Thomas Hamilton Esq.

Thomas Hamilton was grandson of Dr. Thomas Hamilton, a surgeon of Prince Georges Co., MD, Some details of that genealogy can be found in the Archives of Maryland series of books Volume 426, page 834.

Thomas Hamilton wrote his will on Apr 18 1807 and it was probated in Somerset Co. on May 5 1807. He had no issue. (SoW-EB23:111, SoInv-EB26:159, Ibid:269 , SoAcc-EB27:118)

Here is a summary of the man I did for a land study:

REVOLUTION & FEDERAL PERIOD: 1760-1807
The way in which the land descended from the earliest time to the time of the Revolution and into the turn of the 19^th century is somewhat complex and it stumped this researcher for a while. However, the land records database saved the day once again when we find a MASSIVE land tract that was surveyed Jan 22 1802 for a Mr. Thomas Hamilton whom received a patent on May 14 1804 for 1,235 acres. It was a large consolidation of all of, or portions of, many elder land tracts and it was named "Edinburgh."

The stumper to this compiler was, how did a seemingly unknown Mr. Thomas Hamilton come to own most of the old Adams family land in the area? Mr. Hamilton was a very wealthy individual in both real and personal estate. In the Federal Census of 1800, we find him living on the land in Wicomico Hundred with a household that includes himself (age 26-45) and one other male of the same age range. It also indicates that he owns 32 slaves so was running quite a large plantation. For historical researchers, we are fortunate that a tax assessment survives in Somerset County from 1798 that lists taxable assets of its citizens that included dwelling houses and the lot on which they stood, land ownership and taxable/non-taxable slaves. The 1798 Federal Tax is sometimes called the "Glass Tax" because it levied more taxes depending upon the number of windows in the dwelling houses.

Thomas Hamilton was living on the Petty property in 1798 in what was called Wicomico Hundred, probably at or very close to the location of the house that currently stands there. In 1798, it described his house and outbuildings as follows: owner/occupant of a house on Wicomico Creek with a dwelling house made of brick 20' x 24', one story with 10 windows out of repair, a new cookhouse of wood with 6 windows 24' x 20', a granary or lumber house 18' x 14', smokehouse of round logs 14' x 14', milk house 10' x 10', stables 14' x 14' all on one acre 80 perches assessed $450. For the land he owned, it states, he is owner/occupant of the land on Wicomico Creek where he resides with a new granary 14' x 18', two barns 24' x 24', old barn of logs 28' x 28', two (slave) quarters 16' x 14', 1178 acres assessed $6040. Finally, it lists the slaves he owns as numbering 32 of which one is disabled and not taxable and 20 of which are age between 13 and 49. This reference verifies what was later recorded in the 1800 census and gives us valuable details about Thomas Hamilton's estate. This researcher believes that most of the buildings described in the 1798 listing were located in the area immediately surrounding the modern Petty house. A more formal investigation thereof may prove this hypothesis.

But who was Thomas Hamilton? There were no long standing families of that surname living in the area. How did he acquire such a large estate? A search of the land records finds no mention of a Thomas Hamilton purchasing land in the area which might not be a surprise for a small estate but one of 1200+ acres is quite unusual not to have some record where he was granted land by deed. The answer slowly revealed itself while deep diving into the old Somerset County probate records. In 1788, Josiah Adams wrote in his will to "leave £100 to Thomas Hamilton, my nephew, son of my sister Sarah."


Figure 3 - the consolidated land patent "Edinburgh" owned by Thomas Hamilton.

Then, in 1792, William Adams "Jr." instructed that "my nephew Thomas Hamilton, son of John…" to share executorship of his estate with Adams' wife Louisa. Hamilton was also receive Adams' entire estate, both real and personal after the widow's dowery was deducted (1/3^rd of the estate). The will also made a couple of rather peculiar desires. Firstly, that Thomas Hamilton make application to the General Assembly for an act to pass in his favor changing his name from Thomas Hamilton to William Adams and, secondly, should Thomas Hamilton die without heirs then the estate is to pass to the "main line of the Adams as long as there is any of them in Existence."

