William Walter Holmes (abt. 1767 - abt. 1845)

Born about 9 May 1767 in Province of South Carolina

Husband of Ruth A. (Springer) Holmes — married about 1790 in Union, Union, South Carolina, USA

Descendants

Died about 1845 at about age 77 in Cullman, Cullman, Alabama, United States

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Biography

In a seminal study of Holmes family history, Walter's great granddaughter-in-law Eliza Rebecca Mask (Mrs. Hugh Willis) Holmes wrote, "Walter Holmes was born in South Carolina in 1760 where he was reared. In the year 1778 he married Miss Ruth Springer. They soon moved to Ky. Here Dennis and Nancy were born. They then decided to go back to visit their relatives in S.C. So Walter and Ruth mounted their horses and each took a child behind them and set out on their trip. After spending a few weeks with their people in S.C. they turned their faces toward their home in Ky but somewhere on their way home their son Isaac was born in 1797. Isaac claimed Tenn. as his native state. Walter Holmes father came from England but the date has been misplaced."^[1] The 1760 date for his birth probably was calculated from entries in the 1830 and 1840 censuses of Morgan Co., AL.

Union County, SC, records show that Walter was involved in several land transactions before moving to Kentucky. In 1801 and 1805, he received grants of land, a total of 480 acres, in Barren Co., KY, in the portion that now comprises Monroe Co. Court records show that he was commissioned to build a road in Barren County and received a bounty for killing a wolf. Walter and Ruth were listed as members of Mill Creek Baptist Church from June 1801 until September 1806, at which time Walter was dismissed from membership in the church. The reason is not stated in the minutes, but it is known that the congregation was deeply divided over the teachings of their pastor, which strict Baptists considered to be heretical. Ultimately, the congregation split into two churches, with the group supporting the pastor keeping the new log church building constructed in 1804. This building still stands, now known as The Old Mulkey Meeting House, in a Kentucky state historical park just south of Tompkinsville.

When Walter sold some of his Barren Co. land in 1811, he was listed as a resident of Bedford Co., TN. Walter acquired land in Cotaco Co. (now Morgan Co.), AL, in 1818. His sons all became landholders there during the following decade. He was last listed in the census in 1840, so he is assumed to have died before 1850.

He married Ruth (Springer) Holmes. Together, they were the parents of four sons, Dennis Holmes (1789 - 1850), Isaac Holmes (1797 - 1874), James Wilson Holmes (1800 - 1873), and John Walter Holmes (1803 - 1889), and four daughters, Nancy (Holmes )Brown (1795 - ____), Rebecca Holmes Kyle (1805 - 1885), Elizabeth (Holmes) Drake (1809 - 1895), and Margaret (Holmes) Bain (1814 - ____).

He was buried in the Old Enon Baptist Church Cemetery in Enon, Cullman, Alabama, United States. A recently-installed marker in the Old Enon Cemetery near 205 CR 1494* in Cullman Co. refers to him as William W. Holmes. This name was suggested from speculation by a descendant. No legal, church, court or census records have been found to indicate that he was named William. The Coordinates are N34º 17.498' W86º 44.455'.

Research Note

See the notes on https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58763953/walter-holmes, which discuss the confusion of this Walter Holmes with William Holmes, son of Isaac Holmes Jr and Rebekah Bee. William Holmes, son of Isaac (d. 1763), is mentioned in his father's Will with no middle name^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Trees: Ancestry.com: William Walter and Ruth Springer Holmes
2. ↑ "South Carolina Probate Records, Bound Volumes, 1671-1977," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-NWSH-CD?cc=1919417&wc=M6N4-X29%3A210905601%2C211549801 : 21 May 2014), Charleston > Wills, 1760-1767, Vol. 009 > image 445 of 465; citing Department of Archives and History, Columbia.

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58763953/walter-holmes
• https://www.geni.com/people/William-Walter-Holmes-Sr/6000000027023903015