James Hamill: The Son Who Went to Montana
James Hamill
While his older brother Patrick Joseph headed to St. Louis, James J. Hamill chose a different path—one that would take him to "the richest hill on Earth" and the copper smelting operations of Anaconda, Montana. Born in the townland of Dian in Donaghmoyne parish, County Monaghan, James was the son of a farmer who had weathered the Great Famine and held onto his land through decades of upheaval.
By the time James emigrated in the 1890s, the massive wave of Famine emigration had long passed. He wasn't fleeing starvation—he was pursuing opportunity. The copper mines of Butte and the smelter operations in Anaconda offered wages that couldn't be matched in rural Ireland, and chain migration had created Irish enclaves throughout Montana's mining districts.
James would spend half a century in Montana, raising a family of educators, marrying a woman whose family also came from County Monaghan, and watching his children become teachers who shaped their community. His story represents a different chapter in the Irish-American experience: not the desperate flight of the Famine years, but the calculated choice of a man seeking a better future in America's industrial heartland.
Verified Identity
| Full Name | James Hamill |
| Birth | September 12, 1873 — Dian, Donaghmoyne, Co. Monaghan, Ireland |
| Baptism | September 2, 1873 — Donaghmoyne Roman Catholic Church |
| Parents | James Hamill (farmer of Dian) and Anne (Ann) Gartlan |
| Baptismal Sponsors | Owen Gartlan and Bridget McNeany |
| Marriage | February 17, 1909 — Anaconda, Montana (Roman Catholic) |
| Wife | Catherine "Kate" Gartland (c. 1883–1963), Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan |
| Death | July 9, 1951 — Lewistown, Fergus County, Montana (age 77) |
| Cause of Death | Car accident (July 7, 1951) — skull fracture, basal |
| Burial | Mount Carmel Cemetery, Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana |
Part I: Ireland
Dian Townland, Donaghmoyne Parish, 1873
James was born in September 1873 in the townland of Dian, Donaghmoyne parish, County Monaghan—we infer Dian as the birthplace because his parents were established there, with his father appearing in the 1861 Griffith's Valuation as a landholder. His father, also named James Hamill, was a farmer who had survived the Great Famine and maintained his holding through decades of upheaval. His mother was Anne (Ann) Gartlan, whose family was deeply rooted in the Donaghmoyne area.
The baptism took place at Donaghmoyne Roman Catholic Church on September 2, 1873, with Owen Gartlan and Bridget McNeany serving as sponsors. The Gartlan family's involvement as baptismal sponsors foreshadowed what would become a two-generation pattern of Hamill-Gartlan intermarriage—James Sr. married Ann Gartlan, and his son James would marry Catherine Gartland in Montana decades later.
The civil birth register, filed with the Carrickmacross registration district, shows a registration date of September 15, 1873, with the mother Ann Hamill (formerly Gartlan) as informant. Understanding Irish civil registration is essential here: by law, births had to be registered within three months, with significant fines for late registration. To avoid penalties, parents sometimes gave false earlier birth dates. This often results in baptism dates appearing before the recorded civil birth date—as we see here, with James baptized September 2 but the civil register showing September 15. The baptism date is typically more reliable for the actual birth. James himself consistently gave September 12, 1873, as his birth date on both his 1918 draft registration and his 1951 death certificate.
"James Hamill, Dian, Farmer"
Part II: Emigration to Montana
From Rural Ireland to "The Richest Hill on Earth"
James emigrated to the United States sometime in the 1890s, arriving in Montana during the height of the copper boom. By 1900, he was established in Butte, Silver Bow County—the city that called itself "the richest hill on Earth" for the staggering wealth extracted from its copper mines.
The timing of his emigration reflects a different pattern than the desperate flight of Famine-era emigrants. James's older brother Patrick Joseph had departed for St. Louis by 1881, establishing himself in Missouri's growing Irish community. But James waited, leaving Ireland when he was already in his twenties—a young man making a calculated choice rather than a family fleeing catastrophe.
Why Montana? The answer lies in chain migration and the Irish network that dominated the copper industry. Marcus Daly, one of the "Copper Kings," was himself an Irish immigrant from County Cavan who actively recruited Irish workers for his Anaconda operations. Once a few families from Monaghan established themselves in the mining districts, word traveled back to Ireland, and relatives followed. The Gartlan connection likely played a role—by 1909, Kate's brother Owen Gartland was living with James and Kate as a lodger, and Hugh and Margaret Gartland witnessed their wedding.
Part III: Life in Anaconda
Building a Family in Copper Country, 1909–1951
On February 17, 1909, James married Catherine "Kate" Gartland at a Roman Catholic ceremony in Anaconda. The marriage record provides remarkable detail: James was 35 years old, born in Ireland, the son of James Hamill and Ann Gartland [sic]. Kate was 22, born in County Monaghan, the daughter of James Gartland and Katherine Meegan. The witnesses were Hugh Gartland and Margaret Gartland—Kate's relatives.
The double Gartlan/Gartland connection is notable. James's mother was Anne Gartlan, and now he married into a Gartland family from the same region of Monaghan. This pattern of intermarriage within the extended network of Donaghmoyne families was common among Irish emigrants, who often found spouses from familiar townlands and parishes even after crossing an ocean.
James's occupations evolved over his decades in Montana. The 1910 census shows him as a "Saloon Keeper" running his own establishment. By 1918, when his son Eugene Patrick was born, he was working as a "Corp Laborer"—likely at the copper smelter. The 1950 census, taken just a year before his death, shows him still working at age 75 as a "Fireman" at the copper smelter, putting in 40-hour weeks after a lifetime of labor.
