Where was James Jempson (1620-1661) From?

We know James Jameson (1620-1661) was in Boston was in Boston some time just before 1650.[1] What we don't know is how he, his wife and oldest son, got there or from where exactly they had come.

Many believe this family was from Scotland, others believe it would have been from England. This was a time when England and Scotland (Ireland too) were all at war with each other and it is said that there was a blockade of any ships from Scotland to the new world at that time. It seems that all the ships to the Americas before about 1650 were from England and even war prisoners (known as "convicts") didn't start until about then. That doesn't preclude that James and his wife and son were not of Scottish origins, only that they were not likely on a ship from Scotland. There is also the fact that James' wife Sarah joined the Puritan Church in 1647 in Boston, the Puritans being a very English (especially London) religion.

Noted Jameson genealogists Scott Jameson mentions that: "There were at least two attempts or settlements by the Scots in the early 1600s, but interest from Scotland was lacking and the attempts both failed. Because Jempson was involved with "Scott’s Charity" in Boston it is very possible that James was born in Scotland and settled for a time in London. Thinking that perhaps James may have had had relatives residing in the Stephany part of London, Where his daughter Elizabeth eventually ended up remaining, having married "xyz". He also says that there is evidence of trading and settlers coming from Virginia to Boston and vice versa at this early time."