Dr. S. W. Hamilton, Madison Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Richard P. Sevier 

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Dr. S. W. Hamilton was born in Paris, KY in the month of December, 1816, 
the fifth child in a family of seven children born to William and Rebecca 
(Ward) Hamilton, the former of whom inherited a large estate from his father,
who removed to the state of Kentucky about the time of Daniel Boone, and 
became a successful planter. He became a resident of Mississippi about 1836, 
and after becoming a resident of Clinton, filled the positions of mayor, 
justice of the peace, notary public and postmaster. His wife was a native of 
Petersburg, VA. (MADISON COORDINATOR'S NOTE: William and Rebecca Hamilton 
were the grandparents of Rena Cox Boney whose biography also appears in this 
section) RPS.

Dr. S. W. Hamilton was an attendant of the common schools up to the age of 
twelve years, when he entered an educational institution of Marion, MO (1828)
where he remained for about two years. About this time (1830) his father 
became a resident of Tennessee, and S. W. left the school which he had been 
attending in Missouri and entered college at Memphis, TN, and during the two 
years that he remained there made rapid progress in his studies. He then 
(1832) came to Mississippi and joined his elder brother, James Hamilton, who 
was in charge of a Presbyterian church; then spent the two and a half 
succeeding years with Mr. Comfort at school. He then (1835) entered the 
mercantile establishment of Spires and Charlescroft, and a year later of 
Parham and Gibson, in whose employ he remained four years (1839). The two 
succeeding years he spent in traveling over the south.

In 1841 he went to Richmond, Madison Parish, LA, but about a year and a half 
later came to Clinton, MS, and was engaged in the collection of claims for 
merchants until 1842, when he began the study of law with Gen. Henry S. Foote, 
abandoning it at the end of one and a half years (1844) to take up the study 
of medicine with Dr. J. B. Morgan of Clinton, in two years' time fitting 
himself to enter college. He took two courses of lectures at Louisville, KY, 
receiving his diploma.

In May, 1846, he removed to Louisiana, where he followed the practice of his 
profession until 1848, after which time, until the opening of the war, he was 
a successful medical practitioner of Madison parish. In 1861 he became first 
lieutenant of Company A, Fourth Louisiana battalion, with which he served 
until 1863, the most of his service being in West Virginia, under General 
Floyd. On account of ill health he returned home in 1863, but later was 
assigned to the surgical department. Upon his return to Louisiana he resumed 
the practice of his profession, and was a leading medical practitioner of 
that state until 1883. During the yellow fever scourge of 1878 he was at 
Delta, LA, from which practice he came to Mississippi. For the past two years
(1889?) Dr. Hamilton has not practiced his profession, only as his most 
intimate friends desire.

From Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Vol. 1, 
Part II, Page 851 Copyright 1891