George Hamer from the USA kindly sent me this copy of an advert for Hamer's Perfect Washer - invented by Harry R Hamer from North Adams, Massachusetts.

George's ancestors emigrated from Newtown in Wales to Massachusetts in 1855 and went to work in the mills at Blackinton near North Adams. George is rightly proud of the fact that one of the Hamers became mayor and another invented this washing machine in 1887. I'm proud too!

A couple of Yorkshire Hamers

Just discovered a couple of marriages in the York area from the late 18th century, as follows:

JOHN HAMER = ANN WARDON married at St. Crux Church, 31st Oct 1772
(St Crux church no longer exists)

ABRAHAM HAMER = MARY STOTT m Aug 25th 1750 at Holy trinity, Goodramgate.
(This church still exists - see below)

Holy Trinity Goodramgate has the air of a hidden treasure. It stands in a small, secluded, leafy churchyard, with the Minster towering behind, tucked away behind Goodramgate - one of York’s busiest shopping streets. To visit, you pass through an 18th-century archway tacked on to buildings that served as artisans’ workshops in the 14th century. - See more at: http://www.visitchurches.org.uk/

Hamer - WW2 Prisoners of War

I was looking at some prisoner of war records as my uncle, Harold Henry Hamer was a POW. So I sought to list all the Hamers who had also been taken prisoner in the 2nd World War. Here they all are:

I would love to find out more about them, particularly the escapees!

	CAMP NO	POW No.	Camp Location	SURNAME and Initials	Rank	Army No.	Regt. or Corps
WW2	Mil. N.	89391	Marlag und Milan Nord (Milig)	Hamer H	Cook		Merchant Navy - Royal Crown
WW2		78 - Sulmona	Escaped 9/12/1943	Hamer S	Sergeant	23987	67th Medium Regiment
WW2			ESCAPED via SWITZ	Hamer H	Gunner	4077348	32nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery
WW2	Stalag Luft 6	394	Heydekrug	Hamer F.A.	Flight Sergeant		Royal Air Force
WW2	Stalag 11B	139227	Fallingbostel	Hamer A.E.	Sergeant Major	5248250	Royal Corps of Signals
WW2	4A	247636	Hohenstein	Hamer D.L.S.	Driver	T/230344	Royal Army Service Corps
WW2	Stalag 9C	617	Muhlhausen	Hamer H	Lance Corporal	1902030	Royal Engineers
WW2	Stalag 383	5906	Hohen Fels	Hamer B	Quarter Master Sergeant	1986704	Royal Engineers
WW2	17A	155231	Kaisersteinbruck bei Bruck (Leitha)	Hamer A.E.	Guardsman	2622027	Grenadier Guards
WW2	Stalag 4F	259693	Hartmansdorf Chemnitz	Hamer J.	L/Cpl	2659501	Coldstream Guards
WW2	344	17567	Lamsdorf	Hamer J.	Company Sergeant Major	2692706	Scots Guards
WW2	Stalag 20B	9651	Marienburg	Hamer Harold Henry	Guardsman	2734751	Welsh Guards
WW2	344	12752		Hamer J.	Fus.	3445342	Lan.F.
WW2	18A	9559	Wolfsberg (Karnten)	Hamer J.	Private	3715428	Kings Own Royal Rgt.
WW2	4F	250245		Hamer R.H.	Private	4131102	Ches.
WW2	Stalag 4C	262247	Wistritz bei Teplitz	Hamer G. H.	Private	4466766	Durham Light Infantry
WW2	11B	139227		Hamer A.E.	Sgm	5248250	R.Sigs
WW2	Stalag 4A	260432	Hohenstein	Hamer H.S.	Private	6403933	Royal.Sussex
WW2	Stalag 4B	75451	Muhlberg (Elbe)	Hamer M.P.	Private	6921343	Army Air Corps.
WW2	Stalag 18A	2496	Wolfsberg (Karnten)	Hamer G.	Private	7616907	Royal Army Ordnance.Corps
WW2	Stalag 20B	11967	Marienburg	Hamer W.	Private	13014912	Pioneer Corps
WW2	Stalag 8C	82261	Kunau Kz Sprottau/Sagan	Hamer K.	Private	14417255	Black Watch

HAMER convicts to Australia in the nineteenth century.

Between 1788 and 1868, approximately 165,000 convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. Among them were a number of HAMERs. After their prison terms were served most stayed in Australia and joined the other settlers, with some rising to respected positions in Australian society. There are only 11 bearing the Hamer name that I have found on 2 web-sites - Convict Records of Australia and British Convict Transportation Registers Database (State Library of Queensland)
Virtually all are convicted in Lancashire, 2 in York and one in Radnor, Mid Wales.

Name

Gender

Birth

Crime

Occupation

Date of Death

Convicted at:

Sentence

Ship

Departure Date

Arrival Date

Place of Arrival

Notes

Joseph HAMER

M

1814

Rape

Dyer

1884

Chester Assizes

Life

David Malcolm

13 May 1845

25 Aug 1845

Van Diemen’s Land and Norfolk Island

Joseph raped a 20 yr old woman and was prosecuted by her father

Sidney HAMER

M

York. West Riding Quarter Sessions

7 years

Hooghley

25 Jul 1834

18 Nov 1834

New South Wales

James HAMER

M

Lancaster Quarter Session

14 years

Lady Harewood

24 Mar 1829

28 Jul 1829

Van Diemen’s Land

Thomas HAMER

M

Lancaster Assizes

Life

Recovery

27 May 1837

8 Oct 1837

Van Diemen’s Land

James HAMER

M

Lancaster Quarter Session

14 years

John

22 May 1829

13 Sep 1829

New South Wales

John HAMER

M

Radnor Quarter Session

7 years

James Pattison

10 Jul 1837

25 Oct 1837

New South Wales

Henry HAMER

M

Lancaster Quarter Session

10 years

Maitland

19 Mar 1840

14 Jul 1840

New South Wales

Ellen HAMER

F

8 Nov 1811

Larceny

1854 Parramatta, NSW

Lancaster Quarter Sessions

14 years

Roslin Castle

17 Feb 1830

29 Jun 1830

New South Wales

Abt 1832 Assigned to Rev J Vincent Ticket of Leave 2/10/1837; cancelled in 2/6/1838. Ticket of Leave 17/12/1843; cancelled 7/6/1843. Conditional Pardon 7/2/1844. Had a child with John Turner per "Mariner"; Isabella b: 11/9/1843

Henry HAMER

M

1815

Uttering forged notes

Weaver

1851

York Assizes

10 years

Cressy

28 Apr 1843

28 Aug 1843

Van Diemen’s Land

John HAMER

M

Lancaster Quarter Session, Bolton Boro

7 years

Emerald Isle

28 Jun 1843

9 Oct 1843

Van Diemen’s Land

Thomas HAMER

M

Lancaster Quarter Session

14 years

William Glen Anderson

31 May 1831

1 Nov 1831

Van Diemen’s Land