James Hamill & Ann Gartlan: The Parents Who Stayed in Dian
James Hamill & Ann Gartlan
In a family defined by emigration, James Hamill and Ann Gartlan represent the anchor—the parents who stayed. While four of their sons crossed the Atlantic to build new lives in Montana and Missouri, and daughters scattered across the Irish countryside, James and Ann remained in the townland of Dian, Donaghmoyne parish, County Monaghan, where they farmed the same land for over fifty years.
Their story is written not in passenger manifests or naturalization papers, but in the parish registers of Donaghmoyne, the civil birth registrations at Carrickmacross, and the 1861 Griffith's Valuation that places James Hamill firmly on the land at Dian. Most remarkably, their headstone still stands at Old Broomfield Cemetery, explicitly identifying James as "of Dian"—a rare specificity that confirms the documentary evidence and anchors their descendants' research.
James and Ann married in 1858, just a decade after the worst of the Great Famine. They raised at least ten children through decades of agricultural hardship, land reform agitation, and the steady hemorrhage of emigration that depleted rural Ireland. Yet they persisted. When both died within weeks of each other in 1914—James on September 14th, Ann on August 25th—they were laid to rest together at Old Broomfield, their grave eventually joined by the children who stayed behind: Hughie, Margaret, and Jemmie.
James Hamill — Verified Identity
| Full Name | James Hamill |
| Birth | c. 1827 — Donaghmoyne area, Co. Monaghan, Ireland (calculated from headstone: died 1914 aged 87) |
| Marriage | 1 January 1858 — Donaghmoyne Parish, to Ann Gartlan (exact date not given; Reference 841) |
| Residence | Dian townland, Donaghmoyne Parish, County Monaghan |
| Occupation | Farmer (confirmed in children's civil birth registrations) |
| Land Holding | 1861 Griffith's Valuation: "House, offices, and land" valued at £23 15s 0d; landlord Marquis of Bath |
| Death | 14 September 1914 — aged 87 years |
| Burial | Old Broomfield Cemetery, Taplagh, near Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan |
Ann Gartlan — Verified Identity
| Full Name | Ann Gartlan (also Anne, Anna) |
| Birth | c. 1842 — Donaghmoyne area, Co. Monaghan, Ireland (calculated from headstone: died 1914 aged 72) |
| Marriage | 1 January 1858 — Donaghmoyne Parish, to James Hamill |
| Residence | Dian townland, Donaghmoyne Parish, with husband James |
| Literacy | Made her mark (×) on children's birth registrations — could not write |
| Death | 25 August 1914 — aged 72 years (three weeks before James) |
| Burial | Old Broomfield Cemetery, with James |
Part I: The Marriage
Donaghmoyne Parish, 1858
James Hamill and Ann Gartlan were married in 1858 at Donaghmoyne Parish, County Monaghan. The Roots Ireland transcription shows the marriage recorded with Reference 841, though the exact date is noted only as "1-Jan-1858" (a placeholder date commonly used when the precise day was not given in the original register). Both James and Ann were listed with the address "Donaghmoyne," without the specific townland detail that would appear in later records.
The marriage united two families with deep roots in the Donaghmoyne area. The Gartlan name appears repeatedly as baptismal sponsors for the couple's children—Owen Gartlan, Michael Gartlan, Hugh Gartlan—suggesting a close extended family network. This Gartlan connection would echo across generations: James and Ann's son James would marry Catherine Gartland in Montana decades later, continuing the family intermarriage pattern even after emigration.
Notably, the marriage record provides no information about the parents of either James or Ann, leaving their ancestry an open question. No witnesses are listed in the transcription. The sparse details typical of mid-nineteenth-century Irish parish records mean we know this couple primarily through the evidence they left in their children's records and their own grave marker.
"James Hamill — Donaghmoyne
Ann Gartlan — Donaghmoyne"
Part II: The Land at Dian
Griffith's Valuation, 1861
Three years after their marriage, James Hamill appears in the 1861 Griffith's Valuation as a landholder in the townland of Dian, Donaghmoyne parish. This survey—Ireland's comprehensive property valuation completed between 1847 and 1864—provides the first documentary evidence placing James on specific land.
The entry shows James Hamill holding "House, offices, and land" from the Marquis of Bath, the landlord for much of the Donaghmoyne area. His holding was valued at £23 15s 0d for land and 15s 0d for buildings—a modest but respectable farm that placed him among the established tenants of the townland. The total annual valuation of £24 10s 0d suggests a holding capable of supporting a family, though not a substantial one.
The Griffith's Valuation page reveals the broader Hamill presence in the area. While James held land in Dian, the neighboring townland of Drumaconvern—just to the north—shows Owen Hamill, Patrick Hamill, and Bryan Hamill as landholders. This geographic clustering suggests an extended family network, though the exact relationships between these Hamills remain undetermined. The proximity between Dian and Drumaconvern would have meant these families knew each other well, attending the same parish church, using the same market town of Carrickmacross, and likely intermarrying across generations.
"James Hamill — House, offices, and land — £23 15s 0d"
Land Record — VERIFIED
Part III: The Children
Ten Children, Three Continents of Descendants
Between approximately 1860 and 1880, James and Ann Hamill had at least ten children, documented through a combination of parish baptism records, civil birth registrations, and references in later documents. The baptismal sponsors read like a directory of the local community: Gartlans, Finegans, McGinns, McCanns, Martins—the interconnected families of rural Monaghan.
