Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
June 26, 2025
“Newspapers of Days Gone By”
“These
were their settlements. And they kept good family records.”[i]
Don’t
forget to look for the title which is embedded in the chronicle.
FAMILY ALBUM
This is a group of Holmes and Steeves family members on the Mattanawcook
lake in Lincoln. Not sure who everyone is, but Anna and William Holmes are on
the far right.
AND I QUOTE (replies from the last newsletter)
Ralph
Wagner:
My mental picture of you in go-go boots -
hilarious!
Ruth
Moore: BTW,
I got the go-go boots. You didn't miss much.
Jeanni
Worster: I'll leave the
use of the "umbilical line" to your use; it doesn't appeal to me.
Giggles to all of you. Thanks to all who replied or clicked
on an icon.
1924
to 1928
Those are the
years that our Holmes ancestors spent renewing relationships that had somehow
fallen by the wayside but with organization, letter writing, and challenging
travel – by hook or by crook – they managed to come together again. They
reacquainted and rediscovered their family ties. And then, one by one, they
died, and many of those ties died with them.
2024 to 2028
You know the little
engine who said “I think I can” as it climbed the mountain? Like that diligent
little engine, I made it, and I am on the way down, picking up speed as I go.
Mum told me time would go faster as the years go by, and she was right. Not quite
sure when I reached the summit – but indeed, I did. I’m not saying that in a
bad way. I’m a content person, in general. Sometimes, I just have to remind
myself to be content. I went through some of my WORD
documents this week in an attempt to toss a few of them. I found some
interesting reading there, including a little paragraph about James and Frances
(Holmes) Ballantyne that I had no memory of whatsoever. I included it in the
section I call “An Interesting Obituary.” Should be of interest to Marvin,
Brenda, and Leanne. I found another little newspaper article about Charles R
Holmes and son, hauling wood for Uncle Billy in the spring of 1913. Both of
those men were hard-working, but Billy was about 84 years at that time; Charles
was only 61. By the process of elimination, the son was probably either Cecil
or Floyd. The others had moved on from Hill Grove by that time. Floyd loved the
woods. Bertha Holmes was the daughter of Charles R, and taught in Portage Vale
for a couple of years. She probably boarded with Billy and Maggie. I made note
of that one for my article. The
social media of today can hardly compare with the old newspapers of days gone
by – what interesting information they provide. I will soon be taking a
subscription to Newspapers.com to help find more information for my article.
The New Brunswick newspaper archives, which were previously available with a
subscription, have been moved to Ancestry’s site, and it is invaluable to
genealogists. I’m waiting until I get my manuscript done with what information
I have, then I will search it out again for new entries and verification of old
clippings for my footnotes. Birthday announcement, right, was published in
August of 1942.
News From Holmes
Congratulations to Derek and Joanna
Sylvestre on the arrival of their son, Wesley Burke Sylvestre, born
June 14, 2025 in Maine. Wesley has a big brother, Crosby, and sister, Josie who
appear to be quite interested in their new baby brother. Proud grandparents are
Roger and Betty Sylvestre.
Wesley – Derek and Joanna (Seaman) Sylvestre
– Roger and Betty (MacKillop) Sylvestre – Ray and Lillian (Shipley) MacKillop –
James and Arletta (Holmes) McKillop – Charles R and Phoebe (McMonagle) Holmes –
Daniel and Charlotte (Hoyt) Holmes – Samuel Jr and Phoebe (Holstead) Holmes –
Samuel Sr and Elizabeth (Fountain) Holmes.
Obituary of Joerg Von Waldow
Joerg is not a family member. He and
his wife, Jane, own the big dairy farm on the hill above our little plot of
land, and they are good neighbours. This is a loss to the family and community
of Hill Grove and Cornhill, New Brunswick. I’m including the obituary for the
benefit of a few people who may like to read it.
Joerg von Waldow
1947-2025
Joerg was born in Lüneburg, Germany, in
1947, the son of the late Achatz von Waldow of Cambridge Narrows and Marion von
Trott of Germany.
Known for his kind and gentle spirit,
Joerg was a dear friend to all who knew him. He found great joy in working on
his farm alongside his wife and two sons — a place he poured his heart and soul
into.
