Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
February 20, 2025
“The Imprint You Have Left”
“These
were their settlements. And they kept good family records.”[i]
Don’t
forget to look for the title which is embedded in the chronicle.
GRATITUDE
Thanks
to Julia and Ruth.
FAMILY ALBUM
Michelle and Rick Morey, February 8, on their way to Cancun.
1924 to
1928
Those
are the years that our Holmes ancestors 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
OUR LOYALIST – ACADIAN
CONNECTION
This is a portion
of my presentation to the New Brunswick Genealogical Society on March 15th.
It is part of the introduction, and tells about our many times great-grand
uncle, John Holmes, and his wife, many times great-grand tante Scholastic aka
Collet Melanson. John was the youngest son of Samuel Holmes Sr. and Elizabeth
aka Betty Fountain, and brother of the ancestor of many of us, Samuel Jr. The
title of our presentation is “Tools of the Trade,” using the analogy of stone
cutter and masons’ tools to genealogical tools.
John Holmes and
Scholastique Melanson
“I have no
interesting stories to tell about my Uncle John et ma Tante Collet, such as you
might find at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. I only have records and, as
often happens, more questions. Here is where you need to use the chisel and
pick, to ferret out the details that can make all the difference. The
genealogical tools are the records, of course, but you must look for the tiny
details within.
John Holmes was
just that, plain John, the youngest son of Samuel Holmes Sr and Elizabeth
Fountain. The only deviation was his church death record, which was in French,
so they spelled it J-e-a-n. He was not John Van Horne or Van Horne Holmes. I
have found no middle initial. He was not of Parrsboro or of Pictou County, or
anywhere else besides Cumberland County.
I find, in the
US and International Marriage Records, the marriage index of John and
Scholastique, in 1810. I cannot see the original, and parents are not given. It
states that she was born in
1786. According to the Westchester Township Records, John was born in 1792. The
1827 census return of Minudie, Cumberland County, states that John, head of
household, had two males and seven females in his family, and that they were
Roman Catholic. Some of them had French sounding names; some English. They had
a daughter named Mary and a daughter named Marie. Charlotte was allegedly born
to them about five years later. Given her date of birth, we deduce that Scholastique
would have been about forty-six at the time of Charlotte’s birth – late, but
possible.
In 1832, John Holmes, farmer, purchased
86 acres of land on the Leicester Road, extending easterly from Amherst,
and bordering on land owned by Joseph and Daniel Holmes, his nephews. In 1833,
John Holmes sold these 86 acres
to his nephew, Joseph.
In 1855, a Minudie Church record states that
John was received into the Catholic Church and baptized conditionally. Since,
in the census of 1827, this Holmes family were all listed as Roman Catholic, he
must have been an adherent, and, as Denis explained to me, became a
convert. The priest who baptised John
was James Rogers, who had been ordained eight years previously in Halifax. He
preached in English, French, and Mi’kmaq, and was appointed to Cumberland
County in 1853. This we learned from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, an
excellent resource for genealogists.
The 1861 Census states that John Holmes, with a family of
two, lived in the district of River Hébert, Cumberland County. Using Google Maps, I
found that River Hébert and Minudie are twelve kilometers apart, so this is
logical. This puts John and Collet at ages 75 and 79. Scholastic died in Lower
Cove in 1864, and was buried in Minudie.
What became a turning point in our search was the mention
of John’s wife, Collet, in the deed of 1833. The names Collette and
Scholastique, and even Christiana, were used interchangeably in the records.
The typical way to end a deed of sale was to have the wife declare, separately
from her husband, that she was in agreement with the sale. Up until this time,
we had assumed that John had died young, but now we had a
whole new hypothesis. We had
wondered if Scholastique descended from Zorobabel, but we found nothing
to indicate that Zorobabel’s wife, Ann, was Acadian. John’s wife was, and she
was the same DNA signature as Radegonde Lambert. And, so is Kim MacDermid
Campbell.”
Save the Date
Denis Savard, Kim Campbell, and I will be doing a joint presentation
about breaking down our brick wall. You are all welcome to join us in person or
on Zoom at 2 PM, New Brunswick time, on March 15. I will give you instructions
to the zoom link.
