John Jameson (1740-1823)

John jameson  - An influential lawyer and businessman, who was born, raised and lived in Alloa, Scotland, north and a west of Edinburgh, where he was Sheriff-Clerk and writer to the Signet, who married into the Haig, Stein, Philp and Guinness families, all distillers and brewers. John is however, best known as the family patriarch of the Jameson Irish Whiskey Company, in Dublin, Ireland.

John Jameson was born October 5, 1740[1] in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, the son of William and Helen (Horne) Jameson.[1] There were several Jameson and Jamesone families in that area of Scotland from at least the latter 1500s, some of whom we know from which he is directly descended. He married Margaret "Peggy" Haig on September 12, 1768, in Alloa[2]. She was born December 7, 1752, also in Alloa,[3] the daughter of John and Margaret (Stein) Haig.[3] John and Margaret had seventeen known children, all apparently born in Alloa. Ten of these children are known to have lived to maturity.

John Jameson was a Writer to the Signet[4][5] and starting in 1765, Sheriff-Clerk of Clackmannan, an important and influential position he maintained for 59 years, until his death in 1823, whereafter his son Robert succeeded him. After that, his grandson (Robert's nephew) Andrew Jameson, took over that position (1842-1872).[6] He was also the Baillie of the Town Harbour of Alloa, responsible for Duties of Anchorage from all "Ships and Vessels" anchoring in Alloa Harbor. John himself, was apparently a very wealthy man of Alloas and was one of it's citizens most highest taxed.

John Jameson and his family, are generally credited with having founded what became the Jameson Whiskey Company, of Ireland. The Jamesons began by essentially taking over the Bow Street distillery in the Smithfield area and the Marrowbone Lane distillery, both in Dublin, in the late 1700s. Both distilleries were originally owned and operated by the Stein family, specifically those from his wife's mother's family. The Jamesons insisted on unusually high standards and constant innovation, taking what were originally relatively small operations into what was said to be the largest distilery in the United Kingdom, when it consolidated in the late nineteenth century. His sons and descendants continued improving and expanding the business until it was a leading world producer. The John Jameson and Sons, Dublin style Irish Whiskey Company was eventually sold to an international conglomerate in 1971 and continues to produce and export it's products worldwide.

John and Margaret had a large family, with many descendants, an unusually large number of which were prosperous and successful, some titled, some illustrious, and many prominent. They have been international leaders, prominent politicians, many distinguished and decorated military leaders, scientists of note, educators, explorers, missionaries and even famous inventors and businessmen, such as the Guglielmo Marconi[7] the man behind long distance radio transmission. There were also celebrities and sportsmen, some say possibly even the circus Wallenda's.[8]

John Jameson, died on December 3, 1823 at eighty three years old, in Alloa, where his wife, Margaret Jameson had died, eight years earlier on January 19, 1815. Both John and Margaret are buried at Alloa Churchyard - Greenside Cemetery, along with a few others of the family. Many of the descendants can still be found in not only Ireland, but now spread all around the world.

Y-DNA tests, associated with this family, #: 311680 (dd), 496098 (dd)

Y-DNA Analysis - John Jameson was a part of an old and long established Jameson family who had been living for at least four previous generations in the Alloa area of Clackmannanshire, Scotland. John himself had a large family with sixteen children, most of whom lived to maturity and who collectively left many descendants. So far, there are two known direct descendants of this family who have been Y-DNA tested. Both tests are a match and in the "I" Haplogroup, testing positive at SNPs - M170 and M253. This is a fairly broad and old haplogroup with many, many people, so further deep SNP testing should likely show a more selective and meaningful terminal SNP Haplogroup designation. These two matching 37 marker YDNA tests are from different branches of the family and as such, by way of triangulation, can only have John (1740-1824) as their nearest common ancestor, thereby proving him as well as each direct male descendant between him and that person tested. These two tests however, do not yet directly match any other Jamesons tested, although they are close enough to several other Jamesons tested to suggest an earlier unknown family relationship existed, probably many generations and hundreds of years earlier.

The good news is that anyone doing a minimum 37 marker Y-DNA test can determine if they themselves are in the general category necessary to have any chance of also being a descendant or relative. Beyond that, one may need to test for specific SNP in order to see if there is any closer relationship. To find out more, or to join the Jameson Family YDNA Project and order a Y-DNA test - we recommend the Y-DNA37 test - please go here.