Hamilton family


The Hamiltons of the United States are a family of Scottish origin, whose most prominent member was Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Their ancestors and relations in Scotland included the Lairds of Kerelaw Castle in Stevenston, North Ayrshire, of the Cambuskeith branch of Clan Hamilton.

Background

The paternal lineage of American founding father Alexander Hamilton was rooted in Scotland, where his relations were landed gentry known as the Hamiltons of Grange.
The Hamiltons of Grange descended from Walter de Hamilton, founder of the Cambuskeith branch of Clan Hamilton, who held lands in Edinburgh by a charter from Robert III of Scotland given between 1390 and 1406. The last Laird of the Hamiltons of Grange, who held the title from 1774 until his death in 1837, was Alexander Hamilton's first cousin, also named Alexander.
James Alexander Hamilton was born in Ayrshire, Scotland in 1718. He was the fourth son of Laird Alexander Hamilton of Grange. His mother, Elizabeth Pollock, was the eldest daughter of Sir Robert Pollock, 1st Baronet of Pollock. With little prospect of an inheritance in Scotland, James moved to the West Indies to become a merchant and businessman on the island of Saint Kitts. He and Rachel Faucette, became the parents, out of wedlock, of Alexander Hamilton and his older brother James Hamilton Jr.
Alexander Hamilton moved in October 1772 to the Thirteen Colonies to earn an education. He later became the aide-de-camp to General George Washington and first Secretary of the Treasury. He married Elizabeth Schuyler, who was the daughter of Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer, both members of prominent Dutch-American families, the Schuyler and Van Rensselaer families. Elizabeth and Alexander Hamilton were married on December 14, 1780, at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York. They went on to have eight children, thus establishing the Hamilton family in the United States.

Notable members

The following list, organized by generation, begins with the establishment of Alexander Hamilton's family. It selectively includes notable descendants of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton.

First generation

The following partial family tree begins with the paternal grandfather of Alexander Hamilton, and includes both Scottish and American family members.