September 5, 2024
“By the Light of the Moon”
“These
were their settlements. And they kept good family records.”
Don’t
forget to look for the title which is embedded in the chronicle.
FAMILY ALBUM
GRATITUDE
I forgot to add this in the chronicle of two weeks ago –
just the title. Oops!
Had emails from Phyllis D, Janet N, Jolynda H, Byron H,
Marvin D, and Julia N. Thanks, all. Byron gave me a little lesson, which I will
share with you because I know you need to know this just as much as I did.
Always look forward to opening an email from Byron Holmes or Trace Holmes, as
they know the most interesting stuff.
Byron: “Peg, The deed you included in the Chronicle
reminded me of many old deeds I have seen here in the states. When doing deed
research for engineering purposes, deeds often stated measurements in links,
rods, and chains. A link was based on the link of a chain and is 7.92 inches
(20.1168 cm), rods are 16.5 feet, or 25 links, and a chain is 66 feet, or 100
links. Then we would have to convert to hundredths of a foot for modern survey
purposes. It could be a pain, but was often necessary in order to prove current
ownership. Byron.”
|
Peg: “Do you know if it was a British unit of
measurement? I see it often in old deeds here as well. I see them in grants
also. Around Corn Hill, close to where my grandparents lived, the original
grants were dated in the mid to late 1860s. After the arrival of the
Loyalists, but still a lot of Loyalist influence.” Byron: “It is an English unit of measurement and was
required for use when laying out townships in the U.S., and I assume also in
Canada. It was used for all land layouts until the imperial system was
developed in the 1880s.” |
SUMMER BREAK
Well, summer
break is over. I am so busy that I have decided to write my Chronicles
bi-weekly. Managing the NBGS group keeps me occupied, but I find it rewarding.
I’ve also been frantically completing and revising my article about Daniel for
“Generations.” Have it knocked down from 70+ pages to 25. Hurts to cut that
much. I have a deadline: the first of November. I sent a copy off to the editor
to see if he likes it. Haven’t heard back yet – hope that’s a good sign. He’s a
man of few words. I will include an excerpt in the History Lesson.
MY GENEALOGY GOALS
- Chronicle
several times, and publish on Thursday morning.
- Keep
writing my next article for Generations, which is about the will of
Daniel Holmes.
- Spend
a bit of time on Moore family research: “Three Peas in a Moore Pod.”
- In
the evening, after chores are done, edit the Daniel and Charlotte family
genealogy.
- Index
old newspapers for NBGS.
- Manage
the NBGS Social Media Facebook page.
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
I‘ve had to think hard for inspiration
for this paragraph, this week. Perhaps it’s because I’m not researching and
writing, but working on facts and figures in the form of endnotes. That
involves going back and forth on my messy manuscript, making sure the link is
appropriate to the writing, making sure the endnote is standard, and arguing
with Ms. WORD (and arguing with a default is a lost cause, unless you can
determine the cause). I finally won, this battle, anyway. And, who reads
endnotes or footnotes anyway, besides me. (They are valuable to researchers and
obligatory to their sources.) One
lesson I think I finally have down pat is to keep track of my sources. This
came as I re-researched many items, due to the fact that I couldn’t remember
where I found them. My mother told me many times, “write it down. You will
forget.” She was right, you know. Her memoirs amaze me. I can’t remember half
of the details of my younger life like she did. I forget lots of things my
daughters did. Back
in September, 1924, the Holmes reunion attendees had returned to their homes.
Plans were underway for another gathering the next summer, but some of them
couldn’t travel that far every year. I suppose the memories and a few
photographs kept them smiling, but they were back to their daily routines.
Maybe only a few of them kept the enthusiasm alive by writing letters. That’s
just the way life is. The good times, the bad times, the routines, soon become
endnotes. The enthusiasms and sorrows meld into new events, and the past
becomes less important and intense.
CONDOLENCES
This notice is late as it went to my
other email address which I do not check often enough.
Eleanor (Holmes) Wilson shared with me
that her mother passed peacefully away on July 14th. Mary Sultzer
Holmes was almost ninety-seven. She was the widow of Julian Holmes of the Peter
K Holmes line, and had two daughters, Eleanor and Janet. Eleanor shared this
photograph, which I love because there are people from both the Peter and the
Charles R lines.
Back row left to right: Tom and Karen
Sultzer, Mom's nephew and his wife, my husband Kennon, me, Phillip
Anklesaria, Jeff and his girlfriend my niece Kristy Griffith.
Middle row: Hoshi Anklesaria, Mary Holmes, Celia
Anklesaria
Bottom row: Janet Griffith, Victoria Griffith, Gerry
Griffith with dog Rudy
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE . . .
