Person:Helmer Holmes (1)

Helmer Holmes

Holmes, Helmer 29 yrs Farmer b. Indiana (parents, b. Ohio)
Holmes, Abby 22 yrs Wife "K. H." b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Thadeus 3 yrs Son b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Walter 1 yr Son b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)

Holmes, Helmer Head 48 yrs (b. Apr 1852) (marr. 24 yrs) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farmer
Holmes, Abbie Wife 42 yrs (b. Jul 1857) (10 children, 10 living) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Thadeus Son 23 yrs (b. Mar 1877) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer
Holmes, Walter Son 20 yrs (b. Dec 1879) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer
Holmes, Louis Son 19 yrs (b. Dec 1880)b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer
Holmes, Dugger Son 15 yrs (b. Jul 1884) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer
Holmes, Logan Son 13 yrs (b. Oct 1887) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) at school
Holmes, Roscoe Son 11 yrs (b. Dec 1888) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) at school
Holmes, Harvey Son 9 yrs (b. Apr 1891) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) at school
Holmes, Lenore Dau 6 yrs (b. Sep 1893) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) at school
Holmes, Victoria Dau 4 yrs (b. Nov 1895)b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Dewey Son 2 yrs (b. Apr 1898) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)

Among the hard-working and genial farmers of Washington township, is Helmer Holmes, who was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, April 22, 1851, son of Jacob and Clemintine (Riddle) Holmes. The former was born in Floyd county, Indiana, July 24, 1813, being a son of Martin Holmes, who moved to Lawrence county in an early day. Jacob's wife was born in Center township, Greene county, in 1822, and died March 25, 1862. Martin Holmes, who was killed by a tree falling on him, was a native of Maryland. Jacob, who was grown when the family moved to Lawrence county, married there and spent the remainder of his life in that community, dying June 7, 1896. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They had the following children: Paris, who died in the army while a member of the Fifteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry; Mary was born September 15, 1844, and died November 24, 1867; Almira married Levy Butcher and died in Kansas. Frances, the wife of John Richardson, who lives in Missouri; Helmer, the subject of this sketch; Ellen is living in Lawrence county; Milford also lives in that county; Josephine died in infancy, as did also Sigel. Jacob Holmes married the second time, his last wife being Elizabeth Dicks. They had five children, namely: Olive, living in Illinois; Thomas and Howard both deceased; Laura married Everett Wilson and resides in Center township, and Isabelle married a Mr. Proctor and resides in Terre Haute. Helmer Holmes remained at home until he was nineteen years old, when he went to Kansas, later to Colorado, where he remained three years, farming and teaming. He returned to Indiana in 1873 and remained at home three years, when he married and came to Greene county, locating on the farm he now owns, which he first rented and bought later. It consists of two hundred and thirty acres. The subject's wife was Abby Lamb, who was born in 1845 in Jackson township, Greene county, Indiana. She was the daughter of Hiram and Nancy (Hatfield) Lamb, natives of North Carolina, who were early settlers in Greene county. The subject and wife had eleven children, as follows: Thaddeus, who married Tessie Sexson, living in Smith township, Greene county. They have three children, Kenneth, Hester and Ralph. Walter, the subject's second child, lives at home, as do also the following children: Lew Wallace, Dugger, Logan, Roscoe, Harvey, Lenore, Victoria, Dewey and Max. Mr. Holmes follows mixed husbandry and stock raising, favoring high-grade Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. He is a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church at Bethany, Indiana. Mr. Holmes ranks among the better class of farmers. He has good buildings, his soil is well tilled and everything about him shows evidence of taste and success.

Holmes, Helmer Head 58 yrs (marr. 34 yrs) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farmer (General Farm)
Holmes, Abbie Wife 52 yrs (11 children, 11 living) b. Indiana (parents, b. South Carolina/Indiana)
Holmes, Dugger Son 25 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Clerk (Hotel)
Holmes, Logan Son 23 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Laborer (Home farm)
Holmes, Rosco Son 20 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Laborer (Home farm)
Holmes, Harvey Son 18 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Laborer (Home farm)
Holmes, Lenore Dau 16 yrs b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Victoria Dau 14 yrs b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Dewey Son 12 yrs b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Max Son 8 yrs b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)

Holmes, Helmer Head 68 yrs (marr.) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farmer (General Farm)
Holmes, Abbie Wife 62 yrs (marr.) b. Indiana (parents, b. South Carolina/Indiana)
Holmes, Logan Son 33 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farmer (General Farm)
Holmes, Harvey Son 24 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer (Home Farm)
Holmes, Victoria Dau 24 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)
Holmes, Dewey Son 21 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer (Home Farm)
Holmes, Max Son 19 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana)

