David Jamison (1660 – July 25, 1739) was a Scottish-American lawyer, judge, and provincial official in the Province of New York and New Jersey.

Early life

Jamison was born in Linlithgow, Scotland in 1660, and likely attended college there. Little is known about his parentage or early life. He was a member of the religious organization known as the "Sweet Singers" (or

Covenanters Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

), which defied Anglican orthodoxy and the restored

Stuart monarchy The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fit ...

. Jamison was arrested for burning a bible, then tried and sentenced to be hanged, however, on August 7, 1685, the King's

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

ordered the sentence commuted to

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

. Jamison was required to serve an

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

of four years in America to cover the cost of his transportation. He was bound to George Lockhart who assigned him to Rev. Clarke, the chaplain of Fort James, which was under the control of Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick, the royal governor of New York. Due to Jamison's education, the citizens arranged to purchase his time and set him up to teach a Latin school in the city.

Career

On April 15, 1691, Jamison was appointed Deputy Secretary and Clerk of the council and began his legal studies. He then served as Clerk of the Court and was part of the group, along with Nicholas Bayard (nephew of

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...

), that tried Jacob Leisler (best known for Leisler's Rebellion following the English Revolution of 1688). In April 1698, when the

Earl of Bellomont Earl of Bellomont, in the Kingdom of Ireland, was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came on 9 December 1680 when Charles Kirkhoven, 1st Baron Wotton, was made Earl of Bellomont. He had already bee ...

arrived in New York as Governor, Jamison was dismissed as Clerk. By October 6, 1698, Jamison was admitted to the New York bar and was an active member of the New York Bar Association (which was formed in 1709). A favorite of Gov. Robert Hunter, Jamison was appointed Chief Justice of New Jersey in 1711. As Chief Justice, he gave "an opinion on the application of the Acts of Trade to the Commerce between New York and New Jersey." While serving as Chief Justice, he replaced May Bickley to become acting

Attorney General of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government o ...

on June 10, 1712. Bickley, who was removed from office following the prosecutions in the New York Slave Revolt of 1712, held the office of Attorney General pending the return of John Rayner, as did Jamison. Rayner died before returning to the Province, and thereafter Jamison formally received his commission on January 22, 1720. During this time, Jamison was a member of the Governor's Council and served as Recorder of New York City (from 1712 to 1725). Jamison was removed from his post as Chief Justice upon the request of the New Jersey General Assembly by Gov. William Burnet of a resident Chief Justice. In 1721, he returned to private practice after James Alexander was appointed Attorney General of the Province. Jamison served as counsel in many of the most important cases before the courts, and "was particularly noted for his bravery and character in defending those prosecuted on religious grounds."

Land patents

On June 25, 1696, along with William Nicholls, John Harrison and others, he obtained a patent for an extensive tract of land, including present day Harrison in Westchester County, New York. On May 27, 1697, as one of nine partners in a land grant in

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

in New York by Governor

Benjamin Fletcher Benjamin Fletcher (14 May 1640 – 28 May 1703) was colonial governor of New York from 1692 to 1697. Fletcher was known for the ''Ministry Act'' of 1693, which secured the place of Anglicans as the official religion in New York. He also built ...

known as the

Great Nine Partners Patent The Great Nine Partners Patent, also known as the "Lower Nine Partners Patent," was a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, made on May 27, 1697, by New York governor Benjamin Fletcher. The parcel included about along the Hudson River and ...

. The parcel included about along the Hudson River and was wide, extending from the Hudson River to the Connecticut border. On October 14, 1697, he was one of seven patentees of 1,200 acres of land in Deerpark in Orange County, New York.

Personal life

On May 7, 1692, he was married to Maria Hardenbrook. Maria was likely a relative of

Margaret Hardenbroeck Margaret Hardenbroeck de Vries Philipse ( – ) was a prominent and wealthy merchant in the colonial Province of New York. She inherited great wealth from her first husband after his early death, and later married another merchant and landowner, F ...

, the wife of Frederick Philipse, 1st Lord of Philipsburg Manor. Together, they were the parents of: * David Jamison. * Elizabeth Jamison, who in 1717 married John Johnston Jr. (1691–), a son of Dr. John Johnstone (the 32nd

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

) and brother of Andrew Johnston (a Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly). His maternal grandfather was

George Scot of Pitlochie George Scot or Scott ( – 1685) of Pitlochie, Fife was a Scottish writer on colonisation in North America. Early life Scot, who was born around 1640, was the only son of John Scot of Scotstarvet by his second wife, Elizabeth Melville, daught ...

. After her death, he married Johanna Meech on January 16, 1703. After renouncing the Sweet Singers, he joined the Church of England and, once in America, he served as vestryman and warden of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan. Jamison died in New York on July 25, 1739. His step daughter-in-law was Mary Campbell, whom he left £400 and all his furniture and household stuff.

Descendants

Through his daughter Elizabeth, he was a grandfather of prominent merchant David Johnston, who served in the New York General Assembly. David was married to Magdalen Walton, a granddaughter of Dr.

Gerardus Beekman Gerardus Willemse Beekman (c. August 1653 – October 10, 1723) was a wealthy physician, land owner, and colonial governor of the Province of New York. Early life He was christened August 17, 1653 at Corlaer's Hook Plantation, New York, the seco ...

, acting Governor of the Province of New York.

Published works

* Jamison, David
A journal of what passed in the expedition of His Excellency Col. Benjamin Fletcher, captain general and governour in chief of the province of New-York, &c. to Albany, to renew the covenant chain with the five canton nations of Indians, the Mohaques, Oneydes, Onondages, C...es and Sinnekes.
' New York: Printed by William Bradford (1696).

References

External links

at the Historical Society of the New York Courts {{DEFAULTSORT:Jamison, David 1660 births 1739 deaths People from Linlithgow Scottish emigrants to the United States