Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
March 20, 2025
“As Fast As I Could”
“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 Jeanni and Carolyn, who came
to our genealogy presentation via Zoom, and emailed me afterwards. If others were there, let me know, as I didn’t
have much time for looking at Zoom. My friend, Sylvia, not a genealogist,
attended and gave moral support and took a few photos. Thanks to Kim, who
shared her DNA story, plus a bit of how-to, with much gusto, gestures, and
humour. She added the sparkle to the presentation. Denis isn’t in our Holmes
group, but, hey, what a great addition to the presentation with his Acadian
side of the story. Our audience was attentive and afterwards, asked several
great questions and sent emails.
FAMILY ALBUM
After the
presentation. I don’t know about Denis (centre) and Kim (right), but I was
wound tighter than a drum beforehand, and here we are with it behind us, still
pumped but much more relaxed. Kim said she was nervous as this was a serious
talk, and she likes to throw humour and jokes into her talks. She also said she
couldn’t hold the mike as she likes to wave her arms. She did.
Several people wanted
to talk to us afterwards, like we were celebrities. Really made my day.
Peg – Samuel Holmes
Jr. line
Kim – John Holmes line.
(Those are two of the
twelve children of Sam Sr and Betty (Fountain) Holmes.)
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
When I complete
something, I feel at loose ends. What to do next? I should go back to my Uncle
Billy and Aunt Maggie article, and I will. I’ve also been working on an
overview of the Samuel Holmes Sr and Elizabeth Fountain genealogy, especially
in the evening, and that has tweaked my interest. I need to figure out the
family of Isaac Porter, who married many times great-grand Aunt Elizabeth
Holmes (daughter of Sam Sr and Betty). I haven’t found out much about him, not
even conclusive evidence, but now I know where to start looking. They certainly
left lots of descendants, and I’ll never have time to research them all. Some
will trigger a deeper looksee, I’m sure. I am including an obituary of distant
cousin Dorothy Helen Allen, which I found interesting, especially for you
musicians. I have looked at the work of the Cumberland County Genealogy
Society, which is quite ancient, and would like to update it, even if it’s just
for me/us. I’d like to go to Amherst (I’m always saying that) and look at
township records, as I don’t think they are on line. And, Kim sent me a
timeline of Holmeses that someone gave her, and I’d like to delve into that. No
shortage of things to do, just not sure where I’d like to begin. I will
probably continue to work on the genealogy in the evenings.
(I wrote that last week. I now have
something to do, and it came as a complete surprise to me. I’ve shared a bit
about it on my personal Facebook. By next chronicle, I will have to have my
topic and a good start.)
Here is the obituary of Miss Allen [I
added some commas], and her photo is at this link:
https://fergusonsriverview.com/tribute/details/1232/Dorothy-Allen/obituary.html
Obituary of Dorothy Helen Allen
1911 – 2009
The
death of Dorothy Allen, a longtime resident of Weldon St., Moncton, occurred
Thursday, January 01, 2009, at the Lakeview Manor in Riverview, NB. The
last surviving member of her immediate family, Dorothy was predeceased by her
sisters, Marianne Gross and Kay Weldon. Born in Moncton, she was the daughter
the late Harper R. and Grace (McGorman) Allen. After
graduating from Aberdeen High School, she went on to Mount Allison University
where she earned a Bachelor of Music Degree, majoring in both piano and voice.
She was the first Mount Allison student to accomplish this feat in both majors,
completing the seven-year program in five years. She returned to Moncton, where
she started a Choral Society. Dorothy then returned to Mount Allison
University, teaching music over a distinguished 22-year career. In
1950, she was given a leave from the University to go to Paris to study at the
Paris Music Conservatory for one year. She then went to London for two years to
study under the direction of an Italian Maestro. She was in London for the
funeral of King George VI and the Inauguration of Queen Elizabeth. She was
asked to help form a 375-member choir, which included several Canadians,
including Dorothy, for the inauguration of the new Queen. She returned to
Mount Allison where she taught Music until 1962. She also taught music at
Harrison Trimble High School for a year, at which time she directed the
school's rendition of the musical Carousel. She
was an honorary Life Member of the Moncton Music Teachers Association, as well
as Moncton University Women’s Association and the Moncton Community Concerts.
Dorothy was a recipient of The Governor Generals Medal for her many years
dedicated service to New Brunswick. When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were
in Moncton 50 years after the inauguration, Dorothy met the Queen at a noon
luncheon. Dorothy
was a lifetime member of Central United Church and a faithful Central Choir
member. The memorial service will be held at Central United Church on Tuesday,
January 06, 2009, at 2:00 pm, with Rev. Dr. Jim MacDonald officiating.