Children of James and Catherine Hamill
The family's story during the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic captures the tragedy that touched so many American families. In January 1919, just two months after Eugene Patrick was born, seventeen-month-old James Edward died from influenza complicated by endocarditis and bronchial pneumonia. The Anaconda Standard reported his funeral the following day: "The funeral of James Edward Hamill, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Hamill, was held yesterday afternoon, proceeding at 3:45 o'clock from the family residence, 101 Alder street, to St. Peter's church, where services were conducted at 4 o'clock. Interment was in Mount Carmel cemetery."
Three of James and Kate's daughters became teachers—Anna Catherine, Genevieve, and Margaret Rose all pursued education careers, a remarkable achievement for the children of an Irish immigrant laborer. This reflects both the opportunities available in early twentieth-century Montana and the family's emphasis on education.
Part IV: Document Verification
Reconciling Records with Family Tradition
Family history sometimes diverges from documentary evidence—and sometimes family tradition proves more accurate than official records. James's great-granddaughter reports that her grandfather Jack White compiled a photo album stating James Hamill was born September 12, 1874, and died July 7, 1952, to parents James Hamill and Mary Garland of Carrickmacross. Remarkably, the family got the birth date right but the year wrong.
Resolving the Discrepancies
| Data Point | Primary Sources (Verified) | Family Album (Tradition) |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Date | September 12, 1873 (Draft registration, death certificate) | September 12, 1874 ✓ date / ✗ year |
| Civil Register | September 15, 1873 (discrepancy with other records) | — |
| Death Date | July 9, 1951 (death certificate — accident July 7) | July 7, 1952 |
| Mother's Name | Anne (Ann) Gartlan | Mary Garland |
| Location | Dian, Donaghmoyne | Carrickmacross |
The birth date presents an interesting case. The civil register states September 15, 1873, but James himself consistently gave September 12, 1873, as his birth date—on his 1918 draft registration card and on his 1951 death certificate. The family album preserved this date correctly, just with the wrong year. We defer to James's own stated birth date of September 12, 1873.
The death date confusion is understandable: James was in a car accident on Highway in Petroleum County, Montana, on July 7, 1951, suffering a basal skull fracture. He died two days later on July 9, 1951, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lewistown. The family may have remembered the accident date rather than the death date.
The mother's name is definitively Anne (Ann) Gartlan, not Mary Garland. This appears in the 1873 baptism record, the 1873 civil registration, and the 1909 marriage record where James names his parents as "James Hamill and Ann Hamill" (Ann Gartland). The 1951 death certificate lists mother's maiden name as "Unknown"—Eugene, the informant and James's son, did not know his grandmother's name. The family tradition of "Mary Garland" may represent confusion with another family line.
The location discrepancy is easily explained: Dian is a small townland in Donaghmoyne parish, while Carrickmacross was the nearest market town and the civil registration district. Family members often described their origins by the nearest recognizable town rather than the specific townland.
Connection to James Hamill of Dian (1827–1914) — VERIFIED
This evidence chain confirms James Hamill of Anaconda as the son of James Hamill (1827–1914) and Anne (Ann) Gartlan of Dian, Donaghmoyne.
James's 1951 obituary in the Anaconda Standard contains a remarkable detail: after listing local surviving relatives, it concludes with "Other cousins reside in Missouri and Ireland." This confirms James maintained awareness of family connections to Missouri—where his older brother Patrick J. Hamill (c. 1862–1944) had settled in St. Louis. The brothers' descendants would remain unaware of each other for decades, until DNA testing reunited the family lines.
Timeline
From Donaghmoyne to Montana — A Life in Documents
September 12: Born in Dian, Donaghmoyne, Co. Monaghan, Ireland
September 2: Baptized at Donaghmoyne Roman Catholic Church; sponsors Owen Gartlan and Bridget McNeany
Emigrates to United States, settles in Montana copper mining region
Appears in U.S. Census, Butte City, Silver Bow County, Montana
February 17: Marries Catherine "Kate" Gartland in Anaconda, Montana
May 13: Daughter Anna Catherine born; James listed as "Saloon Keeper" in census
January 19: Daughter Genevieve born
July 27: Daughter Margaret Rose born
Father James Hamill Sr. dies in Ireland at age 87
July 22: Son James Edward born
September 12: Registers for WWI draft; Laborer at A.C.M. Co.; residence 101 Alder St.
November 10: Son Eugene Patrick born at 103 Alder Street, Anaconda
January 4: Son James Edward dies at 17 months from influenza; funeral Jan. 5 at St. Peter's Church; buried Mt. Carmel Cemetery
Family in Anaconda with 4 children; Kate's brother Owen Gartland living as lodger
Serves as International Secretary of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union; also Past President of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Catholic Order of Foresters, and Stationary Engineers' Union
June 3: Daughter Margaret Rose marries William Henry Herbolich
Transfers from Bryant School to Lincoln School as stationary engineer
Age 76, working as Stationary Engineer at Lincoln Grade School; residence 601 Alder St. Also served six years as Alderman from the Sixth Ward.
July 7 (Sunday): Head-on automobile collision on highway between Lewistown and Winnett. Son-in-law Randall Bray of Winnett driving one of the cars. James initially appeared not seriously hurt.
July 9 (Monday morning): Dies at Lewistown hospital from skull fracture, age 76. Obituary notes: "Other cousins reside in Missouri and Ireland." Buried Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Anaconda.
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