The Jameson's Revolutionary War Study

Determining the facts surrounding either Jameson (Hugh or Alexander) Revolutionary War service is made difficult by the fact of several identical names from the same place and at a similar time of service. The biggest problem is determining which is which (who is who), especially with the various spellings (Jameson, Jamison, etc.) found on different records.

The principal surviving records in the National Archives directly pertaining to these men fall into two categories: (1) Individual Service Records, which are mostly made up of Muster Rolls and Payroll Records and (2) Pension Records. Although the Pension Records generally seem to include the most information, probably because of the nature of the narrative of the application process, they also seem to be the least reliable for that same reason. There is often little or no official government information in these documents about the solider or his service apart from the outcome of the pension applied for and it's details or denials. All the information about the soldier, his service, the surviving descendants and the applicants is supplied by the applicants. The Individual Service Records on the other hand are usually sparse. They contain only very basic information such as name, date of enlistment, intended duration, unit and sometimes commander, discharge or death and occasionally some payroll information. What they do have is official and is about as close to fact as we can get. Muster Rolls vary in usefulness as they are infrequent and usually incomplete. They are akin to a printed roll call and can only be taken as a stand alone snapshot of a specific time and place. However they can be useful as a fill in to a soldiers overall data as to who they served with and sometimes where.

Here is what we have and what we know:

HUGH JAMESON (1713-1790)

Signed the Association Test at Dunbarton, NH, November 25, 1776[1]

Per "New Hampshire State Papers:" Vol XII [R. 2-201]: Hugh Jameson, a minute man from Londonderry, served for 3 days, traveling 90 miles after the battle at Bunker Hill under Captain Robert Wilson and Lieutenant Joseph Hogg.[2] - PDF here

Per E.O.Jameson in his book "The Jamesons in America": After the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, Hugh Jameson joined the war of revolution for the independence of his adopted homeland. Although far advanced in years he served for three days, reportedly shouldering his gun and marched ninety miles under the command of Captain Wilson of the Continental Army.

Comments: There were two Hugh Jamesons living in New Hampshire in 1775. Our Hugh and his nephew Hugh, son of his brother Thomas Jameson. Hugh (son of Thomas) was born in 1758 and would have been 16 or early 17 years old in 1775. This Hugh Jameson was born in Dunbarton, NH (about 15 miles from Londonderry) and may actually have been living in Antrim (much further away) by 1775. This would unlikely have made him the Hugh Jameson, Minuteman of Londonderry, NH, mentioned in these records. Furthermore, Margaret (Steele) Jameson, widow of this Hugh Jameson (son of Thomas), applied for and received a pension for that Hugh's known Revolutionary War service (1777-1779) and did not mention any service in 1775, nor Minuteman connection or service, nor prior service of any kind, in her lengthy and detailed application for a pension. Our Hugh Jameson, the elder of the two, was also living in Dunbarton, NH, and would have been 62 years old at the time. This would seem to have been much older than the younger and especially fit men sought out to have been Minuteman during those years. E.O.Jameson's reference aside, it is difficult to be sure which of these two Hugh Jamesons was the Minuteman Soldier described in the New Hampshire papers. It should However be noted that a John Jameson, and older brother to the younger Hugh Jameson (above) is credited as serving at Bunker Hill in the 1st New Hampshire Regiment under Captain Moore, and in Canada in 1776 in Wingate's Regiment and in Capt. Wm. Barrows Co.[3]

There is a DAR record on this Hugh Jameson (DAR Ancestor # A061632). (Nat#809968 - Susan Baker, 2002). Hugh Jameson Patriot "Signed the Association Test at Dunbarton, NH, 25 Nov 1776"

There is a SAR member application record on this Hugh Jameson. (ACN 792, Nat.#122222, St.#5491) Part 1, Rolls of NH Soldiers Rev War, Vol. 1 War Rolls pages 504 & 605: Service in Ebenezer Fryes Company, Colonel Joseph Gilley's Regiment. Mustered in 1778 for 9 month enlistment. Note: This record is clearly incorrect. The Hugh Jameson who served in Gilley's Regiment, Fryes Company in 1778 was Hugh Jameson, son of Thomas Jameson, nephew of our Hugh Jameson.

No pension application(s) have been found for our Hugh Jameson from service in the Revolutionary War.

