Mr. Hamilton was born in Macon county, Missouri, on September 2, 1857, being the son of Samuel C. and Sarah A. (Blackwell) Hamilton, the father being a fruit grower and blacksmith of his section. Our subject was educated in Missouri, and also learned from his father the art of blacksmithing, remaining there until he had arrived at the age of twenty. He then came west to Whitman county, Washington, crossing the plains with mule teams. He took a preemption in Whitman county and for nine years was numbered with the leading tillers of the soil there. It was in 1887 when he came to Latah county, and here he homesteaded the place where he now lives, three miles south from Kendrick. He has an eighty-acre farm embellished with comfortable improvements, and an orchard of five acres. He operated a blacksmith shop here and when Leland started, he opened a shop there where he beat the anvil to the time of honest industry until Kendrick was located, when he put up the first shop there as he had been first in both the other locations. He did a good business in Kendrick until recently, when he sold the entire property and devoted himself entirely to his farming and fruit growing interests. Mr. Hamilton is affiliated with the W. of W. Lodge No. 327, being council commander, which office he has held for five terms, he also belongs to the circle, No. 217. He is a director in the Methodist church at Leland and at the present time he is a member of the Democratic county central committee.

The marriage of Mr. Hamilton and Miss Addie, daughter of Jacob and Catherine A. Van Tine, early pioneer of Whitman county, was solemnized at Colfax, Whitman county, Washington, on January 14, 1879, and they became the parents of eight children, Leona, wife of B. P. Parks; the rest all being at home, Florence, Ellen Nora, Jessie, Dela, Carver, Ruth and Hazel.