Lenore
24-06-2006, 3:22 PM
I am an abject beginner in Canadian genealogy, so don't expect me to know anything. Don't even know where Ontario is, but I'll look it up in the atlas later. I promise.
What I really want is the whole family tree of the Holmes' family laid out before me - hoping someone has already done something. I am following up a local history enquiry rather than family history, so I'm stuck with not having a lot of the basics.
My starting point is George HOLMES, an engineer who built the Melbourne and Essendon Railway in 1859. It turns out his brother was John HOLMES, a member of the Canadian Parliament. Details from the Canadian Parliamentary biographies of MPs says that John Holmes was born in 1828 Newtownforbes, Longford, Ireland. His occupation was land surveyor.
George said in a government enquiry in Victoria in 1855 that he had been an engineer in Canada, America, Ireland, Scotland and England (very busy lad.)
George Holmes left Australia in about 1861 for New Zealand and died there, leaving his estate to his brother John, who packed up his threads in Canada and emigrated to NZ also, where he died in 1879.
This is the thing - George Holmes evidently had a living wife and family, to whom he didn't leave his estate - a bit weird, I'm thinking.
I want to know whom George married, and the names of his children. I have no idea if he married in Canada, but I have to start somewhere. He didn't marry or have children in Australia that I can discover (was here about 1851 to 1861).
I've just been checking some early denominational schools board documents and for a church school of which George Holmes was a Trustee in 1854, there was a "D Gordon Holmes" who signed some document or other. Who was he?ailway in 1859. It turns out his brother was John HOLMES, a member of the Canadian Parliament. Details from the Canadian Parliamentary biographies of MPs says that John Holmes was born in 1828 Newtownforbes, Longford, Ireland. His occupation was land surveyor.
Can anyone help me with this conundrum?|help|
Best wishes,
Lenore Frost
Essendon, Vic (quite close to the Essendon line built by George.)
What I really want is the whole family tree of the Holmes' family laid out before me - hoping someone has already done something. I am following up a local history enquiry rather than family history, so I'm stuck with not having a lot of the basics.
My starting point is George HOLMES, an engineer who built the Melbourne and Essendon Railway in 1859. It turns out his brother was John HOLMES, a member of the Canadian Parliament. Details from the Canadian Parliamentary biographies of MPs says that John Holmes was born in 1828 Newtownforbes, Longford, Ireland. His occupation was land surveyor.
George said in a government enquiry in Victoria in 1855 that he had been an engineer in Canada, America, Ireland, Scotland and England (very busy lad.)
George Holmes left Australia in about 1861 for New Zealand and died there, leaving his estate to his brother John, who packed up his threads in Canada and emigrated to NZ also, where he died in 1879.
This is the thing - George Holmes evidently had a living wife and family, to whom he didn't leave his estate - a bit weird, I'm thinking.
I want to know whom George married, and the names of his children. I have no idea if he married in Canada, but I have to start somewhere. He didn't marry or have children in Australia that I can discover (was here about 1851 to 1861).
I've just been checking some early denominational schools board documents and for a church school of which George Holmes was a Trustee in 1854, there was a "D Gordon Holmes" who signed some document or other. Who was he?ailway in 1859. It turns out his brother was John HOLMES, a member of the Canadian Parliament. Details from the Canadian Parliamentary biographies of MPs says that John Holmes was born in 1828 Newtownforbes, Longford, Ireland. His occupation was land surveyor.
Can anyone help me with this conundrum?|help|
Best wishes,
Lenore Frost
Essendon, Vic (quite close to the Essendon line built by George.)