Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
April 17, 2025
“Bright Spots”
“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 Gretchen, Karl, Jolynda,
Kevin, Grace, and Matriarch Janet. Gretchen and Kevin are new names to you;
they are Holmes cousins who are in the new Holmespun group; Karl just joined us
as well.
FAMILY ALBUM
I do not know all of the people. Some of you will recognize a
few or all of them.
“Holmespun”
I started a new
Facebook group called "Holmespun." You should be able to type that in
to the Facebook search box and find it for a while. Be sure and add the
"l."
The purpose of
this group is to work together as genealogists on our Holmes family - sticking
pretty close to Samuel Holmes and Elizabeth Fountain Holmes Seaman, their
parents, and their children. We will work together to locate and share records
pertaining to these people.
If you, a
Holmes family genealogist, wish to join this small group, please let me know.
Prepare to work.
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
It is bittersweet that so many of our
family gatherings take place at a celebration of life, when we gather to
remember our loved ones who’ve passed on and share stories and memories,
laughter and tears. The William Nelson and Anna Columbia (Heath) Holmes line of
our folks seem to get together more often than most (not just for goodbyes), or
perhaps I just hear about them the most. Thanks to Jolynda for sending me the
photos of the memorial service for Rick Morey, husband of Michelle (Holmes)
Morey, who is the daughter of Butch. I included a photo of some of the children
at the end, to make you smile. That’s the family album photo on the first page;
I don’t know all the people.
1925 was the year that our Daniel
Holmes descendants gathered in South China, Maine. I haven’t written about it
too much this year. For those of you who are new, Daniel Holmes was the son of
Samuel Holmes Jr, grandson of Samuel Holmes Sr, and great-grandson of Nathaniel
Holmes, who I am currently working on. I am, at this point in time, flummoxed,
with some knowledge of other Nathaniels clouding my vision.
I wonder, if they had sat down and
wrote out their predictions for a century later – 2025 – what they would have
written. The great war was in their past, the depression and WWII, in their
future. Several more local wars and a cold war would occur, the event that was
911, and then, a small event - a gathering of Daniel’s descendants in South
China, Maine. At that time, Glenn and Mitzi were looking forward to the birth
of three grandchildren – Andrew and Abigail, the twins, and Thomas, who all
attended the celebration of life for Rick. Then came a pandemic, and well,
there’s now. That’s why I love family history, so I can bury my head and shut
out the now for a while.
Rick and Michelle married in 2021.
Michelle generously shared photos of their adventures and some of us enjoyed
watching the loving and peaceful interlude of their lives. It brightened our
days, Michelle, as we scrolled by your albums. Michelle read “A Letter to Her
Husband” at the memorial, and Jolynda said she did well. In between all the bad
events of history there are times of brightness to hold onto.
I hope that, in general, our ancestors
are proud of us and our accomplishments. I know the reality is that much of our
life events are scary, tragic, and divisive, but I hope that we can think ahead
of our descendants in 2125 with hope that there will be bright spots for them
in the midst of the realities of life. Who those descendants will be, those
folks we won’t know, but they will be woven from our own strands of life.
An Interesting Obituary
This may become a regular feature as I am working on
the genealogies of Sam Jr’s siblings. It is not part of News From Holmes – just obituaries I find
that are out of the ordinary.
Robert F Goodwin – Justin Goodwin and
Clara Deiubel – Thomas Burton Goodwin and Mary Jane Boss – Robert Boss and
Elizabeth Simmons – Rufus Smith Boss and Sarah King – John Boss and Deborah
Holmes - Samuel Holmes Sr and Elizabeth
Fountain.
Can't insert pictures. Request an email if you want them.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
In studying the
life of Nathaniel Holmes, probable son of Isaac Holmes and father of Samuel
Holmes Sr, I found several points to examine. My actual conclusion from this
study is coming to a close for now. I found several Nathaniels in the areas of
interest where our Holmes families lived. I limited myself to Connecticut and
New York, as the early Holmeses in Massachusetts do not appear to me to be
related to us. By the process of elimination, I dismissed a few from other
locations in Connecticut and New York who don’t seem to fit into our family, at
least not that I could see.
