Person:Samuel Holmes (2)

From Margaret Harris Stover's article on Samuel Holmes of Montville, Connecticut in the Mayflower Quarterly (references omitted)

The waterways were their highways. Here is an example of a sixth generation Mayflower descendant of John Alden, William Brewster, and Richard Warren who left his Plymouth home and family to establish himself in Connecticut. All places are Connecticut unles cried otherwise...

...Samuel Holmes settled in New London as a young man. Here he bought land adjacent to Samuel Avery from Thomas Bill 15 Feb 1749. He sold this parcel to Ebenezer Smith in March 1749/50 and bought another 25 acre parcel on Sawmill Brook adjacent to John Vibber on 27 Aug 1750. This land was conveyed to Luke Perkins on 6 April 1754. On 23 Nov. 1771 Samuel Holmes purchased six acres on Saw Mill Brook from the heirs of Mrs. Delight Lothrop, wife of Mr. Jabez Lothrop of Norwich and daughter of Mr. Joseph Otis late of New London, deceased. Samuel lived in the North Parish of New London, now Montville.

The will of Samuel Holmes, dated 4 Aug 1774 in his 52nd year and proved 15 Nov 1774, names his "wife" administrator. He stated that there are 11 children, but only daughter Prudence "who is incapable" was named. He left "what little I have to my dear wife." The witnesses were Joshua Raymond, Martha Chapman and Joseph Otis. Samuel signed the will with his signature. Twelve acres of land are mentioned in the inventory.

On 19 March 1793 Lucretia Holmes, widow, conveyed the six acres on Sawmill Brook in Montville for nine pounds to Alpheus Chapman. Lucretia signed by her mark and acknowledged the deed that same date. The witnesses were William Hillhouse and Patty Chapman.

From Genealogical and Biographical Record of New London County

... When a young man he settled in New London, where he probably spent the rest of his life, dying in 1774.... He was a man of considerable means, and upon his death made his wife the executrix of his will, leaving his property to her and his daughter Prudence, who was unable to provide for herself. The will is recorded in New London. [#2677, New London records]

From Descendants of Mr. John Holmes, Messenger of the Plymouth Court by Eugene A. Stratton

147 i. Samuel(5) Holmes, b. 26 June 1722 d. before 19 May 1779; left issue. [He stopped one generation early, as far as I am concerned!]

From Richard S. Holmes

I see you descend from Samuel's son Jabez through his daughter Hannah (with reservations noted). I haven't yet found proof that my Nathan was Samuel's son Nathan -- or for that matter that "my Nathan" was in my line either, although I'm pretty confident of it.

At www.alden.org they have an 8-generation listing of Alden descendants which includes (<http://www.alden.org/aldengen/hannahbartlett/hannahbartlett04.htm>) some information on the family of Samuel Holmes I hadn't seen before, in particular: birth and death dates for John and Sarah; exact birthdates for Elisha and Samuel (son of Samuel and Lucretia) (Baker's History of Montville has a date for Elisha but it differs by two years from the one on this site); and all the details on Mary.

48. Samuel Holmes (Sarah Bartlett , Hannah) was born on 26 Jun 1722 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA. He died in 1774 in Montville, New London, Ct. Samuel married Lucretia Bill about 1747. Lucretia was christened on 9 Mar 1729 in Groton, Ct. She died on 20 Sep 1820. She was buried in Salem, Ct.

They had the following children:

M i Jabez Holmes was born about 1748. He died on 22 Apr 1814. M ii Elisha Holmes was born on 27 Oct 1758. He died on 21 Dec 1844. M iii John Holmes was born about 1756. He died on 13 Jul 1823 in Salem, Ct. M iv Samuel Holmes was born on 27 Aug 1762. He died on 22 Apr 1852. M v Nathan Holmes. F vi Sarah Holmes was born on 20 Oct 1753. She died on 16 Feb 1821. F vii Lucretia Holmes. F viii Abby Holmes. F ix Mary Holmes was born on 15 Oct 1767 in Montville, New London, Ct. She died on 24 Sep 1855.

       Mary married Joshua Comstock about 1788. Joshua was born on 4 Mar 1763 in Salem, Ct. He died on 1 Feb 1828.

F x Anna Holmes. F xi Prudence Holmes.

Mary's birthdate is a bit of an embarrassment for the hypothesis that the Nathan Holmes who's buried in Farmersville, Cattaraugus County, NY is the Nathan who's listed here, since his gravestone says he was born in 1767. Of course, if Mary's birthdate is correct, Nathan could have been Mary's twin; it's also theoretically possible he was born in early January 1767, though not likely. And of course the date on his gravestone isn't necessarily correct. (The 1850 census mortality schedule says he died in Feb 1850 (another source says 1 Mar 1850) at age 83; that implies a birthdate in 1766, or early 1767.)

The web site does not show sources for this information.

More from Richard S. Holmes

I recently learned that an article by Margaret Harris Stover on Samuel Holmes of Montville, Connecticut was published last year in the Mayflower Quarterly (Vol. 66, Sep 2000, pp. 243-249).

