James⁹⁶ Hammon (ca. 1730-1763)

Due to his short lifespan, we have very little information on James himself. What we do have comes from his son, John¹²³ Hammon, Sr.'s, Revolutionary War Pension Application where he states his mother told him his father died when John was about 3 years of age. The other source is the famous 'Douglass Register' of the Dover Church in St. James Northham Parish in Goochland County, Virginia, which has this entry: 'James HAMMOND and Mary HARGIS, a son named John born January 29, 1760, baptized June 8, 1760.

James⁹⁶ was born in Caroline County, Virginia Colony in about 1730. Based on the Douglass Register entry and John's Revolutionary War Pension Application, he would have died in 1763 in Goochland County, Virginia Colony. He is believed to be the 3rd child of John⁹¹ Hammon Sr. and his first unknown spouse. There are some estimates that he was born as early as 1726 and possibly even before his brother Ambrose⁹⁸. Currently there is no documentation of births or baptisms of James⁹⁶ and his siblings. Based on evidentiary evidence the location of his death would have been in Goochland County, Virginia Colony, where he married Mary¹²⁰ Elizabeth HARGIS and all of his known children were born. It is not known exactly when James⁹⁶ and his siblings, or which ones, migrated into Goochland County. It could have been as early as 1732 where his brother William’s⁹⁷ son, Thomas⁴¹³ HAMMON, is shown as being born in Goochland County, but there is no documentation stating this fact.

Noted family researcher Stratton¹²⁴⁴ Owen HAMMON (1904-1997) suspected that James might have had families with two different spouses; however, he gives no reason for this speculation. If the marriage year of 1750 for James and Mary Elizabeth HARGIS is correct then all of the children assigned to James would also be Mary’s and probably means he did not have more than one family. If the 1750 marriage year is correct for James and Mary, then the apparent wait until about 1754 to have their first child is suspect. In all likelihood Edmund HAMMON would have been born around 1751 to 1752. At roughly two to three year intervals then Martin HAMMON would have been born about 1752 to 1754 and James HAMMON, Jr. about 1754 to 1756. This would have left a gap of about four to five years between James Jr. and John, who we know was born in 1760. I believe it is this gap that caused Stratton Owen HAMMON to believe there may have been two families.

Reports: (Last Update: February 2, 2023)

These reports are quite large because this is my direct line, of which I obviously spend the most time on.

Outline Descendant Report for James Hammon (175 pages) - This report does not contain sources.
Descendant Report for James Hammon (974 pages) - This report does not contain sources.
Descendant Report for James Hammon (1,635 pages ) - This report contains sources.

Sources are just references. They do not show the actual documents themselves.