David Jamison (1660 – July 25, 1739) was a Scottish-American lawyer, judge, and provincial official in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Early life

Jamison was born in

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

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 King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

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 Thomas Dongan, (pronounced "Dungan") 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715), was a member of the Irish Parliament, Royalist military officer during the English Civil War, and Governor of the Province of New York. He is noted for hav ...

, 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 Nicholas Bayard (c. 1644–1707 or 1709) was a government official and slave trader in colonial New York. Bayard served as the mayor of New York City from 1685 to 1686. He is historically most notable for being Peter Stuyvesant's nephew and for ...

(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 Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the fur trade and tobacco business. In what became known as Leisler's ...

(best known for

Leisler's Rebellion Leisler's Rebellion was an uprising in late-17th century colonial New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Coloni ...

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 The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 was an uprising in New York City, in the Province of New York, of 23 Black slaves. They killed nine whites and injured another six before they were stopped. More than 70 black people were arrested and jailed. O ...

, 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 The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

(from 1712 to 1725). Jamison was removed from his post as Chief Justice upon the request of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

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 Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Po ...

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

. On May 27, 1697, as one of nine partners in a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

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 The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

and was wide, extending from the

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 Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. Orange ...

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 Frederick Philipse (born Frederick Flypsen;Appleton, W.S. ''The Heraldic Journal, Recording the Amorial Bearings and Genealogies of American Families'', Wiggen & Lunt, Boston, 1867 1626 in Bolsward, Netherlands – December 23, 1702), first Lord ...

, 1st Lord of

Philipsburg Manor Philipsburg Manor (sometimes referred to as Philipse Manor) was a Manorialism, manor located north of New York City in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County in the Province of New York. Netherlands-born Frederick Philipse I and two p ...

. 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, daugh ...

. After her death, he married Johanna Meech on January 16, 1703. After renouncing the Sweet Singers, he joined the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

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 David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...

, who served in the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal colonia ...

. 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 The territory which would later become the state of New York was settled by European colonists as part of the New Netherland colony (parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware) under the command of the Dutch West India C ...

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