They Loved These Two Children, Although Not Equally

 

Uncle Peg’s Chronicles

December 1, 2022

“ . . . They Loved These Two Children, Although Not Equally . . . ”

Number of pages in Outline Descendant Report: 141 (up from 136 last chronicle)

Number of pages in basic Descendant Report: 217 (up from 212 last chronicle)

 

Francis Holmes is # 1. I am now # 317. # 312, where I was last week, is now Ellen Middleton Leaman.

Matthew Williams, Jane William’s grandson, is last at # 449, up from # 440, and his son is # ii.

#440 is now Blake Stephens.

This should change weekly, if I’m doing my job.

 

Something new in stats, just for fun:

 

I put the names of all descendants of Francis Holmes who are either in our Facebook group or on my mailing list for chronicles, in a bag. Spouses and friends are not included as they do not get numbered in the program’s default. Those who have no descendants are also not numbered, but I’ll include them with their parent’s number. I pulled out three names, and will follow them for two weeks. Next week, I’ll draw three more. This is for fun, but the three names I drew were not in my tree that I am using now. I inserted them and updated their families. Win-win exercise.

 

The three I drew last week are:

 

1.       Susan Holmes Holt is # 295, up from 291.

2.       Jeff Yee is # 361, up from 354.

3.       Leanne Ballantyne Gaines is # 439, up from 432.

 

New this week are:

 

·         4. Matthew Moore is # iii, son of Paul Moore, #318. Matt is in the Charles R line, and he is my very own nephew. He grew up in Alaska, lives in Arizona, and visits Tennessee often. He loves to skate and is a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

·         5. Janet Nolte is # 300. Janet is also in the Charles R line, and I met her first when I was in my late teens, and again at a couple of our early reunions. She’s the Mum of four kids you might know: Brett, Celia, Julia, and Emily.

 

·         6. Trevor Oksen is # ii, son of James Oksen, # 359. He’s in the William line, and although I don’t know him personally, I met his dad, James Oksen, at our 2016 reunion, and I know Jim and Audrey, his parents, are very proud of him.

 

FYI, this takes a lot of time, but it’s kind of fun. I do it on Tuesdays rather than Thursdays. Watch for your name.

~

 

Paula may remember our struggle to find the father for Mabel Ballantyne, daughter of Jessie, granddaughter of James and Frances Holmes Ballantyne.

 

I found her birth record. Although her first name is not listed, the date of birth and her mother’s name is a match with other records. Unfortunately, her father’s name is not. It should be beside Jessie’s name. Major disappointment. Image is at the link.

 

https://www.ancestry.ca/imageviewer/collections/61441/images/61441_b1045667-00186?pId=602563119

~

 

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a list of genealogical things on my current agenda. I am happy to state that I have finished revising John Holmes’ “Where There’s a Will” story, and right up to the end I made corrections. I added to my conclusion, as I needed more specifics. All I had was one sentence stating that the documents showed how difficult her husband’s death was, pertaining to his dying intestate. I added a couple more. I also revised, once again, the endnotes. Oh, the mistakes I caught. Did I catch them all? I sure hope so.

 

I still have a long list. I told Elizabeth that I could easily compile the histories for Louisa, William and Carrie by the end of the year. Maybe not. I have emailed her my copy of the genealogy of Louisa and await her comments about it. I need to finish my blurb – you saw the introduction in last week’s chronicle.

 

But first, however, I must complete Richard Holmes story for News and Notes, due January 1^st. Here’s my introduction, part of it is sort of finished, part is still information dump, slightly revised:

 

Richard Holmes

C. 1637 – C. 1704

His wife, Sarah Grant Holmes

1630 - 1706

Richard Holmes, originally from Yorkshire, England, brought his Norwalk lot on Oct. 12, 1657, from a real estate agent of that day, Alexander Bryan of Milford. He was the home lot successor of one Thomas Smith, and his calling one of the most highly respected occupations. Besides this, he was probably the head of the iron-ware establishment of the period. The Holmes’ of America may be proud of their Norwalk kinsman. He was a brother of the founders of the Stamford and Bedford’ Holmes families, and Col. James Holmes of the Revolution was his grand-nephew.

