How did Jamison, Pennsylvania get its name? This page provides a brief history about the naming of Jamison, Pennsylvania, the people who settled it, and the industry rising within it.
Village near the center of Warwick Township at the intersection of Old York Road (Route 155) and Almshouse Road. It was named for the well-known Jamison family. The name is spelled at least thirty-two different ways by American Jamisons. They are all descended from a common ancestry in Scotland. Some came to America directly from Scotland, while others passed through Ireland and found their way here from that country. The name Jamison seems to have had its origin in the Clan of Gunn, a fierce and warlike clan of Norse source inhabiting the northeast coast of Scotland.1 The ancestor of the Warwick Jamisons, Henry Jamison, came to America from County Ulster, Ireland, about 1720 and settled in Warwick Township before it was organized. He acquired over a thousand acres of land in Warwick and Northampton Townships, but always lived in Warwick. John, a grandson of Henry, was captain of a company in the Revolution. Robert, another grandson, was a soldier in the same war. Henry Jamison drew a prize of $50,000 in a lottery. His bank book showing the lottery entry is in the Hart Collection of manuscripts in the Library of the Bucks County Historical Society. Collection of the prize seems to have been made through The Bank of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Samuel Hart, an associate judge of the Courts of Bucks County, no doubt acted as agent for Mr. Jamison in the collection. The drawing appears to have been on December 13, 1813, the amount of cash actually received $42,500 and the ticket No. 9112. The lottery is not named in the bank book. In addition to his lottery winnings, Jamison had a bank account of $13,524. The winner was generous towards his neighbors with his fortune and gave a number of them their start in life by granting them loans upon adequate security. Jamison village was first called DeCoursey’s Corner and then Jamison Cross Roads before 1830, when it had six dwelling houses, a tavern, and a store. Later it became Jamison Corner, but the word “Corner” was dropped when the post office was established October 6, 1868, with Amos S. Dudbridge as first postmaster. This date may not be strictly correct as there were transfers of the post office back and forth between Jamison and Bridge Valley about this time. Edward D. Worstall was appointed postmaster at Jamison January 26, 1884, and it has been a post office ever since.
- The Jamesons in America, 1647-1900, by E. O. Jameson, pp. vi-x. [↩]