I am not
prepared yet to declare Nathaniel our ancestor with complete confidence. Who
knows, perhaps there are more goldmines of information lying around in archives
that no one has had the time or volunteers to digitize. I recognize some of the
pieces of knowledge that Fen found by hiring researchers to dig into their old
tomes. But there may still be more out there, waiting to be found.
Will the real
Nathaniel Holmes please stand up? Wait, they were all real – just like we are.
But, sorting them out was a dilemma. If ages were listed, that helped.
Fen wondered if
Nathaniel went to North Castle. I thought he settled in Mount Pleasant, maybe
after a stay at North Castle on the way on his way. But, after a couple of
weeks of looking at and pondering the references, I am back to Fen’s conclusion
– minus the Anna. I thought she wasn’t Anna Rand. Now, I don’t even know if she
was an Anna.
I had hoped to
present to you this week my proof beyond a doubt that Samuel Holmes Sr was the
son of Nathaniel. I cannot, even though I believe he was, based on the muster
rolls. The Nathaniel Holmes men that I found may have all been related. I found
three men of interest, and I call them NH 1722, NH 1735, and NH1750. Ours is,
based on the muster roll, NH 1722. NH 1750 enlisted in the Continental Army in
Greenwich, Fairfield, CT. That’s where one line of John’s family went, and he’s
too young to be our ancestor and fit into our lineage. I don’t think I have
found his probate, or decided which deeds belong to him or a different
Nathaniel – but I found, at FamilySearch, in bits and pieces; at NARA; and at
Ancestry – his 24 personal pages of military history. This helped me with the
process of elimination. Who, I wonder, was he? Age wise, he could be the son of
our NH1722, but our ancestor was in Bedford, Westchester, NY, not in Greenwich,
a bedroom community to Stamford, Fairfield, CT. That is not a proven fact –
perhaps he was visiting family in Greenwich – but on the scales of pro and con
– I’ve put him on the con side; perhaps he was a nephew. NH1735 applied for a
military pension in 1819, and lived in New York, place not given. I don’t know
who he is, but I do not think he is in our direct line.
I was able to
find and research NH1750, who served in the Continental Army, and lived until
at least 1828 and perhaps died in New York City in 1838 (according to an
individual looking for information to prove he was a Son of the American
Revolution). I did find that his wife’s name was Sarah and that about 1820,
Nathaniel and Sarah had a crippled granddaughter, not named, living with them.
Therefore, he had at least one child. We know that there was a Nathaniel and
Anna living in North Castle. That could be NH1750. It is quite possible that
NH1735 lived in Mount Pleasant. It that was our Nathaniel 1722, he lived to be
a very old man.
Here is
NH1750’s file at Ancestry. You can also find it at NARA. Be sure and use his
number: S 45380.
https://www.ancestry.ca/imageviewer/collections/1995/images/MIUSA1775D_135896-00273?pId=30009
https://catalog.archives.gov/search?page=1&q=45380
I hope I didn’t leave you too
befuddled. On the other hand, I am, so you may be also.
Suffice it to say, my conclusion, for
the time being, is that our Nathaniel Holmes was born c. 1722. I do not know
his wife’s name. He was mustered along with Samuel Holmes, both of Bedford, NY,
in 1760, probably his son, and they may have served in the French and Indian
War, possibly in a battle against Montreal, Quebec. Thanks to Byron for that
bit of info. He is, in my opinion, one of the four children of Isaac and
Deborah (MNU) Holmes of Bedford, Westchester, New York. I have also concluded
that Samuel Holmes and Anne Orry were not in our direct line.
This ends
week sixteen of our centennial virtual celebration of 1925 - 2025.
I will be
quiet for the next week or so as I make family history with Julie and Eleanor.
To brighten
your day:
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