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Robert Hamilton, the oldest Hamilton verified in our line to date, was born about 1745. He is said to have had three wives, 22 sons, and 2 daughters. It was also said he was very involved in politics in Dublin, Ireland. His youngest son, Robert Franklin Hamilton, born in Dublin in 1770, immigrated to America in 1791. This was probably due to a lack of sufficient inheritance at home. The young Robert Franklin Hamilton was a man of unusual education for his time. The books that he brought to America, preserved today by his descendants, are proof that he was familiar with Greek, Latin, and classical literature. He was a tutor in the community, and family members have a copy of an 1803 contract between School Master Robert Hamilton and the parents of children who were to be taught. At his death, he was serving as the Clerk of Court of Buncombe County.