News From Holmes
It is with sadness that I share this. I have enjoyed
watching Michelle's and Rick's adventures on Facebook, and the deep love they
shared. Just last week I saw their photo on the plane on the way to Cancun, all
smiles. I shared it as our header photo.
Michelle is the daughter of Fenwick Ernest Holmes,
better known as Butch, and Karla Lay, and the granddaughter of Jerome K Holmes
and Alma Vincent . . . in the William N Holmes line. She has four children, two
grandchildren, a brother, Marc, a step-mother, Connie, many aunts and uncles
and others who share her grief.
I am sharing this from her Facebook, as she requested.
Michelle
Morey is with Rick Morey at Moon Palace The Grand-Cancun.
My extraordinary, selfless, kind, strong, generous, loving husband has
passed on and reunited with his mom in heaven! He’ll have the opportunity to
meet my Dad and my Gigi, and I envision all four of them having a grand ole’
party full of joy and love!!! You are the most loved man I’ve ever known, and
your unwavering love has been a guiding light in my life! Your incredible
capacity to love and care for others has left an indelible mark on my heart,
and I am forever grateful! You are an exemplary dad, papa, and friend, and your
love for my kids and grandchildren has been a precious gift! The imprint you
have left on my heart and life will continue to inspire me, and I will carry
your love with me always! You are my once-in-a-lifetime soulmate, and our journey
together has been a magnificent adventure! From the moment we shared our early
morning wake-up calls at 3:21 am to the moment we drifted off to sleep, and in
every moment in between, you filled my life with purpose, love, and joy! Your
love has been a transformative gift, and I am blessed to have experienced it! I
love you more than words can express, and though my heart is heavy with grief,
I find solace in the knowledge that your love will continue to guide me! I told
you on our anniversary that I wanted 30 more years with you, but I am grateful
for the time we had, and I know that your spirit will continue to be with me!
You left this world in a place that held a special meaning for us, The Moon
Palace Resort in Cancun, where our first vacation and our last were shared!
Thank you for being my rock, my partner, and my best friend! Thank you for the
signs you’ve given me that your love and spirit are still with me! I will carry
your love in my heart forever, and I will continue to celebrate the incredible
gift that you were to me! I love you to the moon and back, and I always will! I
found the Valentine’s gift you brought with us to Cancun, and I will treasure
it always, wearing it tomorrow as a reminder of your eternal love! Celebration
of Rick Morey information will be forthcoming! Please please share this … his
circle is huge and I would love for everyone to be able to have one last Tito’s
and Club Soda NO FRUIT lol with him!!!
OUR NEW PATRIARCH AND MATRIARCH
It is time to choose a
new matriarch and, as we haven’t had one for a while, a new patriarch. What are
the qualifications? They can be an in-law. They don’t necessarily need to be
the eldest person in our family tree. They need to be someone we are familiar
with, so that I can share an occasional anecdote about them. That rules out a
few people who don’t even know we exist, don’t show any
interest, or don’t have family members to keep me up to date on their doings.
I went through the list of everyone born
between 1920 and 1940 at Family Tree Maker. There were a few people who were
older, but I selected two who some of us know, and who show an interest in our
history and our present.
I introduce you to the new patriarch and
matriarch of our Holmes family.
Roger A Holmes is a young fellow who
hasn’t hit 90 yet. He’s a few years away; when he turns 90, I’ll let you know,
if I remember. He is married to Bonnie (Meller) Holmes and has a son, two
daughters, and some grandchildren. He was of assistance to Fen Holmes when Fen was
researching our family – maybe not quite by choice, I think he received
marching orders from the general. He is our Daniel Holmes lookalike – thanks to
Paula Holmes for pointing that out. And, Bonnie keeps me up to date on his
doings – in the winter you might find them in a warmer clime, and in summer,
you will often find them on Block Island. Roger is in the William Holmes line.
Roger, I hope you enjoy this honour.
Roger A Holmes –
Carleton and Gladys (Clements) Holmes – Walter and Mary (Weatherbee) Holmes –
William N and Anna C (Heath) Holmes – Daniel and Charlotte (Hoyt) Holmes –
Samuel Jr and Phoebe (Holstead) Holmes – Samuel Sr and Elizabeth (Fountain)
Holmes.