It's a good compilation of facts, though I was a bit disappointed to find Stover did not have any better sources for the identities of Samuel's wife and children than the books I've already seen. One fact I had not seen before stood out, though: alongside the name of Samuel's son Nathan it says "A Nathan Holmes m. Grace Chapman, born in the 1770s."

That pretty much clinches one of the connections I've guessed at. To remind you, near my 2nd great grandfather's grave in Poolville, Town of Hamilton, Madison, NY is the grave of "Grace wife of Nathan Holmes Died Jan 30 1840 [aged] 69 Years". Together with other bits of evidence I believe this adds up to something like proof that there was a Nathan in Hamilton who came from Montville (and it supplies a surname for Grace). That this Nathan was father of Peter, Jabez, Phebe, Hiram, Henry, and Nathan, I have little doubt, but I'd like stronger evidence. I'd also like stronger evidence he was son of Samuel. (Note Samuel had other links to the Chapman family: Martha Chapman witnessed his will, Alpheus Chapman bought six acres from Samuel's widow, and Patty Chapman witnessed the transaction.) But I'm confident this is probably the right line.

Oddly enough, Stover gives no source for the above statement, even though she does cite sources for nearly everything else in the article. I took a look in the indices of several Chapman genealogies at the library but no Nathan Holmes was listed. My notes indicate there's a Chapman section in Baker's History of Montville, but I didn't think to look that up while I was at the library.

PS: I got a reply from Margaret Stover, the author of the Samuel Holmes article, regarding "A Nathan Holmes m. Grace Chapman, born in the 1770s." Turns out there's an error: it should be Grace Chapell, daughter of Peter Chapell and Esther Douglas. Source: Baker's "History of Montville", p. 480.

From Rich Holmes

In the old Salem burying-ground there are several by the name of Holmes whose gravestones appear there. Upon one stone in the group of the Holmeses is the name "Lucretia, wife of Samuel Holmes, Died Sept. 20, 1820, aged 93 years," which shows that she was born about 1727, and would correspond with the age of the Samuel Holmes who purchased land in North Parish in 1749. Assuming that the Lucretia Holmes, born about 1727, was the wife of Samuel Holmes, we have a basis upon which to proceed in the lineage of the Holmes families.

This Samuel Holmes was probably the son of Elisha Holmes and Sarah Bartlett, daughter of Joseph Bartlett of Plymouth, Mass., born about 1722, and married Lucretia ____.

1.   Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, compiler, and Alicia Crane Williams, ed. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. ([Plymouth MA:] The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1999)
   Volume 16, Part One: John Alden. page 268 (birth).

   Authors: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, compiler, and Alicia Crane Williams, ed.

2.   Susan Roser. Mayflower Births and Deaths
   Vol. II.

   birth and death

3.   National Genealogical Society Quarterly
   Vol. 74, June 1968, #2, p. 209.

   Descendants of Mr. John Holmes, Messenger of the Plymouth Court by Eugene A. Stratton, C.G., F.A.S.G.

4.   General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Families in Progress. (1991)
   Robert Bartlett of the Anne p. 86.
5.   George E. Bowman, Editor. Mayflower Descendant
   Vol. 13, p. 113 (birth).
6.   Researcher.

   Richard (Rich) S. Holmes ("From Notes of Frances Manwaring Caulkins, Historian of New London County," handwritten notes. Photocopy sent by Dan McDonald to Richard S. Holmes, late 1998.), Dave Sharp, Elaine Tillquist Pavone (birth)

7.   Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Quarterly
   Sept, 2000. Samuel Holmes of Montville, Connecticut by Margaret Harris Stover, C.G.
8.   William T. Davis. Genealogical Register of Plymouth Families. (1895; 1975)
   p. 138.
9.   846. Samuel Holmes, in Alden Kindred of America Genealogy Database.

   "846. Samuel Holmes (Sarah Bartlett, Hannah Pabodie, Elizabeth Alden, John) was born on 26 Jun 1722 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA. He died on 4 Aug 1774.
   
   Samuel married Lucretia Bill. Lucretia was born about 1725. She died on 20 Sep 1820. She was buried in Wesley Brown Cemetery, Salem, CT."

10. ↑ van Antwerp, Lee Douglas, and Ruth Wilder Sherman. Vital Records of Plymouth, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (Camden, Maine: Picton Press, 1993)
    66.

    ... The children of Elisha Holmes Jr. & Sarah Holmes his wife
    1 Samuel born June 26th 1722
    2 Sarah Holmes born Aug. 28th 1724
    3 Susannah Holmes born Nov. 18th 1726
    4 Nathl. Holmes born July 6, 1730
    5 Elisha Holmes born Sept. 4, 1732
    6 Betty Holmes born Jan. 16, 1734/5
    7 a daughter born, not named, deceased
    more, a son born, between Susannah & Nathll. and a daughter born after Betty, both deceased and not named - 9 in all ...