Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Hamilton, John 
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Author: Bio/Gen Record LaSalle/Grundy 1900

JOHN HAMILTON.

The life history of a self-made man is always of interest, and when we analyze 
his career in order to find the secret of his success we usually learn that it 
has been acquired as the direct result of indefatigable, labor. In fully 
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred this is so. Capable management, enterprise 
and sound judgment bear a part in the desired result, but labor is the 
foundation of prosperity. It is in these lines that Mr. Hamilton has become 
one of the most extensive land-owners of Grundy county.

He is of sterling Scotch ancestry, although his birth occurred in Canada. His 
father, Samuel Hamilton, was born in Scotland, about 1808, acquired a common-
school education and learned the weaver's trade. When a young man he removed 
to county Tyrone, Ireland, and soon afterward crossed the Atlantic to Canada 
on a sailing vessel which weighed anchor at Liverpool, England. The voyage 
continued for six weeks, at the end of which time he landed at Quebec,—a young 
man of eighteen years, who had come to America to try his fortune. He located 
on the island of Chateaugay, which was formed by the rivers Chateaugay and the 
Utard. It is located forty miles southwest of Montreal. Mr. Hamilton was led 
to seek a location there by reason of the fact that his brother John had 
settled on land on that island about three years previously. With him Mr. 
Hamilton made his home for three years, and then purchased fifty acres of land 
covered with heavy timber. Clearing away the trees, he transformed the tract 
into well-developed fields and successfully carried on agricultural pursuits 
there. He married Miss Jane Ann McNown, whose sister, Fanny McNown, was the 
wife of his brother John. Their father, James McNown, was of sterling Scotch-
Irish ancestry from the north of Ireland, and was an Episcopalian in religious 
faith. Leaving the Emerald Isle, he crossed the briny deep to Canada, locating 
in the midst of the forest, where he cleared a fine farm, becoming one of the 
substantial settlers of the community. There he spent his remaining days, 
dying upon his farm when about eighty-nine years of age. When a young man he 
went to Dublin, Ireland, and while there was pressed into the British navy and 
put on board a British man-of-war. His family heard nothing of him for several 
years, but when liberated he rejoined them in Ireland, after having spent 
seven years in the naval service. He was a very strong and hearty man, a 
typical Canadian pioneer, who in the midst of the forest "hewed out" his home 
by main strength. The Canadian pioneers were of the class who could endure 
great privations, for during the long winters the snow fell to the depth of 
five or six feet and many fences were entirely buried. The children of Mr. and 
Mrs. McNown were: Bessie, Fannie, Hugh, William, Robert, Christie and Ann.

After his marriage Samuel Hamilton, the father of our subject, continued to 
reside upon the tract of fifty acres which he had cleared in the midst of the 
heavy timber in Canada. He built a substantial pioneer cabin of hewed logs and 
made a good home for his family. His children were: Matilda, John, James, 
Samuel, William, Eliza, Margaret, Robert, Henry, Sarah, Ann, Ellen, William 
and Susan. All lived to years of maturity with the exception of Samuel, who 
died in infancy, and James and William, who died of scarlet fever at the age 
of four and six years respectively. William Hamilton, the father of this 
family, died when about fifty-one years of age. He was small in stature, but 
was a very strong and rugged man, and his life was characterized by unflagging 
industry. He held membership in the Episcopal church.

John Hamilton, whose name introduces this review, was born on the old home 
farm in the hewed-log cabin in the midst of the Canadian wilderness, on the 2d 
of December 1835. He can well remember the forest country and the pioneer 
scenes and experiences, and his recollection presents to his mind events that 
occurred when he was in his third, year. Canadian woods were full of wild 
animals, including brown bears, large timber wolves, wild-cats, moose and 
deer. His early experiences were those of most pioneer settlers. The family 
lived in simple and frugal style. Their fare was plain, and their clothing was 
good but unpretentious. His educational privileges were limited to two years' 
attendance in a log school-house. This period of study was not continuous, but 
was carried on at intervals of a few weeks during the winter seasons. He never 
attended school after he had attained the age of thirteen, for his services 
were needed on the farm. He began to work when very young. His father was a 
weaver, and therefore did not understand the care and use of horses; so that 
John had to harness the horses when he was so small that he had to stand upon 
the manger in order to put bridles on. He learned to plow when he was only 
twelve years of age, using a heavy, old-fashioned Scotch plow, and from that 
time until leaving home he did much of the plowing on the farm. However, he 
did not work at home to any great extent until he was fifteen years of age, 
procuring employment on neighboring farms.

