written by Patty (Jamerson) Archer 

The genealogy research of my family line, as well as other Jam?son lines has been my passion for many years. My childhood was filled with weekend visits from Uncles and at times my Granny in where the adults sat around the table and traded family stories and discussed various ancestors. I began filling out my family tree brackets in 3rd grade and researching in earnest at the age of 12, asking my father to drop me at the library and when old enough trekking to surrounding county courthouses and states to research. My Granny, Rebecca May (Cluny) Jamerson lived to be almost 103 years old, and she was full of information and had a sharp mind her entire life. Other researchers may say, don’t believe what you are told. I would say, take note of what you are told, and follow the research to see if that pans out to be true. But by all means, do not flat out dismiss it. And if you do your research, you just might be lucky enough to have YDNA back up your findings. 

Family Lore and Surname Spellings of the George b.c.1728 d.Oct 1799 Line 

In our family lore, we were always told that our family (originally spelt Jameson, although throughout records has been spelt in every possible way) were cousins to the Green B. Jameson that died at the Alamo. The name Green is used several times in our family line. I never doubted my Granny in this. Even though this was her husband’s family line, she had been neighbors to the family since a child, and her older sister, my Great Aunt Molly (Cluny) Jameson, had married John Morgan Jameson (b.1883) when my Granny was only 9 years old. Granny later married at 16 to John’s younger brother Ira R. Jamerson (b.1885). And their parents, Willis F. & Flora Ann (Pierce) Jamerson in later years lived with my grandparents. Granny would’ve heard many stories from them. She also had the Jameson Family Bible in her possession until WWII. Oh how I wish we still had that bible! Great Aunt Nora came and got it to prove her birth so she could work in a defense plant, and never returned it. Granny said she never had the heart to ask for it back. My dad remembered as a child looking through the large leather-bound book, full of letters, wedding announcements, funeral cards, pressed flowers and such. And in there was also the family tree. So much lost history. Aunt Nora stored the book in a shed behind her house, which burned down. How I would’ve loved to look through that and read all of the entries. One my dad remembered was a letter from a cousin named Charlie Jameson that was a horse thief during the Civil War. I have never been able to figure out who he was. 

Great Uncle John kept the original “Jameson” spelling, while the rest of the clan put the “r” in it. There are several stories as to why the “r” was added to the name. One was that my GG Grandfather Clay Jamerson added the “r” because he had a falling out with his family for one fact or another. One story I heard from my aunt was because Clay married an Indian woman (his 3rd wife was part Indian) and the family disapproved and he added the “r” and didn’t talk to them, or another was because he married his brother’s widow and there was a falling out in the family. He did marry an Indian girl his third time around, and whether his first two wives had any Indian blood is not known, but likely not. He never married a widow of a brother, but could he have married a girlfriend of a brother? Maybe. Another story my Aunt said was that she heard that my Great Uncle Green Montgomery Jamerson (John and Ira’s oldest brother) was at his favorite pub in Flint Hill one day and decided to add the “r” because it sounded more dignified, and the rest followed suit because he was the oldest child, all except for Great Uncle John who refused to change his spelling, so left it as Jameson. What the truth is about all of this, well your guess is as good as mine, but I’d like to think that the truth lies with a little bit of each story perhaps or somewhere in between. I could certainly see Uncle Green, who was a jokester and a bit of a drinker saying that he added the “r” because it sounded more dignified. But I could also see that possibly GG Grandpa Clay’s marriage(s) could’ve possibly been a reason. There were some prejudices in that day and time for sure. I suppose we will never know. 

What I do find interesting is that Clay’s own brother Green Henry Clay Jamerson’s line has a similar story, that there was a “falling out within the family” and ever since he spelt his name with the “r”, too. Granny always told us the story that in the 1850s many of Clay’s family members went west to California, in search of gold, and this included Clay’s brothers Green and John J. (who the later Green and John were named after). Among the family going west was their Uncle and Aunt Edward “Ned” & Celia (Jameson) Cottle, and many of their children who settled in the San Jose area. Granny always said that what she remembered was that one brother stayed there and made some money, while the other came home. That one of them was very lazy, while the other worked, and this caused a falling out. So researching this story, I find that Green and John actually did go, but both came back to Missouri. John’s 1924 obituary even mentions the trek west with his brother Green (Note: Their mother’s name was Mary Ida (Clay) Jameson, dau of Abraham Clay and Mary Jones.) 

John’s family says for sure that he was likely the lazy one, hardly worked at all in his life while his wife and children did most of the farming and such. Green married, and his young wife died, leaving behind one child. He was away in the Civil War and let his wife’s family raise the daughter, and they did not reconcile until many years later when she was an adult. Green moved away and was married twice more. Green received a pension of land out of the Osage Land Trusts after his service, so he eventually made his way to Burden, Cowley County, Kansas and lived out his life there on the land. His family went by the Jamerson name. So this could be that Granny knew he had moved away, but just thought he never came back from California. Their brother George Walden Jameson, Jr. did make his way to California by 1866 and remained there in Amador County. Two other brothers, Robert and Thomas Mahan Jameson remained in Lincoln County, MO, as well as brother John J. after his return. My GG Grandfather, their brother, Allen Clay “Clay” Jamerson migrated to Scott County, Arkansas by 1856. They also had a brother Albert Gallatin Jameson that died in 1857, and I’ve often wondered if maybe the falling out occurred after his death. His estate was settled in Lincoln County, MO. He only owned a horse, a saddle and some clothes according to the estate papers, and youngest brother John J. was the administrator of the estate. [This produced the best piece of documentation I could ever ask for, a list of heirs including their father George (their mother Mary Clay Jameson had already died by 1857), and all of the siblings listed in chronological age order: Clay, Robert, Thomas Mahan, George W., Paulina A. Kidder, Green, and John! I believe Albert Gallatin likely fell between brothers Robert and Thomas Mahan in age.] Or maybe the falling out had to do with the Civil War, although they all seemed to be on the Union side. I’m just not sure. But we can’t say any of these are the sole reason why the “r” was added to the name.

