November 14, 2024
“To Plant an Orchard”
“These
were their settlements. And they kept good family records.”
Don’t
forget to look for the title which is embedded in the chronicle.
GRATITUDE
Thanks to Cliff, Jane, Jeanni, Julia, and Marvin. And, you
Nolte sibs made my day. I hope I don’t disappoint.
FAMILY ALBUM
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 received another
envelope from the provincial archives: the petition of Captain Isaac Ketchum et
al of Portage Vale, the grant, and the grant map. I can barely read it with a
magnifying glass. I did crop it and scan it and it is a bit better, but it is
going to be a process to transcribe. I think I will do it a bit at a time. The
first page is in italics; the second is not. I
know that most of you are not interested in this – but I will transcribe it
anyway so I have it in the history. I may put it into the NBGS Facebook group
as well. There are other descendants from other Ketchum children in that group. Thank
goodness that a few people in the world are interested in preserving history.
My daughter’s father-in-law was in Harvey last week and he dropped in to the
Riverside Albert Museum and Archives. They took him to a back room, gave him a
pair of white gloves, and left him to read the old tomes. The actual original
records. Without supervision. That doesn’t happen very often anymore. An
Ontario native, he told me that you couldn’t do that in Ontario. People would
go in and tear out the pages they wanted. As he’s not a genealogist, I don’t
know if there is any truth to that – most of us have a good deal of respect for
records. People from all over the world, many of whom are volunteers, are
digitizing and transcribing and making records available to historians and
hobbyists alike. Transcribers often need to learn how to read old script. They
need to read between the lines, tears, and ink blots and scour old dictionaries
to even figure out if what they are seeing is really considered a word at all. After we do all
that – what is better than to share it. I
thank you for your interest in our history. When I express my gratitude, you
can be sure I really do appreciate those of you who respond to my chronicles.
It makes my time worthwhile. Just reading a portion of it and expressing your
thoughts and thanks makes my day.
Here is how we descendants of Daniel and Charlotte relate
to the Ketchums. You can start at Daniel Holmes and Charlotte Hoyt. If you
don’t know who you descend from, let me know.
Margaret
(aka Peggy) Moore Vasseur – Margaret Holmes Moore – Floyd O Holmes - Charles R
Holmes – Charlotte Hoyt Holmes – Frances Ketchum Hoyt – Captain Isaac Ketchum
and Mary Ketchum Ketchum.
MUM’S MEMOIRS
Lisle – noun -a type of cotton
thread used especially in the past for making stockings, underwear, and gloves.
Cambridge Dictionary.
We had ration cards for the butter,
sugar, gas. Couldn’t buy some fruits – bananas especially. If the store keepers
got any they’d be really green. Usually got grapes at Christmas 2 lbs
for 25 cents! Didn’t get much candy. We girls had an account at the grocery
store, paid it every 2 weeks. They would usually put in some bars or a pound of
candy in our order. It wasn’t kept on the shelves. We would save our sugar
coupons to take home. We couldn’t buy nylons (no pantihose then). We had to
wear awful lisle hose your slip would stick to them & bunch up. Very
uncomfortable. Once in awhile we’d find a pair of nylons. The Englishmen would
send them home to England or wherever. There were thousands of military here
during war years. There was a personnel depot here, at times there were more
military than the regular population of Moncton. I
worked at #5 Equipment Depot during the war – transferred to the Treasury
Department the day the war was over. I stayed there until I was married July
1949 – married women were not allowed to work in the Civil Service at that
time.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
This is the complete transcription of the sale of land by Samuel Holmes
Jr to his brother, James Holmes. You can read it at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q2-P9YV-Y?i=84&cat=25350 Samuel and James are
brothers.
Film # 008558419, Image 85 – 86; pages 149 – 150.
Dictionary:
Definitions
from Oxford Languages
en·feoff
/inˈfēf,enˈfēf/
verb
- (under
the feudal system)
give (someone) freehold property
or land in exchange for their pledged service.
