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.)

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. Chesley's marriage to Rebecca Hunter on October 17, 1888 in Union Church was also said to be the first in the incorporated village.

Olivia died in April 1864, and Hamilton married Eliza Moore in 1866. They had three children: Minnie (Mrs. Louis W. Fuller), Alva (d. 1880), and Charles. Eliza died in 1878, and Hamilton married Eliza's sister Sarah Moore in 1883. They had three more children: Alice, Horace, and Pearl (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 1930's. 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 red 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.

CHARLES HAMILTON

Charles H. Hamilton was born in 1873 – Joseph Hamilton’s fourth son, by second wife Eliza Moore. His wife Della 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 (St. Louis Park didn’t have a high school until 1914). They moved to 6207 Goodrich in 1912. Charles and Della had two children: Ralph J. Hamilton and Willard Charles Hamilton. Charles died inSeptember 1938 at age 65. Della moved to Hopkins in 1955.

WILLARD HAMILTON

Charles and Della’s son Willard was born in 1912, 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.

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.