The children's fates illustrate the great Irish diaspora in miniature. Four sons—Patrick, Peter, Henry, and James—emigrated to the United States, with Patrick, Peter, and Henry settling in St. Louis, Missouri, while James headed to the copper mining country of Anaconda, Montana. The daughters who can be traced—Anna and Bridget—remained in Ireland, marrying into local families. At least three children—Hughie, Margaret, and Jemmie—never left, remaining with their parents and eventually joining them in death at Old Broomfield Cemetery.
Children of James Hamill and Ann Gartlan
The pattern of baptismal sponsors reveals the family's social network. Ann's Gartlan relatives appear repeatedly: Owen Gartlan sponsored James (1873), Michael Gartlan sponsored Hugh (1865), Hugh Gartlan sponsored Henry (1868). The Finegan family—Catherine and Mary—served as sponsors for multiple children. Edward Hamil, who sponsored Anne (1864), may have been James's brother or close relative, though this connection remains unproven.
The appearance of John Hammil as sponsor for Daniel (1867) is intriguing—another Hamill in the community, perhaps from the Drumaconvern branch visible in the Griffith's Valuation. These sponsorship patterns, combined with the geographic clustering of Hamills across Dian and Drumaconvern, suggest an extended family network that future DNA research may help clarify.
Part IV: The Headstone at Old Broomfield
A Family Reunited in Death
Old Broomfield Cemetery sits in the townland of Taplagh, along the main route between Carrickmacross and Castleblayney. Though associated with the nearby Broomfield Presbyterian Church (a mid-nineteenth-century structure), the cemetery served the broader community. The Hamill headstone stands as one of the most informative monuments in the graveyard—explicitly identifying James with the townland of Dian, a detail that confirms the documentary evidence and anchors the family's geographic identity.
The James Hamill Headstone
Inscription
Erected in Memory of Father and Mother
JAMES HAMILL, DIAN
Who died 14th Sep 1914, aged 87 years.
And his wife ANNE HAMILL
Who died 25th Aug 1914, aged 72 years.
HUGHIE HAMILL died 27th March 1932 aged 66 years.
MARGARET HAMILL died 14th Sept 1951 aged 71 years.
JEMMIE HAMILL died 14th Sept 1985 aged 68 years.
R.I.P.
Analysis: James died 1914 aged 87 = born c. 1827. Anne died 1914 aged 72 = born c. 1842. The headstone explicitly identifies James with the townland of Dian—matching the 1861 Griffith's Valuation. The monument was "Erected in Memory of Father and Mother," suggesting it was commissioned by the surviving children. Three children—Hughie, Margaret, and Jemmie—were later added to the stone.
The timing of James and Ann's deaths—within three weeks of each other in August-September 1914—suggests either coincidence, a shared illness, or perhaps the death of one precipitating the decline of the other. They had been married for 56 years. Their deaths came just as World War I erupted across Europe, though rural Monaghan would have felt distant from the trenches.
The children commemorated on the stone represent those who stayed behind. Hughie, who never married, died in 1932 at age 66—meaning he was born around 1866, consistent with the Hugh baptized in December 1865. Margaret, who witnessed her sister Bridget's wedding in 1900, also never married, dying in 1951. Jemmie's dates (c. 1917–1985) suggest he may have been a grandson rather than a son—the age gap makes him an unlikely child of James and Ann directly. This uncertainty is noted but cannot be resolved from available records.
Part V: The Evidence Chain
Connecting the Documentary Record
Identity Confirmation — VERIFIED
This evidence chain definitively establishes James Hamill (c. 1827–1914) and Ann Gartlan (c. 1842–1914) as a married couple residing in Dian, Donaghmoyne, with at least ten documented children.
Timeline
A Life in Dian — From Marriage to Memorial
James Hamill born — Donaghmoyne area, County Monaghan (calculated from headstone)
Ann Gartlan born — Donaghmoyne area, County Monaghan (calculated from headstone)
The Great Famine — James survives the catastrophe that devastates rural Ireland; Ann is a child during the worst years
Marriage: James Hamill and Ann Gartlan marry at Donaghmoyne Parish
Griffith's Valuation: James Hamill recorded as landholder in Dian; "House, offices, and land" valued at £24 10s
Son Patrick born — No baptism record located; later emigrates to Missouri
January 25: Daughter Anne baptized at Donaghmoyne; sponsors Edward Hamil and Catherine Finegan
December 18: Son Hugh baptized at Donaghmoyne; sponsors Michael Gartlan and Mary Finegan
March 2: Son Daniel baptized at Donaghmoyne; sponsors John Hammil and Mary Martin
June 7: Son Henry baptized at Donaghmoyne; sponsors Hugh Gartlan and Catherine Finegan; later emigrates to Missouri
Daughter Bridget born — Birth registered at Beagh; stays in Ireland, marries Thomas Kirley
September 2: Son James baptized at Donaghmoyne; sponsors Owen Gartlan and Bridget McNeany; later emigrates to Montana
November 28: Son John baptized at Donaghmoyne; sponsors Owen McGinn and Catherine McNeany
Daughter Martha baptized at Donaghmoyne
Daughter Margaret born — Calculation from headstone; stays in Ireland
Sons Patrick and Peter emigrate to United States, settle in St. Louis, Missouri
Sons Henry and James emigrate — Henry to St. Louis (joins Patrick and Peter); James to Montana
August 25: Ann Hamill dies at age 72
September 14: James Hamill dies at age 87, three weeks after Ann. Both buried at Old Broomfield Cemetery.
March 27: Son Hughie dies at age 66; buried with parents
September 14: Daughter Margaret dies at age 71 — exactly 37 years after her father
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