Israel Holmes

Please see document posted in Sources.

• Israel was born circa 1650 in Scituate and baptized in Scituate on April 14, 1661.
• He married Desire Doty, widow of William Sherman, and daughter of Mayflower passenger Edward Doty, on November 14, 1681 in Marshfield.
• Israel drowned in Plymouth Harbor in Mass. Colony. He is the son of William Holmes and Elizabeth.

They had two children before Israel drowned.

1. Israel Holmes-4 Feb 1682-8 Sep 1760
2. John Holmes-15 Jun 1684-6 Apr 1754

Anderson's Great Migration

• Anderson estimates the birth order of Israel and siblings based on the wording William Holmes, of Scituate and Marshfield 's Will and explains why:
• In the absence of birth records for any of the Children of William Holmes, we have three potential sources for determining the birth order of these children: the will of William Holmes; the baptismal records in 1661; and the marriages of five of the eight children.
• In his will, dated 4 March 1677/8, William Holmes treated his children in three groups, his sons Josiah and Abraham, his sons Israel and Isaac, and his daughters Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah and Rebecca [PCPR 4:1:2]. The first group of sons, Josiah and Abraham, were both married in or about 1665, and so were probably born close to 1640. The second group of sons, Isaac and Israel, were unmarried when their father made his will. They married in 167[8] and 1681 respectively, and so were probably born in the mid-1650s.
• When we look at the baptisms, we also find three groups, but with no relation to the three groups of the will: Abraham, Israel, Isaac, Sarah, and Rebecca were baptized on 14 April 1661; Josiah and Mary on 127 April 1661; and Elizabeth on 20 October 1661 [NEHGR 57:178]. The grouping of Abraham with Israel and Isaac, to the exclusion of Josiah, is contrary to the grouping of the will. The grouping of the will is consistent with the dates of marriage of these four sons, while the grouping of the baptisms is not, and so we will ignore the baptismal evidence in ordering the births of these children.
• Specifically of Israel, Anderson wrote:
  • "vii. ISRAEL HOLMES, b. say 1650, bp. Scituate 14 April 1661 [NEHGR 57:178; m. Marshfield 24 November 1681 Desire (Doty) Sherman [MarVR 16; MD 3:42], daughter of EDWARD DOTY {1620, Plymouth} [GMB 1:573-77; MF 11:2:8-10] and widow of William Sherman [GMB 3:1674; MF 4:171-74]."

Wikitree: Sources Cited

• Israel Holmes (bef. 1661–1685)
  • Anderson, Robert Charles, (1995) "William Holmes," The Great Migration Begins, 1634-1635, G-H. AmericanAncestors.org. NEHGS. Available with Subscription at: AmericanAncestors.org. NEHGS, Volume III, G-H, Page 392. Also available for those with access to Ancestry.com.
  • Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford and Williams, Alicia Crane, Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol. 16 Part 1 of 3, John Alden, Boston, Mass.: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2002. Page 40. To find library holdings, see WorldCat.org.
  • "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch; (16 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 591 of 616; State Archives, Boston.
  • "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (20 May 2014), Probate records 1708-1717 and 1817-1861 vol 3-3P > image 37 of 710; State Archives, Boston.
  • "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch; (19 March 2023), Probate records 1686-1702 and 1849-1867 vol 1-1F > image 75 of 490; State Archives, Boston. See bottom of right hand side of image.
  • Gillette, Susan A.,Holmes. Descendants of Desire (Doty) (Sherman) (Holmes) Standish, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 2012) Vol. 166, WN 662, Page 91. Document posted in Sources.