First son, William Hamilton, had been born in Govan in November 1902, John in December 1915 in Maryhill, which suggests the Springburn railway yard as the source of their father's work, and between the two there were two daughters, Catherine and Helen, born in 1904 and 1909 in the same locations. And that latter birth fits well with in June 1910 John Hamilton Snr. being in Chile, aged thirty-six, turning out for Valparaiso F.C., also as a forward for the national team in three games against Argentina played in Buenos Aires and that same year being still involved as referee when in September Argentina came to Chile to Vina del Mar for the return. Moreover, there is confirmation that, first, the family had been with him in South America and, second. they remained in the country for at least another year and possibly longer. The evidence is that In September 1911 Sarah gave birth to Chilean born and conceived Isobel. On the 1921 census and in Glasgow she is there aged nine years and eight months. Indeed, it turns out from the shipping manifests that he had travelled out in 1908, the then family had had followed after the birth of Catherine in 1909 and all plus Isobel had returned to the UK in 1914.     

So with with his early- and family-lives largely known, apart from being younger brother of Alick and Jamie Hamilton and elder brother of Gladys, who in footballing terms was John Hamilton. The fact is that he too had experience in the senior game and briefly even at the highest level. At twenty going on twenty-one he had been recruited South. In the 1994-5 season he had made twelve appearances for Derby County, scoring, some say twice, others five times. And he had done it in a formidable forward line that was second-top scorer in the English First Division, also featured Steve Bloomer, Jimmy McLachlan, also from Glasgow, and Killy's Goodall brothers, John and Archie and took the club to sixth place.

It is reported that Hamilton had joined Derby from Wolves. Yet despite what looked like success he was not to see the County Ground club move to the Baseball Ground at the end of the season. By then he was gone, on his way to Ilkeston Town for a single campaign, to Paisley's Abercorn for a few games and then in January 1897 back to from where he had emerged, to Glasgow and Queen's Park Strollers, the Spiders' second team. It was where he had started in the senior game. It meant that he was an amateur, with the possibility that he had remained one throughout, relying on his trade for most income.     

John Hamilton's second stay at Hampden would be until 1901 with no evidence of first team involvement. Yet he would then spend a final campaign, five starts, at Ayr F.C. that in 1910 would absorb Ayr Parkhouse to become Ayr United, but in the season before he would hang up his boots and settle down, finish mid-table in the Scottish Second Division. It was not a bad end to a playing career. It had not reached the highest heights but he was at twenty-seven still young and of his siblings only Alick could boast of more international recognition then he.