Holmes, Helmer Head 79 yrs (marr. at 25 yrs) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farmer (Farmer)
Holmes, Abba Wife 73 yrs (matt. at 19 yrs) b. Indiana (parents, b. North Carolina/Indiana)
Holmes, Logan Son 41 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farmer (Farming)
Holmes, Harvey Son 38 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer (Farm)
Holmes, Dewey Son 31 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer (Farm)
Holmes, Max Son 28 yrs (single) b. Indiana (parents, b. Indiana) Farm Laborer (Farm)

Helmer Holmes, son of Jacob and Clementine (Riddle) Holmes, was born April 22, 1851, in Lawrence County, Indiana, and died at his home in Washington Township, May 9, 1931, at the age of eighty years and seventeen days. On October 12, 1876, he was married to Abigail Lamb, of near Owensburg, Indiana, to which union eleven children were born, nine sons and two daughters, as follows: Thaddeus, of Sandborn, Indiana; Walter, of Switz City; Lewie, near home; Dugger, of Chicago, Illinois; Logan, at home; Roscoe, of Lyons; Harvey, at home, Lenore, of Fairplay Township; Victoria, of Bloomfield; Dewey and Max, at home. Early in life he united with the Methodist church, to which his parents belonged, but about thirty-five years ago, he and his wife joined the Christian Church at Bethany, in which faith he lived to the end. At the age of nineteen years, he went to Kansas and then to Colorado, but only spent about three years there, returning in 1873. In 1879 he moved from the old home in Lawrence County, to Bloomfield, and the following year, 1880, moved to the farm on which he spent the remaining fifty-one years of his life. He was a man of untiring energy and ambition as is clearly shown by the appearance of the beautiful home and the high state of cultivation in which his farm has always been kept. He ranks as one of Greene County's most successful farmers, and has been able at all times by close application and efficient management to prosper, even under adverse conditions. He was a splendid citizen and has set an example of thrift and a spirit of enterprise that has no doubt inspired many others to greater endeavor and higher attainments. But his achievements have not all been in the sense of financial success. For one who has lived a clean, upright, honorable life, and has given to his community eleven children, all of whom have reached their maturity, and have also lived clean, upright and honorable lives, has contributed vastly more to society that he who only has succeeded in a business sense. But it can be said of him that he succeeded in both. He has enjoyed good health all his life, and it has only been the past year that he has been unable to work and only the past few months, that his condition became alarming. He was a true and loving husband, a kind and devoted father, an obliging neighbor, a worthy citizen, and a Christian gentleman. He leaves to mourn their loss his devoted wife, eleven children, seven grandchildren, a half-brother, Oliver Holmes, of Mill Creek, Illinois; two half-sisters, Mrs. Everett Wilson, of Hobbieville, Indiana, and Mrs. Isabell Proctor, of Wantland, Kentucky, and a host of other relatives and friends. The funeral and interment occurred Monday afternoon at Prairie Chapel, the service being conducted by Rev. Russell N. Taylor and Rev. Logan Hatfield.

In the deaths of Helmer Holmes, Wm. E. Keller and Henry Hasler, during the past few weeks, Washington Township lost three of its oldest farmer citizens and three of its most upright and honorable men, who were neighbors and leaders in community affairs for a half-century. Each one had a large family and each man came from sturdy pioneer parentage, representative of the citizenship that made this country one of the greatest and safest places to live in the world. Mr. Holmes began to fail in health nearly a year ago, but his condition did not grow serious until a couple of months ago, when it became apparent that he could not recover from an arterial ailment, although every aid known to medical profession was used as a relief to his suffering. The funeral and interment, at Prairie Chapel on Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock was attended by a large concourse of relatives, friends and neighbors. The music at the Chapel was vocal selections by a quartet from the Popcorn neighborhood composed of Mr. and Mrs. Rolla Holmes, Joseph Parker and Everett Wilson. A vocal duet, "In the Garden," was sung by Mrs. Thelma Wright and Mrs. Helen Gregory, of Lyons. The floral offerings were many and beautiful, including a blanket of pink roses. The obituary (written by H. L. Doney) was read by Rev. J. L. Hatfield, of Owensburg, and the prayer was offered by Rev. Russell N. Taylor, of Lyons. The funeral sermon was delivered by Evangelist Loren Pecaut.