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

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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.