Mary Elizabeth (Whitten) Holmes (abt. 1867 - 1930)

Born about Jun 1867 in Saint John's, Newfoundland

Ancestors

Wife of Edward Patrick Holmes Sr. — married 23 Nov 1892 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Died 2 Mar 1930 at about age 62 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kerry Ellard [send private message]

Biography

Mary Elizabeth Whitten, who went by "Minnie," was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, in or about June 1867.

She was the daughter of William Whitten and Anne Toucher, and grew up in a large Catholic family of mixed Irish and English ancestry.

At some point between 1886 and 1890--probably closer to 1890--Mary Elizabeth relocated to Boston with other members of her family. She had lost her father in 1883, quickly followed by older brother George in 1884. Then, in 1887, her younger brother Peter died at the age of eighteen. The disruption to the family and loss of established male providers was likely a factor in the move, and probably also made finding a husband seem more urgent.

On November 23, 1892, Mary Elizabeth married Edward Patrick Holmes in Boston. The couple lived in Lynn for the first years of their marriage, then settled in Brockton. They had thirteen children over the course of six years.

Mary Elizabeth's own parents had raised twelve children to adulthood, but she was not quite so lucky. Daughter Ellen Mary Holmes was born in Lynn in January 1893, but died that April of unknown causes.

Her second child, another daughter whom she also named Ellen Mary, was born in the Holmes's new Brockton home in February 1894, followed by Clara Josephine in February 1895, Thomas Joseph in February 1896, and Minnie "Mary" Elizabeth in May 1897.

Unfortunately, the Holmes's oldest surviving daughter, Ellen Mary (II), succumbed to meningitis in June 1897, aged 4. Apparently not one to be deterred or superstitious, Mary Elizabeth, bestowed the name "Ellen Mary" upon the daughter she delivered almost exactly a year after this loss. Happily, this third Ellen Mary Whitten, who went by "Nellie," lived until 1956 and raised a large family.

Mary Elizabeth lost her mother, Anne Toucher Whitten, in January 1899, but welcomed daughter Ann Whitten in December of that year. Anne Toucher Whitten appears to have spelled her name "Ann" when given the choice, so this was likely a tribute to her.

The following December, Mary Elizabeth welcomed another son, Edward Patrick Holmes, Jr., but he died of marasmus (malnutrition/failure to thrive) a few months later in March 1901. (There were no subsequent Edward Patrick Jrs.) A daughter, Jennie, followed in May of 1902, but she died about a year later of scarlet fever.

Fortunately, in her late thirties, Mary Elizabeth welcomed three sons who lived well into adulthood--as did the rest of her surviving children: William Anthony in July 1903, Edward John in October 1904, and Walter in September 1906. In July 1909, at the age of 42, she delivered her last child, son Joseph Francis, but he died of marasmus just over a year later, in October of 1910.

Edward Patrick and Mary Elizabeth Holmes eventually relocated to the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, where Mary Elizabeth died on March 2, 1930, aged 62. Edward remained in Dorchester until his death on November 16, 1953, aged 89.

Sources

• Source: S350058341 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Record Collection 1030Ancestry Family Tree APID 192493356143:1030:115577501
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/230108900/mary-elizabeth-holmes: accessed 30 January 2024), memorial page for Mary Elizabeth “Minnie” Whitten Holmes (1867–2 Mar 1930), Find a Grave Memorial ID 230108900, citing Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum, Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Amy (contributor 47820746).
• Minnie E. Holmes in the 1900 United States Federal Census.
• Mary E. Holmes in the 1910 United States Federal Census.
• Mary Holmes in the 1920 United States Federal Census.
• Maria E. Whitten in the Massachusetts, U.S., Boston Archdiocese Roman Catholic Sacramental Records, 1789-1920.
• Mary E. Whitten in the Massachusetts, U.S., Death Records, 1841-1915.
• Obituary of Mary E. (Whitten) Holmes, Boston Globe, March 2, 1930.