Already we have made some fantastic breakthroughs of our own since the 1901 information has gone live, my own personal wish is that the Scottish records will be made available free of charge sometime in the near future, but I am not holding my breath…

It is safe to assume that John and Isabella met through their fathers who were both military men of the time – Isabella’s father being Col. William Stewart and John’s father being Capt. James Hamilton with his own martial connection to the Creighton family of Col. Abraham Creighton, grandfather of the Ist Earl of Erne.

So it was from Killymoon Castle in Cookstown, County Tyrone, to Brownhall in County Donegal that young Isabella Stewart rode in horse and carriage to begin her life as Mrs John Hamilton. John and Isabella were married in 1770 and their children were:

1. James b.21.10.1771 – d.1805 (married Lady Helen Pakenham, sister of Thomas,Earl Longford)

2. Abraham b. 25.06.1773 – d.1861

3. Eleanor b&d – 1 June 1774

4. William Stewart b. 13.06.1775. Married in 1807 the Hon. Henrietta Blackwood, daughter of Hans, 3rd Baron Dufferin & Clandeboye of Co. Down.

5. John b 17.08.1777 – died in infancy

6. Henry b. 21.10.1778 – died in infancy

7. Henry Alexander b 30.09.1779

8. Dorothea b 16.09.1780

9. Robert b 20.02.1781 – stillborn.

The couple had a large family and Isabella was known as a very loving and fond grandmother to her many grandchildren. Below is a portrait of Isabella and her three grandchildren – John, Edward and Catherine Hamilton, thought to be painted at Brownhall.

This graveyard is at the end a of tiny, narrow country lane off the main road outside Ballintra and the Hamilton vault is over to the right of the cemetery. The last Hamilton to be buried in this vault was Sheila Marion Hamilton in 1976 – the vault had been unused for several generations at this time and it was by her own special request she was interred in it.

John and Isabella posed for a portrait which was painted by a renowned artist of the time (which for now escapes me though I have a print of the portrait) and the couple are shown sitting at a small table – this table still has pride of place in Brownhall house today. This painting was listed in Christie’s catalogue in the mid-1990’s – I do not know who owns this portrait today.

John Hamilton died in 1811 – Isabella died in 1832. Both are interred in the Hamilton vault in the now unused Drumholm graveyard just outside Ballintra. This was the site of the original Drumholm church and is accessed via a narrow lane off the main highway. The last Hamilton to be interred in this vault was Sheila Marion Hamilton in 1982(?). She made a special request to be buried in the vault which had not been used for several generations.

The couple were married in Dublin near to Helen’s family residence of Upper Merrion Street, she was the 6th child of Edward Micheal Pakenham, Ist Earl Longford and Catherine Rowley.

Her siblings were:

1. Elizabeth Pakenham: 1769 - 1851 m Henry Stewart of Tyrcallen, Co. Tyrone

2.Mary Pakenham: 1770 - 1787

3. Catherine (Kitty) Sarah Dorothea Pakenham: 1772 – 1831 m Arthur Wellesley Ist Duke of Wellington

4. Frances Pakenham: 1773 – 1774

5. Thomas Pakenham (2nd Earl Longford): 1774 – 1835 m Georgiana Emma Charlotte Lygon

6. Gen Sir Edward Micheal Pakenham: 1778 – 1815

7. Caroline Penelope Pakenham: 1780 – ? m Henry Hamilton

8. Maj. Gen. Sir Hercules Rowley Pakenham: 1781 – 1850 m Emily Stapleton

9. Capt. William Pakenham: 1782 – 1811

10. Henry Pakenham: 1787 – 1863 m Eliza Catherine Sandford

James Hamilton had inherited the estate of Brownhall from his father John and the couple took up residence after their marriage, though they divided their time between the estate in Co Donegal and Dublin. During their absence John’s brother Abraham and his family occupied the house of Brownhall.

The couple had three children:

1. John Hamilton: 1800 – 1884

2. The Rev. Edward Micheal Hamilton: 1802 – 1861 m Martha Anne Fortescue

3. Catherine Hamilton: 1803 – 1871 m Rev. William Henry Foster of Loughgilly

The marriage was tragically brief with James dying at the age of 30 in 1805. Helen died two years later and the care of the three children was taken over by Helen’s sister Catherine Wellesley (later Duchess of Wellington), their maternal grandmother Lady Longford and their paternal grandmother Isabella (Stewart) Hamilton. Within a short time the children were cared for full-time by the Pakenham family due to the advanced age of their much loved grandmother Isabella and the more beneficial surrounds of Dublin.

