The Early History of One Particular Jameson Family of Early Massachusetts

This particular Jameson family, regardless of it's various spellings and translations,[1] are all believed to be descended from a single immigrant ancestor, James Jemson (1620-1761), who arrived, with his wife Sarah, in Boston about 1647, or so. This James Jampson is also believed to be the first immigrant using the Jam?son surname in New England and perhaps the first permanent settler of that name in all of America. It is not known exactly where he came from, however evidence suggests it was most likely have been from England, or perhaps Scotland. His origins were undoubtedly from the British Isles and given our understanding of the vast majority of those now using  the surname Jam?son, it is most likely his family had it's earliest ancestral roots in Scotland, before that. 

MOST ANCIENT ANCESTORS

Although we don't know of any descendants of this family having yet YDNA tested,[2] modern genetic science is able to help us identify our earliest possible ancestors, although mostly in just a somewhat general way, going back several thousand of years.[3] Just about all other (unrelated) YDNA tested Jam?sons we know of, fall into to one of two general Haplo Groups, "I" or "R," and are thought to be descendants of either Anglo Saxons, Normans or Nordic. There is no reason to believe our Jamesons would be any different. Although these categorical results can be clear, there is always going to be some question of dating and the actual path of the eventual migration into what is now the British Isles.

Detailed YDNA on specific descendants can indicate how their individual Jam?son family group would have migrated over the millennia, originally from the African continent, to subsequent migration patterns, after the ice finally began it's slow retreat, into the European continent and  eventually, some from this group migrating westward into the British Isles some 3,000 to 5,000 years ago (3000-1500 BC), or more and way before the use of surnames.

It will be necessary to YDNA test known descendants of this specific Jam?son family in order to determine how this family fits with (or within) the many other Jam?son families of the British Isles.

The oldest known verifiable, traditional records for this particular Jameson family are from the mid 1600s, in Boston, Massachusetts. They were immigrants, almost certainly from the British Isles, most likely either from England or Scotland. Before that, we do not know, apart from the assumption common to most other Jam?sons of that area, either of Anglo Saxon, Norman, or Nordic, ancestry.

Although at this point, we do not know where James Jampson may have been from, apart from an almost certainty it would have the British Isles and likely either England or Scotland. Although that part is likely beyond and dispute, ancestrally speaking, Scotland is the more likely given the vast number of known Jam?sons in early America are know to have their oldest roots there. Having said that, there are many Jam?sons families found in England as well and until proven otherwise this cannot be overlooked, ignored or dismissed.

ENGLAND

There are good reasons to believe that James Jemson might have been from England. Early Boston, until about 1650, was originally colonized by Puritan separatists (better known as “Pilgrims”) fleeing England for reasons of religious freedom. They first arrived just south of there, aboard the Mayflower, at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. Boston was settled just ten years later, in 1630, also by English Puritans, for the same religious persecution reasons. On 29 March 1630, a fleet of 11 ships carrying 700 people sailed from England to Massachusetts. They were led by John Winthrop (1588-1649), and first settled at Charleston, now an area within Boston, which had been founded just the year before.[4]

Our James Jemson arrived apparently sometime before September of 1647, at which time his wife Sarah Jempson is known to have joined the Boston First Church,[5] a Puritan Church at that time, suggesting they were part of the English Puritan movement. Noted Jam?son family historian Scott Jameson[6] believes James Jemson resided in the East London Parish of Stepeny, in 1645, an area know for it's Puritan activity.[7] Although this is only anecdotal and cannot be positively identified as our James Jemson, the possibility is interesting at the least,  perhaps important and cannot be ignored.

SCOTLAND

Scottish immigrants however, were not known to have arrived in the Americas until a few years later, starting about 1650. These were mostly prisoners deported by England during and following the troubles there during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms[8] and particularly the Battle of Dunbar.[9] It is possible that some Scots migrated into England before that, either forcibly as prisoners of the many battles and wars before that, or peacefully as did royalty and doubtless many others. This could be the case with our James Jemson, perhaps only YDNA can answer that.

More details about the ancestral past of our immigrant James Jempson, will probably be revealed if an when YDNA research is done on a surviving direct male descendant of this family. Until then we can only speculate, unless of course, other so far elusive details can be found.