William Holmes, of Scituate and Marshfield

Parents unproven. Anderson’s Great Migration Project has no origins for him.

Biography

From Representative men and old families of southeastern Massachusetts, Vol 1, p. 278; pub.1912 < Archive.Org >

(XVII) William, son of William, was born about 1528 and married June 8, 1556, Margaret, daughter of Stephen Warwick. They had children: Stephen, William (born Sept. 2, 1559) and Margaret (born July 16, 1560). Of these, William married May 8, 1591, Sarah, daughter of Thomas Hills, and had sons: (a) William, born June 3, 1592, emigrated to Plymouth before 1632, served in the Pequot war, was lieutenant in Scituate, returned to England and later to Boston, Mass., where he died Nov. 12, 1649. He left no issue, and willed to daughters of his brother Thomas farm in Scituate, provided they came to New England; they were then living in London, (b) Thomas, born May 12, 1593, married Henriette, daughter of William Martin, and had : Rachel, born Jan. 3, 1615; Bathsheba, born July 23, 1617.

(XVIII) Stephen, born March 22, 1557, married Aug. 4, 1590, Elizabeth, daughter of Israel Richardson, and had issue: William, born Jan. 3, 1592; Israel, born March 19, 1593, who. married June 7, 1616, Annie Warrick; and Elizabeth, born Jan. 8, 1595.

(XIX) William Holmes, born Jan. 3, 1592, near Holme, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, emigrated before 1636 to New England, living in Scituate as early as 1641. Pope has him at Scituate in 1636. He was on the list of those in Scituate who were "able to bear arms" in 1643; one of the "Conihassett Planters" in 1646 (a company of twenty-six individuals who in 1646 purchased a tract of land in Scituate), and a householder before 1647, He was a freeman of Plymouth Colony, 1658. In 1661 he removed across North river into Marshfield, and died there 9th of 9th month, 1678, aged eighty-six years. Elizabeth, his widow, died there Feb. 17, 1689, in her eighty-sixth year. As shown previously, Mr. Holmes was a kinsman of Lieut. William Holmes, who was at Plymouth in 1632; appointed to instruct the people of Plymouth and Duxbury in arms in 1635 ; commander in the Pequot war, 1637, and afterward major in Massachusetts.

detached from parents Stephen Holmes and Elizabeth Richardson Holmes on November 9, 2015 (Hatte Blejer).

William Holmes

Source: NEGHS, The Great Migration

Parents unknown. Parents of wife unknown. Came on Hercules 1634. He was a servant in the household of William Hatch of Sandwich. Assume from Sandwich, Kent. First residence Scituate. Removed to Marshfield by 1658.

All his children were baptized as teenagers in 1661 in Scituate.

Born about 1592 and buried 9 Nov 1678.

Children:

1. Josiah b.c. 1638 married Hannah Samson
2. Abraham b.c. 1640 married Elizabeth Arnold and then Abigail Nichols
3. Elizabeth b.c. 1642 apparently married
4. Mary b.c. 1644 married Thomas Tilden
5. Sarah b.c, 1646 apparently married
6. Rebecca b.c. 1648 apparently married
7. Israel b.c, 1650 married Desire (Doty) Sherman widow of William Sherman
8. Isaac b.c. 1653 married Anne Rowse

Will

https://archive.org/details/gilesmemorialgen00invint/page/183/mode/1up

His will is dated March 4, 1677-8; proved Feb. 25, 1678-9; and may be found in the Old Colony Records, Vol. IV., p. 2.

• He bequeaths to his wife, whose name, however, he does not give, one third part of all my housings, lands, chattels, and moveables, after my debts and funeral charges are payed, to be enjoyed by her during her widowhood ; but in case of her marrying [she was then 75 years of age !] I bequeath to her five pounds to be paid her by
• my two sons, Israel and Isaac; and I do give unto my two sons Israel and Isaac [not only their mother's third, but also] two thirds of my whole estate.
• And I do give to my two sons Josiah and Abraham five shillings each;
• and to my daughters Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, and Rebecca twenty shillings a yeare, each of them ;
• and I do give unto all my grandchildren that are now extant five pounds, to be equally divided among them.
• And I do hereby appoint and constitute my two beloved sons Israel and Isaac to be my executors, &c.

In immediate connection with the will, the Records say — "William Holmes of Marshfield deceased Nov. 8, 1678."

The Inventory is dated Nov. 25, 1678; the personal estate amounting to £70.