My own father remembers as a child in Lincoln County, Missouri when some of the older folks would take one look at him and say, “Why you must be one of those Jimmerson boys!” You see, although the name was Jameson, the locals all called them Jimmerson when they pronounced it. This was in the 1920s. So that alone could be a reason why the “r” got added into the name. My own GG Grandpa Clay Jamerson is listed as Clay Jimmerson on the 1860 Scott Co., AR census. His children as Jemmerson in the 1870 census, and in tax records in 1865 and 1867 he is listed as A.C. Jameson and A.C. Jamerson. My 4th Great Grandpa Robert moved from Lincoln to Ralls County in about 1825 (two counties north of Lincoln). Some of the children settled there. A history book there mentions the family name as being pronounced “Jimmerson”. Robert’s own Revolutionary War pension file on the very first page lists him as Robert Jamison and underneath his name next to an asterisk it reads *Jamerson. So there you go, Jamerson is the spelling you see there. And further back when he was living in Madison County, Kentucky in the 1790s he is mentioned in records with both spellings of Jameson and Jamerson. So going way back it appears that the “r” is added in and taken out in records.  So I don’t think any one thing can point to exactly why the “r” was added to our surname. I always look at the original as Jameson, but that the family has many different spellings they have used or morphed into. Some have told me that the original in Scotland would’ve been Jamieson, and from there became Jameson or Jamison. How true, I’m not sure, but likely. And here for instance, Clay’s oldest son, my GG Uncle Thomas J. Jamerson changed his family name to Jimison down in Oklahoma at the time he applied for his Civil War pension. He did this because when they signed him up and did roll call they often used that spelling of Jimison for him, and he wanted to be sure he would receive his due pension without issue. His grandson Tom Jimison told me that story. Before that Uncle Tom went by Jamerson. It is important to take note of all of these types of stories in a family line and at least know that the truth lies somewhere in them, and it is important for you to record them all. Just goes to show that one should check all possible spellings for your surname. 

A DNA Match to the Green B. Jameson Line 

Granny always told us that we were cousins to the Green B. Jameson that died at the Alamo. We also of course have the name Green used several times in our family line. And my 4th Great Grandfather Robert Jameson’s oldest son, William M. Jameson (b. 1786) married “his cousin” Gillian S. Jameson, daughter of William and Jane Jameson of Barren County, Kentucky, on 16 May 1819 in Barren County. Gillian was the sister of the Green B. Jameson that died at the Alamo. While Green himself had no issue, his siblings did, and his aunts and uncles did. 

So now the task was to figure out “how” we are cousins to the line. It was always said they were thought to be first cousins. Robert’s daughter Polly also married “her cousin” William Jameson in 1809 in Madison County, KY. I still haven’t figured out whose child he was. But again it was said that Polly married a first cousin. I knew neither one of these facts could be true, they could not be “first” cousins. I knew this to be true because my Robert already had a brother John (b. 1763), and their grandfather John was born about 1750. However, they could be cousins that were a little more distantly related, but I doubted by much. 

In researching Green B. Jameson’s family line I see that he is the son of William and Jane Jameson of Barren County, Kentucky. You can find them here in my public tree on Ancestry: http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/5001039603/facts 

This William (b.c.1770/72) was the son of John J. Jameson (b.c.1750/52 d.c.1801 Fayette Co., KY) and likely a first wife, name unknown. There are some years between William and his next sibling, which makes those researching believe that John may have been married a total of 3 times. We have the record of his 3rd marriage to Rebecca Buchannan, and they only had one child before his death, Harvey. Which means his children with his 2nd wife, name unknown, were: Robert, Sally, John, Mary “Polly”, and Allen. He had a total of seven children. Many of these 7 children migrated to Lincoln Co., MO where my Robert (b.1762 Augusta County, VA) had migrated to as well. I knew their father John J. Jameson could not be a brother to my Robert Jameson, because my Robert already had a brother named John b.1763 (b.near Staunton, Augusta Co., VA d.1841 near old Milam, Sabine Co., TX - not Barren Co., KY as originally thought). My Robert and brother John were the oldest children of George Jameson b.c.1728 d.Oct 1799 Harrison Co., KY. George was the second child of William and Sarah Jameson of Augusta Co., VA. George lived near Staunton, Augusta County and moved in the late 1780s to Kentucky. His parents, William and Sarah, lived near Goshen, Augusta County, VA (in Rockbridge Co., VA today) on the Calfpasture River. William and Sarah had at least 4 children: John b.c.1723; George b.c.1728 (my line); Andrew b.c.1734; and William Jr. b.c.1740. You can see them in my public tree on Ancestry: http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/-1079343392/facts

John J. (Green’s g grandpa) did not come from George’s line, and he did not come from Andrew’s line (Andrew possibly had 4 sons James, Robert S., Jacob and Andrew w/1st wife; and 2 sons Henry and William w/2nd wife), he did not come from William Jr.’s line (William had a son John b.1777, m. Martha McClure, and William was not old enough to be John J.’s father anyway). This leaves the oldest brother John (m. Mary) as the best candidate for John J.’s father. This would make sense that John was named for his father. And this John and Mary sold their land along Jackson River (in what became Bath Co., VA) in 1765, and the Annals of Bath County (Morton, 1917, pp 93, 254) tell us that John and Mary left the county. Where did they go? Possibly Louisa County, VA? Or to Kentucky? John J. had land in Barren Co., KY that was divided amongst his 7 children after his death. There were also brothers Robert Jameson b.c.1740, and William Jameson b.c.1745 and possibly another brother George b.c.1751 that lived in Barren County, KY as well, and all appear to have went to Fayette Co., KY before coming to Barren Co., KY in 1795. Scott Jameson’s Jameson Perspective has John J. as a son to this Robert Jameson, but knowing that John was really born about 1750/52, he could not be Robert b.c. 1740’s son. It makes sense then that these men were really all brothers, and all sons of John b.c.1723 and his wife Mary, and therefore grandsons of William and Sarah of Augusta Co., VA. This then would also make John J. Jameson a first cousin to my 4th great grandfather, Robert Jameson. This may be where the “first cousins” oral tradition came from. John J.’s granddaughter Gillian, and my Robert’s son William M., would then be second cousins once removed. So in a way, the “first cousins” that married story handed down does have some merit. Gillian and Green also had an oldest brother Willis Lea Jameson (my Robert had named a son Willis Mahan Jameson, and my own Great Grandfather was named Willis Franklin Jameson/Jamerson, so again similarity in names). This Willis Lea Jameson (b.c.1793) had a son named John J. Jameson (b.1845 d.1921 Davidson Co., TN). This John J. Jameson in 1900 went to the Davidson County Courthouse and gave an affidavit as to being a nephew of Green B. Jameson that died at the Alamo. He went on to name his grandparents, all of his aunts (Gillian, Mary, Julia Ann, and Louisa) and uncles (Green B., Desting, Christopher Hawkins), father (Willis Lea), as well as the names of their issue and where they were living. Evidently the family stayed in close touch with one another. In regards to Gillian, he says that his Aunt “Gilly Ann” married “a cousin of the same name”, and he goes on to name their children: Berrilla, Berthier, Bertran, Burluvetta Ann, and Berjerome, which we all know to be their children as well, and that they lived near Millwood, Lincoln Co., MO. So even Green B. Jameson’s side of the family knew of the “cousin” connection. 