Where there is a will, as in the case of Richard and Sarah Holmes, there are sometimes complications. Due to several complications, these two wills must be tied together. As I read this will of the youngest child of my immigrant ancestor, Francis Holmes, I thought that it would make a good textbook study of an old, colonial New England Last Will and Testament and Probate. There is so much to this will and probate, and there are so many people mentioned. Let us discover what problems could arise in the probate of an old will? (Purpose statement.)

 

I

Introduction to Richard and Sarah

 

Richard Holmes was the fourth and last child born to Francis Holmes and his unknown wife, about 1637, either in England or New England. Based on all that I have read, I lean towards New England, but I have found no primary source for that information. As an adult, Richard Holmes moved to nearby Norwalk, Connecticut, where he became the second blacksmith in the village, and earned the respect of his fellowman.

 

It is inferred that he (Mr. Holmes) was not actually the first ‘smith,’ but he must have succeeded, by only a short time, that primus artisan. Endnote: Ibid, page 102.

 

Richard and his wife, Sarah, had no children of their own, but they raised two children. One was the niece of his wife. Baby Mehitabell Warner’s mother, Elizabeth Grant Warner, died shortly after the birth of her daughter. Quote here about them going to Middleton to fetch the child. It could be in the conclusion. The other was Jonathan Stevenson, the young son of Jonathan Stevenson, Sr., a soldier who died in 1689. It appears that they loved these two children, although not equally. I believe, from this will, that they loved children in general.

 

Map which follows is from the Norwalk book. The link won’t take you directly, you have to scroll back to page 39.

 

You should be able to find Richard’s lot, but if not, ask. Lots of our ancestors’ names on that map.

 

https://books.google.ca/books?id=FulEAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA103&ots=fu_EqqLaZQ&dq=richard+holmes+norwalk&pg=PA102&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=richard%20holmes%20norwalk&f=false

 

~

 

Back to Robert and Louisa

 

Take One for the introduction from last week’s post

 

The little house that Robert built about ten years ago, on the Iowa prairie, suited their needs then, but with the addition of four children, they had outgrown it. Robert’s brothers and Louisa’s sister now lived in Brooklyn, which was a considerable drive for the family, and during the winter, it was a challenge to attend church and impossible to get the children to school. In addition to chores and anxiety over crops and markets, Robert had to preach and teach the children. Louisa complained often about the weather, and still worried when wolves howled in the night. Robert pondered the situation, and finally he and Louisa decided to sell the farm and move – west or east – they did not know. But, without a house, they had to do something. “Let us,” he proposed to his wife, “take a trip east to visit our families before we decide.” The big farmhouse that Louisa’s brother William showed them appealed to them; he signed the real estate documents, and the Ballantyne family began putting their roots down in Lincoln, Maine.

 

New: Point I - Journey

 

I – Journey

                A – Robert - Smiths Falls, Lanark, Ontario: Sarah – Petitcodiac, Westmorland, New Brunswick

                B – Madison Township, Poweshiek County, Iowa

                C – Lincoln, Penobscot, Maine

 

Things from the anonymous essay that interested me for this section. Some will need to be verified with stats:

 

·         Robert’s parents, John Ballantyne and Janet Nichol, came to Canada from Roxboroughshire, Scotland after their marriage in 1831, with two children, William and John. (We know from census records that other family members came as well.) They lived in Smiths Falls, Ontario, in a one room house with a hearth and an attic. Robert was the first child born in Canada, as well as two sisters and two younger brothers.

 

·         There is a description of Robert – light curly hair and blue eyes, and darkly tanned from outdoor living.

 

·         Robert, like his brothers, loved athletics, particularly racing and climbing. He did well in school. At fourteen years of age, he joined the Good Templar’s Lodge which he enjoyed.

 

·         He united with the Presbyterian Church when he was twenty-one.

 

·         He met Sarah Louisa Holmes when he was in his early twenties. She came from Petitcodiac, New Brunswick, to visit her sister, and Robert was smitten. (My word.) They became engaged, and she went back home and they exchanged long letters. (Did Fanny have her twin girls by then? Could this be the reason Louisa went to visit Fanny?)