A machinist by trade, Joerg immigrated to
Canada in 1967. In 1973, he purchased a 100-acre farm in Corn Hill with just 12
dairy cows. To make ends meet, he sold Hyland seed and semen for ABS. A pioneer
in his field, Joerg was one of the first in New Brunswick to adopt and teach
artificial insemination techniques, helping advance the local dairy industry.
His openness to innovation contributed to the farm’s growth into a thriving
operation, now home to 400 dairy cows and over 2,500 acres of cultivated land.
Joerg was a highly respected member of his
community. He was actively involved with Soil and Crop, served on the board of
Northumberland Dairy for many years, and was a dedicated contributor to Dairy
Farmers of New Brunswick.
He is survived and deeply missed by his
beloved wife of 39 years, Jane von Waldow (Couillard); his children: Karl
(Jennifer) von Waldow of Corn Hill, Blake (Marieve) von Waldow of Corn Hill,
Franziska (Heinz) von Waldow of Germany, and Vanessa (Myles) von Waldow
Henrikson of Switzerland; his cherished grandchildren: Vera, Luca, Nova, and
Elika; and his siblings: Marietta (Franz) von Waldow of Germany, Charlotte von
Trott of Germany, Ines (Doug) Richardson of Cambridge Narrows, Joaquin (Ines)
von Waldow of Moncton, and Gabe (Alan) Bentley of Prince Edward Island.
He was predeceased by his parents and his
brother, Rudy von Trott.
Joerg’s absence will be profoundly felt by
his family and throughout the community. His legacy will live on in his
children and grandchildren, who will miss him dearly.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the
care of Salisbury Funeral Home (506-372-4800). A public Celebration of Life
will be held on Sunday, July 6th, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Giermindl’s
Old Bavarian Restaurant.
If desired, donations in Joerg’s memory
may be made to the Friends of the Moncton Hospital, the Canadian Cancer
Society, or a charity of the donor’s choice.
Online condolences and donations may be
made at www.keirsteads.ca
An Interesting Obituary
Evening Times-Republican, Nov 8, 1906,
Image 3
GRADUATION
Congratulations to Lily Davis, who
graduated on May 16 from University of Colorado Springs with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in communication. Lily is also an awesome photographer. Lily is the
daughter of Dan and Niki Davis and the granddaughter of Warren Davis.
Grandmother Sue would be proud of you, Lily. Thanks to Aunt Cindy for letting
me know.
This is good news for the community of
Petitcodiac and the Community of Three Rivers. The library was closed – I’ll
guess three years ago or so. They have been searching for a new home ever since.
My “Homestead on the Old Post Road” is in their holdings. They hold a
Petitcodiac history day once a year – putting books, maps, photos – whatever
they have, on display. I haven’t seen many documents from the 1800s, but that
doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I’ll have to watch for the ribbon cutting. It
will likely take a while to turn it from a bank into a library.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS/ARE/WERE?
Kevin
and Susie (Holmes) Holt, right, are or were in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Susie is in the Peter Holmes line.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
This is what
I’ve been working on, and having done nothing else the past two weeks, this is
what I will share for the history lesson. It is totally unrevised, so I don’t
need any editing help yet. But, if you see a glaring error, let me know. Some
of the modern information cannot be included in “Generations” for privacy
reasons. I will also need permission from a couple of people before even
sharing it with the family and a couple of people in the community.
PROVENANCE OF
THE HOUSE THAT ISAAC BUILT
Captain Isaac Ketchum, son of Samuel Ketchum and Sarah Hurlburt, was born in Norwalk,
Connecticut, about 1752. His wife, Mary, aka Mary Elizabeth, Ketchum was
born to Jonathan Ketchum and Hannah Quintard in Norwalk, Connecticut, about
1761. They married in America about 1783, and lived in Norwalk until about
1800, when the family moved to New Brunswick. According to letters, scrapbooks,
and family stories, Captain Isaac traded from Norwalk to New Brunswick. His
daughter, Frances, called him “a tough sailor.”[ii] Captain
Isaac Ketchum probably built the house before he actually received his grant of
land, in the early 1800s. He, and his wife, Mary (Ketchum) Ketchum, occupied it
until their deaths, and there raised eleven children. Their son, Jesse,
allegedly died at sea. As far as I can determine,
Isaac left the house to his son Peter, to be occupied by Peter and his siblings
Sarah, Samuel, and Harriet Ketchum. These four children never married. His
daughters, Frances, wife of James Hoyt III, and Deborah, wife of Elias Snider,
lived nearby. Mary,
called Polly, and her husband, James Ketchum, lived and died in Norton. Hannah
and her husband, Humphrey Hayward, married in Sussex and died in Hampton. Both
of these communities are in Kings County. Elizabeth married John Lamb, and they
lived in Dorchester and are buried in Shediac, both in Westmorland County.
