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Facts and Events
John Holmes was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia
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Early Land Acquisition in Augusta County, VA
John Holmes' land (Beverley Manor SW, 260 of 660 acres, acquired from Joseph Mills in 1742) as shown on the map meticulously drawn by J.R. Hildebrand, cartographer. This map is copyrighted©, used by permission of John Hildebrand, son of J.R. Hildebrand, April, 2009. (Note: the remaining 400 acres appear to have been acquired by Robert Wilson, father-in-law of John Holmes).
Acquisition of Land from Orange County, VA Records:
- Pages 1-4. 23-24 June 1742. Joseph Mills of St. Mark's Parish, Orange County, to Robt. Willson and John Holmes of same. Lease and release; for £64.10.- current money. 660 acres in Beverley Mannor... corner to James Robinsone... corner to John Buckhannon... back line of the pattent of Beverley Manner... 400 of the land to be laid of[f] next to William Long for Robt. Wilsone and the remainder for John Holmes... (signed) Joseph Mills. Wit: G. Home, Jno. Christian. 24 June 1742. Acknowledged by Joseph Mills and Robt. Wilson. [Orange County Virginia Deed Book 8, Dorman, pg. 67].
Disposition of Land from Chalkley's:
- Page 515.--29th February, 1747-8. £77. John Holmes to William Wright, 260 acres in Beverley Manor, part of a large tract conveyed to James Mills (s/b Joseph Mills) and sold to Robert Wilson and John Holmes, patent line of Beverley Manor; Anthony Black's land; Wm. Robinson's line; John Wilson's line. Teste: Wm. Henderson, John Black, John Cunningham. Proved by all and dower released by Jane, 19th May, 1748.
Will Transcript
- May Court 1775, Rowan County, NC. [Probate Date, will contains several spelling errors]
- In the name of God Amen this first day of January in the year of our Lord 1772.
- I John Holmes do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to say princely and first of all I recommend my Soul into the god that give it and for M_ody Recommend it to the Earth to be Buried in a Christian like and Decent Manner at the Discration of my Exotrs. Nothing Doubting, but at the General resurection I shall receive the same by the mighty power of God and as touching my worldly Estate as it hath pleased God do bless me in this life I give and dispose of the same in way and manner folowing Viz:
- Imprimis. it is my will and Desire that in the first place that all my Debts and funeral charges be paid and satisfied and I allow twenty pounds to be first to Logan and Shepyin? philadelphia and thirty Shillings to Widow Boyd in or near Mrs. Dutey Boyds in orternra? and I allow my wife to discharge her Duty to her daughter Elizabeth in giving her part as well as any of the Girls & I allow the place to my Wife and the two Boys William and Richard during her life & at her Death to be equally Divided according to quantity & quality and at her Death I allow her part to be equaly Divided between the sd. ___ & I allow my Wife Gennat and Richard & We rm? Jolts Aquoss? be my Exrs. & I allow my other Debts is paid twenty Shillings to Each that is to say Mary, Mary, Jean, Katrain, James and I utterly Disallow all former Testament adn Wills Made by me ratyfying & confirming this to be my last Will and testament in Witness whereunto I have set my hand and Seal the day and year mentioned.
- Signed Sealed and pronounced & published & Declared In the presence of the Subscribers.
- [Signe] John Holmes [Seal]
- Joseph Knox
- Maddle Knox
- [Rowan County, NC Will Books, Vol A-B, 1757-1793]
Records in Augusta County, VA
From Chalkley's Augusta County Records:
- Vol. 2 - LIST OF MUSTERS IN AUGUSTA COUNTY, 1742: Capt. John Christian's List: John Christian, Captain; William Christian, Lieutenant; Fran Betty, Ensign; Jhn. Holms, Josep Read, Finley McClewr, George Camble, George Caldwell, Wm. Caldwell, Alex. Thompson, Jas. Caldwell, Isaac McCulough, Jas. Armstrong, Wm. Armstrong, Thos. Henderson, Wm. Henderson, Rob Conigham, Wm. Conigham, Thos. Black, Wm. Johnston, Joh Davison, And. Cowin, Jas. Moody, Jas. Willson, Niol. Leeper, Jno. Turk, Wm. Adams, David Mitchel, Rob. Ramsey, George Breakinsed, John Mitchel, Jas. Fulton, John Fulton, John Brownlee, Chas. Camble, Jas. Camble, Will Camble, Jno. Buchanan, Nathan McClewer, Jas. Robinson, Antho Black, Will Long, Thos. Bell, Jas. Bell, Jno. Black, Wm. Robinson, Thos. Shields, And. McCord, Thos. Beans, Arth. Hamilton, And. Scott, John Maxwell, Pat. Barney, Alex. Brackinsedg, Rob. Brackinsedg, James Brackinsedg, _____ McCoulough, Jas. Miler, Rob. McClenachan, Jno. Doacke, Sam Doacke, Patt Hayes, And. Boyd, Jas. Black, Alex. Fordice, David Steel, Moses Thompson, John Thompson, And. Russell, Rand McDonel, Hug Martine, Joh Robinson, Jas. Beans, Rob. Alexander, Ths. Lewis.
- Page 1.--Robert Willson, in Shanadore in Virginia, will dated 3d November, 1745. Wife, Jane; estate except such as is nominated of the hole head to son John. Son, John; daughter, Jannet Holmes, 20 shillings; daughter, Catrin Bell, 20 shillings; nephew (?), Robert Holmes; daughters, Elizabeth, Jane, Frances. Executors, Wm. Long and James Alexander. Teste: Jno. Patterson, Gabriel Holmes, James Bell. Proved, 11th February, 1745, by John Patterson. Proved, 16th April, 1745, by Gabriel Holmes. (Note: Robert Wilson was the father-in-law of John Holmes).
