Location: Site of home was in Ramsey about 100 feet west of the Depot, on the south side of Route 64.
Date: Built perhaps about 1810.
Owners: Schuyler Hamilton bought the land when that part of the County was included in the bounds of Scott Co. He willed it in 1861 to his sons, Lewis and Andrew Jackson. No account of their disposal is recorded in Wise County although the village of Ramsey is located upon this tract of land and it has been subdivided into lots and sold to various parties.
Description: The Hamilton House was considered a very good house for the early pioneer home. It was a two story, three room, hewn log house. One room on each floor in the front part and a kitchen built to the rear. It had a stone chimney, mud dobbed, at the end of the front part and facing West. The kitchen part also had a stone chimney at the back facing the mountain. The family cooking was done on this fireplace. The house had glass windows, yellow poplar blank floors and batten doors. It was ceiled overhead with yellow poplar planks. Clap board roof. The front of the house faced north and had a full length porch across the front. Up Clear Creek, at the site where the old Band Mill once set, was a one story, two room hewn log house that Lewis, son of Schuyler Hamilton, lived in. This house was small like many of the early log cabins and had puncheon floors, clapboard roof, batten doors and only wooden shutters for windows. Near by this house was another log cabin of about the same architectural design as the Lewis Hamilton house that was occupied by his brother John. These two cabins were probably built in he late eighteen forties or early eighteen fifties. The three houses have long since been torn away. No vestige of their foundations, chimney rocks, etc. can be found at the site.
On Clear Creek, and near the last two mentioned cabins, was a small hewn log grist mill that was run by the Hamilton Brothers. It was an undershot wheel, short sluice way and mainly a corn mill although some wheat and much buckwheat was ground here. There was no Bolter for bolting the flour. This Mill was running during and after the Civil War, but the date it was started has not or cannot be established.
Just south of the Lewis Hamilton house stood another small log building that was used by Schuyler Hamilton and his sons as a "Hattery". Nathan Hamilton later became known as the best Hatters in Wise County. In this Hattery they made both wool and fur hats. These fur hats were made of fox and coon fur. They
were called "Smooth Casters" and were considered much better and lots dressier than the woolen hats and sold for $3.50. They were lined with choice tanned leather and sometimes with the better quality homespun cloth.
The woolen hats were mostly lined with cloth, with a good leather sweat band. These sweat bands were usually made from the hides of wild animals, as the leather tanned from these was of much finer texture, thinner and softer than that of cow hides, although cow hide leather was used for this purpose too. The price of the woolen hats ranged from one to a dollar and a half.
Both wool and fur hats were formed around different size wooden blocks that were called "Hat Blocks." An early as 1843, Schuyler Hamilton was taking hats to Bickley Mills, (at the present site of Castlewood), and selling them in exchange for other necessities and staples. The Hamilton Hats were well
known and worn by most of the people for miles around.
Historical Significance: Schuyler Hamilton was born in 1789 and married Susannah Dotson, a daughter of Simon and Phoebe Hollingsworth Dotson. He settled at the foregoing place and lived there until his death in
1861 and was laid to rest in the old part of the Laurel Grove Cemetery at Ramsey. No marker was placed at his grave so the exact location is unknown. (The grave has since been located and marked).
He preceded his wife to their final rest about ten years. To this union were born seventeen children, one set of triplets, two dying in infancy and the other fifteen children grew to maturity.
Besides being a Hat Maker and farmer, Schuyler Hamilton was a Fifer (musician). He served as a Sergeant in the War of 1812 in Captain Neill's Company of Virginia Militia, enlisted at Lee County Courthouse, July 20, 1814 and served until January 31, 1815, when he was discharged at Norfolk, VA.
He was a Judge in an election held at the home of Phillip Counts near Gladeville, October 5, 1836, along with four other early settlers to Superintend the separate election for Senator in the month of November next. He was one of the first Deacons of the Big Glades Baptist Church at Gladeville, elected May 1, 1847.
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/1224027/person/-1969319895