"he enfeoffed trustees with the
lands"
You can google for more definitions and
descriptions if interested. You can also read more about land transfer words at
this website: https://amerisurv.com/2018/08/20/vantage-point-ancient-verbosity/
“This indenture
made the twenty first day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and twenty seven, Between Samuel Holmes of Cape North in the County of
Cape Breton in the Province of Nova Scotia Yeoman of the one part, and James
Holmes of Cape North in the County and Province aforesaid Yeoman of the other
part Witnesseth that the said Samuel Holmes for and in consideration of the sum
of twenty pounds of lawful money of Nova Scotia to him in hand paid by the said
James Holmes at and before the sealing and delivery of these presents the
receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged hath granted bargained and sold aliened
enfeoffed released and confirmed and by these presents doth grant bargain and
sell alien enfeoff release and confirm unto the said James Holmes his heirs and
assigns forever, all that certain lot or tract of land with the premises
situate lying and being at the middle Barrasois on the South side of Aspy Bay
in the County aforesaid beginning at a spruce at the South east corner boundary
of a lot granted to James Holmes thence bounded by a line running by the magnet
north eighty seven chains thence east twenty chains thence South forty four
chains to the Barrasois thence by the shore of the Barrasois westerly and
southerly to the place of commencement containing one hundred acres more or
less, and also the reversion and reversions remainder and remainders rents and
services thereof and also all the estate right title interest claim and demands
whatsoever of him the said Samuel Holmes of in and to the said premises and
of in and to every part and parcel
thereof. To have and to hold the said lot or tract of land and premises above
mentioned with the appurtenances unto the said James Holmes his heirs and
assigns to the only proper use and behoof of him the said James Holmes his
heirs and assigns for ever. And the said Samuel Holmes for himself his heirs
and assigns doth covenant and grant to and with the said James Holmes his heirs
and assigns that he the said James Holmes his heirs and assigns shall and may
from time to time and at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly have hold
occupy possess and enjoy all and singular the premises above mentioned to be
hereby granted with the appurtenances without the lot suit trouble hindrance
molestation interruption or denial of him the said Samuel Holmes his heirs or
assigns or of any other person or persons whatsoever claiming or to claim by
from or under him them or any, of them, and further that the said Samuel Holmes
and his heirs and all and every other person and persons and his and their
heirs any thing having or claiming in the said premises above mentioned or any
part thereof by from or under him the said Samuel shall and will at all times
hereafter at the request and costs of the said James Holmes his heirs and
assigns make do and execute or cause or procure to be made done and executed
all and every such further and other lawful and reasonable grants acts and aforementioned
in the law whatsoever for the better and more proper granting conveying and
assuming of the said premises hereby granted with the appurtenances unto the
said James Holmes his heirs and assigns to the only proper use and behoof of
the said James Holmes his heirs and assigns for ever according to the true
intent and meaning of these presents as by the
said James Holmes his heirs or assigns or his or their Counsel learned
in the law shall be reasonably devised or advised or required – In Witness whereof
I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year first within mentioned.
Signed sealed
read
and delivered
in presence of his
Edm M. Dodd Samuel X Holmes
William Nagles mark
£20.0.0
Received the day and year first
within mentioned from the within named James Holmes the consideration money
mentioned in the within Indenture.
Witness his
Edm M Dodd Samuel X Holmes
Wm
Nagles mark
Entd on Record at half past Seven O’Clock in the afternoon on
the Twenty second day of June 1829, on the oath of William Nagles, of Sydney,
one of the subscribing witnesses thereto, By me Chas
R. Ward Depy
Regr “
Just an FYI that is
curious to me. In 1800, when Samuel Holmes petitioned for land earlier on
behalf of himself and his siblings, when he was allegedly twelve years old (a
minor), he was able to sign his name. On the documents relating to his time in
Cape Breton, he always made his mark. Something is amiss in the detail of his
age records. His older brothers could have made the petition;, why did they get
a twelve year old to do it? Why would the government allow it? Fen gave him a
circa date that was much earlier than the records and the tombstone state, and
I am inclined to as well. I am stymied.
This ends
week forty-seven of our centennial
virtual celebration.
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