dunham Hamilton) family, with her children seated in the same row as her, in order of birth – Charlotte, Catherine, Donald, Richard and Stewart Dunham (her nephew, who she adopted after the death of his parents, Charles and Mary Dunham).

    Names for each as I understand them below. If there are any errors in naming the right person, spelling, naming conventions etc just comment below and we will get it fixed!

    1. Kenneth Harrison Rice, Jr.
    2. Dr. Kenneth Harrison Rice
    3. Walter Crane Gates
    4. Harry Hamilton (Hammy) Gates
    5. Richard (Dick) Gates
    6. Robert Hamilton
    7. Christine DeWolfe Hamilton
    8. Nancy Nivison Hamilton
    9. Julia Maude Simonds (wife of Stewart Dunham)
    10. Stewart P. Dunham Jr. (son of Stewart Dunham)
    11. Charlotte Hamilton Rice
    12. Catherine Hamilton Gates
    13. Frances Dunham Hamilton
    14. Barbara Hamilton Martin
    15. Donald Byard Hamilton
    16. Thomas Byard Hamilton
    17. Richard Andrews Hamilton
    18. Stewart Pratt Dunham
    19. David Hamilton Rice
    20. Rachel Rice Cook
    21. Margaret Hamilton
    22. Frances Hamilton
    23. Douglas Hamilton
  • hamilton shores,  history

    Pretend to at Least

    By / June 12, 2020

    Duncan submitted this poem which was written by Charlotte Hamilton Rice. Required reading for all of our better halves!

    The superscript numbers refer to the folks at the bottom and their links to our family tree.

    Long, long ago in the dim days of yore
There lived very close to the Hamilton Shore
A group of kids called the Tribe of Tom
And they were the folks that we come from.

Ruby(1) and Julia(2) and Addie(3) and Sue(4)
These were the girls in that lively crew.

Alec(5) and Frederick(6) and Sidney(7) and Ben(8)
But the nicest boy was the one called Hen(9),
Our Grandsire from whom we directly descend.

The Tribe of Thomas did swim in the bay,
They ran thru the woods and they jumped in the hay.
They walked on the shore, they dug clams in the sand,
They loved every inch of this Down-in-Maine land.

So we, their descendants, have all the same yen
To get back to Maine just whenever we can.
And we want all the in-laws to have the same passion
If you belong to our family, it’s really the fashion.

Oh, Anita(10) and Ginny(11), Marj(12), Nancy(13) and Ann(14)
And Penny(15), Ed(16), Albie(17), please see if you can
Be an actually ardent Down-in-Maine fan.

So, here’s to Tom’s Tribe and our spot way down East
And if you can’t like it – pretend to at least.

Charlotte Hamilton Rice – July 14, 1962

    (1) Rubie Hamilton, 1853-1900, married Charles Gerry.
    (2) Julia Hamilton, 1836-1932, married Freeman Higgins.
    (3) Adelaide Hamilton, 1842-1922, married John Marks.
    (4) Susan Hamilton, 1838-1860, married Geoge Bartlett.
    (5) Alexander Hamilton, 1830-1887, married Naomi Lufkin.
    (6) Frederick Hamilton, 1850-1933, married Adelle Grindle.
    (7) Charles (Sidney, went by Syd) Hamilton, 1847-1937, married Clara Joyce.
    (8) Benjamin Hamilton, 1832-1918, married Sarah Hamilton (yes her maiden name..).
    (9) Our own Henry Hamilton, 1845-1915, married Eva Byard.

    James Hamilton, 1828-1909, and John Hamilton, 1836-1864, aren’t mentioned.

    (10) Anita Tabor, married to Hammy Gates.
    (11) Virginia Ellis, married to Dick Gates.
    (12) Marjorie Jones, married to Ken Rice.
    (13) Nancy Garfield, married to Dave Rice.
    (14) Ann Lang, married to Bob Hamilton.
    (15) Elizabeth Ruggles, married to Doug Hamilton.
    (16) Ed Lodge, married to Frannie Hamilton.
    (17) Albie Smith, married to Peggy Hamilton.

  • history

    Family Tree

    By / June 2, 2020

    Okay folks I think the HamDun portion of our family tree (meaning the direct descendants of Harry Hamilton and Fannie Dunham) is largely complete.

    That said, we know there will be mistakes.We know there will be omissions. None of it is intentional and we are hugely sensitive to tripping any sensitivities. So we need your help – if you see any of the above, just let us know and we shall correct the record.

    Particularly focused on missing dates and full (often adding middle) names and locations. You can access the tree at www.hamdun.org/tree and, once registering (it is a different registration from this website) we can give you access to make edits directly, or we’re happy to do it for you.

    Based on current count, it looks like:

    • Gen 1, 2 people (Harry Hamilton and Fannie Dunham)
    • Gen 2, 4 (Charlotte, Catherine, Donald and Richard)
    • Gen 3, 11
    • Gen 4, 25
    • Gen 5, 41
    • Gen 6, 10

    Don’t worry Gen 6. We know youre still in process and we have faith!

    Also adding the Family Tree below in case easier to review this way.

    HamDun-Tree