Who are We? - Some Historical Background

All of our particular (Y-DNA matched) Jam?sons (at least those that we know about) all came from (through?) Ulster Ireland, even though they are all widely assumed to have previously been of Scottish lineage and heritage. Given the lack of many actual records from these very early times and then further limited to just those records which have survived and are publicly available, doesn't amount to much. But even here, we do not always know if or how they might be connected or related. So far we know of three separate areas where our Jam?sons came from, some at different times and assume, at least somewhat, are all infact connected, especially since the DNA from known descendants, proves that.

Jam?sons were known to have been in Ulster as early as the early 1600s, when a John Jameson, apparently part of the Hamilton group of County Ayr, Scottish immigrants began their settlements in northern Ulster Ireland, just north of what is now Belfast. This was some of the earliest immigration into Ireland of those from Scotland, that we know of.

As Marilyn Jamison wrote in her paper on this subject[1]: "Scottish immigration into early Ulster was somewhat larger and more significant than is generally much talked or written about, probably because so few records from those times have survived or are publicly available. Some time in the early part of the 1600's, before the War of the Three Kingdoms,[2] or the establishment of the Londonderry Plantations,[3] or the influx of religious persecutions, a small groups of Scottish emigres began migrating from nearby Ayrshire Scotland,[4] to that part of what is now Northern Ireland. Recent research has revealed that several Jam?son families from the Ayrshire area, may have even predated those early migrations."

In September of 1605, a John Jameson, "a German",[5] was granted Denizen rights.[6][7] This was about eight months before James Hamilton started bringing over settlers, so it is possible Jameson was an employee or associate of some kind, establishing a connection between John Jameson and the Hamiltons and their settlement.

Marilyn's work[1] also shows that, Gawin Hamilton, one of the original movement founders, acquired lands for himself in Holywood, near Belfast and along the River Bann near Coleraine, further suggesting a connection between these early immigrants from Ayrshire Scotland with (our?) Jamesons to be found there in later years.

The city of Coleraine is the area where County Londonderry meets County Antrim and the Ards Peninsula area of County Down, is near Belfast, Both of these areas were thick with Jam?son families, including ours, since at least the beginning of the eighteenth century. This suggests they, or at least some of them, may have been possible descendants of John Jameson (that "German") or others from the Ayrshire area of Scotland

It is far more widely known and studied, that after the end of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms,[2] a much more significant immigration of Scottish people into Ulster took place, including the finally successful population of the Londonderry Plantations along with other areas of this northern area of Ireland. This is just as likely the source of our Jam?sons as the earlier lot from Ayrshire, but apart from speculation, we do not know that.

So, although we don't really know when or how any of even "our" actual Jam?son ancestors arrived in Ulster, we do know that there were those of our surname at least beginning in the very early 1600's.

A more detailed study of the various Jam?son family groupings can be found within the various sites dedicated specifically to each of those groups.

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