ALEXANDER JAMESON (1760-1820)

According to Individual Service Record #166 (J) (NARA Publication # M881): (PayRoll Records) Private in Capt. Peter Clark's Co., in Col. Daniel Moore's Regiment of Volunteers of the New Hampshire Regiment, which marched from Lyndborough, NH, Sept 1777 and joined the Northern Continental Army at Bennington. He joined Sept 30, 1777 and was discharged Oct 26, 1777. His time in service was 27 days for which he was paid 4 pd 1, plus travel and rations, total paid was 7, 10, 2. - PDF here

According to Individual Service Record #167 (J) (NARA Publication # M881): (PayRoll Records) Private in Capt. John Duncan's Co., in Col. Daniel Moore's New Hampshire Regiment which marched from Bedford, NH, Sept 1777 and joined the Northern Continental Army at Beningtown (sic). He joined Sept 29, 1777 and was discharged Oct 25, 1777. His time in service was 27 days for which he was paid 4, 10, plus travel and rations, total paid was 6, 16, 9. - Document here - PDF here

According to Individual Service Record #918 (J) - R.&P., 431.372 (NARA Publication # M881): (PayRoll Records) Sergeant in Captain Jonas Kidder’s Comp., in Colonel Moses Nichol’s Regiment of Militia, raised by the State of New Hampshire to join the Continental Army at West Point. Enlisted July 6, 1780 and served until October 24, 1780. His time in service was 3 months and 19 days. He was in Camp Highlands on September 27, 1780. - PDF here

Notes: No mention of any service in "The Jamesons in America" on our Alexander, however the narrative on him is sparse in that book.

The first two records (# 166 & 167, above) are service records for almost exactly the same time, from the same general area and for service in the same place. These are undoubtedly a result for a call to arms for what became the Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. The first record (#166), as well as the third record (#918), are according to E.O. Jameson[4] in "The Jamesons in America" p.420, for an Alexander Jameson (living in Antrim at that time), who was a first cousin of our Alexander Jameson. The second record (#167) is a legitimate separate record proving service of another Alexander, undoubtedly our Alexander - as there were two and only two known Alexander Jamesons in that area at that time. This is further confirmed by two listings for Alexander Jamesons in the "Participants in Battles of Saratoga," which was compiled from "The State of New Hampshire - Rolls of the Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, May 1777 to 1780."[5]

A study of New Hampshire maps shows that our Alexander, who was living in Dunbarton, NH, at the time was closer to Bedford than to Lyndborough and more likely to have marched from that location. Where as, the other Alexander, then living in Antrim, NH, was closer to Lyndborough and therefore more likely to have marched from there - map here. This would support the theory that our Alexander was a Revoltingly War soldier according to record 167 and that the other Alexander from record 166, as E.O.Jameson lists in his book. It should be noted, to avoid possible confusion, that Captian John's Duncan's Company marched from both Bedford and Antrim, NH, as shown in record #167, but that the Alexander of that record specifically marched from Bedford.

There is an 1890 SAR record on our Alexander Jameson, linking him to the first (#166) record. The Illinois chapter membership is in the name of John A. Jameson.

There are several DAR records regarding our Alexander Jameson (DAR Ancestor #A061607), linking him to the first (#166) and third (#918) records. These include 2 (#'s 2654, p.234, Martha Jameson Stone; and #2901, p.315, Mary Jameson) from the 1897 DAR Lineage book. Both of these members are related to the SAR member John A. Jameson above (Martha a niece and Mary a daughter) and both share the same (and incorrect - it is not Col. David Morris but in fact Col. Daniel Moore's Regiment) information. The inaccuracy is probably a result of a time before copy machines or any good way of viewing the records other than the originals, save hand written transcriptions. After all David and Daniel are close as is Morris and Moore's. Besides the fact there was no known David Morris Regiment in that war anyhow. It is also logical that the mistake was made by the earlier SAR record, then compounded by using it when making application for the second. It is also logical to assume, perhaps wishfully, that the these were war records were to be associated with our Alexander Jameson given the difficulty in finding the records in the first place and the absence of any evidence to the contrary at that time (E.O.Jameson's book[S2] with accreditation to the other Alexander Jameson had not yet been published).

No pension application(s) have (yet) been found for any Alexander Jameson from service in the Revolutionary War.

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