When sixteen years of age he assisted in the work of building a dam and 
sawmill, carrying the heavy stone used in construction work. He regards that 
as the hardest labor he ever performed, for he worked twelve hours a day for 
four months. He was employed to a considerable extent in sawmills in Canada 
and in getting out heavy timber. When he was nineteen years of age he was thus 
employed in the woods, and also engaged in driving logs and rafting them down 
the St. Lawrence river to Montreal. He received one hundred and twenty dollars 
for that work and saved one hundred dollars of it. The exposure and dangers of 
such work were very great, for the rafting was done in the early spring when 
the river was very high. The men were thoroughly drenched each day in the cold 
water, and a mis-step on the rolling, slippery logs would probably have meant 
death in that rapid current. The log crews were largely composed of French 
Canadians, and as many rafts were floated down the river in the spring these 
crews would crowd the small French Canadian taverns almost beyond their 
capacity, and the little bar-rooms were so full that standing room could 
hardly be obtained. It was the only place, however, in which the loggers could 
remain through the nights, and, though cold, wet and tired, they were often 
forced to remain standing all night, so overcrowded were the rooms that there 
was no opportunity for them to lie down to sleep. It was the custom of many of 
those French Canadians to get drunk on whisky, which was freely sold at a low 
price. Such actions so completely disgusted Mr. Hamilton with the use of 
tobacco and liquors that he has never tasted either in his life. This is a 
record of which he may certainly be proud. 

When twenty-one years of age he came to the west, leaving home in October, 
1857. He made the trip to Chicago by way of the Grand Trunk Railroad, and 
thence to Morris. He worked by the month for two years and seven months in the 
employ of Deacon Hills, of Kendall county, Illinois, and during that time lost 
only twelve days. He carefully saved his money, and on the expiration of that 
period he rented a tract of land of Deacon Hills, cultivating the same for one 
year. He then purchased eighty acres near Newark, Kendall county, and began 
the further development of this land, which was but partially improved. His 
sister Matilda, who had come from Canada two years previously, acted as his 
housekeeper and remained with him until his marriage.

On the 23d of February, 1861, in Kendall county, Illinois, he wedded Miss 
Susan Saddler, who was born in Lower Canada, on the 1st of April, 1836, and is 
a daughter of John and Ann (Mason) Saddler. Her father was born in Ireland and 
was of Irish lineage. In that country he married, after which he took up his 
abode in Belfast, where he worked at the weaver's trade. In 1831 he crossed 
the Atlantic to Quebec, Canada, and purchased land near the Hamilton location, 
on the banks of the Chateaugay river. There he cleared a farm of one hundred 
and fifty acres, making his home thereon until his death, which occurred when 
he was eighty-four years of age. His wife died when she was about fifty years 
of age. In religious faith he was an Episcopalian. His children were Margaret, 
Jane, Joseph, Susan and John. The elder two were natives of Ireland and the 
younger two became residents of Grundy county, Illinois.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton are Maria J., born September 23, 1861; 
Samuel R., born March 30, 1863; Lillie, born February 25, 1865; Walter S., 
born December 10, 1867; and Annie E., born July 28, 1873. After their marriage 
Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton removed to Grundy county, Illinois, renting a farm on 
section 30, Mazon township, of one hundred and sixty acres. Three years later 
Mr. Hamilton purchased this and continued its cultivation and improvement 
until 1894. He built a substantial brick residence and good barns, drained the 
place with tiling and made it one of the best improved and most valuable 
farming properties in Grundy county. As a result of his steady thrift and 
industry he prospered, and as his financial resources increased he added to 
his land until he became one of the most extensive land-owners in Grundy 
county. He had at one time about one thousand acres of land in Grundy county, 
of which he has given his children four hundred and thirty acres, retaining 
possession of the remainder. He now owns a large tract of land in Osceola 
county, Iowa, and other lands, making in all about fourteen hundred acres, so 
that he is now the owner of about two thousand acres altogether.

In his political views Mr. Hamilton is a Democrat. While he always exercises 
his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of that party, he 
has never taken any interest in office-holding, preferring to devote his time 
and energies to his business affairs, in which he has indeed met with 
creditable success. He is certainly a self-made man, for when he arrived in 
Morris he had only about twenty-five cents in his pocket. A thousand miles 
from home, among strangers and with no capital, a young man of resolute will 
and determined purpose started out in life on his own account and steadily 
worked his way upward, overcoming the difficulties and obstacles by resolute 
will and capable management. He aided other members of the family who came to 
Illinois, and his mother made her home with him in her old age, dying at his 
residence. His sisters also lived with him until they were married. He now has 
eight sisters living in Grundy county, all married and with families of their 
own. The hardships and experiences which Mr. Hamilton underwent in his youth 
and early life and the humble manner of living among the pioneers developed in 
him physical strength and also the determination to overcome the obstacles 
which he met in later life. His straightforward dealing and his unflagging 
industry have been the factors in his success, and to-day he stands among the 
wealthy men of Grundy county who bear an unassailable reputation in business 
circles, being highly esteemed wherever he is known for his genuine worth.

Additional Comments:
Source:  Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle and Grundy County, 
Illinois, Volume 11, Chicago, 1900, p764-768

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