Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
January 18, 2024
“Pa Often Took a Shotgun”
“These were their settlements. And they kept good family records.”[1]
Don’t
forget to look for the title which is embedded in the chronicle.
95 Happy Birthday wishes to Elsa Ballantyne!
Elsa is in our Louisa Ballantyne line and to
my knowledge, is our matriarch. Here she is, celebrating with her daughter,
Cynthia (Ballantyne), and son-in-law, Joe Brignone.
1924 – 2024 CENTENNIAL WEEK THREE
Some old secrets can be told and some are better kept. Mum knew Ormand
and Jennie (Snider) Jones. Ormond was 52 when Mum was born. Their firstborn
son, Fred, was about my grandfather Floyd’s age. Occasionally, Mum visited the
homestead of her great-grandparents, which had passed into the hands of Ormond
and Jennie, and then their three children. I was suspicious of their secret;
now, I know.
This puts time into perspective, to me. By the way, Jennie loved to
talk. Mum told me that. I’m just puzzled by this secret, but records and math
don’t lie.
FAMILY ALBUM
This photo made
me smile this week. The Booth family, of Virginia, have more snow than we do.
Mind you, ours has frozen so we couldn’t make a “snow mam” anyway. That’s what
the baby of the Booth family called it. This is another nephew, James, his
wife, Caroline, and their four littles. Pat’s family – Charles R Holmes line
GRATITUDE
Your comments keep me motivated. I also appreciate when you are specific. This is an excerpt from an email I received from my first cousin, Brenda. Peg, First I have to thank you for all the love and passion you put into your research. I do love it, and have (most of the time) trouble keeping up and find I simply download your newsletters to be read later and next thing I know a month has gone by! . . .
I
like the new "newspaper clippings" section you have. I have a
scrapbook of Mom's and hope to add to your collection Again, need to dig out of
storage--that's on my list for next week.
MY GENEALOGY GOALS
- Chronicle
several times, and publish on Thursday morning.
- Keep
writing my next article for Generations, which is about the will of
William Lotham. Francis Holmes is mentioned in his inventory both as owing
money and being owed money.
- Spend
a bit of time on Moore family research: “Three Peas in a Moore Pod.”
- In
the evening, after chores are done,
edit the Abner and Hattie (Holmes) Jones family (second child of Daniel and Charlotte)the same way I did the Louisa, William and Carrie lines. No rush on that. - Index
old newspapers for NBGS.
- Index
Riverbank Visitors for NBGS. Put old newspapers on hold while I do this.
- Do 52
Ancestors in 52 Weeks blurb.
Worked a bit
on the “Three Peas,” quite a bit on Lotham, a few pages of Riverbank Visitors,
and my blurb. Abner and Hattie are almost done the second revision – I’m
working on a third revision for Robert and Louisa now in the evenings.
For those of
you who enjoy editing, I am including my introduction to my essay about Lotham
and section one, about Francis Holmes. If you feel inclined, please take your
red pen to it.
Where
There’s a Will: William Lotham
Peggy
Vasseur
C. 1600 – 1645
“My boat,
you need to go to my boat at the Waterside. Don’t forget.” William Wells
squeezed his hand and assured him that they would tend to his boat, and William
Lotham relaxed. “It will not be long now. I feel
it. My boat should take care of my debts and leave enough for an inheritance.”
“The location of the river towns was not due to any
haphazard choice on the part of those who migrated to Connecticut, for the
river was excellently adapted for trade, having few rapids and abounding in
fish, with tributaries of considerable size that made inland connections by
canoes and small boats worth while. Its main channel was deep enough to admit
the passage of boats of seagoing dimensions . . . The Dutch had the first
choice of land and they selected the point at the mouth of the Little River (Hartford)
as a safe place to fortify, within reasonable distance of the Sound and near
the inland waterways. Here they found fields already cleared by the Indians,
and between these fields and the (Talcott) mountains behind was a heavily
wooded region supplying plenty of timber for building purposes.”[i]
William Lotham is
not my ancestor, and I cannot locate much information about him. As far as I
can see, he left no family, unless Latham was a relation. He bequeathed his
estate to his executors, John Clarke and John Ogden. Why, then, did I select
William Lotham as a subject for my series of articles about wills? I believed
his probate might provide a clue to the whereabouts of my immigrant ancestor,
Francis Holmes, prior to 1648. Applying the fan method of genealogical research
to Lotham’s scanty records, I hoped to locate the residence of Frances Holmes
in 1645.
