Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
January 29, 2026
“Walking
Home From the Ordinary”
“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
I
went looking for something for the header this morning, and found this. It’s a
review for many of you - the minutes of
the 1926 Holmes Family Reunion, which was held in Petitcodiac. Love that
Augusta (Corey) Holmes, wife of James, was called Aunt Gusty.
And I Quote:
“I read your blog on Facebook and I am thankful you have
decided to continue . . . I don’t always comment but want you to
know you make a difference and I hope you can continue.” ~ Cindy.
“It is another very
excellent Chronicle and I am glad that you are continuing to write them for
those of us that prefer to read and not research . . . I prefer the black
info as I like having more information. Albeit, I did like your comment in
the red one regarding the hardware store, noting that it wasn't Fenwick's that
burned . . . It is excellent that you are keeping a journal.” ~ Julia.
“I
like the red rendition of the fires best. The third fire you might have missed the word forth in describing where the
fire started or instead of burst, maybe
you could use spread? . . . Hope you and yours are well and your Guelph family
are coping with snowmeggadon. I can't
remember when we last had snow on our stoop . . .” ~ Ann. Thanks again for the
edit!
1925
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.
2025 to 2028
Do
you know how I write this particular part of the chronicle? By hook or by
crook. I start writing, and see where it takes me. I revise it a couple of
times. Today, I amble (or ramble).
Almost
every day, I go for a walk. How far I go, and where I go, depends on the
weather or where I am. On Sunday, I park quite a way from church. I keep an
umbrella in the car just in case. (Last Sunday, I bundled up like Nanook of the
North.) Monday through Friday, I walk to the store and back for the mail,
unless the weather is terrible. If it’s half way decent, I throw in a few extra
blocks to please my doctor and help my blood pressure.
On
Saturday, who knows where I’ll walk?
Although
I’m still working on Fenwick and Maud, I’ve been thinking about our immigrant
ancestor, Francis Holmes and his family. Did they do a lot of walking? Did they
carry stuff on their back from wherever their ship docked, to Stamford? Did
they catch a boat across the Long Island Sound? Buy a horse and wagon, and if
so, how was the trail? How about getting around Stamford. I picture them doing
quite a bit of walking, no matter what their situation. Walk to the meeting
house, to their common pasture, to the ordinary, to visit friends, to the
waterways.
Francis
was walking home from the ordinary (tavern) in the dark when he was assaulted
in the face. I sort of sympathize with him when I look at my face right now. I
had a wee blue mole removed from my bottom eyelid. The needle caused more
bleeding than the procedure, I was told; it left a bruise under my eye. It
probably didn’t hurt near as much as Francis’ face did after he was slugged.
The worst part was the freezing, and I suppose Francis would have appreciated
that right about then.
Now,
that was quite an amble and ramble. Maybe it will give you a chuckle, and maybe
you’ll be wondering about my sanity. Today, I sport a little scab and hardly a bruise at all.
Here’s
the record about Francis’s face: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3N-SWR6?view=fullText&keywords=Francis%20Holmes&lang=en&groupId=
And,
here’d the link to when Francis was overcome with drink. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3N-SWLP?view=fullText&keywords=Francis%20Holmes&lang=en&groupId=
These
were the two first entries to show up when I googled our ancestor. They are not
limited to Full Text Search, however. Too bad; if someone only did a cursory
search, they wouldn’t get a very pretty overview of our Francis. But we know he
was a man we can be proud of.
News from Holmes
A Halstead Mention
As
I work on the Rat Portage Land Record books, I keep encountering a Rev. William
and Mrs. Mary Halstead, and sometimes a Rosa Halstead. I have not taken the
time to research them, but if someone has an interest, they could do so. The
time frame I am working on is from 1885ish to the mid 1890s. There is another
Holmes family as well, but Holmes is a common name compared to Holstead.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
I
found this while I was revising my article for Generations. It is about
Remsheg, where Samuel Holmes Sr, Samuel Holsted, Nathaniel Hoeg, etc. initially settled in Nova Scotia
after the Revolution. It’s nine pages long, downloadable, and includes history,
paintings, photos, etc. If you are interested, I suggest you have a look at the
link. This is a website of the Wallace and Area Museum of Wallace, Nova Scotia,
and is in a file called Community Memories. “The United
Empire Loyalists of Remsheg; refugees from the American Revolution:” The
Story of the United Empire Loyalists of the Remsheg Grant, 1783.
https://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000852&sl=10055&pos=1&pf=1
This ends
week five of our centennial virtual celebration of 1926 – 2026.
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