Interment will be in Elmwood Cemetery, Moncton, NB, in the spring. In Dorothy's
memory donations made to Central United Church Memorial Fund, The Dr. Georges
Dumont Hospital Foundation "Dialysis or the charity of the donor’s choice
would be appreciated. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Tuttle Bros.
Funeral Home 171 Lutz Street Moncton, NB.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
Breaking down
quarry stone, genealogical brick walls, and cultural barriers along Cumberland
and Westmorland waterways in the early 1800s. This is a collaborative
presentation by Denis Savard, Kim Campbell, and Peggy Vasseur, using Loyalist
Holmes and Acadian Melanson couples as our example.
Our presentation is done. Photos,
results, who was there. Etc.
I’ve
always been frustrated by the misinformation in website family trees,
especially my own family. Some of it is minor, and some is blatant. Even those
of us who try really hard to find and correct our trees still make mistakes,
and probably always will. What we need is a solution. That solution, by the
way, is not to copy my tree. What I personally appreciate the most is an email
from a fellow Holmes family researcher, telling me of a mistake they think I
made or asking me to reconsider a detail or an entire line. Several Holmes
family researchers attended our presentation, in person or on Zoom. I am so
pleased about that. I couldn’t see everybody as I had to focus on both
audiences – not an easy task. I’m trying to think of how to bring us together –
another Facebook group? Kim is on board with this, although she insists that
she be allowed to throw in some humour. Just no memes. I don’t like memes.
Here is my
introduction. I will put the conclusion in the next chronicle. What is in tiny
letters was for just in case I had questions in regard to my statement.
INTRODUCTION
In
an old building at my grandparents’ farm was a grindstone. Vaguely, I remember
that it was about 18 inches in diameter, it was secured to an old work bench,
and it had a handle that I liked to turn as fast as I could. [My cousin, Cindy,
reminded me that it sounded like a siren that got louder as you turned it. I
threw that in there.] When we cleaned out that building, I found some small
tools in the cracks. I remember scythes hanging on the wall. Now I know that
Gramp used that grindstone to sharpen his tools. Years later, I went to Nova Scotia to chaperone a middle
school trip to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. At that time, you were able to take
home as many fossils as would fit in your hand. It is now a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. What I did not
know, back then, was that I had distant, long dead family members who had lived
in the area. Most of the men were quarry workers or stone masons. I’m going to talk to you about
the tools of the quarriers of the early to mid 1800s as an analogy to the tools
we use in our genealogy searches. Every search is different, but it is
imperative that we research beyond the websites we use to store our information,
when we want to do in-depth studies. The
men in this presentation generally worked in quarries around the Chignecto Bay,
which borders Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, on land occupied first by our
indigenous peoples, then by Acadian families who were deported. Joseph
Frederick Wallet DesBarres received this land called Menudie as a military
grant, and eventually sold it to his tenant and agent, Amos Seaman, a shrewd
businessman who leased it to quarriers who worked for him, and I quote, “a
master they respected and loved.” Sherwood, “Story Parade.” P. 130. Not all
loved him, as some did not recognize his claim to the grindstone deposits on
Ragged Reef. In 1838, his claim was confirmed. Dictionary of Canadian
Biography. The main product of these quarries at the time was grindstones,
which were necessary for the production and maintenance of edged tools like
axes, chisels, files, knives, saws, and scythes. Defective grindstones were
discarded and left behind on the shore, but I don’t remember seeing them. I
would not have been able to hold them in my hand, anyway. Before
the invention of the steam engine, they used oxen or horses in the quarries,
for hauling. When I think of oxen, I picture them yoked together and working as
a team. Last December, I
received an ancestry message from Kim about her ancestor, Charlotte Holmes
Patterson. Moments later, I received an email from Denis, mentioning similar
details to Kim’s. That stumped me – why would two totally different people
contact me about this person? Kim explained that her Holmes DNA results showed
Acadian ancestry. That is why she also contacted Denis. “Who was Charlotte
Holmes, who married Robert Patterson?” she asked. Acadians in my Loyalist Holmes family? Nawwww, it
couldn’t be. Kim must be mistaken. She was not. Loyalist Holmes descendants in
Acadian families? Really? We found that this fact was known, but Denis wanted
to do more research. We went to work
together, virtually. We each had our own agenda, beyond helping each other. Kim
wants to prove Charlotte Holmes’ parents; Denis wants to correct and update Acadian
research; and I want to fill out my family tree correctly with descendants of
the twelve children of Samuel Holmes and Elizabeth Fountain. What we share with
you is just a small portion of what we discovered. Hopefully, it will inspire
you in your own quest. Our presentation features a
Loyalist Holmes family and an Acadian Melançon family, and others
who married in. It is also about the discoveries that we made, the tools we
used, and the results of our collaborative as well as individual studies. Using our
analogy, we will present tools of the genealogical trade, old and new, that we used
to research our goal. I have moved some Holmes family members to new lines and
added some to my tree. Denis has done the same to some previous Acadian
research. DNA matches show that Kim and I share common Holmes ancestors,
although we are not a match. I
like to find items in common to help verify information. What did these
Loyalist and Acadian descendants and blended families have in common?