Now for the good part… Years ago I shared research with Billie Etling, a descendant of the older John J. Jameson (b.c.1750 d.c.1801), and through her came into contact with Randall Jameson, another descendant. Randall descends from John J. Jameson’s son, John Jameson (b.c.1792 KY, m. Susannah Hawk). Back in 2008 I had ordered a YDNA 67 marker test for my dad, Jack R. Jamerson, to take. YDNA is the dna that is only handed down in the genes from father to son, father to son, throughout time. The test came in the mail two days after his death. Instead, I had my brother Pete take that test (kit no 131200). It was some time coming, but eventually Randall Jameson (kit no. 259093) also took the YDNA test. He and my brother Pete are a match in all but one marker, indicating a close cousin relationship. This was not surprising to me, but gratifying to know that all of the family lore and the research had come together to show that yes we are definitely cousins to Green B. Jameson and to that Jameson family line. You can’t dispute the DNA. We are a DNA match! 

Disproving James Jameson of Lancaster Co., PA or James Jameson of Essex Co., VA as William Jameson’s Father through DNA 

While this was satisfying, I also had done my research and believed that there could be no doubt in my mind that my 4th great grandfather Robert had to be the son of George Jameson b.c.1728, son of William and Sarah Jameson of Augusta Co., VA. This William Jameson was born about 1697 (or possibly as early as 1690 or so) either in Ulster, N. Ireland or in Scotland. Now our family has always said we were Scots-Irish, and always thought we came from Scotland to northern Ireland, before making our way to America. They were Presbyterians in Augusta Co., VA. Our ancestor William was in Orange Co., VA living along the Calfpasture River sometime before 1744. A grant of patent was issued Apr 1745 when James Patton & John Lewis sold him 170 acres at the lower end of the Calfpasture in the new county of Augusta. He and wife Sarah had four sons: John, George, Andrew, and William, and at least one daughter, Elizabeth (although Sarah and Katherine are two others thought to possibly be daughters). None of the girls are mentioned in their father’s will of March 1753. Could indicate William provided two of them with an inheritance at the time of their marriages? His sons are provided for in his will. 

There seem to be camps that believe that William could be a son of James and Janet (Keen? or Gilmour?) Jameson that came out of the Londonderry, N. Ireland area and settled in Lancaster Co., PA in about 1713, or others thought that perhaps he was a son or relation to the James Jameson of Middlesex Co./Essex Co., VA. There are a group of Jamesons that came to Lincoln Co., MO and settled not too far from my own family line, and they do descend from this James Jameson of Middlesex Co./Essex Co., VA line through the Hackley/Jameson line. So not too far fetched to be a possibility. The James and Janet of Lancaster Co., PA appear to have a son named William and I thought that like others maybe our William was one in the same, but it was never a certainty. There was a marriage between a William Jameson and Sarah Collins held at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA on 28 March 1722. Many have said that this is indeed our William and Sarah’s marriage. However, this William and Sarah had sons John and William (likely twins) baptized on 20 Mar 1723 in the same church. Our William and Sarah had a son William, but he was the youngest son, b.c. 1740. Could they have had a son William that died and they then named another son William? Yes, but that coupled with a known Bible record from William Jr.’s line that says that their ancestor was an Alexander Jameson, not a James, this always left me with doubts. Looking closer at the 1722 marriage record, that William is listed as a “mariner”. Our William is never mentioned as such in the Augusta Co., VA records. On the other hand the Bible record was written about 40 years after the death of William Jr., so time and family stories could’ve tainted the writer’s memory. For instance, she forgets to include the generation of William Sr. in the lineage and goes straight to this Alexander. Again, I will not totally discount this information, but something to tuck away in case it ever comes to fruition in my research that William’s father or grandfather was an Alexander. Here is the tree for James and Janet (Keen? or Gilmour?) Jameson, with no connection to mine: http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/-315965970/facts 

I was on the look out for anyone that might YDNA test that was descended from either of these James Jameson lines to either prove or disprove the link to my line. Taking a look I found two gentleman that definitely descend from James and Janet’s oldest son John Jameson that remained in Little Britain Twp., Lancaster Co., PA, that both YDNA tested (kit no. 179767 and 321421). We were not a match! So either our William was not their son, or somehow all of my research was wrong, and I did not descend from William. At least 14 differences. 

Again, I wanted to prove or disprove my William was of the James Jameson of Middlesex Co./Essex Co., VA line. Luckily, after some persuasion from some other researchers we had some people test that were known to be of this line (kit no. 415055 and 361371). We are not a match either! So our William must not have descended from that line either. 

So all of those trees out there on the internet that say my William (m. Sarah) descends from James & Janet of Lancaster Co., PA are wrong. And all of those trees out there that say he is from the Essex Co., VA James Jameson line are wrong as well. 

