THE HAMILTON FAMILY

JOSEPH HAMILTON

The Hamiltons were one of the most important families in the early years of St. Louis Park. Joseph Hamilton was born in Dexter, Maine in July 1836.  On May 20, 1855, he took a claim (Sections 16 and 17) and farmed 160 acres on land just north of present-day Highway 7, south of the High School, and either side of Lake Street. (The 1881 directory indicates that he had 120 acres.)  His brick house was located on the northwest corner of Dakota and Lake Streets.  It was torn down in the 1920s or '30s after laying vacant for years.

Hamilton married Olivia Pratt (b. Clinton, Maine), daughter of Job and Mary Pratt. Olivia gave birth to son Chesley on November 24, 1857 – perhaps the first white child born in the area that would become SLP. Olivia died in April 1864.




Hamilton married Eliza Moore in 1866. They had three children: Minnie (Mrs. Louis W. Fuller), Alva (d. 1880), and Charles (born 1873). Eliza died in 1878.  Eliza's brother George (born 1949, Maine) was living with with Joseph in 1900.

Hamilton married Eliza's sister Sarah Moore (born 1855) in 1883. They had three more children: Alice (born 1884), Horace (born 1886), and Pearl (born 1888) (who married Richard Lundquist).

Hamilton was one of the instigators behind the incorporation of the Village.  He was elected President of the Village Council (Mayor) on December 6, 1886 and took office on December 10.  He held that position until 1894, and again in 1895-97 and 1899-1900.

In 1886, Hamilton established the Village's first General Store, about a mile from his farm. Although his prices were higher than those at the Great Northern Market downtown, Hamilton delivered groceries to homes and provided weekly credit.

In 1890, Hamilton sold his land to T.B. Walker and the store to James T. Davis and a Mr. Williams, and became a builder. That year he built 16-18 large two-story homes, located south of the tracks and north of the Industrial Circle. One of them was built for S.E. Davis, the President of Monitor. The houses had the same basic layout. He also built his own large Victorian house at 5906 Goodrich Ave. – the finest street in the Park. His last wife, Sarah, lived there until the early 1930s. In 1899 Hamilton was said to have installed the first bathtub in the Village, made of zinc. One former resident of the house was Roberta Forsyth Wesley, who has provided a description of it.

In 1892 Joseph Hamilton built the brick, two-story Hamilton Building on Broadway [6509 Walker Street].

Joseph Hamilton was a member of many civic and fraternal organizations, including the Patrons of Husbandry (the Grange), the Good Templars, and the Patriotic Order Sons of America.

CHESLEY HAMILTON

Chesley was born in November 1859.  Chesley's marriage to Rebecca Hunter (born 1858) on October 17, 1888 in Union Church was said to be the first in the incorporated village. They had daughter Martha (born 1889), son Clifford (born 1891), and daughter Ada (born 1893).

CHARLES HAMILTON

Charles H. Hamilton was born in 1873 – Joseph Hamilton’s fourth son, by second wife Eliza Moore. His wife Della (born 1878) had come to St. Louis Park in 1892 from Horicon, Wisconsin (with Monitor Drill) at age 13. She attended Lincoln School, then Minneapolis Central High School. They moved to 6207 Goodrich in 1912. Charles and Della had two children: Ralph J. Hamilton (born 1906) and Willard Charles Hamilton. [Willard was born on June 17, 1911, and he worked in his father’s store. He graduated from Park High in 1929, and attended the U of M School of Architecture, returning to the store in 1932. After his service in World War II, he worked for Blumetal Architects as a designer. He and his wife had a daughter, Pamela Sutherland. Willard died in June 1986.]  Charles died in September 1938 at age 65. Della moved to Hopkins in 1955.

HORACE HAMILTON

Horace and his wife Charlotte were both born in 1887.  He was a pharmacist and had his own drug store.  In 1920 they had two children:  Florence, born in 1912 and Leonard, born in 1917.

 

For more information on Joseph Hamilton’s Legacy, see Something in the Water.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.