This week #52 Ancestors prompted us with “favorite name”. This past week I was working on the Holmes line. That’s part of my paternal line and as you may already know if you have been following my blog that is the side that truly had very colorful people. While I love the colorful it may be where some of those questionable genes came from. This name I found while working on the Holmes line plays right into that.
Nimrod Holmes was born to Peter Holmes and Elizabeth Redman 08 March 1819 (wow almost 200 years ago) in Ohio. Probably Muskingum county. Nimrod was my 3x great grandmother’s (Susannah Holmes Francis) brother. Yes I do collateral relatives because I learned that when I’m “killing off” the relatives it may help establish further proof on the family line.
I came across the name and was commenting to my husband about the unusual name of Nimrod, and being the wordsmith that he is, he told me about the name. He said we use, “don’t be such a nimrod”, but it also means skilled hunter. Okay and how do you know all this I asked, he shrugged his shoulders and turned to “google” to verify. And they did.
nim·rod[ˈnimräd]
NOUN
nimrods (plural noun)
On further investigation we learned Nimrod was in the Bible. I did not remember that. The online Webster dictionary defines
Nimrod: a descendant of Ham represented in Genesis as a mighty hunter and a king of Shinar;
My conclusion is that Peter and Elizabeth were using the bible as the source for baby names. Now that we know where the name comes from the question begs to be asked was Nimrod Holmes a nimrod?
Born in Ohio after Peter and Elizabeth Holmes had moved out from Fauquier county Virginia some time after their son Joseph had been born in 1813. One of 13 children, Nimrod is somewhere in the middle. I have not yet established all birthdays or the birth order of the children. There is a 6 year gap between Joseph and Nimrod. Part of that could be accounted for while Peter was involved in the 1812 War.
Nimrod first appears in the 1840 US census in Hopewell Muskingum county Ohio after his marriage that same year to Frances Ann Mauk on 19 May in Muskingum County.
Through the US census we find Frances and Nimrod having 6 children, George W. born 1841, William H. born 1843, Melissa born about 1851, Nimrod P. born about 1856, Fenrick born about 1857 and Martha born about 1863. Now I am thinking that Nimrod P. and Fenrick may be the same person. Fenrick Nimrod is named as one of his children in Nimrod’s last will and testament found on Ancestry.com. But there is no Nimrod P. listed. And I do not see them in the same census together.
Nimrod was no slouch. In his will he leaves quite a bit of property to his wife Frances and the various children and one grand child.
1st. I give and devise to my beloved wife Frances Holmes in lieu of her dower the farm on which we now reside situated in Washington Township, Union Co., O. containing about 60 acres…………. Also my farm containing 160 acres situated in Washington County Kansas on which Fenrick N. Ho(l)mes now resides…… Also all of my real estate in Hilliard, Franklin County, Ohio. At the death of my said wife the real estate afore said I give and devise as follows.
2. I give and devise to my son William H. Holmes eighty acres on the east side of the said farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Washington Co, Kansas
3. I give and devise to my son Fenwick N. Holmes eighty acres on the west side of said farm in Washington Co. Kansas.
4. I give and devise to my daughters Melissa Leion and Martha Romack the said farm on which I now live in Washington Township Union Co, O, to be divided equally by running a line East and West. I desire that daughter Melissa Lion shall have the South half of said farm and my daughter Martha Romack shall have the North half during their natural lives, and at their death to go to their legal heirs.
5. I give and devise to my grandson W.H. Holmes one lot of land situated in the City of Columbus
6. I give and bequeath to Mary Super the west lot of my three town lots in Hilliard Station.
7. I desire that a monument costing four hundred dollars be erected at the graves of myself and wife the expense of which shall be borne by my four legal heirs equally, before they get possession of the land here by devised.
I desire that no appraisement and no sale of my personal property be made. ………………………….
So the answer is that Nimrod S. Holmes was no nimrod. I still have a few genealogical questions on Nimrods family to sort out but I just love reading these old wills. And now we all are asking “who is Mary Super?”
Leave a comment below prior to February 14 2018 and you will be entered in a drawing for a Surprise Gift.
.