 

·         Wanting to provide a home for Louisa before they married, he joined friends and brothers in Iowa at the close of the civil war. While there, he took a teaching position in a school near Brooklyn, with pupils of various ages. John joined him, and they bought land in Brooklyn, which they divided into 80 acres each. They built a small house. (Census said that R and L lived in Madison Township, a short distance from Brooklyn.)

 

·         H returned to Canada in August, and went to New Brunswick in September, where he and Louisa marred in October. They returned to Ontario for the winter, but Fanny, by then had moved with her husband to Iowa. R and L went to Iowa with R’s brother, William, in February, 1867.

 

·         There is information about their house and property and wild animals. I may include the complete essay with the genealogy; if I do this, I’ll keep that part short.

 

·         They decided that their growing family needed more room, so they sold their house and returned to their homes in Ontario and New Brunswick to visit, stopping in Lincoln, Maine, on their way. It looked promising, so to their families’ disappointment, they chose to move to Maine.

 

·         Before Robert died in Maine, he and Louisa had eight children. Some died in Maine, some stayed in Lincoln, and some moved back to Iowa and Idaho. Grandchildren spread out further, but I won’t include them in this blurb.

 

~

 

Well, folks, it is December. Time for a new header photo so I must head into photo archives. I might do several “around the table” photos. (The photo at the beginning of this chronicle was taken at the house I grew up in, so at least a decade ago.) They might not all be Christmasy, but one of my favourite things about Christmas is gathering around the table with family for the traditional Christmas dinner. We will be three this year. Last year we were four; I miss my Mum this year. I go out shopping and see things to buy her, whereas before, I had to wrack my brain to think of something to get her. I still need to shop – the shopping isn’t the problem as much as the figuring out what to buy. Is there something you do not like about Christmas?

 

I have ideas for next year! And, new books for Bub that I couldn’t resist but were much too old for him. They await in a stack in my closet.

 

How Many of You Like Maps?

 

Uncle Peg’s Chronicles

November 24, 2022

“How Many of You Like Maps?”

Number of pages in Outline Descendant Report: 136 (up from 130 last chronicle)

Number of pages in basic Descendant Report: 212 (up from 201 last chronicle)

 

Francis Holmes is # 1. I am now # 312. # 298, where I was last week, is Cathy Higgins.

Matthew Williams, Jane William’s grandson, is last at # 440, up from # 421, and his son is # ii.

#421 is now Michael A Moore.

This should change weekly, if I’m doing my job.

 

Something new in stats, just for fun:

 

I put the names of all descendants of Francis Holmes who are either in our Facebook group or on my mailing list for chronicles, in a bag. Spouses and friends are not included as they do not get numbered in the program’s default. Those who have no descendants are also not numbered, but I’ll include them with their parent’s number. I pulled out three names, and will follow them for two weeks. Next week, I’ll draw three more. This is for fun, but the three names I drew were not in my tree that I am using now. I inserted them and updated their families. Win-win exercise.

 

The three I drew are:

 

1.     Susan Holmes Holt is # 291. Susie is in the Peter line, and is married to Kevin Holt. She has two daughters, Charlotte and Lillian. Charlotte is in university, and Lillian is looking at universities now.

2.     Jeff Yee is # 354. Jeff is in the William line, and is married to Jennifer MacLean. He has three children, Kyle, Ashley, and Lauren. Kyle is just out of his teens, and the girls are in their teens.

3.   Leanne Ballantyne Gaines is #432. Leanne is in the James Ballantyne line, and is married to Jonathan Gaines. I think she has one grown daughter.

~

 

This sweet, succinct comment from Mary about last week’s chronicle: “You find out the most interesting things, Peg.” So grateful, I am.

 

~

 

Last week, I gave you a challenge. Richard English (1690 – 1748) named a book in his last will and testament. Rarely did people specify what books they owned in their will, nor were they listed in the inventories. They only said “book(s)” and/or “Bible(s).” Your challenge was to find the name of the book, the author, and for bonus kudos, approximately how many pages are in it and how much it would cost to buy it.