A DNA Match to the William and Sarah Jameson Line 

I was looking then to find someone that definitely descended from William to test, and that would have to be someone in William Jr.’s line. William Jr. was b.c.1740, and as the youngest son inherited the plantation in his father’s will. This William remained in Augusta (later became Rockbridge) Co., VA throughout his lifetime. For years I had corresponded with Angie Jameson who is a descendant of William Jr. Her research is very well documented and with no doubt she is descended from William Jr. She recently tested her brother Ben Jameson (kit no. 497221), and well what do you know, a match with my brother Pete! To say that I was happy was an understatement. Again, YDNA does not lie, and I could finally say that my research was correct in believing that my 4th great grandfather Robert was the son of George Jameson and first wife, name unknown (Stephenson?)! And therefore, a grandson of William and Sarah Jameson of Augusta Co., VA! 

As I said, William and Sarah had four sons: John b.c.1723 (Randall’s line), George b.c.1728 (my line), Andrew b.c. 1734, and William Jr. (Angie/Ben’s line). Now I am out to prove if a long time correspondent Carolyn Kinney’s ancestor John Jameson (m. Susannah Cape), son of James Jameson (m. Martha Crow), is a descendant of brother Andrew. Andrew is thought to be the father of James (m. Martha Crow). Carolyn has a cousin Ray Jameson that has agreed to take a YDNA test, and I will be glad to see one way or another if this line is also closely related as we have always thought. 

I still await Ray taking the test. But to my delight, Joe Jamison (kit no 794815) took the test and while I thought he may match to my line somewhere I was not sure exactly. Joe’s ancestor was Thomas Allen “Allen” Jamison b.1811, son of William and Nancy (Kirkham) Jameson. I had begun to research more closely Andrew’s line, and for some time believed that Andrew was likely married twice. I believed that my own George Jameson had married first to a daughter of John Stephenson of Augusta Co., VA, name unknown. And there was a marriage for an Andrew Jameson to Martha Stephenson 22 July 1762 in Goochland Co., VA ,that I often wondered was Andrew’s 2nd marriage. I also wonder if these two Stephenson girls are related in some way. This led me to more research on Andrew and where it could take me. Andrew’s first wife, name unknown, likely died by 1762 or before. He then married Martha in 1762. Andrew was a lawyer, stock raiser and farmer like my George, and while he practiced for a time in Staunton with George, he eventually went to Rockingham Co., VA. He served in Capt. Dickinson’s Rangers in 1757 to 59. Henings Statutes at Large, Vol. 7, p. 197 – Sep 1758 brothers, John, George and Andrew Jameson are with the Augusta Co. Militia participating in the Shawnee Expedition during the French and Indian War. John is listed as a Corporal. (John on p.181, bros. p.197). In VA's Colonial Soldiers - Bounty Land Warrants: Warrant to John Anderson for the service of Andrew Jameson, a soldier in Capt. John Dickinson's Company of Rangers in 1758. 2 Nov 1779 Kentucky Co., VA. By Oct 1785, Andrew was in Mercer Co., KY. 

Andrew appears in many Mercer County records between 1785 and 1797. By 12 March 1799, he moved to Logan Co., KY. In Sep 1799 Andrew enters 200 acres, and son William enters 100 acres on Muddy River. In the 1800 KY Tax List: Andrew Jameson Sr. 200 acres on Muddy River, entered by Robert Dickey, surveyed same 1 0 0 0 2 0. Son William next door 100 acres on Rawhide, entered by Andrew Jameson, surveyed by same 1 0 0 0 2 0. (1m over 21/2 horses for both) - Israel McGready, Csnr. So this tells me that this William Jameson must be the son of Andrew Jameson. Andrew’s William was born c. 1776. I began to look at Joe’s William Jamison born c.1775, and realized that these were the same William Jameson that had married Nancy Kirkham on 3 Oct 1796 Woodford Co., KY. I knew that this William Jameson m. Nancy Kirkham had a relationship with Robert S. Jameson/Jemison, thought to be a younger brother to Robert. This Robert S. Jemison married Margaret Kirkham (Nancy’s aunt) in Botetourt Co., VA about 1775. Not long after their marriage, Robert and Margaret headed to Georgia. But Robert was much older than William. He was thought to be born in 1756. For years I struggled with that huge age gap, but myself and my oldest sister are 21 years apart in age. If Andrew had many children, then this was possible. The book James Nourse & His Descendants says that after Andrew’s wife was thrown from her horse and killed instantly, that "the hardy old pioneer was crushed by this affliction and soon passed away." So he likely died in Logan County. This same book stated that Andrew had 6 sons and 6 daughters. This seems to account for most of the children that I have for Andrew. His children with his first wife then were: James b.1755, Robert S. b.1756, Jacob b.1758, Andrew b.1760. His children with his second wife were: Rebecca b.1765 (twin), Elizabeth b.1765 (twin), Henry b.1768, Margaret b.1770, William b.c.1775, unknown dau, Patsy b.c.1790, and Malinda b.1793. When Joe’s YDNA came back as a match to the others, then it seemed quite the possibility that he does descend from my William Jameson b.c.1690 through his son Andrew, and Andrew’s son William. An interesting note then too is that Andrew’s son, Robert S. Jemison (if the son relationship is correct) had a grandson, Joseph Marshall Jemison, that married to the niece of Green B. Jameson of Alamo fame, Semiramus Laura Nuckols (dau of Pouncy Nuckols Jr. and Mary Sarah Jameson - Green B.'s sister). Another cousin marriage. 