Francis Holmes
Much of what I
have found on the internet about my immigrant ancestor, Francis Holmes, does
not make sense and/or is not sourced. Although there are online records of
several men by that name in England, I am not satisfied that any of them apply
to my ancestor. I have not found him and his family on passenger lists or in
the early cities and towns of New England, although people indicate that he
lived in Wethersfield (Geni[ii]
and WikiTree,[iii]
for example) without sources. I have not located any part of his journey from
England to the American colonies to Stamford, Connecticut. Find a Grave gives
birth details that are putative.[iv] It is commonly stated that that there is no
mention on the internet of Francis Holmes of Stamford before 1648, when he
appears in the Stamford town records. We know from court and probate records
that Holmes lived some of his life and died in Stamford, Connecticut, but he
did not appear in the original lists of early settlers of that new town in the
early 1640s. I have found no
details whatsoever about his first wife. Robert
Penoyer assaulted Holmes during his night watchman duties in 1648. “December 3rd, 1648. Robert Penoyer was
complained against for misdemeanor, first, that on the last day of the week
within night the 30th November 1648, the said Robert, being overcome
with wine, in so much as did most [worn] himself and abused the watchman, both
in words and blows, as is witnessed by Francis Holmes and appeared upon Francis
Holmes, his face, and Francis Bell see the wound, and also the said Robert doth
acknowledge the same. Sentence: that the said Robert is fined to Francis
Holmes, twenty shillings, and to the town, twenty shillings, to be paid within
eight days and that the said Robert stands bound to his good behavior for one
whole year, in the sum of ten pounds forfeiture.”[v] In 1645, William Lotham died. I
believe I have located an earlier reference to Francis Holmes in the probate of
William Lotham. Although it was only three years earlier, it is a step
backwards in his timeline. I have not located any other Francis Holmes in New
England in this time frame, which is important to my hypothesis. References
were made to Francis Holmes in the transcription of William Lotham’s will.
Under debts owed to Lotham: “Ite[m]: fro[m] Frances Homes 36 pownd of Iron.”
Unlike the other men in the list, no value was given for Holmes’ debt. Under
debts owed by Lotham: “To Frances Homes 6 shillings.” Under Particulars of his
Goods: “500 of Iron, part att Frances Homes, part att Mr. Tappings, the rest in
a grapnel lying att the Waterside.” [vi]
What relationship was there between Holmes and Lotham? I do not think they were
family, but they could have been friends, associates, and/or neighbours. Unless
the document was illegible at that spot, and there is nothing to indicate that,
why would Lotham have forgiven his debt to Holmes unless he was a friend? As
there were records of debts owed to and by Lotham, I assume there was a
business relationship between Lotham and most of the men mentioned in the
probate. Perhaps he kept a ledger. Lotham stored iron at the homes of both
Holmes and Tappings, as well as at the waterside. I feel that Lotham may have
lived on his boat.
LOOKING BEHIND AND AHEAD
1924 to
1928
Those are the
years that our great or great-great grandparents 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
Uncovering family
secrets, and deciding what to do with them, is my topic around the table this
week. People have different opinions on this. After blurting out one secret and
causing a major family kerfuffle, I am much more careful with what I share from
someone’s closet. I learn as I go. I try not to tell secrets when
someone would be bothered by them. Mum, who knew Ormond and Jenny, would have
been shocked, but in her wisdom of age and forgetfulness, I think it would have
passed quickly enough. Shotgun weddings,
whether literal or figurative, are no longer necessary. But they certainly were
in the past. I don’t think it was necessary in this case, as the groom gave his
three-month pregnant wife-to-be an expensive wedding gift. But, at some time in
the Snider household, she had to tell her Mama. Did she tell her before or
after the wedding? Or, did she have to tell her? Mama’s have a sixth sense
about things like this. If I was to sit down
at the Snider table, I’d ask Susan how she felt about this, and why she
encouraged her daughter to wear white to a well-attended wedding. If she was
anything like her daughter and granddaughter, she’d have no problem discussing
the situation with me. And by this time, her love of her grandson, Fred, would
have overcome the challenges and obstacles of the past.
52
ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a
challenge by Amy Johnson Crow to write about ancestors or other people who
interest us, using a weekly prompt. This week’s topic is favourite photos. I
have so many. It’s a bit lighter than last week’s blurb, but still sad.
Margaret
and her Great Aunt Bessie
Charlotte
Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ (Holmes) Kinnear
1854
-1878
Mum
didn’t hesitate to get down on her knees. On her knees, she prayed for her
children and grandchildren, and others. On her knees, she scrubbed floors.
Gifted long-handled mops went unnoticed. When the occasion called for it, she’d
get down to read an epitaph. She’s just so cute.
Mum
passed away almost two years ago. Time goes by so quickly; it seems like
yesterday. I don’t suppose this is my favourite photo of all time. It’s the
photo that came up when I went looking, and my favourite photo of the week. She
really did have a spark of fun in her. I am discovering more of it as I write
her memoirs. I’m not sure when I took this, but I’ll say c. 2008.