With John being the eldest (and heir to Brownhall ) his uncle Arthur Wellesley, then Chief Secretary for Ireland, took particular interest in his education and saw that he eventually attended Cambridge University in England. Through this John was granted his Degree after just 2 years due to a very old law which stated that direct male descendants of the Monarch could gain their qualification in a shorter time. John, of course, was descended from King Edward Ist .

John Hamilton would later recall with great affection and gratitude the loving environment into which he and his orphaned siblings were accepted into by his mother Helen’s family. His little sister Catherine, named for their mother’s sister, would grow to be extremely close to the woman later known as ‘Kitty’ Wellington – and she too in turn would be known by the name Kitty throughout her life.

In 1823, at the age of 18, Mary married 23 year old John Hamilton of Brownhall, Co. Donegal. John was a close friend of Mary’s brother and the two men had attended Cambridge University together.

Mary died at St Ernans House in 1854. St Ernans House was the family’s preferred residence and, while part of the estate, situated on a wooded island in the Donegal Bay.

Thanks to an email from Alexandra Starling in Australia I have added siblings to the Reid category regarding my Grandfather George Albert Reid.

This was a very exciting revelation for me and many, many thanks to Sandie for her kind contribution.

Wonderful to meet you all and I am so happy you are all finding the info here so helpful!

It has been a collective effort though and through the contributions of Sandra Reynolds, her sister Carol Smith and Jim Thorn we have a nice bank of information about our ancestors. We are all cousins and this story of course is ours to share.

Also Jeanette is kindly sending me what data she has and I shall be entering it all here very soon to expand on what we already have. Please feel free to contribute whatever you feel is relevant to ‘the cause’ and make use of the photo’s – let me know if you want copies via email. Thanks Jeanette!

Have a read through the various name categories: Reynolds, Davidson, Reid, Wegener/Wagner, Willis etc and let me know what you think of if you have something new to share. If I’ve made any errors with names/dates etc don’t hesitate to let me know!!

Enjoy!

Meanwhile it’s great to know that other’s are hard at it keeping the research going and Marty in Australia has been digging up lots of info on the Hennessy side recently. He has been emailing all his contacts like crazy and has kindly provided some new pics which I intend to upload here sometime later today, plus he has been out and about travelling to talk to people and get more info to share.

So thanks Marty!

Willis family group in front of general store owned by William and Laura Willis, Wrightville, Cobar, NSW. They are left to right; Alfred, Unknown, William, Charlie, Laura(Charle Reynolds sister), Grace Violet, Jessie.

Thanks to my cousin Jim Thorn for providing this photograph.

Thanks to my newly found cousin, James Thorn, I have new information to add to this project; information I would never have found had it not been for his generosity and years of his own hard work.

The information is regarding the name Wagner and Reynolds; hence I have altered the Wagner category so that it now reads as Wegener.

I have earlier recorded the middle name of my Great-Grandfather as Charles Wagner Reynolds. It was thought that his middle name was taken from his father although it has come to light now that it was not Wagner but Wegener. This was in fact his surname not his middle name, although that is how his name appears on his marriage certificate.

After his father died in 1858 Charles mother, Eliza, remarried to George Reynolds. Charles would have been approx ten years of age at this time. He thereafter took the surname of Reynolds from his mother’s new husband. This is how the name Reynolds found it’s way into my father’s side of the family. Some of Charles’ siblings retained the Wegener surname though.  I have made the appropriate changes in the past entries but have retained Wagner (although in brackets) simply because that name appears on his documents and for reasons of avoiding confusion. There is a possibility that other relations may be searching this person so it makes sense to retain the information they would also be using in their research.

Finally, as Charles used the Reynolds surname throughout the rest of his life I shall, of course, refer to his wife and  descendants by that name where applicable.

Charles’ sister Annie (nee Wegener/Reynolds) with husband Thomas Cottome, Grenfell NSW 1874. The couple married at Grenfell 12 March 1870 when Annie was nineteen and several months pregnant.

Thanks to Jim Thorn for providing this photograph.

Joseph Wells Willis (died Forbes 1902) and

Maryann Maria (Davidson) born – 1824 Bombay, India (died  5th August 1909 Forbes)

They married in Bombay, India, in 1854.

The parents of Maryann Maria Davidson were:

William Davidson – born Scotland –  Surgeon in the Black Watch Regiment stationed in Bombay, India.

Maryann Maria – born Scotland – died 1825 (in childbirth) Bombay, India.

The parents of Joseph were: Daniel Willis and Sophia Wells.

 Pictured above: Sarah Sophia (Willis) Reynolds

Thanks to James Thorn, great-grandson of Sarah, for sharing this photograph and information.

Parents of Sarah Willis: Mary Ann Maria (nee Davidson) and Joseph Wells Willis. Mary Ann was born 1824 in Bombay India – Joseph was born Tunbridge Wells, England 1819.