Catherine married John Tobin, and died relatively young in Saint John, Saint
John County. Captain Isaac and his wife are buried in the old pioneer cemetery
in Portage Vale. His death notice reads: "In the Parish of Sussex, on the 15th
instant, at the advanced age of 87 years, Captain Isaac Ketchum, an old
resident and respectable inhabitant of that place."[iii]
Email sent to Roger to
see if he left a will – June 3.
Isaac Ketchum penned a
petition to the crown in 1815, in which he refers to a previous petition of
1812. In the 1812 petition to the Honorable Martin Hunter, Esquire, Isaac
Ketchum, his son Peter Ketchem, Samuel Ketchum, and James Hoyt, had petitioned
for twelve hundred acres of land at the Portage on the Westmorland Road.[iv]
They received one thousand acres, which they divided equally between them. In
an excerpt from the 1815 petition, he wrote: “. . . your petitioner having
fully complied with the conditions of the grant lately obtained from the
Government . . . Your petitioner in
settling the lot granted to him has been compelled to open and improve a road
of four miles in length. Your petitioner is 62 years of age married has ten
Children. Has 20 acres of the land lately Granted to him under good
cultivation, eight neat cattle and a good Dwelling House and barns. . . as in
duty bound your petitioner will ever pray.”[v] The information provided was certified to be true,
and as he requested an additional 130 acre lot close to his land, that lot he
requested was vacant.
Peter
Ketchum died in 1862, and in his burial record
in the Anglican Records gives a little notation that he was “one of the oldest
settlers at the Portage – a worthy man.” He was buried “at the church ground,”[vi]
a short walk from his home. He left a will in the deed book.
According to
his will, Peter Ketchum left the 250 acres of his property to go to his
siblings, Samuel, Sarah, and Harriet, and then his nephew, William Oliver
Snider, until their deaths, and then it was to the Diocese Church Society for
the benefit of the Church and Clergy at Sussex Portage.[vii]
His will is recorded in the book of land records. What
about the land that became Peter’s, the 130 acres, that shows up in Peter’s
name on the cadastral map? What about the Walling Map.
“In
June, 1943, the newspaper reported a barn-raising frolic at Riverbank which
‘when finished will make a splendid improvement to Mr. Doull’s place. A goodly
number of citizens from the community turned out to work under the direction of
Warren Babkirk of Elgin.’”
Harvey
raised Maggie’s three sons, and the property passed to Maggie’s third son, Currie
Gideon Matthews, either in 1976 or 1977[xiv]
and/or in a quitclaim deed in 1982/83.[xv]
The provenance of the property continues, but
information is verbal, from Howard and David Matthews. Currie passed the
property to his son, Howard Matthews, and it is now in the hands of
Howard’s son, David, and his wife, Christy Elliott - Matthews. Thus,
what I was told many years ago was true: the house stayed in the ownership of
only two families, although different family members owned it. After the fire
of 2018, Howard built a beautiful new house, and I enjoyed meeting Howard and
seeing his spacious new home. He salvaged a memorable piece – Cliff told me
that when he was a boy, the house was used as a little store where he used to
go for penny candy at lunch break. This store sign hung in the living room. All
of these people are important characters in this family history, but the
emphasis will be on William Oliver Snider and his wife, Margaret Eliza Holmes:
better known to me as Uncle Billy and Aunt Maggie.
This ends
week twenty – six of our centennial virtual celebration of 1925 –
2025.
