Mary Hamilton: 1825 - 1877 Pt 2
Mary was born in 1825 to John Hamilton (b 1800) and Mary Rose (b 1804); her mother was the daughter of Hugh Rose of Calrossie, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. John and Mary married at Calrossie Scotland on 1st May 1823.
Mary was the second child of John and Mary, here is the list of children in order of their birth:
James - born 3rd June 1824 at Brownhall
Mary - born 1825 at Brownhall
Isabella - born 1827 at St Ernans (died at Karlsruhe Germany at age 13)
Arabella Rose - born 1829 at St Ernans
Helen - born 1831 at St Ernans
In 1857 the family lost their wife and mother, Mary, when she died at St Ernans. In 1858 John Hamilton married another Mary (Mary Simpson) and form this marriage two more children were born: John and Catherine.
Mary was born into a closeknit and very loving home. Her parents, John and Mary, were devoted to each other and to their children. At an early age Mary developed a love of writing and her talent resulted in a series of diaries that she began to keep from the age of ten.
In 1838 John Hamilton took the family on a series of travels that would take them away from Ireland, and across much of Europe, for just on five years. The family set out from Dublin and their first port of call was Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Here Mary recorded the family’s stay and how they walked around the famous old ramparts of the city. It was on this very long voyage that her writing and her series of journals took shape. She wrote vividly and with style recording in great detail every step of the family’s travels.
In 1839 whilst the family was in Dresden Mary sat for a studio portrait. This photograph of her aged 14 is said to be the first actual ‘portrait sitting’ in the new art of photography. Whereby the lithograph was the style of the time, Mary was the subject of the first studio portrait. This photograph still exists today, being lovingly kept by the present Hamilton family. The photograph was taken by Feich-Hanfstaengh Hofphotograph, Dresden.
In 1840, whilst in Karlsruhe, the family suffered a tragedy from which John and Mary never fully recovered. The family had rented a chalet-style home on the edge of the Black Forest and lived there for about a year. It was here that their 13 year old daughter, Isabella, became extremely ill. She developed a series of high fevers and despite being treated by a number of doctors the child died. It is thought that she was suffering from Brights Disease (a kidney condition) but to this day the exact condition that killed her remains a mystery. Isabella was buried in a nearby cemetery in a plot donated by a close family friend.
Mary Hamilton - aged 14 at Dresden, 1839.
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