 

I think everyone was too busy.

 

Here's the answer: The title (short version) is "A Compleat Body of Divinity." That is what is written on the spine. Inside the book, add "in Two Hundred Fifty Expository Lectures on the Assembly's Shorter Catechism Wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion are Unfolded." The author was Samuel Willard, 1640 - 1707. The cost was cheaper than I saw earlier in the week: a sale at $1000 at Abe's Books. It has 914 pages. Not sure how many pages were in the original copies, or if the ones I quickly looked at are original. It is available to read on line, should you like a challenge.

 

~

I took the time to hone my “Where There’s a Will” for John Holmes, for the spring issue of “Generations.” I want to be done with it. It took me about two hours to do my endnotes: I need a kick in the seat of my pants for not doing it as I go. I thought I was done. But, I really need to reread and reread it. Last night I found a big faux-pas, so I worked on fixing that. Glad I spotted it, although I wonder if anyone reads it thoroughly enough to notice.

 

Next on my genealogy agenda:

Write a blurb for Robert and Louisa Ballantyne Holmes. I think the genealogy is done and ready to go to Elizabeth, but it needs. that blurb.

· 

 

Continue working on “Where There’s a Will” for Richard Holmes. I need that for the end of December for “News and Notes” (Readers Digest version) and “Generations” (longer version) for the summer edition of “Generations.”

 

·         In the evenings, continue working on the descendants of Francis Holmes, so I have something to say for myself in the stats at the header.

 

·         Compile a Christmas newsletter, with your help.

 

~

 

Robert and Louisa Blurb

 That is not the title. The title will emerge as I write.

 

I am to host a writing workshop for our genealogy group in April, 2023. I am going to base it on something I learned many years ago. It’s more for essays than books, but it never hurts to start with it. We already had a speaker talk to us about freewrites, so I will review that beforehand and have them come to the meeting prepared with their topic and their freewrite. Wonder how many will bother with that. I have decided to use Robert and Louisa as my practice for this workshop. If called upon again, I might do themes and settings and emotions etc. That, however, would be too much for one workshop.

 My blurb will be based almost entirely on the anonymous article that Elizabeth found at the Lincoln Historical Society. I wish I had such a thing for everyone in our family. As I cannot verify much of it, I will have to say as much. Although it is anonymous, it appears to be written by someone who knew the family well. Do we have anyone in this group who is in the Robert and Sarah line? Indeed, we do: Susan Stephens, who is or was recently travelling in South Africa. Also, Cindy Brignone. She is looking forward to some travel soon, I think to visit her family within the US. Please have a look at my introductory paragraph at the end.

Without further ado:

My own personal first rule of thumb, and you’ve heard me say it before, and it doesn’t apply to my chronicles (my research journal; with them, I am a pantster) is Thom’s advice:

 

“KNOW MUCH MORE THAN YOU WRITE”

 

Introduction – the hook

                Include purpose statement at the end of the introduction

 

I – Point one

II – Point two

III – Point three

 

Conclusion – refer back to the purpose statement in the introduction.

For Robert and Louisa, I am using an essay by an anonymous writer that Elizabeth sent me. She found it in the Lincoln archives. I may print it to include with the genealogy. It puts meat on the bones. The blurbs will vary for the others, depending on what information I have. Maybe.

Introduction: Choose a hook. Develop a hypothesis. Make a purpose statement. (See the almost last paragraph.)

 

I - Journey

II - Contribution

II – Legacy

Then, go to subpoints.

 

I – Journey

                A – Robert - Smiths Falls, Lanark, Ontario: Sarah – Petitcodiac, Westmorland, New Brunswick

                B – Madison Township, Poweshiek County, Iowa

                C – Lincoln, Penobscot, Maine

II – Contribution

                A – Family

                B – Community

III – Legacy

                A – Example

                B – Work ethic

                C – Wisdom

 Conclusion – based on my hook; Answer my purpose statement. How did I accomplish my goal? Did I prove or disprove my hypothesis?

 Perhaps we can best see Robert’s legacy in the lives of his children and grandchildren.