Mary Davis, Amy Davis, Bonnie and Roger
Holmes, 2024. Roger and Mary are cousins.
Snatched from Facebook.
Janet C (Minella) Nolte is 92,
but she says that next birthday she will revert to 29 and holding. If so, I
will definitely have to find a new matriarch! She and her family visited often
from Texas to New Brunswick, and my mother knew the family well. She loves to
travel and visit her family, and I’m not sure about now, but in the past, she
did most of the driving. She has four children, seven grandchildren, and two
great-grandchildren. She passed along an interest in her family to those
children, so much so that Brett came looking for us and eventually all of them
came to New Brunswick for a visit. She gave her son, Brett, the middle name
Holmes. I met her husband, Ralph, before he passed away, and he was an equally
charming individual. Janet, I hope you enjoy this honour. Janet is in the
Charles R Holmes line.
Janet C (Minella)
Nolte – Angelo (aka Mac) and Lillian (Holmes) Minella – Carl F Underhill
(adopted Lillian) and Ella (Holmes) Underhill (biological father probably has
last name of Ellis) – Charles R and Phoebe (McMonagle) Holmes – Daniel and
Charlotte (Hoyt) Holmes - Samuel Jr and Phoebe (Holstead) Holmes – Samuel Sr
and Elizabeth (Fountain) Holmes.
Janet is in the centre of her family.
Thanksgiving, 2024.
Austin and Brandi Hall, Greg Hall,
Chandler Hall, Janet, Graham Hall, Brett Nolte, and Julia Nolte Hall.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
Excerpts from the Probate of the Will of Samuel Holmes Sr, dated 26
September, 1796
Continued from the chronicles of January 9, 23, and February 6, 2025.
Images 200, 201. Available by email.
Know all men by these presents that We Elizabeth Seaman and Alpheus
Morse Esquire both of Cumberland
are held and firmly bound unto Charles Baker Esqr Surrogate
Judge of his Majesty’s Court of Wills and Probates for said County in the full
and Just sum of thirty pounds of good and lawful money of said province to be
paid to him the said Charles Baker or his Successor in office, to the which
payment well and truly to be made we bind ourselves, our and each of our heirs
Exrs and Administrators, Severally and firmly by these presents,
Sealed with our Seals and dated this thirteenth day of June in the year of our
lord one thousand eight hundred and three.
Whereas letters of Guardianship bearing even date herewith of Anna
Holmes and Lydia Holmes (Minors) both of Cumberland hath been granted to the
above named Elizabeth Seaman Holmes – and whereas the said Lydia and
Anna Holmes is intitled to Sundry effects the property of Samuel Holmes late of
West Chester in said County (their father) deceased which they are unable to
manage by reason of their Minority but has committed the same to the care and
custody of the Said Elizabeth Seaman (Alias Holmes) – the Mother of the said
Minors. Now if the said Elizabeth Seaman shall well and truly collect gather in
preserve and keep all such effects of the said Anna Holmes and Lydia Holmes –
the minors as shall come to her the Said Elizabeth Seamans hands possession or
power and shall well and faithfully take proper care of the same the most for
the said Anna and Lydia- the minors advantage and benefit, and shall render a
just and faithful Account of her the said Elizabeth Seamans doings therein the
most to the Advantage of the said Minors, and Shall render a just and faithful
Account of her the said Elizabeth doings herein, and Acct and pay
the same to the Minors when required by this Court, then this Obligation to be
void otherwise to remain in full force and Virtue.
Signed Sealed
And delivered in presence Betty
Seaman
Of
William Baker Alphs
Morse
John Baker
To
brighten your day (or not):
First
photo: Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Hill Grove. Looking up to “The farm,” which
was where the trees are, up the road from the Graves Settlement Road sign.
Second
photo: Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Hill Grove. Oops. Taken near the house
where the first photo was taken, looking down the road from “The Farm.” Photos
by Judy.
This ends
week eight of our centennial virtual celebration of 1925 - 2025.
