John Jameson (abt. 1640 - aft. 1719)

Born about 1640 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts [uncertain]

Husband of Hester (Martyn) Jameson — married 15 Mar 1670 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died after 7 Apr 1719 after about age 79 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Christopher Childs [send private message]

Biography

John Jameson was born about 1640, perhaps in Massachusetts Bay Colony, but also possibly in England or Scotland. Though he was long thought to have been the son of James Jameson – also recorded as Jempson – and his wife Sarah^[1] (see "Disputed Origins" below), his origins are in fact not known.

John Jameson married Esther Martyn (also recorded as Hester), the daughter of George Martin and Salem witch trial victim Susannah (North) Martin, on March 15, 1669, at Salisbury, Essex County^[2]. He was made a townsman of Amesbury in 1669; he took the Oath of Allegiance on December 20, 1677, at Amesbury. He was a member of the training band in 1780^[3]; he was living when he signed a deed in 1718, acknowledged in 1719^[4], and perhaps as late as 1726^[5].

Children of John & Esther:

Mary, b. Aug. 30, 1670; m. May 10, 1688, John Stevens, of Amesbury. She was living, but he was dead, in 1718.

Susanna, b. Feb. 20, 1671/2; m. William Pressey (son of John) of Amesbury; both living in 1718.

Jane, b. Feb. 23, 1673/4; m. Thomas Nichols (son of Thomas) of Amesbury; both living in 1718.

Esther, b. July 19, 1676; m. Dec. 24, 1701, Samuel Goodwin; both living in 1718.

Hannah, b. ?; m. Jonathan Blaisdell; both living in 1718.

Elizabeth, b. Dec. 28, 1690; m. Feb. 3, 1714, Benjamin Sawyer of Newbury; both living in 1718.

John, b. Aug. 14, 1696; living in 1718. A John Jimson, Jr., m. Aug. 18, 1726, Mary Worthen Jr., both of Amesbury

Research Notes

Disputed Origins

This profile previously showed a date of birth of 1 September 1648 for John Jameson, based on the assumption that he was the John Jameson said to have been born in Boston on that date, to parents James and Sarah (__?__) Jameson. The assumption was incorrect, as persuasively argued by David L. Greene in Vol. 59 (1983) of The American Genealogist.^[6] The John Jameson (recorded as "Jempson") born in 1648 to James and Sarah was a different man. The John Jameson of this profile, previously an apprentice of Joseph Davis of Kittery, married Hester Martyn at Amesbury in mid-March of 1669; eight days later, he was deposed at Ipswich Quarterly Court and gave his age as 29.^[7]

Based on the 1669 deposition, an estimated date of birth of 1640 has now replaced the original entry. The parents James Jameson and Sarah (Unknown) Jameson have been detached; the 3 September 1648 baptismal record of their son John states that he was "about 2 day" old, eliminating any possibility that he was the 29-year-old of 1669.

The timing of John's appearance as an apprentice to Joseph Davis at Kittery in 1661 opens the interesting possibility that he might have been related to one of the Scottish prisoners transported from Britain to America in 1650-51; an application has been made to Family Tree DNA's Scottish Prisoner project in hopes of using DNA to trace his possible origins. That said, if born on this side of the Pond about 1640, he clearly could not have been a son of one of the transported Scots of 1650-51; if born in Scotland, it would still seem unlikely that he was the son of a transported Scot: the prisoners were not allowed to bring family members, so a separate, later arrival would be required, probably with his mother or another close relative. Additionally, the Jamesons are of Clan Gunn, who were with rare exceptions not involved in Scots' rebellions – greatly reducing the likelihood of John's father having been a transported prisoner.

A "Patriarch Jemeson" appears in the town records of Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire (Vol. 4, p. 248), his reception there as an inhabitant shown as of 11 January 1658.^[8] He was still present in Dover when taxed there (as "Jemison, Patrick") in 1668.^[9] The location would make him appear a very reasonable candidate as the father of a son known to have been an apprentice at nearby Kittery by 1661, and later found just to the south in the Salisbury-Amesbury area of Essex County, Massachusetts Bay.

Note that just a bit south of Scotland, a John Jameson – son of Thomas – was christened at Askham, in Westmorland, on 14 September 1639^[10]. Another, whose father was also Thomas, was christened on 4 September 1642 at Innerwick^[11], roughly two dozen miles east of Edinburgh. These are the only two of the name whose christening records are at present (August 2023) accessible via freereg.org.uk in all of Britain between 1637 and 1642. FamilySearch, however, shows a number of John Jamesons in the time period.

Sources

1. ↑ The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts; with Some Related Families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich and Hampton, by David Webster Hoyt, Providence, RI : Snow & Farnham, printers, p. 216; https://archive.org/details/cu31924025963772/page/n231/mode/2up
2. ↑ Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, as above, p. 216
3. ↑ Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, as above, p. 21
4. ↑ "Salem Witches III", TAG Vol. 59 (1983), as above, p. 16; https://www.americanancestors.org/DB283/i/12788/16/24565107 (by subscription)
5. ↑ The Jamesons in America. 1647-1900: Genealogical Records and Memoranda, by Ephraim Orcutt Jameson, Concord, NH : Rumford Press, 1901, p. 3; https://archive.org/details/jamesonsinameric00jame/page/2/mode/2up
6. ↑ "Salem Witches III: Susanna Martin", Part Two, by David L. Greene, TAG Vol. 59 (1983), pp. 15-16; The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB283/i/12788/16/24565107 (by subscription)
7. ↑ "Salem Witches III", TAG Vol. 59 (1983), as above, pp. 15-16; https://www.americanancestors.org/DB283/i/12788/16/24565107 (by subscription)
8. ↑ "Extracts from Dover Town records", Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/21068/248/1426552874 (by subscription)
9. ↑ "Genealogical Items Relating to Dover, N.H.", NEHGR Vol. 7 (April, 1853), p. 157; Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/21071/157/1427096304 (by subscription)
10. ↑ FreeReg.org.UK; "Other Transcript", transcribed by Jackie Dinsdale; https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817c81fe93790eca3dda5e0/john-jameson-baptism-westmorland-askham-1639-09-14?locale=en
11. ↑ FreeReg.org.UK, "Unspecified" register type, transcribed by John Lyel in Woodgill and Jo Dougaine

• The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts; with Some Related Families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich and Hampton, by David Webster Hoyt, Providence, RI : Snow & Farnham, printers, p. 216; https://archive.org/details/cu31924025963772/page/n231/mode/2up

• Marriage: New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015; https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/r/426892259 (by subscription)

• Vital Records of Amesbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849, The Topsfield Historical Society, Topsfield, Mass., 1913, p. 417 [1].

See also:

• Birth [incorrect as of 14 March 2021]. family, death, and burial (no image of gravestone): Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 14 March 2021), memorial page for John Jameson (3 Sep 1648–1713), Find a Grave Memorial no. 128714614, citing Burying Point Cemetery, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by 47117651 (contributor 47117651); https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/128714614/john-jameson