What is she looking at, so intently, down on her knees. That is the broken headstone of her great-aunt, Charlotte Elizabeth (Holmes) Kinnear – better known to us as Bessie. She was trying to read the epitaph, I’d say. I couldn’t read it either. But Google knew, at the time, but I don’t find it now. I found her name on the missing headstone top in Cemeteries of Westmorland County, Salisbury Parish, page 98, noted: “From a previous transcription. HOLMES, Bessie. Died July 29, 1878, aged 24 years. Daughter of Daniel Holmes.” I can find her baptism and marriage information in the Anglican Church Register archives. About the six weeks between her marriage to Elias Kinnear and her death, I know nothing.
For, you
see, Bessie did marry Elias. Why wasn’t Kinnear on her headstone, instead of
Holmes? Did Elias marry her, knowing she was sick and would die shortly? Had
her father ordered the stone earlier, in anticipation? Or, did her death come
as a surprise? I have chinked at her cause of death brick wall in vain.
What is
genealogy, but a question upon a question upon a question, like a Russian
nesting doll inside a doll inside a doll. Find an answer, and you are sure to
find another question.
“She
sleeps in Jesus and is blest,
How sweet
her slumbers are,
From
trouble and from sin released,
And freed
from every care.”
THIS WEEK’S
CLIPPINGS FROM NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Fred (sic) Ormond Jones
on the arrival of a welcome visitor. It is a boy.
Error: Should
read Mr. and Mrs. Ormond Jones on the arrival of their boy, Fred.
Well.
I know it’s not so important to people nowadays, but back in the old days, Pa often
took a shotgun to the man who got his unmarried daughter in the family way. I
googled it; it was a thing, although it might be figurative or literal.
Jennie’s Pa, as we read last week, was deceased. But, Uncle Billy lived next
door, and he was still quite alive and lively. It
is important to me, if I’m going to share information, to make sure it is
correct, and decide if I want to tell it at all. Go to the history lesson to
see how I verified this event. But, do I want to tell you? Yes, I do. Ormond and Jennie had four
children; one died in infancy. The other three, Fred, Al, and Helen, did not
marry; did not leave children (as far as I know). The other is, the information
is public. Any one of you can find it if you want to. I
found the information about the birth of Fred in the Progress newspaper
dated November 3, 1894. His parents married on May 16, 1894. That puts Jennie
about four months pregnant at the time of her marriage, if she went full term. Did
she hide this? I wonder, because she had a wedding ceremony attended by friends
and family. They didn’t generally have weddings like this if the bride was
pregnant. The fact was generally hidden, if possible. Jennie wore white to her
public wedding. They danced into the wee sma’ hours afterward. She might not
have worn one of those dresses I showed you last week, though. I don’t think Uncle Billy, since
Pa was in his grave, needed to use a shotgun. After all, Jennie’s betrothed,
Ormond, gave her a $20 gold piece. He must have been smitten for her.
OUR FAMILY
HISTORY LESSON
You want to
make sure you tell the truth if you share these controversial details about
your ancestors. “Why controversial?” you may ask. Moral standards were
different in the past, although it happened more than you might think. Not only
the moral aspect had to be considered; so too did the upbringing of the child.
Single mothers generally had no occupation to support themselves, let alone a
child. And her parents could have already had a houseful of children. It was a
conundrum. Janet
Minella Nolte is still seeking the identity of her grandfather. Ormond Jones’
first cousin, Ella May Holmes, was about twenty-two when she gave birth to
Lillian, Janet’s mother. Father unknown. Ella married Carl Felt Underhill, who
adopted Lil and was a wonderful father to her. Janet and her children would
just like to know, and I think, nowadays, that’s how most of us feel. My mother
didn’t know. I think her cousin did – but she was not telling, no siree. It was
not to be talked about – not even in the 70s. I have scoured Janet’s sparce DNA
matches and I’m still scratching my head. I
remember wondering about this when I wrote A Homestead on the Old Post Road.
I wondered, because the only source I had at the time was Fred’s birth record,
which was actually a “Late Registration of Birth.”[2] There was
no birth or baptism record that I have found so far in government or Anglican
Church Records. Late registrations of birth were necessary in order to obtain a
government pension. Jennie made the declaration for Fred, which is rather
ambiguous if you look at the date. Was he born on the 15th or the 23rd?
Was he born in 1894 or 1895? I made the decision to use 1895 when I wrote my
history in 2014, because I was not sure. However, I checked and rechecked the
date of that odd newspaper notice of birth, and it was definitely published in
1894. Let’s
just say, either Jennie and Ormond kept her pregnancy a secret until after the
wedding, or their families weren’t overly upset about it. The young couple
married on May 16th, 1894,[3] in Portage
Vale, Kings County, New Brunswick. Their son, Fred Harold Jones, was born in
October, 1894. The newspaper
The same article
has the story of a dance given by Miss Bertie Davidson of Apple Hill, in
Portage Vale.[4] People
came quite a distance to attend the ball. I wonder if any matches were made. Note
that Mr. and Mrs. Ormond Jones were not invited, probably as they had a newborn
baby.