I know some of you are travelling, but didn’t do my usual thing of copying and pasting in the upcoming chronicle. Marvin Davis, you and Kyong must be back from your week-long Alaskan cruise. Do you have a photo of yourselves in that magnificent part of the world that I could share, Marvin? Kirk and Susan Stephens went to Easter Island. She says, “Easter Island is everything I imagined and so much more. It is considered the most remote inhabited Island in the world and is unique in so many ways. What a pleasure to be here!” I put their photo in the family album. Marvin is of the Francis (Holmes) Ballantyne line, and Susan from the Louisa (Holmes) Ballantyne line.
Amy and her mother, Mary Davis, are not too far from home but Mary is having a special occasion, celebrating her 60th graduation class reunion. Her she is, sitting beside (I assume) two school chums. From the photos, it appears that many Maine lobstas made the sacrifice. Good times. Amy and Mary are of the William Holmes line.
MUM’S MEMOIRS
Another question about cars etc. Don’t
remember when Dad had his first car. I know he had one when Mum was in hospital
in 1933. Some of the relatives in U.S. (I imagine Mac) brought a car & left
it for him. It was small one seat and a trunk. He brought some folks down to
see Mum – Bryce & I were in the trunk. On the home the lights went out
& Dad drove home by the light of the moon – No traffic then! He also had a motor cycle.
Think it had belonged to Eddie Underhill. One day he was taking Whitfield
Bishop to Elgin on the back or the motorcycle & he was talking to him over
his shoulder but Whit didn’t reply. Dad looked behind but no Whit. He had fallen
off – Dad went back picked him up & they went on their way. Dad didn’t have
a new vehicle until after war – Bob was living at home. One day he was going to
town & had Dan Blakeney with him – he smoked a pipe. He took his match and
scraped it across the dash, made a bad scratch! Dad wasn’t happy. He Dan was a man
who swore all the time. Bobby was just small. One day he was down to Dan’s
(neighbor) and he asked him why he said “Bad Words” all the time. Dan spoke to
Dad about it. Guess he thought Dad should correct him but Dad just said Bob was
right in asking.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
I’m not sure if
I included this excerpt of my Daniel Holmes article earlier, but if I did, it
has certainly changed with the revision. It is endnoted in the article.
STORY 3 -
Abandoned
“They
abandoned Daniel as a baby.” I pictured the proverbial crying infant, note
pinned to his blanket, in a basket on a doorstep. It wasn’t quite like that.
Daniel’s mother, Phoebe Holsted Holmes, was dead, and his father, Samuel
Holmes, had married Betty, daughter of Peter McElman of
Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. Samuel and Betty eventually set out for New
York state, leaving Daniel and his sibling with his maternal grandparents,
Samuel and Elizabeth Holsted, in Amherst, Nova Scotia. His sibling died. Daniel
spent his childhood in his grandparents’ home, receiving an education along
with his uncles and aunts, some of whom were not much older than him. When he
was eleven, his widowed and recently remarried grandfather died. Although
Daniel’s Holsted grandfather died intestate, the estate left some financial
provision for him in the form of land. In his late teens, he went to New
Brunswick, operated a sawmill along the Holmes Brook, and lived in a home on
the Post Road in Petitcodiac for the rest of his days. His wife, Charlotte Hoyt
of Portage Vale, shared their home and filled it with children. ~
Peggy Vasseur
“To Alfred E. Oulton, Esquire, Judge of
Probate for the County of Westmorland and Province of New Brunswick
The petition of Charles R.
Holmes of Salisbury, in the said County, Farmer, and of Abner Jones of the same
place, Farmer, Humbly Sheweth That
Daniel Holmes late of the Parish of Salisbury in the County aforesaid, farmer,
departed this life on or about the twenty third day of March last past at the
Parish of Salisbury aforesaid, having first duly made and executed his last
will and testament in true form of law, bearing date the Eighth day of February
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Eighty three, and
thereby appointed your petitioners the Executors thereof. That immediately
before the time of his death the said Daniel Holmes was an inhabitant of the
said County of Westmorland and that he died seized or otherwise entitled unto
personal estate to the value of three thousand dollars. Your
petitioners therefore humbly pray that they may be admitted to prove the said
last will and testament, and that letters testamentary may be granted thereof
to them in due form of law, and so, in duty bound will ever pray.”
Family
lore generally has a ring of truth to it, but it does need verification. I felt
that the claim that Daniel was abandoned as a child was important enough to
check into the facts behind the lore. According
to the 1830 and 1840 censuses of Brownville, Jefferson County, New York, Samuel
Holmes lived there with his wife and six children. Only the main householder’s
name was given on these records. By 1850[i], a Samuel of the same age was in
Cattaraugus County, New York, with a different wife and another child, born c.
