HAMILTON Thomas Alfred (junior)

1842: The Hamilton family resided at 27 Liverpool Street, Hobart, a property owned by watchmaker David Barclay. During the day, the premises was utilised as a shop.

August 1848: Advertised a new jewellery collection from London and Paris at his recently opened business in Elizabeth Street, Hobart.

January 1850: Death of mother, Ann Hamilton.
1851: Thomas Hamilton (senior) married Ann Gray Giddings.

August 1854: Thomas announced his intention to relocate to Melbourne and advised customers to collect repairs and settle accounts before his departure.

April 1856: Purchased Colin Bain’s business, Liverpool Street, Hobart, and advertised to notify Mr Bain’s customers to collect repairs from T A Hamilton junior.

Approx. August 1859: Thomas relocated the business from Liverpool Street to Murray Street, Hobart, following a fire that damaged the premises.
January 1860: Moved back to his old premises at 118 Liverpool Street, Hobart.

Mercury 27 April 1861:
‘NOTICE. If Thomas Hamilton, junior, Watchmaker, does not come for his Double Gun, and pay the expenses of stocking, &c., it will be sold by me to defray expenses. James Chisholm, Gunsmith, 70 Brisbane Street.’

November 1863 – Insolvent with two creditors, John Regan and his father, Thomas Hamilton senior.
Hamilton senior sold goods to his son, not knowing he was about to declare insolvency or the extent of his debts. Thomas (junior) appeared in court in December 1863 and appealed for the dismissal of the petition in his case as he had made partial payments to each creditor; the appeal was granted.

1865: After his father’s death, stepmother Ann Hamilton petitioned for probate, and a dispute with two wills involving Thomas junior followed; the court ruled in favour of Ann.

June 1869: Police charged nine-year-old James Smith in June 1869 with stealing watches from Thomas’s business in Elizabeth Street. The theft occurred when 13-year-old James Hamilton, Thomas’s son, was in charge of the shop. The offender attempted to sell the watches to Ann Hamilton in Liverpool Street, watchmaker Mr Gaylor, and tools and watches to watchmaker Colin Bain in Elizabeth Street. Due to James Smith’s young age, his punishment was only one month in prison.

July 1873: – ‘Mr T A Hamilton, Watchmaker, having gone to Victoria, has left all unclaimed watches, clocks, &c., for delivery with Mr Major L Hood, 12 Elizabeth St.’

Tribune, 22 January 1879:
‘The past month has been rife with accidents. On the 28^th ultimo Mr Thomas Hamilton, son of the late Mr Hamilton, formerly well known as a watchmaker in Liverpool Street, took up a loaded gun by the barrel and striking the stock forcibly on the floor, caused it to explode. The charge entered his abdomen, creating a ghastly wound, from the effects of which he died the same evening.’