John Jameson son of Alexander and Mary (Hurd) Jameson, was born July 24, 1832, in Dryden, N.Y. He married May 28, 1863, Sarah Elizabeth Conghlin, daughter of David B. and La Reine (Britton) Coughlin. She was born April 4, 1838 in Milford, N.J., where they reside. Present post-office address, Richland Centre, Pa. The children were:
- Annie Mary, b. Feb 28, 1865.
- Caroline, b. May 2, 1868.
- Louise, b. July 9, 1871.
- John, July 2, 1873. He died in childhood, Dec. 17, 1879.
Memoranda.
Mr. Jameson worked on the farm at home until nineteen years of age, when he felt that the world was larger than the small spot he had seen, so one fine morning he took his belongings and left the parental roof to seek his fortune. He came, 1852, into Pennsylvania, took up whatever presented itself to earn an honest penny, for his habits have always been for the best. The year 1861 found him in Liverpool, Pa., where he raised a company of one hundred volunteers, equipped them with caps and coats at his expense, was elected first lieutenant, while still in camp, was promoted and made captain in the 7th Regt., Penn. Reserves. He served his country for two years, was in all the battles of the Peninsula, second Bull Run, and South Mountain. He had command of the regiment at Antietam, where he was wounded. After leaving the hospital, he was requested by the governor to resign, in order to take command of a regiment of drafted men, who refused to serve under old officers; they wanted to elect their own men, which left him free. His health being considerably impaired, he decided to remain out of the army. Since 1868 he has been a projector and builder of railroads; he was the promoter and pioneer of the “Collins expedition” in 1878 to South America, which was a widely known enterprise but which resulted in a disastrous loss of life, as well as an immense amount of capital. One steamer was wrecked at the breakwater, and nearly all on board were lost, with thousands of dollars’ worth of material. The object was to build one hundred and fifty miles of railway along the Maderia, eight hundred miles from where it empties into the Amazon, which is one thousand miles from its mouth. It was a country where few white men had ever been. After having graded ten miles under climatic as well as other great disadvantages, it was found there was a technical point which prevented his obtaining the funds to prosecute the work further. This involved a loss of nearly one million dollars, and the prospect of a fortune to the contractors. But Mr. Jameson manifested his courage and strong will and said: “Well, I will neither cry nor give up, but I will try it again, and if I cannot ride I will walk.” That has been his motto all through life, always looking on the bright side, until his friends have given him the name of “Hopeful John,” which is no misnomer.
Captain Jameson is six feet in height, of commanding person, in vigorous health, and attends to business every day regardless of weather. He is a generous and kind-hearted man, truly “one of Nature’s noblemen;” a Democrat of the old school, believing in “the greatest good to the greatest number.”
Captain Jameson is still a railroad contractor and builder, and is the active president of three lines of railroad. Jameson City, Columbia Co., Pa., was named for him at the suggestion of Mrs. Jameson, it being the terminus of a railroad which he had built. This family spell the name Jameson.
Currently a resident of Burke, Virginia - I'm originally from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been a student of the Pennsylvania Reserves since 1997 and thoroughly enjoy telling their story. By trade I'm a former IT Professional but presently working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service.