Next
week, I leave Uncle Billy and Aunt Maggie behind. Since I’ve been talking about
Ormond and Jennie Jones, I’ll conclude their story.
If my
Portage Vale connections wish to continue receiving my chronicles, let me know.
ANAGANCE
Oct. 30 – There was a large
dance given by Miss Bertie Davidson at the residence of her mother, “Apple
Hill,” on Wednesday evening of last week at which some fifty guests were
present. The parlors were tastefully and prettily decorated with autumn leaves
and potted plants and the two rooms used for dancing were beautifully groomed
and brilliantly lighted. Among the many handsome dresses worn by the ladies the
following are especially worthy of mention:
Miss Davidson
received in black with pale blue.
Mrs. Hal Huestis, a
very pretty fawn dress with velvet trimmings.
Mrs. George Davidson,
green dress with velvet and cream maire trimmings.
Mrs. Dell Seely,
Havelock, black watered silk.
Miss Violet Macrae,
St. John, a very handsome grey cloth with velvet.
Miss Belle Stockton,
St. John, black skirt pink waist.
Miss Aggie Merriam,
St. Paul, a dainty frock of white spotted muslin with pale blue ribbon.
Miss Emma Marks,
Moncton, black skirt, white waist.
Miss Allie Trites,
black skirt, pink silk waist.
Miss Annie Webster
looked very nice in black lace with pale blue trimmings.
Miss Minnie Price,
black silk and lace.
Miss Annie Smith,
black skirt, white waist.
Miss Lulu McMurray
cream cashmere with crimson plush.
Miss Birdie Blakney,
black skirt, pink silk waist.
Miss Lena Keith,
black and white striped silk.
Miss Mary Emmerson
looked sweet in black velvet with mauve silk.
Miss Lily Mills,
Sussex, looked charming in drab silk.
Miss Queen Mills,
Sussex, black cashmere and jet.
About midnight supper
was served in the spacious dining room.
The invited were as follows: - Mr. and Mrs. Hal Huestis, Mr. and Mrs. Dell Seely, Mr. and Mrs. Claude Price, Mr. and Mrs. George Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Davidson, Mrs. Mary Lawrence, Misses Allie Trites, Emma Marks, Aggie Merriam, Birdie Blakney, Annie Webster, Minnie Price, Lena Keith, Belle Stockton, Annie Smith, Mary Emmerson, Violet Macrae, L. McMurray, Lillie and Queen Mills, Messrs. Dr. Flemming, David and Harry Smith, Chip Keith, B. Lester, B. Dimmock, A.H. Robinson, Keith, Ross, Keith, Cliff Price, Heber S. Keith, Price, J.H. Davidson and George Harris, (Moncton). Mr. Chapman of Sussex, furnished the music which was excellent. Dancing was indulged in until a late hour.
This ends week three of our centennial virtual celebration.
The following are endnotes
for the Lotham article.
[1] Progress (Saint
John, NB:1888) 1894 – 11 – 03 – Page 7.
https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/155/issues/22780/pages/166400?highlight=%22Ormond%20Jones%22
[2] Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/VISSE/141A1b.aspx?culture=en-CA&guid=a4da1330-fc0e-4a6f-8339-dd288fd96a04
[3] Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/VISSE/141B7.aspx?culture=en-CA&guid=8a8f3e37-582e-475b-abb2-6da34abf7c2e
[4] Progress (Saint John, NB:1888) 1894 – 11 – 03 – Page 7. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/155/issues/22780/pages/166400?highlight=%22Ormond%20Jones%22
[i]
Deming, Dorothy. The Settlement of the Connecticut Towns. Committee On
Historical Publications VI; published for the Tercentenary Commission of the
State of Connecticut. 1933; reprinted 1959. Pages 10, 11.
https://ctda-public1.lib.uconn.edu/islandora/object/30002%3A21929688#page/1/mode/2up
[ii]
Geni. Managed by private user. Francis Holmes, of Stamford.
https://www.geni.com/people/Francis-Holmes-of-Stamford/6000000001940452628
[iii]
Wikitree. Profile managers S. Wilson and Sandy Culver. Francis Holmes (abt.
1600 – bef. 1675).
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holmes-1285
[iv]
U.S., Find a Grave Memorial ID #126230366.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126230366/francis-holmes
[v] FamilySearch. Town of Stamford Register of Deeds, Volume 1: 1630
- 1806. Image 162. Accessed December 28, 2023.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3N-SWR6?i=161
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