A DNA Link to Botetourt Co., VA Jamesons 

In the bigger picture, my brother Pete had matched to others as well, not as closely as to Randall, Ben, and Joe but with 2 or 3 differences or more. My dad when he was retired took up walking at the local mall, he and his nephew would meet up with those that either my dad had worked with or just acquaintances and they would walk, then go across the street to the Hardee’s restaurant to eat breakfast. One man that would often come in was Gordon “Butch” Jamison, a red-headed Scots-Irishman who also descended from Virginia Jamisons. He and my dad often talked of their family lines, and my dad said they would always say to each other that some day they would probably figure out that their two lines were related. Well when my brother’s test came back, and I saw whom he matched to, well three of the people were related to Butch! One was his brother Bill (kit no. 49069) and Bill’s nephew Dale (kit no. 49210) and also to another cousin to the two of them, Don Nolen Jamison (kit no. 154968). Only a few differences. These three gentlemen all descend from Robert H. Jamison b.1755, supposedly came out of Chester Co., PA, resided in Botetourt Co., VA and then in Logan Co., KY. Interestingly enough, Scott Jameson’s Jameson Perspective talks about the other Logan Co., KY Jamesons and that this Robert may have had brothers Andrew and John. Not sure about the Andrew yet, as this may turn out to be the same Andrew Jameson in the previous section. Andrew, son of William and Sarah Jameson went to Mercer Co. then Logan Co., KY. This Robert also went to Logan Co., KY. This John Jamison b.c.1750 was also out of Botetourt Co., VA, went to Fayette Co., KY, married his 2nd wife, Rhoda Cook Bohannon, widow of Joshua Bohannon in Madison Co., KY (where my Robert was!), and then moved to Barren Co., KY (where my Robert’s brother John moved to later in about 1813, and where the descendants of our John b.c.1723 settled). He and Rhoda even went back to Botetourt Co., VA for a time. This John (m. Rhoda) stayed in Barren Co. until about 1801/02 when he moved to Wilson Co., TN and died in Maury Co., TN in 1811. My thoughts are that this Robert H. and John could be great nephews or cousins to my William. 

A Marriage Link Between the Green B. Jameson line and another Botetourt Co., VA Jameson line 

Another Jameson line to look into is the Robert Jemison (b.c.1756 d.1799 Augusta, Lincoln Co., GA; m. Margaret Kirkham) line also out of Botetourt Co., VA. Some have tried to say that this Robert was actually born in 1749 Bucks Co., PA. I think that they have this date circulating because it fits their narrative to make him a son of Robert and Sarah (McKee) Jameson of Philadelphia, PA. This Robert (m. Margaret Kirkham) line is interesting in that for one, they came out of Botetourt County, and for another reason, this line actually married into the Green B. Jameson line. They moved to Georgia from Botetourt. My recent conclusion after Joe’s test came in and the research I did on Andrew Jameson is that this Robert may be his son. My thoughts prior to this was that he was another “cousin” line, somehow? If so, then I thought further off, like this Robert and the other Robert of Botetourt could possibly be nephews or great nephews to my William b.c. 1697, or maybe some other cousin relationship. It seems though that Joe’s YDNA is close enough to the others that he seems to be of my William and Sarah Jameson’s descendants. 

Interestingly enough, reading through my Robert’s Rev War pension file, there was a letter placed there from someone actually of this Jemison line inquiring after their own Robert Jameson. One William K. Henderson wrote that his great grandfather was William Jameson, his grandfather was Robert Jameson. His wife Sally Mims. (William’s wife was Sally Mims, mother of this Robert). He went on to say that 5 brothers came from Ireland and settled from Virginia to South Carolina, and then his branch went to Georgia and Alabama. His branch is that of Robert S. Jemison (m. Margaret Kirkham), the father of William (m. Sally Mims), grandfather of Robert Jemison (m. Priscilla Cherokee Taylor). I had believed that Robert S. Jemison was a likely brother or cousin of David James Jameson (b.1754 d.1825 Twiggs Co., GA; m.1. Ann Springer; m.2. Mary Gates). However, someone from this line believes that David James may be James David Jameson b. 1754 Edgecombe Co., NC, son of John James Jameson (b. 1710 Scotland d. 1759 Edgecombe Co., NC) and Martha Cook. If so, then perhaps this John James Jameson b. 1710 was an uncle to Robert Jemison? Maybe one of the 5 brothers that came from overseas, settling from VA to SC? Could this John James Jameson be a younger brother to my William b.c.1690? Robert S. Jemison’s father, many believe is Robert Jameson (m. Sarah McKee). There is some contention over this since Robert (m. Sarah McKee) had supposedly three sons, Arthur, Thomas and Robert that migrated to Mecklenburg Co., NC and settled there. Records do connect all three men (of these 3 names in Mecklenburgh), and one would think they are all brothers, but the Robert appears to be a younger gentleman than the Arthur and Thomas. It is my thought that the Robert (in Meckkenburgh) is actually the same Robert as Arthur’s son Robert, and all records of Robert in Mecklenburg are for the same Robert Jamison, Arthur’s son, (m.1? m.2 Isabel Johnston m.3 Ann Stinson). Which could make it possible that Robert S. Jemison that came out of Botetourt Co., VA (and perhaps stopped off in NC briefly) and settled in Georgia, was a son of Robert Jameson (m. Sarah McKee). But I am of the mind that he may just be a son of my Andrew b.c.1734, and grandson of William b.c.1690. So if there were indeed originally 5 brothers that came to the US, could my William b.c.1690 be an older brother then to Robert (m. Sarah McKee), and John (m. Martha Cook)? It is a thought, but only YDNA will show whether these two lines match William’s YDNA. 

Green B. Jameson’s sister, Mary Sarah Jameson, was married to Pouncy Nuckols Jr. She and Pouncy had a daughter, Semiramus Laura Nuckols (b.1830). This Semiramus married to Joseph Marshall Jemison (b.c.1824 Pickens Co., AL), and Joseph was a son of William (b.1778) and Sarah (Mims) Jemison, and a grandson of Robert S. Jemison and Margaret Kirkham. Would love to see someone from this Jemison line YDNA test. I am in contact with Eve Jemison from this line, and she does have several Jemison brothers, but is not sure if they would be interested in doing the test. Hopefully we’ll have success with getting this line tested in the future. Same goes for the David James Jameson line of GA, would like to see someone YDNA tested. The researcher I am in contact with for that line is adopted, but believes he has located a descendant to test. That would be wonderful. We do have the YDNA of Joe, the descendant of the William Jameson (m. Nancy Kirkham) line to compare to, as well as the rest. 

