William Archer Hamlett

William Archer Hamlett, born Oct. 15, 1838 in Nelson County, Virginia. Died in Putnam County, Missouri. Left Nelson County, VA early in 1861 and went to Lewis County, VA ( now West Virginia), and from there he came to Clayton County, Iowa about 1862. He was the first Hamlett to come to Clayton County. He worked near East Elkport, Iowa ( now Garber ) on the farms of Hon. Thomas Updegraff, ( famous politician and attorney of McGregor, Iowa), and John Garber Jr, merchant of Elkport and Garber. William Archer Hamlett was first married to Elvirey Smith and lived in Clayton County until they moved to Nebraska. From there part of the family went to Washington State. William and Elvirey had: Thomas Hamlett who died young in Washington State Mary Hamlett who also died young in Washington State William Hamlett Jr died in Nebraska Etta Hamlett went to Washington and married there.

It is not known what year William moved his family to Nebraska, but it was around 1882. Neither is it known just where they lived in Nebraska. The son William Jr and his maternal grandfather, went to Blue Creek in Nebraska for wood, and were caught in a blizzard and both were found frozen to death under their overturned wagon box. Soon after this tragedy Elvirey and the three remaining children went to Washington State and William Archer Hamlett went to Missouri where his uncle William Hamlett Jr and his aunt, Elvirey (Hamlett) Seay had previously settled. Later William married a niece of his uncle William's wife. ****** note, a little confusing because William had an uncle ( that he was named after ) and his aunt had the same unusual name Elvirey as he first wife *****

William next married Mary V. Miller. They left Missouri and moved to Elk Township in Clayton County, Iowa in or near 1886, where they bought a farm and one or more of the three children were born. In the fall of 1889 they sold this farm and returned to Putnam County, Missouri and bought a farm near Unionville. William wrote his nephew, Freeling Hamlett of Sheridan County, Nebraska to come and settle in Missouri and it was not long before there were a number of Hamlett's on farms in Putnam County, Missouri. William and Mary had the following children: Jackson Hamlett died as a young man but had married and had 1 baby die as an infant, then had Claude Hamlett who went on to marry Mary Martin and Claude and Mary had a daughter Elizabeth Ann. Claude remarried and had a son Jackson Hamlett and he lived in South Bend, Indiana Effie Hamlett Edgar E Hamlett.