- Place – the
French communities of Cumberland – including Ragged Reef, Lower Cove,
Joggins, River Hébert, and Minudie, etcetera. Our English - speaking
relatives were close by but more in the communities of Amherst,
Westchester, Nappan, Athol, and Lower Forks, etcetera. Some migrated to
southeastern New Brunswick and other places. Robert and Charlotte
Patterson moved downriver to Shulie in 1854. Shulie was probably
originally Acadian, but more English in their time, based on the names in
the cemetery.
- Language
and Religion- The people we will discuss often gave French and Catholic on
census records. We found some Latin in church records. English and
Protestant as well, but we focused more on the French and Catholic. In
records, Charlotte and Robert gave English and Protestant denominations.
- Occupation - John
Holmes’ and Charles Melonçon’s male family members were often quarriers,
stone cutters and masons, called tailleurs de pierre in French. They would
probably have worked for Amos Seaman. Robert Patterson was in the lumber
industry, a co—owner with two of his brothers of the now defunct Shulie
Lumber Company. Amos Seaman was also involved in the lumber business.
We will try not to bog you down with too many names,
but we found many individuals to place into our trees. We will focus mainly on
John, the youngest son of the twelve children of Samuel Holmes and Elizabeth
Fountain, and Scholastique, who went by Collet and other names, the daughter of
Charles Melançon and Anne Leger. John’s brother, Zorobabel Holmes, and his
family, come into play as well.
John Holmes and
Scholastique Melanson
I
have no interesting stories to tell about my Uncle John and 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 tools
are the records, of course, but you must look for the tiny details within. John
Holmes was just that, plain John. The only deviation I found was his church
burial record, which was in French, so they spelled it J-e-a-n, with an
odd-looking J that looks like a G. He was not called George, as has been
transcribed in the past. I found no middle initial for our John. He was not
John Van Horne or John Van Horne Holmes. He was not of Parrsboro or Pictou
County, or anywhere else besides Cumberland County. I found, in the
US and International Marriage Records, the marriage index of John and
Scholastique, in 1810. I have not found the original, and parents are not
given, at least in the index. It states that she was born in 1786. According to
the Westchester Township Records index, John was born in 1792. His burial
records and a census record indicate that he may have been older than that. The
1827 census return of Minudie states that John, head of household, had two
males and seven females in his family. Charles Melançon, whose name
was two lines above John’s, on that record, had a family of three males and
nine females. Both families were Catholic. John Holmes was the only one of the
twelve children of Samuel Holmes who was Catholic. 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. I believe that their eldest daughters, both of a young
child-bearing age, would share the same maternal DNA signature as their mother. 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 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
was already listed as Roman Catholic, he must have been an adherent, and then
officially converted. The priest who baptised John was James Rogers, who had
been ordained eight years previously in Halifax. This Irish priest preached in
English, French, and Mi’kmaq, and was appointed to the Cumberland County parish
in 1853. This I learned from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, an excellent
resource for genealogists. The
1861 census states that John Holmes, family of two, lived in the district of
River Hébert.
Using Google Maps, I found that River Hébert and
Minudie are about twelve kilometers apart, so this seems logical. This puts
John and Collet at ages 75 and 79. Collet, called Christiana in her burial
record, died in Lower Cove in 1864, and was buried in Minudie. The names
Scholastique, Collett, Christie, and Christiana were used interchangeably in
the records. The consistent use of maps was imperative. What became a turning point in our research was the mention of
John’s wife, Collet, in the deed of 1833. The typical way to end a deed
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 new hypothesis. We had wondered if Charlotte descended
from Zorobabel, but we found nothing yet to indicate that Zorobabel’s wife,
Ann, was Acadian. John’s wife was, and she has the same DNA signature as
Radegonde Lambert. And, so does Kim MacDermid Campbell. Kim has
joined us today, and will tell you about her results of using the DNA tool. I
will now turn this presentation over to Kim.
Afterwards, Denis will tell the Acadian side of this story, and I will
conclude the presentation.
This ends
week twelve of our centennial virtual celebration of 1925 - 2025.
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