Mapping out the Barren County, Kentucky Jameson Lines 

Since so many of William and Sarah’s descendants ended up in Kentucky, I have been looking closely at those records. I have begun researching in earnest the 4 John Jamesons and their lines in and around Barren County, Kentucky. For some years I have shared research with Barbara Van Hout, who is a descendant of John Jameson/Mary Polly Burks. We hope to some day have a male Jameson from this line to test. We believe we have found one candidate. Now we need to make contact. 

There were 4 John Jamesons in Barren County that we are looking at: 

John J. Jameson b.c.1750 VA d.c.1801 Fayette Co., KY – I believe this John is a brother to the Robert (b.c.1740) and William (b.c.1745) and possibly George (b.c.1751) that came from VA to Fayette Co., KY in the late 1780s and then on to Barren County in 1795. I think they are sons of John Jameson b.c.1723 and wife Mary, and grandsons of William and Sarah Jameson of Augusta Co., VA. John J. was married likely three times. The difference in ages from his oldest son, William b.c.1770 and next oldest child, Robert b.1785, would indicate this. Both his first and second wives names are not known. William was b.c.1770 d. btw 1834-1840 (m. Jane, res. Barren Co., KY). They are the parents of Green B. Jameson. His children with his second wife were: Robert b.c.1785 d. bef. 1836 Monroe Twp., Lincoln Co., MO; Sarah “Sally” b.c.1790 d. aft Feb. 1819, prob. MO (m. Lowry T. Hampton; res. St. Charles Co., MO); John b.c.1792 d. aft 1824 prob MO or TX (m. Susannah “Susan” Hawk; res. St. Charles/Lincoln/Montgomery Cos., MO; res TX; Randall’s ancestor); Mary “Polly” b.c.1796 d. aft 1817 (m. Samuel Bailey; res. St. Charles Co., MO); Allen b 8 Jun 1797 Lincoln Co., KY d. 2 May 1877 Polk Co., MO (or Pike Co.) (m. Rhoda Kennedy; res. Lincoln Co., MO). John married his third wife, Rebecca Buchannan (b.c.1777 d. bef 1817 prob. St. Charles Co., MO) on 22 Jul 1797, shortly after Allen’s birth which makes me think that the second wife died in childbirth or soon after. The marriage is recorded as James Jameson and Rebecca Buchhannon (why I refer to John as John James Jameson or John J. Jameson), Fayette Co. Court Record Book 1, p. 6, married by Robert Marshall. They had one son, Harvey b.c.1799 d. bef 25 May 1819 St. Charles Co., MO, never married, no issue. John died in about 1801, Fayette Co., KY. Rebecca married 2 Mar 1802 to Thomas Hampton. I have 3 entries about land the 7 children of John received after his death: John's son William (Green B.'s father) may have been the 70-79 year old male living in son in law and daughter Samuel D. and Louisa (Jameson) Howell's home in the 1840 Barren Co., KY census. He likely died not long after.

On April 12, 1804, Abraham Chapline, and wife, Elizabeth, of Mercer Co., KY sells to William, Robert, John, Sarah, Allen, Polly, and Harvey, heirs of John Jameson of Fayette Co., KY, a tract of 360 & 2/3 acres on the north side of Beaver Creek, Barren Co., KY. 

17 Jul 1809, Barren Co., KY - Divided land into 7 parts to his children (heirs): William, Robert, John, Sarah Hampton (formerly Jameson), Allen, Polly and Harvey Jameson, Heirs of John Jameson dec'd. 

16 Oct 1809, Barren Co., KY - Order Book No. 3: p. 85: A report of the division of a tract of land by Havilah Crump, Tho. McKay & Tho. Dunnigan between the Heirs of John Jameson Dec'd retd. & okay. 

All of John’s children came to St. Charles/Lincoln Co., MO area, even William, but then William returned to KY. I believe this John to be a first cousin to my 4th great grandfather, Robert Jameson and his brother, John Jameson b. 1763. 