Josiah and William Adams Jr. were sons of Rev. Alexander Adams Jr. and grandsons of Rev. Alexander Adams covered earlier in this study. Their sister, Sarah Adams, had married Rev. John Hamilton of Prince Georges County, Maryland and they had a son, our Thomas Hamilton. Thomas's grandfather was a wealthy surgeon in Prince Georges County also named Thomas Hamilton and he left his grandson land in Prince Georges County and numerous slaves when he died in 1784. Also, our Thomas had inherited the lion's share of his Somerset estate from his uncle William Adams who hinted in his will of wanting to keep the large Adams family land holdings intact. Finally, in 1804, Thomas Hamilton actually formalized the consolidation of those holdings when he patented the 1235 acre "Edinburgh" tract with the nucleus of that tract being the house and buildings previously described from 1798 and probably located very near where the Petty household is today.

The late 18^th century was the heyday of plantation life on the lower Eastern Shore. On the southern bank of Wicomico Creek, in Wicomico Hundred and flanking Thomas Hamilton to the east. was Thomas Gillis Fountain with a two story 30' x 22' dwelling house with 15 windows. To Hamilton's immediate west was a property owned by Dr. Charles Nutter where William Sutton was living in a small dwelling house 16' x 14'. To the west of Sutton was the large plantation of Capt. William Cottman with a dwelling house 46' x 20', two stories and 26 windows with a brick cellar and an ell of 16' x 6' with numerous outbuilding. Capt. Cottman's house still stands today and is known as "White Hall" built in the second half of the 18^th century according to the Maryland Historical Trust.

Based upon family research, it appears that Thomas Hamilton was born around the year 1760. Little is known of his father John Hamilton other than that he was the son of Dr. Thomas Hamilton of Prince Georges County. He is referred to as "Rev. Hamilton" in most Somerset records so it might be supposed that he was an itinerant preacher when he met Sarah Adams. Sarah Adams' father was Rev Alexander Adams Jr. and her grandfather the Somerset famous Rev. Alexander Adams Sr. so they would have undoubtedly run in the same community circles and supported getting new permanent and travelling preachers into the area.

Thomas Hamilton died in 1807 while a relatively young man in his late 40s. He wrote a will in the spring of 1807 unmarried with no children. He left the portion of his estate located across the Chesapeake Bay and some cash to his cousins in Prince Georges and Anne Arundel counties and £100 to "Hamilton & Company, Tobacconists" in Philadelphia for a debt he owed them. For his Somerset estate on Wicomico Creek, he instructs:

I give and devise unto Captain William Cottman, and John Stewart (Monokin) and their heirs in trust, all the residue of my estate, both real and personal that lies in Somerset County, to be by them sold or divided by them as to them shall seem best, and the said estate or proceeds therefo to be equally divided by the trustees aforesaid, between John Adams, son of George, of the State of Delaware, William Smallwood Tillard (and John Hamilton Tillard, sons of Thomas Tillard of Annarundel County, Edward Morgan, son of Robert Morgan of Hartford County, Polly Dashiell, Ann Chaille, Sarah Handy and Elizabeth Handy, daughters of Col. Ebenezer Handy…It is also my will and desire…that if any of the persons entitled to a share in the property devised…should at any time object to the management of distribution…(they) shall forfeit all claim upon said estate.

The provisions to the children of Col. Ebenezer Handy in Salisbury were because Handy was his uncle who had married a sister of his mother Sarah (Adams) Hamilton. Capt. William Cottman and James Stewart (of Manokin) served as his administrators and executors of his estate. Neighbors and colleagues Tubman Lowes, Thomas G. Fountain and Elias Bailey were witnesses to the will when it was submitted for probate.

As one might imagine, the personal estate of Thomas Hamilton was quite large and it took a while to inventory and account. But, his account was finally submitted by Cottman and Stewart and approved in Somerset on Mar 17 1810 for $12,564.47, a fortune in those days. His inventory included more than two pages of sundry items in the old Somerset inventory ledger book. Some interesting items to note include:

-Household items including two walnut chests and books, six mahogany chairs window glass, two pair and one odd candlestick, walnut hat case, mahogany secretary, walnut table, dozen Windsor chairs, pot racks, 2 walnut desks, walnut chest of drawers, kitchen utensils, 6 beds and furniture
-Farm tools including 3 grass scythes, 3 old wheat scythes & cradles, 4 saws, 3 old whips, two harrows/teeth, ox chains, four narrow axes, 3 good axes, two old plows, old mill saw, harrows, plow, etc.
-Dishes and cookware including four demijohns, a fish kettle, small skillet, four pewter basins, three earthen pots, lot of stoneware, mortar & pestle, tin coffee pot, 40 green edged plates, 3 china bowls, lot of china, cups & saucers, sugar dish, 6 dishes, glass bottle, 8 dishes and butter boats, case of white bottles, 10 casks, 2 pitchers, decanter and 2 tumblers, 3 cases of bottles, cider mill meat troughs and casks,
-Food items including pot with some honey, 2 casks with some sugar, loaf sugar, coffee, 549 lbs of bacon, 395 bushels of corn, 20 more bushels of corn, pot & butter, pot of pickles, 2 hives of bees
-More household items including spades, hoes, looking glass and picture, pine cupboard, hand irons & tongs, large looking glass, leather trunk, 24 h'd tobacco, 2 sets of snuffers & trays, one umbrella, spy glass,
-Household items for textiles and clothing including 9½ lbs of yarn, 8¼ lb of yarn, 4 lbs of wool and bag, 25 lbs of tow thread, 31 more lbs of tow thread, 12¾ lb ditto, 12½ lbs of tear thread, 9½ yards of linen, 30¾ yards of linen, 18 yards of linen, 15¾ lbs Kersey, 10½ yards of coarse cloth, 8½ yards of bed tick, 4½ yards of green baize, 6 yards oil cloth, 2 yards fine cloth, 10 blankets, 2 sheets, 3 pillow cases, 3 towels, 2 table cloths, 2 sets silver shoe buckles, sundry old buckles, set of knee buckles, 3 stock buckles, lot of steve buckles, shoes,
-Books including Commentary on the Old Testament, Nelson's Bible, Washington Life, Cudworth Incorporated Systems, Nelson's Justice, Dictionary of the Whole Scripture, Bacon's Laws, Domestic Encyclopedia, Modern Europe, Pinkerton's Geography, Magistrate's Guide, South Sermons, Dykes Dictionary, Rolins Bell Letters, an old Atlas, Tellotion's Sermons, Bible, Bailey's Dictionary and old book, Heister's Surgery, Switzer's Fruit Garden, old Prayer Book, Beveridge's Private Thoughts, 5 lots old books, New Dispensatory, Robertson's Charles the 5^th, old books, British Spy, old books, Modern Gazetteer, 10 lots old books, 5 old maps
-Livestock including five yoke of oxen, yoke of bulls, many cows & calves & heifers, three black horses, three young mares, another horse and sorrel colt, 48 hogs, sows and shoats, 30 ewes and 23 lambs, six rams and weathers, an odd ox, poultry,
-Spirits and associated tools including 63 gallons of brandy, 80 more gallons of brandy, 20 gallons peach brandy, 60 gallons apple brandy, still & tub
-Building materials including a barrel of tar, 60 lb of nails, other nails & basket, lot of jugs with oil and paints, keg of red ochre,
-Firearms including powder & shot, set of pistols, one gun
-Maritime items including a canoe, schooner (value $550),
-40 slaves named Samuel, Jane, Bill, Lemmon, Dolly, Henny, Priss, Dick, John, Rachel, Viney, Ben, Davy, Frank, Polly, Ritta, Hannah, Levi, Bay, Nancy, Sarah, Betsey, Molly, Nell, Milly, Anne, Mary, Stephen, Juny?, Rose, Sandy, Walter, Frost, Bat, blind Jun, Levi, Leah, Lettitia, Hetty, Saul. Total worth: $6080.00
-Negro Jim, Jenny, Hillary, Simon and one child let free and appraised as nothing

From this list, we gain valuable insight into the life and times of Thomas Hamilton who resided on the property where the Petty house sits today. He was very literate with a vast library of books and maps. He liked the spirits probably for sale and consumption and stocked everything needed in his household for use by him and his workforce to subsist including clothing, food, farming and fishing & trade and luxury items not found in the household of the typical Somerset farmer in the early Federal Period. With this personal estate of more than $12,500 plus his land holdings of over 1200 acres made him among the wealthiest Somerset citizens of his time.