Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
October 23, 2025
“Wear Your Name with Pride”
“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.
FAMILY ALBUM
Ask for email.
And I Quote:
Julia Hall wrote me and
email; these are excerpts from it. “Hi Peg. I wanted to share a couple of
pictures of Mom; our Matriarch had a birthday # 92. The picture with the
blowing hair is actually on her birthday, we sat outside and enjoyed lunch and
a chocolate pie I had baked and ice cream The other picture was earlier in
September; she loves her little toy Australian shepherd named Amber.
Amber is a bit over 2 years old. Mom loves to read, especially mysteries
and thrillers. She is doing well and looking forward to becoming a great
grandmother again. Thanks again for all your research and
time involved keeping us connected!”
Pictures
of our Matriarch, Janet Minella Nolte, are in the album.
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
In this chronicle, I write about finding
compassion. I think I have mellowed over the years. Researching Uncle Fenwick
and Aunt Maud in 2012 - 2014, and researching them again in 2025, I have
learned more about them, especially Fenwick. As you’ve read in the past two
chronicles, I feel somewhat guilty about how I treated him. Even if I’d found
nothing new, I’d still feel this way. I don’t know that every person mellows as
they age, but I am glad to be progressing in that direction.
When I only know a few facts about a
person, and someone’s negative opinion rings in my ears, I really don’t have a good
picture of a person’s lifetime. I forgot about the good things he did, which I
didn’t know about, mind you. What about me? Was I perfect for each day of my
years? Of course not. But what will someone find about me a century after I’m
gone? Also, I still appreciate my great-grandfather and the stories he shared
with his granddaughter, even though he was biased. If only I could sit and talk
to the two brothers, the picture might be clearer.
I made a vow to myself, a few years
back, that I would write objectively. I would tell the tale, give the source,
but leave my opinions out of it. It’s a challenge, when I want to write in a
storytelling format, but I think I’m doing better.
“. . . After spending a few days with his New
Brunswick relatives, whom he has not seen for nearly thirty years, he will go
down south, but will return here in the course of a few weeks. Mr. Holmes has
had more than his share of hard luck as regards physical calamity. He has had
every rib broken, his legs broken six times, and has lost an arm, but his nerve
is as good as ever.”[1]
Why and where did he go south? Did he
go alone or with Maud?
I have more details, and hope to share
them with you soon. But, this I will tell you. I wish I could tell Cousin Fen
Holmes and cousin Fen Steeves, but I’ll have to be satisfied with telling their
descendants and married in descendants.
I am now absolutely satisfied that
those six Fenwick(s) in our family can be proud of their namesake. Alcohol was
his nemesis, but he continued working until a month or so before his death. I
cannot say for certain that he abandoned his wife, but if he did, he left her
in good care, and it may have been for his working pursuits or her poor health.
Fenwicke William Holmes. Fenwicke Lindsay Holmes. Fenwick Ernest ‘Butch’
Holmes. Fenwick Howard Steeves. Fenwick Walter English. James Fenwick ‘JF’
Holmes. Wear your name with pride.
Read the last sentence.[2]
“He is an energetic, clear-headed
business man, well and favorably known for his
sterling integrity and upright
character.”
REQUEST FOR HELP
I am looking for the Goad Fire
Insurance Map of Rat Portage (aka Kenora) dated 1897 and revised in 1901 – if it
is actually on the internet and anyone can help.
THE WILL
OF MAUDE MARION HOLMES
On October 15th,
I found this piece of paper at FamilySearch Full Text Search, as well as a
couple of interesting deeds in Andover, where Fenwick and Maud lived after
their marriage.
I keep finding
information about Fenwick and Maud. Will I ever complete this chapter? Yes, I
will. But, every now and then, I’ll check back.
With the will came
the probate. This 12 - line will has a probate of twenty-three pages. Some are
not overly relevant. Some provide me with important information.
In case you need help reading, I will transcribe this,
the last will of Maud(e) Marion Holmes. I find her name written both Maud and
Maude in different locations. I find this easy enough to read; I note that
Margaret E (Holmes) Snider looks more like “Linder.” I don’t know if it is a
copy of an original, or a court recording.
Sussex Portage Kings Co. N. B. March 23/07
My last Will & Testament.
In the name of God – and being of Sound mind, I
bequeath to My Husband, Howard Fenwick Holmes, all my Property both Real &
Personal and make the said Howard Fenwick Holmes my sole Heir and executor to
do as he wishes.
Maude M Holmes
Witness}
Margaret E Sinder, [sic]
} Charles. R.
Holmes.[3]
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
I wrote this for my New Brunswick
Genealogy Society – Southeastern Branch’s newsletter – “News and Notes,” November
edition. This is part 2 of 2, and there
are a few more details in this than the newsletter edition, as I needed to cut
some lines there to keep it to three pages. Note – I have found more info for
my revision of the HF Holmes chapter, but I’m only using sources to prove or
disprove my hypothesis.
Howard Fenwick Holmes of New Brunswick, Ontario, and
Florida
By Peggy Vasseur
Part two – continued from the October News and Notes
Was Fenwick Estranged from his Wife?