http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/5000985331/facts 

John Jameson b. 22 Oct 1763 near Staunton, Augusta Co., VA d. 3 Feb 1841 or 4 July 1845 Old Milam, Sabine Co., TX (formerly thought 1841 Barren Co., KY). This John is my 4th  great grandfather’s brother. They were children of George Jameson b.c.1728 d.Oct 1799 Harrison Co., KY, and first wife unknown (likely a dau of John Stephenson of Augusta Co.), and grandsons of William b.c. 1690 and Sarah Jameson of Augusta Co., VA. John served in the Rev War out of Augusta Co. He filed for and was granted a pension in Barren Co., KY on 19 Nov 1832. He married Mary “Molly” Rice on 7 May 1788 in Mercer Co., KY. Interestingly enough, there is a John Jameson in Mercer Co., KY who on 38 Aug 1787 was ordered to be paid 109 pounds of tobacco by Andrew Jamison for being a witness for him and traveling to and from court in the suit of John Hayes vs. Andrew Jameson - Mercer Co., KY Records Vol. 1 by M Cook, p.40 of book: p.11. This could be John being a witness for his uncle Andrew. According to John's pension, he went to Fayette Co. in 1786, then on to Nelson Co., and then in 1813 to Barren Co. Records have also shown that John was taxed in Green Co., KY in 1800, and he was a witness and had several deed records he was named in between 1801 and 1803 in Green Co. In 1807, a Wm. Bush paid John and his brother in laws for a land grant that was patented by Fisher Rice, his father in law in 1802, in Hardin Co., KY on Conoloway Creek. He next is in Nelson Co., KY in 1810, then in Barren on the 1820 and 1830 census. Many have believed that he died 3 Feb 1841 in Barren Co. and is buried in Bear Wallow Cemetery. Family even had a Rev War marker placed there for him. However, research shows that John left Barren Co., KY and went to Sabine Co., TX. I think that the John Jameson in Bear Wallow might be John Jameson b. 1781, whose brother James Jameson b. 1783 is buried in that cemetery. It appears that John Jameson b. 1763 left KY and went to Sabine Co., TX in about 1839 then died a few years later, and he has children named very similarly to our line and even has a son named Rice Jameson like our John has. Two different Rice Jamesons? - I think not. I have concluded that this is our John. Our John also has at least 4 sons in census records that we don’t know the names of. Could account for some of these children we know to have gone to Texas. If John went to TX and died there, the John Jameson buried in Bear Wallow Cemetery could be John Jameson (m. Mary Polly Burks). John (b.1763; m Molly Rice) was buried near old Milam, per dau Mariah, a few years after coming to Sabine County, TX. He came to Sabine in 1840. Last pension pmt says died 4 Jul 1845, last pmt 1st qutr 1846. Pension file back cover says Dead - Letters to 3rd Audtr. 19 Mar 1846 (last pmt?). John had an unconditional headright cert no. 34 says 4th class (filed as 3rd), issued 6 May 1844 in Sabine Co., TX. He had to work the land 3 years in order to get this. The Sabine Co., TX Clerk’s Return shows: 6 May 1844, Sabine Co., TX. John Jamison 640 acres_Mariah Jamison 640 acres_Sabine Co TX Clerk Return 37. John and dau Mariah were issued unconditional headright certificates no. 34 & 35, 640 acres each. Both vouched for by John's son Allen Jameson, and neighbor Jesse T. Scruggs. These were 4th Class headrights (so settled between 1 Jan 1840 and 1 Jan 1842, and worked for 3 years before issuing certificate by justices), but filed as 3rd class. Mariah received one for her husband Samuel Jameson. Mariah Jameson and Samuel Jameson married 10 Nov 1816 in Barren Co., KY. Interesting to note is that this Samuel Jameson is thought to be the son of the John Jameson b.c. 1750 (m.2. Rhoda Cook Bohannon) that was in Botetourt Co., VA originally and dued in Maury Co., TN in 1811. If so, this could be another case of "cousin" lines marrying.The descendants of John Jamison, son of Rice, son of John b.1763, filed a suit against H. H. Dooley over their share of this headright they felt they never received. The case was heard in February 1906, and I have documentation of the case. The only children mentioned as heirs in the suit are John’s daughter Mariah and 7 sons: Rice, Allen, Washington, Harden, J. Nelson, Thomas Jefferson, and Archebul. We know that John and Molly had many other children, as the census records bear that out. These must’ve been the ones that the plaintiffs in 1906 knew about, and were probably the only children of John’s that went to Texas. I have their children as: Lucinda b.1791 (twin); Samuel b.1791 (twin); George b.c.1792; Rice b.1793; Allen b.1795; Henry b.c.1796; Robert b.c.1799; Maria(h) b.1800; Washington b.c.1802; Mary b.1804; Harden b.c.1806; John Nelson b.1808; David b.c.1809; Thomas Jefferson b.1810; Minerva b.c.1812; Archebul b.c.1813; James W. b.1814. 

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/7519102/person/-357256585/facts

John Jameson b.c.1750 VA d.1811 Maury Co., TN. This John is likely a brother to the Robert H. Jamison of Botetourt Co., VA/Logan Co., KY. John married twice. We do not know his first wife’s name. Children with his first wife were: John b.c.1772 (m. Elizabeth Douglass?); Elizabeth; George; and Rebecca (m. Mr. Finlay). John moved from VA to Fayette Co., KY in the 1780s. He married Rhoda (Cook) Bohannon, widow of Joshua Bohannon, on 10 Oct 1781 Lincoln Co., KY. The marriage record says John Jamison to Rhoda Buchanan. I’m told the Buchannan name and the Bohannon name are interchangeable in records. Could be that the above John J. Jameson’s wife Rebecca Buchannan, was really a Bohannon? Something to keep in mind. We also see that in Rhoda’s mother’s will she leaves inheritance to her grandchildren “born of her daughter Rhoda’s body”, indicating she was not leaving anything to the children of John’s first marriage, George, Rebecca, Elizabeth or John. John and Rhoda’s children were: Samuel D. b.c 1783; Robert b.c.1785 d.22 Sep 1840 KY (m. Elizabeth “Betsy” Haley); Margaret b.24 Jan 1788 Woodford Co., KY d.17 Mar 1856 IL (m. John Douglass); Hosea b.c.1790 d.btw 1853 and 1860 Maury Co., TN (m. Jane Witt); James Berryman b.25 Sep 1795 Barren Co., KY d.12 Feb 1862 Sumner Co., TN (m.1. Permelia Haley; m.2. Jane Parrish); Frank; and Caria Allen “Cary” b.1798 Barren Co., KY d.1884 Greene Co., MO (m. Jane Matthews). Cary appears to be the “Allen” listed in his father’s will in 1811 as still of school age, which would fit with his 1798 birth. There is a persistent thought that this Caria Allen Jamison was a son of John Jameson and Martha Cook. That someone handed the name Martha down as the mother of Cary, not Rhoda. But you can see I mentioned earlier that John James Jameson (m. Martha Cook) was b.1710 d.1759 NC. He could not be Cary’s father with that age difference. I believe this John (m. Rhoda) is his father. John left Lincoln Co./Woodford Co., KY area and in 1783 they are in several land deeds in Botetourt Co., VA. Then about 1795 (or earlier) came to Barren Co., KY settling at Prewett’s Knob. He sold items in about 1801 indicating he was about to leave the county. An 1806 sale of land in Barren Co., KY states that John and Rhoda Jamison of Wilson Co., TN sold to Henry Haley (their daughter in law Betsy’s father) 530 acres, 3 surveys in Barren. Henry had been a neighbor to them in Barren County prior to their move. But at this time John and Rhoda were already living in Wilson Co., TN. John died in Maury Co., TN in 1811. Rhoda and son James B. came back to Barren County. His will indicates his children were as I have them listed above. Would love to have someone from the Caria Allen Jameson line YDNA test, as well as one other son of John to YDNA test. Would love to see a comparison of the YDNA with the Robert H. Jamison line and to our Jameson line. 