- Vol. 1 - August 21, 1746. - (83) Petition of John Holmes vs. Thomas Chew for neglectg. his business as an attorney is dismissed.
- Vol. 1 - November 19, 1746. - (129) Grand Jury--Nathan Patterson, Ro. Dunlap, John Holmes, and others--grand jurors.
- Page 122.--10th March, 1746-7. Robert Wilson's appraisement by Jno. Black, James Alexander, Wm. Long. Debts due to John Holmes, Wm. Darlington, Wm. Branston.
- Vol. 1 - FEBRUARY AND MAY, 1747. - George Brackenridge vs. John Holmes.--Debt. Writ 18th June, 1746. Bond dated 17th April, 1746.
- Vol. 1 - AUGUST 19, 1747. - (251) John Holms appointed Constable, vice David Stewart; Mich. Dougherty appointed Constable, vice Thos. Williams.
- Vol. 1 - MAY AND AUGUST, 1748. - Renich vs. Holmes.--James Murray recovered vs. Thomas Renich in the Common Pleas at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1744. Judgment on a note by Thomas Renick, John Holmes and others, to James Murray, dated 31st December, 1741.
- Vol. 2 - List of Delinquents - 1755: Jno. Homes, no estate.
- Page 35.--16th August, 1791. James Wright and Alexander Wright, sons and devisees of William Wright, deceased, and Elizabeth, wife of James, of Augusta, to Jacob Bear, 260 acres in Beverley Manor, part of tract originally surveyed for Joseph Mills, and sold to Robert Wilson and Jno. Holmes by deed which was conveyed to said William Wright, deceased, by John Holmes, February, 1748.
Information on John Holmes
From "Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762", by Robert W. Ramsey, pg. 43:
- The family of John Holmes, (Thomas) Bell's brother-in-law, was evidently in Lower Dublin township, Philadelphia County, between 1734 and 1741. Holmes himself moved on to Prince George's County in 1742 and proceded from there to the Shenandoah Valley. Holmes was a man of considerable prominence, for he served as constable of Augusta County in 1747 and was appointed justice of the peace for Anson County in September of the following year.
Robert W. Ramsey apparently looked in various secondary sources and just assumed that anyone with the same name was the same person. After hours and hours of searching orginal wills and other records on-line at familysearch.org, published abstracts of records in PA, VA and MD and one excellent on-line genealogy at https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I7820&tree=Tree1, I have proof that the Holmes family members that were in Philadelphia County, PA, were different people. The John Holmes who appeared on the 1734 tax list of Lower Dublin Township and was named in the will of John Holmes of Philadelphia County, PA, probated in 1741 remained in Lower Dublin Township and left a will there probated in 1775. The John Holmes who lived in Prince George's County, MD, and served as administrator of his father William's estate in 1741 was married to a woman named Isabella (Iszabel in deed book Liber Y page 503). If you follow the lawsuit abstracted in Chalkley I, pages 299-300, you can find various abstracts and some articles in the journal of the Lancaster County Pennsylvania Historical Society that state that John Holmes, Alexander Crawford and Thomas Ren(n)ick all lived in Lancaster County, PA, in 1740 or 1741, when John Holmes,Thomas Ren(n)ick and Alexander Crawford signed a note to James Murray, dated 31 December 1741, that they were all still in Lancaster County in 1744 when James Murray recovered from Thomas Ren(n)ick and that Holmes, Ren(n)ick and Crawford all moved to Augusta County, VA, before 1748 (some sources say John Holmes moved earlier.) The date of John Holmes' move to Augusta County, VA, in these sources is off in that he purchased land in Orange Co., VA, jointly with his father-in-lws Robert Wilson in June 1742, sold this land to William Wright in February 1747/8 and was in the Augusta County militia in 1742. Further proof of his Lancaster County, PA, origin is that in his will he wrote that thirty shillings was to go to Widow Boyd near Mrs. Dutey Boyd in Octorara (or Octoraro). Either spelling refers to an area on the Chester County, PA/Lancaster Co., PA, border.
From "A History of Anson County, North Carolina, 1750-1976", by Mary L. Medley, pg. 17:
- Corbitt, author-compiler of the book, "Formation of North Carolina Counties 1663-1943", stated that the governor and his council created Anson County on September 29. 1748 and names justices of the peace for the county the next day: Joseph White, Charles Robinson, Edmund Cartledge, William Phillips, Samuel Davis, Thomas Smith, John Hicks and John Holmes.
From "Sir Robert Bell and his early Virginia Colony Descendants", by James Elton Bell, Frances Jean Bell, pg. 48:
- Jennett and John Holmes baptised three children at Tinkling Spring: Jean, 1744; Catherine, 1746; James, 1747. Source: Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom, by Dr. H. Wilson, Staunton, Virginia; Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church Records.
Image Gallery
References
- North Carolina, United States. North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records , 1665-1998: [database on-line]. (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015).
Name: John Holmes
Will Date: 1 Jan 1772
Probate Date: May 1775 [corrected, transcription error]
Probate Place: Rowan, North Carolina, USA
Inferred Death Year: 1772
Inferred Death Place: North Carolina, USA
Item Description: Will Books, Vol A-B, 1757-1793
Others Listed Relationship
John Holmes Testator
Elizabeth Holmes Daughter
William Holmes Son
Richard Holmes Son
Gennat Holmes Wife
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