In 1890, Fenwick and Maud travelled quite a
distance from Rat Portage to Winnipeg, to attend a reunion of New Brunswickers
at Christ Church. The clipping gives quite a long list of New Brunswick people
now residing in Winnipeg – plus Fenwick and Maud of Rat Portage.[9]
In the 1891 Census, Fenwick and Maud were together in Rat
Portage, where Fenwick was a hardware merchant.[10]
Fenwick and Maud visited Woodstock, New
Brunswick, in 1892, where they attended the wedding of Maud’s cousin.[11] In 1894, Fenwick and Maud lived
on Water Street in Rat Portage. This was located in McDonald's Rat Portage
Directory, which I have not located online.[12] In the mid to late 1890s, Fenwick sold “The Bad Mine.”
I do not know when he purchased it. The rather lengthy article was taken from
The Rat Portage Miner. At the end of the article, it mentioned that his wife
was formerly Miss Maud English of Woodstock, daughter of Mr. Charles English.[13] In the 1901 Census, Fenwick and Maud lived in Rat
Portage. Howard F was the head of the family; Maud was his wife. Fenwick was a
contractor. 1905 presents an anomaly. On August 16, I read:
"Mrs. Fenwick Holmes, of Port Arthur, Ontario, is visiting in town, the
guest of Mr. and Mrs. English."[14] Mr.
Charles English was her father, Mrs. English, her step-mother. Port Arthur was
later called Thunder Bay. Maud was visiting her home town of Woodstock. This is
the only reference I found of her (or them) in Port Arthur or Thunder Bay.
About three weeks later, I read: "Andover. Mr. Fenwick Holmes who was
station agent here about twenty-five years ago was in town last week renewing
acquaintances."[15]
Were they together for these visits? They weren't mentioned together - but the
reports were only a little bit apart – while visiting Maud’s parents, they may
have gone separately or together to both places. These are the only newspaper
clippings that make me wonder if they were separated. In
August, 1906, Maud's father, Mr. Charles English, died in Woodstock. His death
notice states that his daughter was married to Mr. H. Holmes, "mayor of
Rat Portage, Ont."[16]
I find no proof of his being mayor in 1906.[17] In 1906, Fenwick Holmes, of
Cardwell Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick, purchased his brother James’
property in the village of Petitcodiac. Where were they between their visits to
Woodstock and Andover and Cardwell Parish? I looked to Maud’s obituary for this
information. “Mrs. Maud M. Holmes . . . died of heart trouble, at Sussex
Portage, N B, on April 25th, [1907] after an illness of four years,
the last year and a half being in New Brunswick. She had previously lived in
Rat Portage, Ontario, now called Kenora.” [18]
Maud had been ill for four years. She
came to New Brunswick, according to her obituary, either in 1905 or 1906. Fenwick
purchased a one-half-acre property from his brother James and sister-in-law,
Augusta, on August 15, 1906, for $1.[19]
This deed is full of interesting information to me, but what is applicable to
my hypothesis is that he currently lived in Cardwell Parish, Kings County. What
brought them to Cardwell Parish? Maud’s father
and mother were now deceased. But, Fenwick’s older sister, Margaret, and her
husband, William O Snider, lived in Portage Vale, Cardwell Parish, Kings
County, New Brunswick. In their spacious home with four bedrooms, they operated
a fishing lodge and guest house. In researching William and Margaret, I
determined that they were hospitable and well respected in their community. It
is possible, even probable, that Fenwick and Maud stayed with William and
Margaret. Maud died in Sussex Portage, also known as Portage Vale. Is
this why Great- grandfather Charles said they were separated? What did he know that
I don’t know? My misgiving is in regards to the statement in the newspaper
clipping, stating she was of Port Arthur, Ontario. I have not located that
tidbit of information in any other document or clipping. Without a definite
source, but a knowledge of this family, I wonder if Fenwick lived several
months in his new property in Petitcodiac, whilst his sister, Margaret,
provided the necessary palliative care that Maud needed – hence, there was a
brief separation for health reasons. On the 17th of May, 1907, Howard F Holmes, of the
Parish of Cardwell, sold the same property he had purchased in 1906, to Donald
D McDonald for $50.[20] He
returned to Rat Portage by the fall. Maud
was buried in the Anglican Cemetery in Portage Vale, and has a lovely, tall
stone that reads “In loving memory of Maude Marion English, wife of H. Fenwick
Holmes, born July 12, 1855, died April 25, 1907.” Even this inscription,
likely carved after her death, states that she was the wife of H. Fenwick
Holmes. However, I believe that, with what information I have at this time, I
cannot conclusively say whether or not Fen and Maud separated for some period
of time. If they did, it must have been between 1901 and 1907. Sometime after Maud’s death, in
the year 1907, Fenwick boarded the train and returned to Kenora. He carried a
piece of paper. “I bequeath to my husband, Howard Fenwick Holmes . . . and make
the said Howard Fenwick Holmes my sole Heir and executor to do as he wishes.”
