Biographies
For
Muscatine County Iowa
1889



Source: Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 417

W. G. HOLMES, one of the pioneer settlers of Muscatine County, who is numbered among the prominent and influentual citizens, resides on section 35, Goshen Township. He is a native of Vermont, born in Caledonia, on the 7th of August, 1815, and of a family of ten children born to John and Margaret (Galbraith ) Holmes he was the ninth in order of birth. His parents were natives of Scotland, and soon after the Revolutionary War came to this country. At that time they were unaquainted, meeting for the first time on a boat sailing up the Connecticut River. John Holmes engaged in farming in this country, but previous to his emigration was engaged in silk weaving in Glasgow, Scotland. His death occurred in Vermont, in 1842, at the ripe old age of eighty-two years, and his estimable wife departed this life in 1866, when ninety-two years of age. But three of their children are now living : W. G., of this sketch, and two sisters who are married and reside in Vermont.

Our subject passed the days of his boyhood and youth upon his father's farm in Vermont, and there received his education in the district schools. When a young man he started out in life for himself, and thinking that the West would furnish a better field for his future labors emigrated to Iowa. On the 10th of May, 1837, he landed in Muscatine County, spending his first night in this State in a little log-cabin, surrounded by about 500 Indians. On this wild prairie he determined to make his home, and in 1838 purchased about 320 acres of wild land at the Burlington land sale. Beginning its cultivation at once, he soon had a fine farm, to which he subsequently added until at one time he owned 1,200 acres. He later disposed of a portion of this, but now owns 800 acres of fine arable land, which comprises one of the best farms in the county. He gives considerable attention to the raising of good stock, and the present year ( 1889 ) expects to make a specialty of raising sweet potatoes and water-melons, which products are particularly adapted to the soil. Although starting out in life with scarcely any capital except a good constitution and a young man's bright hope of the future, his life has been eminently successful, and his perseverance, energy and untiring afforts may well be taken as an example by younger generations.

In Muscatine County, in 1844, our subject was united in marriage with Hannah Pickering, daughter of Benjamin and Mary ( Lupton ) Pickering, who were both natives of Virginia, and members of the Society of Friends. The family were of English origin, the founders of the family emigrating to this country prior to the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Holmes was also born in Virginia, but was reared in Ohio. Her father was a millwright by trade, and came to Iowa in 1842, settling upon the farm of our subject. Mr. Holmes soon after erected a house for them, into which the family moved, but later they went to Henry County, Iowa, where Mr. Pickering died some years ago. By the union of Mr. and Mr. Holmes ten children have been born, seven of whom are living : Sarah Adelaide, now Mrs. Rock, resides in Wapsinonoc Township ; Margaret A., is a graduate of the Female Seminary at Mt. Carroll, Ill., and has for the last ten years followed the profession of school teacher with marked success. She also possesses natural artistic taste and talent, and, though only an amateur, has produced a number of fine landscapes in oil. W.G. Jr., is residing with his parents; Mary Bell, who was the wife of Winfield Elliott, died in June, 1886 ; John is single and resides at home ; Lydia Almina, now Mrs. Noble, is living in Monro, Wis.; Frank Byron and Lillie Irene are also at home ; Benjamin F. died at the age of two years and two months, and Ida died at the age of two years. Mrs. Holmes has two sisters living in Henry County, Mrs. A. Beason and Mrs. C. Tyrrell, and one sister, Mrs. S. Brown, living in Lexington, Ohio.

Since the 10th of May, 1837, our subject has been a resident of Muscatine County. He has shared and cheerfully endured the trials and privations which comes to those who make their homes in a new country, and has aided largely in the growth and prosperity of the community. On his arrival there was but one post-office in Goshen Township. The now prosperous and growing city of Muscatine was then the little hamlet of Bloomington, and was his nearest market. Settlements were few and far between, all kinds of wild game abounded, and the smoke from the Indian wigwams could be seen here and there on the prairies. In the work of civilization and progress, of improvement and developement, our subject has always borne his part, and to him the county owes a debt of gratitude for his untiring labor in her behalf. In his early life he took quite an active part in political affairs, casting his ballot with the Whig party. He was always strongly opposed to slavery, and when the Whig party dissolved and the Republican party was formed he joined its ranks, and supported it until the days of Peter Cooper, since which time he has advocated the principles of the Greenback party. He was elected Justice of the Peace before Iowa was admitted as a State, and has at times held about all the offices in the township. Religiously, Mr. Holmes was reared under the influences of the Covenanter's Church, but at present is not a member of any branch of the visible church.He is orthodox in his views, though decidedly liberal in his religious thought, believing more in an honest, blameless life than in creeds and dogmas. Mrs. Holmes was reared a Quaker, but is now a member of the Presbyterian Church. The attention of the reader is called to the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes on another page.


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