The Beginning: Hamilton's of Tullaghcullion

Author's Note:  Many thanks to our cousin, A. Hamilton, for sharing his grandfathers manuscripts of the family history in Tullaghcullion and for providing invaluable information that would have taken centuries to understand and piece together or would have otherwise been unknown.  Some of those family notes and stories can be found here, and I encourage all family members to review what was so wonderfully captured of that period. 

The location of our Hamilton's before Tullaghcullion is still in question.  The Hamilton surname is Scottish of Norman background and was first found in Renfrewshire, where they were granted lands by King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.  The clan traces its origins to the Earls of Mellent in Normandy who arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror in 1066 AD. 

County Donegal was never really occupied by the early colonists of England and Scotland the way the  Ulster counties were of the same period.  County Donegal was considered "wild" and "innaccessible" and held little to no tennants during the time when the English and Lowland Scots siezed most of the Northern and Northwest Ireland land from the Irish Chiefs in 1607-1620.  It was said that the Scottish tenants were particularly vigorous at tilling the land, while the English were too nervous.  Perhaps this is why many English chose to return home.

In the book "The Plantation in Ulster 1608-1620" by George Hill (Irish University, Press 1970), the names "James Hamilton", "William Hamilton", "William Knox", "John Hamilton", "William Stewart", and "Patrick Vance" are recorded on pages 500-503.  The significance is that at the time of WW1, all of these surnames were found to be within, or a mile from, Tullaghcullion.  There is not a gathering of these names elsewhere within Donegal.  

In 1610, Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw (near Paisley Scotland) was granted land near Strabane in County Tyrone.  In 1643, A considerable rebellion occurred in the counties of Fermanagh, Cavan, Monaghan, Tyrone, Derry and most of Armagh (even in parts of County Down).  British families were burned in their houses, drowned in bogs or stabbed with pikes.  Cyril Falls in 'The Birth of Ulster' (Methuen, 1936 and Constable, 1996) states that Donegal stayed relatively quiet, even in the remotest parts, largely it was believed because of the presence and watchfulness of the original servitors and their descendants.  Again, it might be interpreted that the Scots were more suitable than the English. 

Nearly 100 years later, during the Stewart vs Hanoverian War, young Scottish men had been called upon to return to Scotland in order to fight.  They were perhaps rewarded for their efforts with supplementary tenancies. 

Another family story is that these three men married, or not, from the Scottish Highland Clearances, served as soldiers, for or against the Stewart vs Hanoverian Wars, and were rewarded with tenancy of Tullaghcullion.

In either case, the story of Tullaghcullion is told by family historians of how three men, with surnames Hamilton, Boyd, and Greenlaw, arrived in that area shortly after the Stewart vs Hanoverian War with money and purchased 177 acres in the hills overlooking Killybegs.  In the early recordings of Donegal, this area was not recorded and it is believed that it was because it was considered as marsh or bog or hill.  This land was probably not occupied before becuase it was of no value to those around due to the rocky terrain, hills, and marsh.  These men didn't seem to leave behind family from the East.  They formed new relationships and intermarried.  Family notes are that they didn't seem to be Orangemen or Hanoverians. 

The townlad of Tullaghcullion was formed and it was divided up into three equal shares between the three men.  They evaluated the land and each received a portion of land that was "good", "medium, for grazing", and "hill or bog" which was not suitable for farming.  Bog walls were formed and these divisions are evident today as they were 250 years ago!  They then divided the land up within each of three families, to give their sons equal shares, which equaled nine divisions of land. 

They built six very small houses that were close together (all within an acre), but did not touch.  There was a spring nearby that suppled fresh water. 

There is little to no written record prior to 1740.

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Generation One

John Hamilton was born about 1750 in place unknown to parents unknown and was first recorded in Tullaghcullion with his wife Isabella Greenlaw, born about 1750 and whose parents are unknown.  The earliest mention of John and Isabella is the christening of son, John, in 1787 at St. John's in Killybegs. 

Children born to John Hamilton and Isabella Greenlaw in Tullaghcullion are:

1. Andrew Hamilton, born abt 1784
2. Albert Hamilton, born abt 1785
3. John Hamilton*, born 1787, married Ruth DeLap, had sons John Jr., Andrew*, and William.
4. James Hamilton, born abt 1789
5. Hannah Hamilton, born abt 1790
6. Isabella Hamilton, born abt 1801
7. Frances Hamilton, born abt 1802

Bold denotes our family line.
* denotes the family line origin of the manuscript.  The author of the manuscript is the grandson of Andrew and great-grandson of John Hamilton and Isabella Greenlaw.

Generation Two

Albert Hamilton was born in Tullaghcullion, County Donegal, Ireland about 1784 to John Hamilton and Isabella Greenlaw.  He first married Fanny Unknown about 1819 in County Donegal and a daughter, Jane Hamilton, was born on 16 Jun 1821.  Fanny must have died a few years later.  Albert remarried on 23 Nov 1824 at St. John's in Killybegs to Elizabeth Hamilton from neighboring townland of Aghaeuoge and was either not of the same relation or distant enough to satisfy church and society.  Albert was recorded in the Tithe Appointments of 1823-1837 in 1834 as living in the townland of "Tullycullion", another way of writing Tullaghcullion.  He was again recorded in 1867 in the record of his son, Andrew, marriage.  It is believed that Albert died a few years thereafter.   

Children born to Albert Hamilton and Fanny Unknown is:

1. Jane Hamilton, born 16 Jun 1821 in Tullaghcullion, later married a Meneilly.

Children born to Albert Hamilton and Elizabeth Hamilton in Tullaghcullion are:

1. Ann Hamilton, born 1825
2. Hugh Hamilton, born 1825
3. Frances B. Hamilton, born 22 Nov 1826
4. Isabella Hamilton, born 26 May 1829
5. Andrew Hamilton, born 23 Apr 1831
6. Elizabeth Hamilton, born 2 Apr 1834
7. Albert Hamilton, born 4 Jul 1839

Generation Three

Andrew Hamilton was born in Tullaghcullion, County Donegal, Ireland on 23 Apr 1831 to Albert Hamilton and Elizabeth Hamilton.  On 17 Jan 1867, he married Elizabeth Cassidy, from the townland of Drumdoit, at the Killaghtee Church in Killaghtee, County Donegal, Ireland.  Elizabeth Cassidy, born 1847, is the daughter of Thomas Cassidy and Jane Fawcett.  Andrew and Elizabeth were captured in the 1901 Census of Ireland. 

Children born in Tullaghcullion to Andrew Hamilton and Elizabeth Cassidy are:

1. Eliza Anne Hamilton, born 29 Sep 1867, later married John (Jack) Lemon.
2. Lucy Hamilton, born 20 Feb 1869, later married James Boyd.
3. Albert Hamilton, born 1 Jan 1871
4. Thomas Edward Hamilton, born 7 Oct 1873
5. Jane Hamilton, born 9 Sep 1877