 

~

 How many of you like maps? I can't insert them in my blog, except for the pictures I took myself. Just click on the link, though, or request an email.

This is an enlarged map of Lanark County, where the Ballantyne family settled in Smiths Falls, and where Robert was born and grew up. Click on the link to see it in perspective. Too bad it seems to be on the seam.

https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:4m90fh65g

 

The next map is dated 1875, when Robert and Louisa lived in Madison Township, Iowa. It is close to the town of Brooklyn, where Robert’s cousin, James Ballantyne, and his wife, Frances Ann Holmes, lived with their family. It was still wilderness in Madison Township.

https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Aatlases_2235

“Poweshiek County is almost a square, 24 miles by 24 miles. It is broken up into 16 townships, most of which are 6 miles by 6 miles. The townships are further broken up into one-square-mile sections, numbered 1 to 36, except for the irregular townships in the southern tier. The northern 3 tiers of townships in Poweshiek county are offset west of the southernmost tier. This is because the ‘1^st line of Correction,’ established by the original surveyors to accommodate the Earth’s curvature, passes through the county along the border between the two southern tiers of townships.”

http://iagenweb.org/poweshiek/map/map.htm

Google maps. Today, you could drive from Madison Township to Brooklyn in fifteen minutes. 1870s?

Map of Lincoln, Penobscot, Maine in 1875. I see lots of familiar names, but not Holmes or Ballantyne. Robert and Louisa might not have been there yet, but by then, the William Nelson Holmes family was there. Robert and Louisa’s son, Kingsley, was born there in 1876. They all attended the Congregational Church, which you can see on the right, in blue. The link –

https://digitalmaine.com/atlas_penobscot_1875/3/

Here is a link to Penobscot County, but doesn’t give names. Look for Lincoln, in yellow. It’s about in the middle. It’s dated 1885.

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~33180~1170549:Penobscot-Co-,-Maine-;JSESSIONID=8ab476e5-2888-48c7-8552-0609f17f516c?title=Search+Results%3A+List_No+equal+to+%271537.034%27&thumbnailViewUrlKey=link.view.search.url&fullTextSearchChecked=&annotSearchChecked=&dateRangeSearchChecked=&showShareIIIFLink=true&helpUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdocumentation.lunaimaging.com%2Fdisplay%2FV75D%2FLUNA%2BViewer%23LUNAViewer-LUNAViewer&showTip=false&showTipAdvancedSearch=false&advancedSearchUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdocumentation.lunaimaging.com%2Fdisplay%2FV75D%2FSearching%23Searching-Searching

The next is a map dated 1931. Interesting facts on it: must have been printed in Sussex, NB. It was surveyed by Donald Oxley, DLS. The historical data was supplied by J E Humphreys, Esq, Petitcodiac. Scale: 1 inch = 200 paces; 25 paces = 1 chain. (Is that helpful?) I received this copy of the map after it was donated to PANB by my friend, Leslie Gogan. I accompanied her to Fredericton for the donation. The first photo shows the size of it; the second zooms in to the home of Ormand Jones, grandson of Daniel and Charlotte Holmes; he inherited it from Abner and Hattie (Holmes) Jones, who left it to their son, Ormand. It remained, to the best of my knowledge, until it was torn down to make way for the new highway. That date, I forget, but I think it was in the 90s. It is such a fun map to study.

~

“The Hook”

Obstacles:

Wolves

Anxiety over the crops and markets

Long work days

Lived far from town, church and school

Growing needs of his family

Climate too intense for Louisa

 

Overcoming these obstacles:

Sold their house – big factor in deciding what to do – go west or east?

Took a trip to visit their families: Ontario to Maine to New Brunswick

Stopover at Lincoln, Maine to visit brother William

Saw a roomy house for sale in Lincoln, Maine that they liked

 

Take One

 

The little house that Robert built about ten years ago, on the Iowa prairie, suited their needs then, but with the addition of four children, they had outgrown it. Robert’s brothers and Louisa’s sister now lived in Brooklyn, which was a considerable drive for the family, and during the winter, it was a challenge to attend church and impossible to get the children to school. In addition to chores and anxiety over crops and markets, Robert had to preach and teach the children. Louisa complained often about the weather, and still worried when wolves howled in the night. Robert pondered the situation, and finally he and Louisa decided to sell the farm and move – west or east – they did not know. But, without a house, they had to do something. “Let us,” he proposed to his wife, “take a trip east to visit our families before we decide.” The big farmhouse that Louisa’s brother William showed them appealed to them; he signed the real estate documents, and the Ballantyne family began putting their roots down in Lincoln, Maine.