Maud signed the document. Fenwick’s sister Margaret and brother Charles
witnessed the signing.[21] Now I need to
revise my chapter of Fenwick Holmes and Maud English. This chapter will include
more details, but for the purposes of this article, I wanted to prove those two
allegations. Fenwick was a functional alcoholic; of that I am certain. When/if I
mention their alleged estrangement, I will have to state that I do not know if
it actually occurred, if I state anything.
This ends
week forty-three of our centennial virtual celebration of 1925 – 2025.
[1] Google Newspaper Archives. St. John Daily Sun, 18 January 1905,
page 8. “Has Had Many Bad Breaks.” Accessed October 9, 2025.
https://books.google.ca/books?id=0mIjAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA16&dq=Rat+Portage+Holmes&article_id=4872,3478980&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiywcL805eQAxUJtokEHa42KysQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=Rat%20Portage%20Holmes&f=false
[2] Google Newspaper
Archives. George H Ham. “The New West.” Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canadian Historical
Publishing Co. 1888. Pages 33 – 36.
https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_New_West/NdMsAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Prominent+Business+Houses+of+Rat+Portage&pg=PA34&printsec=frontcover
[3] FamilySearch. Kenora. Probate Estate Case Files 1901 –
1908. Image 1933. Accessed October 16, 2025.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5F-875D-B?view=fullText&keywords=Marion%20Holmes%2CHolmes%2CProbate%2CONTARIO%2COntario%2CCANADA%2CKenora&lang=en&groupId=
[4] University of New Brunswick Archived
Newspapers. Carleton
Sentinel 30,
no. 23, June 08, 1878: [2]. New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project,
accessed October 07, 2025.
https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/130/issues/39514/pages/367279.
[5] Ancestry. 1881 Census of Canada. Year: 1881; Census Place:
Eastern Extension, Manitoba Extension, Manitoba; Roll: C_13283; Page: 9; Family
No: 68. Accessed October 1, 2025.
https://www.ancestry.ca/family-tree/person/tree/172574017/person/232274063791/facts
[6] Retson, James C. “Howard Fenwick Holmes.”
Revised August 24, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2025.
https://www.retson.ca/holmeshowardfenwick1857.pdf
[7] Ibid.
[8] UNB. Carleton Sentinel 38, no. 33, August 14, 1886: [2]. New Brunswick
Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 09, 2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/130/issues/39926/pages/368900.
[9] UNB Archived Newspapers. Progress (Saint John,
New Brunswick: 1888) 2, no. 98, March 15, 1890:
[6]. New
Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 07,
2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/155/issues/22597/pages/163661.
[10] Ancestry. 1891 Census of Canada. Year: 1891; Census Place: Rat
Portage West, Algoma, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6324; Family No: 67. Accessed
October 1, 2025.
https://www.ancestry.ca/family-tree/person/tree/172574017/person/232274063791/facts
[11]UNB Archived Newspapers. Progress (Saint John, New Brunswick: 1888) 5, no. 243, December 24,
1892: [8]. New
Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 09, 2025.
https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/155/issues/22711/pages/165290.
[12] Sleeman, Riley, Collections/Education
Coordinator, Lake of the Woods Museum, Kenora, Ontario. “Hendersons Directory,
1886, 1887.” Email to Peggy Vasseur, April 13, 2010.
[13] UNB Archived Newspapers. The Dispatch 6, no. 38, February 21, 1900: [8]. New Brunswick
Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 07, 2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19011/pages/142320
[14] UNB Archived Newspapers. The
Dispatch 12, no. 11, August 16, 1905: [8]. New
Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 07, 2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19354/pages/144989
[15] UNB Archived Newspapers. The
Dispatch 12, no. 16, September 20, 1905: [4]. New
Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 07, 2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19357/pages/145010
[16] UNB Archived Newspapers. Carleton Sentinel 58, no. 35, August 31, 1906:
[7]. New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October
07,
2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/130/issues/41170/pages/374373
[17] Wikipedia. “List of Mayors of Kenora.”
Accessed October 7, 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_mayors_of_Kenora&oldformat=true&oldid=1197022281&action=edit
[18] UNB Archived Newspapers. The Dispatch 13, no. 48, May 01, 1907: [1]. New Brunswick
Historical Newspapers Project, accessed October 11, 2025. https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19422/pages/145533.
[19] FamilySearch. Film # 004302230. Deed #
90130. Image 289. “James Holmes et us to Howard F. Holmes. Accessed October 8,
2025. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9KL-R275?view=fullText&keywords=Howard%2CHolmes%2CNew%20Brunswick%2CPetitcodiac%2CWestmorland%2CCanada&lang=en&groupId=
[20] Ibid. Image 290.
[21] FamilySearch. Kenora. Probate Estate Case Files 1901 – 1908.
“Sussex Portage Kings Co., N. B. March 23/07.” Accessed October 16, 2025.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5F-875D-B?view=fullText&keywords=Marion%20Holmes%2CHolmes%2CProbate%2CONTARIO%2COntario%2CCANADA%2CKenora&lang=en&groupId=
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