1844. This did not confirm my theory. To make sure this Samuel Holmes was my
ancestor, I had to compare with other records and documents. I needed the two old
letters written by Samuel Jr. and Betty (McElman) Holmes to her parents, Peter
and Margaret McElman, c. 1838. Fenwicke Holmes obtained transcribed copies of
these letters, and without them, I would be hard pressed to prove that Samuel
went to New York. They verify that Samuel and Betty lived in Brownville. The
top of the first letter is missing, and some words were illegible to the
transcriber.
“To Mr. Peter McElman
Town of Amh – at County of Cumberland
Province of Nova Scotia
. . . I will . . . give you . . . history of our Situation we
Live in the town of Brownville the County of Jefferson and State of New York we
have 6 children their names is James & Ann & Benjamin McElman &
Betsy Marinda & Margret Mariah & Lyman White we are in tolerable good
Circumstances . . . “ The
second letter is addressed to Peter and Margaret McElman. “ . . .
We want you after reading this Letter to send it to my Mother and all
the Brothers & Sisters on both sides as it would be difficult to write
Separate Letters to Each we want you to write and let us know how all do if
living and where if any have removed. We do want to know how my two children do
and where they live if living . . .” Samuel
Holmes and Betty Holmes”
The six children, half-siblings of
Daniel and his unknown sibling, are listed in the order that matches the ages
of the children on the Brownville census of 1840. The letters imply that
Daniel’s father and step-mother never took the time before Daniel was grown to
inquire into their well-being. Samuel left them with his in-laws, but my early
take on it that they were left on a stoop was incorrect. In spite
of the circumstances, it appears to me that Daniel had a good upbringing. In a land petition by Samuel Holsted dated 16th
March, 1815, Charles Baker, Justice of the Peace, gave a character reference
for Samuel Holstead. “I do certify that the above Petitioner is a neighbour of
mine that I have been long acquainted with him that he is an industrious
peacable man . . .” Another
lengthy petition by Samuel Holsted followed, and I only include excerpts that
pertain to Holsted’s life following the war and Daniel’s situation in his early
life. “. . . Your Petitioner is one of
the American Loyalists who came to this Province at the close of the
Revolutionary War in America, and since then has resided herein . . . has a
Wife and thirteen children. Had to encounter on settleing many hardships and
difficulties not known or experienced at this day – but by the blessings of
Providence has made himself and family by hard Labour and industry comfortable
. . . one Samuel Holmes of the Township of Amherst having married a daughter of
your Petitioner, and not having land suitable to settle on, it was agreed that
the said Samuel Holmes the Son in Law of your Petitioner should lay out the
said quantity of Land specified in said order at Bay Vert, which was
accordingly done . . . The daughter of your Petitioner and the wife of the said
Holmes, having deceased leaving two children, and Holmes the Father moving out
of the Country leaving no support for his Children; at your Petitioners charge
have they been supported, and lately one of the children departed this life,
and the other is with your Petitioner to be brought up and supported, without
any means of the said Holmes left for that purpose . . . Personally
appeared Samuel Holsted the within Petitioner and made oath to the foregoing
facts. before Charles
Baker J.P.
11th Feby 1820 We the undersigned Magistrates
for the County of Cumberland Certify that we are well acquainted with Mr.
Samuel Holsted the within Petitioner, and know him to be an Industrious and
respectable Farmer of said county; and we firmly believe the facts stated in
the forgoing Petition to be true . . . Charles Baker J.
P. Wm. White J. P. Henry
Purdy J. P.”
I located
Samuel Holsted’s record of his marriage to Elizabeth Wright on March 18, 1824,
at the Anglican Church Records, located in the New Brunswick Genealogical
Society website. Samuel
died intestate c. 1824. His probate record was dated March of 1827. Land in Amherst, Nova Scotia, was left to Daniel and
his uncles and aunts by the estate of Samuel Holsted. A
page of probate devoted to the financial guardianship conditions for Daniel
Holmes and his minor uncles states that Daniel was financially cared for. “ . . .
the care of them is committed to William Baker Esquire above named.” Charles,
Samuel, Hannah and Matthew Holsted, Daniel’s uncles and aunts, settled in New
Brunswick, as did Daniel. Daniel sold the land that he had inherited from
Grandfather Holsted to William Humphrey of
Maccan, Nova Scotia on August 23, 1834. The indenture mentions that he was
intitled to the tracts of land as one of the heirs of “his late honoured Grand
Father – Samuel Holsted deceased.” The probate
excerpt verifies that Daniel made his home in the parish of Salisbury,
Westmorland County.
This ends
week thirty-eight of our centennial virtual celebration.
[i]
Ancestry. “1850 U.S. Federal Census of Cattaraugus County, New York.” Accessed
September.
https://www.ancestry.ca/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4196768-00312?pId=11338382
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