From the Vinton Memorial, page 184: < Archive.Org >

The children of William Holmes of Marshfield were :

1. John, who married Mary Wood ;
2. Josiah, who married Hannah Sampson ;
3. Abraham, baptized in 1641; m. 1, Elizabeth Arnold. 2, Abigail Nichols
4. Israel, baptized in 1642, who married Desire Dotey Sherman ;
5. Isaac, baptized in 1644, who married Anna Rouse;
6. Sarah, baptized in 1646;
7. Rebecca, baptized in 1648;
8. Mary, baptized in 1655, who married a Cheney, of Newbury; "Dismissed to theChurch in Newbury, Aug. 28, 1698, Mary Holmes, now Cheny." [Chh. Records.] Mary Holmes m. in YVatcrtown, Oct. 7, 1691, Peter Cheney. [NO - disproved]
9. Elizabeth, baptized in 1661, who married Thomas Bourne; "Dismissed to the

Church in Newbury, Aug. 28, 1698] [NO - disproved]

Note: Vinton in The Giles Memorial (pp 184-85) [4]reports Rev. John Holmes as a son of this William Holmes. Anderson disputes the evidence and offers an alternative explanation, leaving no basis for the claim.[1] Vinton cites the land granted by the Plymouth Colony General Court to Rev. John Holmes "in the right of his father," and the use of the name, Isaac, for one of his sons. Anderson points out that the father-in-law, John Wood, was a resident of Plymouth Colony and died about that time (which would explain the land grant), and wife, Mary Wood, had a brother named Isaac.[1] Anderson also disputes some of Vinton's conclusions about daughters' marriages.

Notes

https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr02/rr02_094.html#P5951

On 24 Jan 1664 Thomas Tilden second married Mary Holmes, daughter of William Holmes (3 Jan 1591/2-9 Nov 1678) & Elizabeth, in Marshfield, MA.60

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From http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GenMassachusetts/2011...

Nothing concrete in this information but might help you in your
search or proving your line. Lots of checking for you.

Lynde -

Unfortunately most of what you provided can be disproved, cannot be proved, or pertains to a different William Holmes. Jim asked "Can anyone provide documentation to this lineage if it really exists" and what I quoted was either from cited contemporary records or, in the case of Anderson, is a compiled source citing contemporary records. There is absolutely no provable ancestry for Jim's ancestor William Holmes, and the surname of his wife is unknown. Any web page that claims to provide either cannot cite contemporary records as proof.

Note that the William Holmes who is found in "The Great Migration Begins" 2:979-981 was the Lieutenant to Myles Standish, and was a different man than the one Jim was asking about. There are no records of marriage or children for the Lieutenant, and he died in 1649 [Suffolk Co. Probate Records 1:445; his will was also ordered to be recorded at Plymouth, found in Old Colony Wills 2:1:60-63] when William of Scituate and Marshfield (Jim's ancestor) was still having children.

Also note that the list of children given for William Holmes incorrectly lists some children who were not his and is missing a son Isaac, named in William's will [Old Colony Wills 4:1:2-3]. There are no birth records for any of William's children, so their birth years are, at best, estimates. All of those children were baptized in Scituate in 1661 [NEHGR 57:178] when most of them were in their teens, and all were named in William's will. The assumed order of birth for the children and their estimated years of birth are based upon William's will and upon information such as their marriage dates

Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants;
Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net

This must be the William Holmes who came on the Hercules in 1635 [NEHGR 75:219], settled first at Scituate [PCR 8:182], and removed by 1658 to Marshfield [PCR 8:201].

The maiden name of his wife Elizabeth is not known. Very little is known of her, mainly that she died at Marshfield 17-Feb-1798 at the age of 86 [Marshfield VR 19; MD 5:233]. William's ancestry is not known. Note that Rev. John Holmes. husband of Mary Wood/Atwood, was not a son of William. See the sketch of the family of William Holmes at 3:392-397 in Robert Charles Anderson, "The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-1635," 7 Volumes (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999-2011).

Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants; Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net

References

1. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holmes-636 cites
   1. Anderson, Robert Charles, (1995) "William Holmes," Featured name. Great Migration 1634-1635, G-H. AmericanAncestors.org. NEHGS, (Volume III, G-H, Page 392). < AmericanAncestors >; (document attached)
   2. "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-997D-V38J : 14 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 478 of 616; State Archives, Boston. (document attached)
   3. Vital Records of Scituate, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1909) Vol. 1, Page 184
   4. Vinton, John. The Giles Memorial (Boston, 1864): (pp 184-85) < Archive.Org >
   5. Vital Records of Marshfield, Massachusetts to the year 1850, (Providence: Rhode Island Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1970), p. 91 (birth); p. 148 (marriage)
   6. Torrey's New England Marriages to 1700, (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Reference Volume 2, page 782 < AmericanAncestors >