Samuel Holmes (1738 - 1802)

Born 21 May 1738 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire

Ancestors

Husband of Charity (Bryant) Holmes — married 22 Dec 1757 in Scarborough, Cumberland, Maine

Descendants

Died 20 Nov 1802 at age 64 in Machias, Washington, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

Private Samuel Holmes served with 6th Lincoln County Regiment, Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution.

Samuel Holmes is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A057111.

Samuel Holmes was baptized in Portsmouth, New Hampshire's South Church on May 21, 1738. He was the son of Samuel Holmes and Mary (Peavey) Holmes. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Samuel moved with his parents and family to Scarborough, Cumberland, Maine, likely between his father's November 1741 purchase of land there and his brother's July 1744 baptism there. ^[4] Samuel married Charity Bryant, daughter of John Bryant and Elizabeth Davis, on December 22, 1757 in Scarborough's Second Congregational Church. ^[5]

Samuel and his wife lived in Scarborough as late as May 1764, but were living in Machias, Washington, Maine by July 1766. ^[6] He lived near the border of neighboring Whiting, and owned 330 acres at Holmes Bay ^[7] in what is now Machiasport. His home on Holmes Bay was used in describing Machias's original 1769 boundaries. ^[8]

Samuel served in the American Revolution. He was a private in Col. Benjamin Foster's regiment, June-July 1777 and again in late August 1777 after the British naval raid on Machias. He also served under Lieut. John Scott in the 6th Lincoln County Regiment in the Penobscot Expedition, July-November 1779. ^[9]

After the war, Samuel was the Machias's surveyor of lumber in 1784, ^[10] surveyor of highways in 1785, ^[11] a constable in 1788, ^[12] and a grand juror in 1795. ^[13] He was a resident of Machias in the 1790 ^[14] and 1800 censuses. ^[15]

Samuel died in Machias on November 20, 1802. ^[16]

Children of Samuel Holmes and Charity (Bryant) Cates:^{[17][18][19][20]}

1. John Holmes - b. 1758, probably Scarborough; m. Keziah Nash; d. 1841 or 1842 probably Machiasport.
2. Anna Holmes - m. abt 1774-75 Benajah Ackley; d. in Whiting 1830.
3. Mary "Molly" Holmes - m. 1780 Robert Cates, moved to Cutler.
4. Martha Holmes - b. abt 1764, probably Scarborough; m. Timothy Libby.
5. Elizabeth Holmes - b. abt 1763; m. 1787 John Davis; d. in Cutler, 1836.
6. James Holmes - b. 1769, probably Machias; m. 1795 Sarah Berry; d. in Machiasport 1843.
7. Ephraim Holmes - b. abt 1770; m. 1791 Sally Richardson; d. Belfast 1856.
8. Abial Holmes - b. abt 1772; m. 1800 Betsey Phinney; d. Machiasport 1856.
9. Lurania Holmes - b. abt 1776; m. 1797 Joel Sevey; d. Cutler 1855.
10. Adonijah Holmes - b. Machias 1778; m. 1798 Ruth Richardson or Montgomery; d. Swanville 1861.

Sources

1. ↑ New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, Records of the South Church of Portsmouth, N.H. (Boston, Suffolk, MA), Vol. 81, p. 443
2. ↑ Joseph Crook Anderson II, editor, Maine Families in 1790 (Maine Genealogical Society, Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, 1988 -), Vol. 7, pp. 228, 229
3. ↑ "New Hampshire Births and Christenings, 1714-1904," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDXT-2M5 : 12 December 2014), Samuel Holmes, ; citing New Hampshire, United States; FHL microfilm 15,582.
4. ↑ Anderson, loc. cit.
5. ↑ Anderson, loc. cit.
6. ↑ Anderson, loc. cit.
7. ↑ Anderson, loc. cit.
8. ↑ George W. Drisko, Narrative of the Town of Machias, The Old and the New, The Early and the Late (Press of The Republican, Machias, Maine, 1904, 575 pages), p. 19
9. ↑ Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1896), Vol 8, p. 175.
10. ↑ Drisko, op. cit., p. 92
11. ↑ Drisko, op. cit., p. 96
12. ↑ Drisko, op. cit., p. 128
13. ↑ Drisko, op. cit., p. 169
14. ↑ "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHK2-MMH : accessed 27 December 2017), Samuel Holmes, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 163, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 2; FHL microfilm 568,142.
15. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRS-R49 : accessed 27 December 2017), Samuel Holmes, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 618, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 8; FHL microfilm 218,678.
16. ↑ Anderson, loc. cit.
17. ↑ Drisko, op. cit., pp. 465-466.
18. ↑ Memorial of the Centennial Anniversary of the Settlement of Machias (C.O. Furbush, Machias, 1863), p. 166
19. ↑ Anderson, op. cit., pp. 228-233
20. ↑ Gladys Hall Forslund, The History of Whiting, Maine (Advertiser Publishing Company, Calais, Maine, 1975), pp. 83, 84