The purpose statement can take many forms. It can be a hypothesis. It can be a total unknown in need of discovery. In this case, I want to show that the Robert Ballantyne family became an integral part of the community of Lincoln at the time. Hence, the cliché, “putting their roots down.” My three points will show this, and my conclusion will tie it all together. What I don’t recall at present is if there are still Ballantyne descendants in Lincoln. That will be part of the research and the conclusion as well.

~

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American cousins and friends. Count your blessings, folks. I am grateful that 40 years ago today, I gave birth to my first daughter, Erin.

 

"As Long as There is Hitlerism There is War"

 

Uncle Peg’s Chronicles

November 17, 2022

“As Long as There is Hitlerism There is War”

Number of pages in Outline Descendant Report: 130 (up from 127 last chronicle)

Number of pages in basic Descendant Report: 201 (up from 196 last chronicle)

 

Francis Holmes is # 1. I am now # 298. # 294, where I was last week, is Robert Floyd Holmes.

Matthew Williams, Jane William’s grandson, is last at # 421, up from # 417, and his son is # ii.

#417 is now Melissa Grace Wellman.

This should change weekly, if I’m doing my job.

 

News From Holmes

 

Good news to share! Daniel Lloyd MacKillop arrived on November 11. (If he’d arrived in Canada, he’d have a holiday for his birthdays – not sure about Veterans Day. Is it a holiday in the US?) Big sister, Mary, was delighted that her baby brother held her hand. Mark and Kaylyn, parents of Mary and Daniel, are smitten – you can see it in their smiles, although Daddy does look tuckered out.

 

Daniel and Mary – Mark MacKillop and Kaylyn Herrold – Raymond G MacKillop and Brenda J Miller – Raymond Lloyd MacKillop and Lillian D Shipley – James W McKillop and Arletta E R Holmes – Charles R Holmes and Phoebe J McMonagle – Daniel Holmes and Charlotte Hoyt – Samuel Holmes Jr and Phoebe Holstead.

 

 

~

 

I had a request for a copy of Mum’s essay that I posted daily for ten days leading up to Remembrance Day, on my Facebook page. For those who don’t have a Facebook, here it is. She did not date it, but presumably she wrote it in October, 1939. She was seventeen years old. My only change was the addition of a few periods (unless I made a typo). I did some googling. You might like to do that as well.

 

The First Month of the War

In the last week of August, the interest of Great Britain, Canada, and all other colonies was directed towards Poland because Hitler, the German leader, had marched some of his troops into Poland and laid claim to Danzig, an entrance to the Baltic Sea.

Great Britain and France who had made a treaty with Poland, promising to protect her in case of war, ordered Hitler to remove his troops from Poland and if they did not listen to the orders war would be declared and the orders were not heeded by Hitler. So on September 3 war was declared by Great Britain and France against Germany.

Immediately after war was declared Great Britain began mobolizing forces for the navy, army, and the air force and it was only a few days before troops were landed in France. While all this was going on in Great Britain, parliament was held in Canada, which was made possible by the Statutes of Westminster passed in 19  , and they decided to give what aid would serve best for the cause. The house voted $100,000,000 for the war. [Date was 1931.]

On Thursday, September 7, another cession of parliament met and on the following Sunday, war was declared by Canada. War had been declared by Australia, New Zealand and the other colonies a few days before. Canada also began to mobolize troops for army, navy and air force. The Government had decided to send one army division of 20,000 men and to recruit another division.

Meanwhile, several cities had been bombed in Poland, the women and children were rushed out to other countries and the Germans made an advance of about fifty or sixty miles in Poland. The British troops had not yet reached Germany.

