
My Hamiltons descended from John Hamilton, one of four brothers who settled in Pennsylvania after emigrating from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland in the mid-18th century. I trace their descendants from eastern to western Pennsylvania, to Detroit in the early 20th century, and from there to Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona.
Some Hamilton Stories
My mtDNA over the past 250 years
Back in 2008, the genetic genealogist Blaine Bettinger wrote an interesting and educational post, “Where Was My Y-DNA in 1808?” Today, in the same spirit of curiosity and wonder, I created this map, tracing how my mitochondrial DNA–the very DNA in every cell of my body–was also in the cells…
Keep readingGramma, or Harriett “Bee” Jones Barr Grove Johnston Hamilton
The woman I knew throughout my childhood as Gramma Harriet was my mother’s stepmother. Mom’s parents had divorced when she was a teenager, and her dad, my Poppy, had married Harriet a month before I came into the world. By the time I was a couple years old, I could…
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