http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/25578554797/facts 

Here is also a link to the Robert H. Jamison family line: http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/120025777207/facts

John Jameson b.1781 VA d.1849 Barren Co., KY. John and his brother James (b.1783 VA) came to KY by 1800 with their father from VA. Their father was said to have been of Scots heritage, and was a Rev War veteran. In all likelihood, John and James were probably sons of Robert Jameson b.c.1740 mentioned with John J. Jameson above. Which would make them great nephews to my 4th great grandfather and John b.1763 above. John served in the War of 1812. He married Mary Elizabeth “Polly” Burks before 1805 KY. They lived in Barren Co., KY until about 1821 when they removed to Hart Co., KY. His brother James married Sally Burks (Polly’s sister) on 3 Jan 1809 in Barren Co. James and Sally lived in Barren County the remainder of their lives. Sally died in about 1854. James then married Frances “Fanny” (Garnett) Burks, the widow of Polly and Sally’s brother John Burks Jr. on 12 Jan 1843 in Barren. In correspondence of a granddaughter of John, she indicates that John and James had a sister that was married to a Hardy. The Burks children were children of John Burks Sr. and Mary Kendrick of Barren Co. If John and James were children of Robert b.c.1740, then they would’ve had another sister Elizabeth “Betsy” Jameson b.c.1770 who married her first cousin, George Jameson b.1771, son of William Jameson b.c.1745. They also lived in Barren Co., KY and had a large family. 

I have recently had some of the Samuel F. Pottinger Family Papers copied from the Filson Library, which includes correspondence between various Jameson descendants and Samuel F. Pottinger. He was a descendant of my John Jameson (b.1763), through his daughter Lucinda (Jameson) Pottinger, wife of Samuel Pottinger, Jr. of Nelson Co., KY. Around the mid 1800s to about 1900, he collected family trees and correspondence from anyone he thought came from his Jameson line or that of the Barren Co., KY area, as well as his Pottinger family line. In all there are about 38 volumes, which have been unbound and placed into folders. I ordered two folders pertaining to the Jameson research. Several letters are from about 1850 give or take some years. In these letters it is asked how all of the Jameson lines in Barren Co., KY were related to one another. The gentleman writing the letter said that he asked the oldest gentleman in Barren County at that time (in 1850), who was 86 years old (would put him at being born about 1764) what he knew of the various Jameson lines and he said that he always knew them all to be cousins to each other. This also matched the letter writer’s account of his father saying that they were cousins with the Jamesons of Logan Co., KY (this could be referring to just the John Jameson/Mary Polly Burks children that settled there, the man writing the letter was a son of James Jameson/Sally Burks, bro to John. Many of John’s children settled in Hart County and Logan County. I believe this John and James to be great grandsons of William and Sarah, possibly through son John b.c.1723 and Robert b.c.1740.) and of various other northern Kentucky counties (mine were in Harrison and Madison Cos. mostly), and that when they came to visit they would always come by his father, James Jameson’s in Glasgow, Barren Co. and he knew them all as cousins. And let's not forget that Andrew Jamesons's family line was also in Logan Co., KY.

Other DNA Matches – BIG Y Testing and Individual SNP Testing – Where it May Lead Us 

My brother matched with several other Jam?son lines as well. The James Jamison (b.1703, m. Jannet Rae) line appears to have their lineage come out of Stitchel, Roxburghshire, Scotland to Ulster, N. Ireland and ended up in Westmoreland Co., PA (kit no. 207191). This may be the origin of us all that are matching by DNA. Roxburghshire is a lowland border county with England. However, I received word from Alex Senkevitch, whose cousin John Jamison is kit no. 207191, that they only have their lineage back as far as N. Ireland. Someone else has made that leap to Roxburghshire, and it has not been proven to be true. 

There was also a Samuel Jameyson line that my brother matched. This Samuel was born about 1754 and lived in Ontario, Canada (kit no. 152456). Some of his descendants migrated to Pennsylvania later. Samuel’s family believes that they were Scots Covenanters, and perhaps Samuel’s line was imprisoned or exiled to Ireland or Canada. The Covenanters signed the National Covenant in 1638 in opposition to the Stuart kings interference into the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Between 1638 and 1688 many were imprisoned, transported, tortured, and executed. 

Both of these kits were 5 differences from my brother out of 67. So still a match, but more distantly related than the others he matched to. So we have a common ancestor with these lines, but they may likely be back in Scotland. At present, some of us have done BIG Y tests and compared, and are doing individual SNP testing to determine at what point mutations may have occurred in time, and by this may be able to approximate how closely we relate in years/generations. This is all new to me, and challenging, but so very interesting. And anything to further the research, I am all for. 

In Conclusion 

I encourage anyone that is a Jam?son descendant to get your family line YDNA tested. This helps the Jam?son community overall to be able to understand what family lines are related to one another, and can go a long way in helping to prove or disprove theories, family lore, persistent myths that someone had put on the internet that maybe you know aren’t true but seem to get brought up time and again. I am seeing some real results with these DNA tests and with the research. I would implore you to record your family history, interview all of your oldest living relatives, do your research, and get your family’s YDNA tested at familytreedna.com. The test itself is simple, just a few swabs of the cheek. You can always start out with a 37 or 67 marker test and upgrade it later to 67 or 111 marker tests, or even a Big Y test. I would recommend starting out small with the 37 or 67 marker tests. Once you know you match to a group of others that have already had the Big Y test, then you may be able to test certain SNPs to see where you fall on the tree. Currently, all of those mentioned in this piece that have had YDNA testing, and match to my brother Peter C. Jamerson, appear to fall in the S5488+ category on the Big Y Tree. More specifically, my line of Jamesons are A6484+ on the haplotree. 

Anyone interested in viewing my public tree on Ancestry.com can do so here: http://person.ancestry.com/tree/7519102/person/-1079343392/facts

Go HERE  for a detailed graphic of the various lines being researched for Jam?son connections within our known Y-DNA profile.