George Moves In
In August of 1846, George Washington Holmes moves in with James Holmes. James would have been around 79 years old at the time, George around 31. An agreement between the two, recorded in a deed book in Perry County, Tennessee, outlines the details of the arrangement.
But first, let’s do a quick recap on who these guys are. George Washington Holmes is my direct ancestor, my third great grandfather. He is one of about 10 Holmes brothers or cousins including (but not limited to, I’m learning) Samuel, Abraham/Abram, James Jr., Absalom, Jacob, Benjamin, Welcome, and William Jr. with birth dates between 1802 and 1821. Census records show that these guys lived near each other in neighboring Perry and Wayne Counties in Tennessee in the 1830s and 1840s, then move together, generally speaking, into Arkansas by 1850. That’s a long way of saying - they seem related.
James Holmes, the other subject of this story, was born around 1767. Another Holmes man, William, was born around 1783. The relationship between James and William, whether brothers or father and son, is unknown. It seems logical that they are the fathers of the slew of younger Holmes men named above. But so far, we haven’t found the records to sort out the correct father/son relationships.
This record is a hint at a relationship at least between George and James. Hey, I'll take what I can get!
In this agreement, James Holmes agrees to let George W. Holmes "take possession of the farm on which he now lives together with all the stock of every kind consisting of horses cattle sheep and hogs together with the hand[s] to wit, John and Fanny"
For his part, George W. Holmes agrees "to move in with the said James Holmes immediately and bring with him his stock of horses cattle sheep and hogs and let them be thrown into one general mess, and to be well taken care of and the proceeds of the stock to be equally divided between them with their hands"
Furthermore, George agrees to "keep the farm in good repair and cultivate the same out of the proceeds of the same both families are to have their support and if there is any overplus it is to be divided equally between them"
EXCEPT (I love this next part - I like to think of it as the bacon clause.)
"sum pork hoghs for the ensuing year each one of us is to select out of our own hogs such and as many as we may pleas and fatten the same out of our present crop and dispose of them as we may pleas reserving an equal portion of sufficient quantity for support of the family"
Next, the agreement states that if either man dies, the proceeds of the stock is to be equally divided “between us and our heirs.” Finally, the agreement ends with this:
“And I the said James Holmes do further agree and bind myself that at my death the plantation on which I now live of one hundred and fifty acres shall be given to the said George W. Holmes his heir forever as his full portion of my estate.”
Heir?? Did you catch that? Could James be the father of George? I know I said earlier that we don't know the correct relationships between these men, and that's true. But if I'm being honest, we had our money on William as father, not James.
Hey, it's just a clue, not proof. But what a cool record to have - to see 1846 elder care in action and get a little glimpse in their lives. I love thinking that they loved bacon as much as I do!
Also, in the part about George taking possession of the farm and the stock and the hands John and Fanny - the name John got my attention. We know that in about four years from the date of this agreement, George W. Holmes is enumerated with a 24 year old black male slave in Searcy County, Arkansas. Oral and written family stories say that this man's name was John. I had always wondered how George came to be in possession of John, and this record provides a clue to that as well. Some later records are going to provide even more details.
Well, that's a wrap on this story for now. Sorry it's been so long between updates. I do appreciate you stopping by to read my post! I have more to share on this family, so please check back. You can click on that red subscribe button at the top and enter your email address if you want to receive an email when a new post goes up.
But first, let’s do a quick recap on who these guys are. George Washington Holmes is my direct ancestor, my third great grandfather. He is one of about 10 Holmes brothers or cousins including (but not limited to, I’m learning) Samuel, Abraham/Abram, James Jr., Absalom, Jacob, Benjamin, Welcome, and William Jr. with birth dates between 1802 and 1821. Census records show that these guys lived near each other in neighboring Perry and Wayne Counties in Tennessee in the 1830s and 1840s, then move together, generally speaking, into Arkansas by 1850. That’s a long way of saying - they seem related.
James Holmes, the other subject of this story, was born around 1767. Another Holmes man, William, was born around 1783. The relationship between James and William, whether brothers or father and son, is unknown. It seems logical that they are the fathers of the slew of younger Holmes men named above. But so far, we haven’t found the records to sort out the correct father/son relationships.
This record is a hint at a relationship at least between George and James. Hey, I'll take what I can get!
 |
| Perry County, Tennessee, Register of Deeds, Deed Book F, Page 361 (image 211), "agreement between James Holmes and George W Holmes," 3 August 1846; digital images, Family Search, film #008264702 (Familysearch.org : viewed, 29 January 2019). |
In this agreement, James Holmes agrees to let George W. Holmes "take possession of the farm on which he now lives together with all the stock of every kind consisting of horses cattle sheep and hogs together with the hand[s] to wit, John and Fanny"
Furthermore, George agrees to "keep the farm in good repair and cultivate the same out of the proceeds of the same both families are to have their support and if there is any overplus it is to be divided equally between them"
EXCEPT (I love this next part - I like to think of it as the bacon clause.)
"sum pork hoghs for the ensuing year each one of us is to select out of our own hogs such and as many as we may pleas and fatten the same out of our present crop and dispose of them as we may pleas reserving an equal portion of sufficient quantity for support of the family"
Next, the agreement states that if either man dies, the proceeds of the stock is to be equally divided “between us and our heirs.” Finally, the agreement ends with this:
 |
| Perry County, Tennessee, Register of Deeds, Deed Book F, Page 362 (image 211), "agreement between James Holmes and George W Holmes," 3 August 1846; digital images, Family Search, film #008264702 (Familysearch.com : viewed, 29 January 2019). |
“And I the said James Holmes do further agree and bind myself that at my death the plantation on which I now live of one hundred and fifty acres shall be given to the said George W. Holmes his heir forever as his full portion of my estate.”
Heir?? Did you catch that? Could James be the father of George? I know I said earlier that we don't know the correct relationships between these men, and that's true. But if I'm being honest, we had our money on William as father, not James.
Hey, it's just a clue, not proof. But what a cool record to have - to see 1846 elder care in action and get a little glimpse in their lives. I love thinking that they loved bacon as much as I do!
Also, in the part about George taking possession of the farm and the stock and the hands John and Fanny - the name John got my attention. We know that in about four years from the date of this agreement, George W. Holmes is enumerated with a 24 year old black male slave in Searcy County, Arkansas. Oral and written family stories say that this man's name was John. I had always wondered how George came to be in possession of John, and this record provides a clue to that as well. Some later records are going to provide even more details.
Well, that's a wrap on this story for now. Sorry it's been so long between updates. I do appreciate you stopping by to read my post! I have more to share on this family, so please check back. You can click on that red subscribe button at the top and enter your email address if you want to receive an email when a new post goes up.
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