Over the week end the troops arrived in France and several million pamphlets were dropped in Germany. Many millions of dollars were lost in the sinking of ships both the enemy and the Allies. Up to this time the British lost sixteen ships and the French one. It was not long until the sinking of the ‘Athenia’ took place. This was a passanger ship and several Canadians were on board. Out of the number that was on board 128 were reported dead or missing and 200 wounded or ill. Also Westerplatte the Polish munitions station had fallen after six days of assault. Hitler now hints that peace be made after he has taken Poland. [Date of sinking of the ‘Athenia:’ September 3, 1939.]

The next very important step taken in the war was the entrance of Russia into the war on the side of the Germans. Russia, a few days before the war had made a peace pact with Germany and she now began to mobolize troops and these were slowly moving into Poland.

Poland was soon to fall, not only because of the entrance of Russia into the war but because of the badly equipped armies which she had but she did not yet give up the struggle. Anglo-French forces were moving slowly but steadily against the German Westwall which is a system of fortifications extending from the Swiss to the Belgian boundaries. Also the ‘Courageous’ another British vessel was sunk by an enemy submarine. There were 1260 on board and 578 were reported missing. [Date of sinking of the ‘Courageous:’ September 17, 1939.]

Poland now could stand no more, she was portioned by Germany and Russia. But the spirit with which she fought tells us that she will rise again and form a strong nation.

Hitler has now reached his aim but the peace treaty which Hitler expected to follow the fall of Poland did not take place. The allies have decided that as long as there is Hitlerism there is war.

~

I took my computer into the shop for it’s annual cleaning, tune-up, and anti-virus vaccine this week, and it just happened to be on my best writing day. I don’t have WORD on my tablet, so my journal time was limited. So, I am giving you a little assignment, just for fun. Who will be brave? Sorry, I can't insert a snippit: if you want to see it, request an email.

https://www.ancestry.ca/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007627149_00274?pId=316379

Richard English’s descendants fit into our family tree twice. Two young ladies married into our family.

I recall reading, I know not where, that the early colonists who owned a book or books did not list the names of their books in their wills. They just said they had a book or books and a Bible or Bibles. I have found that to be so. This will of Richard English was written in 1748; he left a specific book to his son, John. He gave the title of his book and a hint as to the author of said book. See the above paragraph, near the end.

Who can find the name of the book, the author, and for bonus kudos, approximately how many pages are in it and how much it would cost to buy it. Hint: try Abe Books for the cost. Second hint: I can’t afford it. Well, I could if I really really really wanted it, but I have my doubts if I’d be able to slog through it, so I don’t particularly want it.

I may choose Richard English’s will for “Where There’s A Will.” I’d like to follow up his descendants with a hypothesis and a question. I have a feeling that Richard English was an educated man. This, in colonial speak, means he was literate, perhaps well enough to be a clergyman, teacher, town clerk, attorney, doctor, etc. He may have studied in England, or Harvard – some place like that. If he was educated, he’d have studied the classics, perhaps several languages, the Bible, or healing. I don’t know this for sure. He did pass his husbandry tools to his son, so he could have been a farmer with a love of books. He did sign his name. If I can find his inventory, I might get a better idea. If I am correct in my assumption, did he pass this learning down to future generations?

I happen to believe that his descendant, Maud Marion English, was brought up in a genteel home, and probably was taught whatever it was that young ladies were taught in her day: piano, reading, languages, deportment, needlework, care of a household, etc. Why in the world, then, did she choose to marry H. Fenwick Holmes, son of Daniel and Charlotte: the black sheep. Maybe she saw something in him – adventure, charm, defiance - who knows what – that appealed to her. Perhaps he didn’t show his true colours until later. Perhaps he didn’t become an alcoholic until later. I’d love to know.

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If I choose this will, I have some work to do. But, I already have enough to do for now, so I’ll tuck the thought into the back of my mind for later.

That’s it for this week, folks. The only other thing I’ve been up to, besides looking up endnotes, meal preparation, sticking pins into a doily, vacuuming up Piper and Simon, and raking leaves, is that blastid book, which continually plays tricks on me. I’ll get it done, but not without losing some hair.