Samuel Richard Holmes - updated 31 December 2021

Samuel Richard Holmes was born in October of 1839 in Chatham, England, the son of English-born William Holmes (born 1805) and Mary Ann (born 1805).

William was a congregational clergyman. Samuel immigrated to America in either 1839 or 1844, presumably with his family. By 1850 the family was living in Leonidas, St. Joseph County, Michigan where William worked as a clergyman and Samuel attended school with two of his sisters. He stood 5’10” with blue eyes, dark hair and a fair complexion and was a 22-year-old sailor possibly living in Muskegon County when he enlisted in Company H on May 13, 1861. (Company H, formerly the “Muskegon Rangers,” was made up largely of men from the vicinity of Muskegon and Newaygo counties.) He was reported working as a teamster from July of 1862 through September, and hospitalized with chronic diarrhea from November of 1862 through February of 1863, probably in Baltimore, Maryland.

On January 5, 1863, an unknown individual in Jersey City, New Jersey, wrote to General R. Schenck, commanding the troops in Baltimore, saying that his “Pastor, the Rev. W. Holmes” was “ill and anxious to have his brother [son Samuel], wounded and in the hospital at Baltimore, removed if possible so as to receive the affectionate care of his relatives,” and asked Schenck if that would be possible. The matter was referred through the medical authorities, and Holmes was discharged for chronic diarrhea on March 11, 1863, at West’s Buildings hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.

It is not known if Samuel returned to Michigan after he was discharged from the army.

Samuel married Illinois native Martha Alice Brown on November 1, 1865 in Union County, Illinois and they had at least three children: John H. (c. 1868), William Samuel (1872-1952) and Alice (c. 1877).

By 1870 the family was living in Lawrence, Missouri but soon moved to Texas and Samuel was probably living in Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas when his son William was born in 1872.

At some point Martha died, probably before 1880 when the children were residing with other family members.

Samuel married Illinois native Nancy A. (born 1844) in 1888.

By 1890 he was living in Aberdeen, Collingsworth County, Texas, where he was drawing a pension (cert. no. 1032674) the following year. He may have been residing in Bronson, Branch County (Michigan) in 1894. In 1900 Samuel was living with his wife Nancy and son William in Judkins, Woodward, Oklahoma. By 1910 he and Nancy were living on Walnut Street in Fargo’s 3rd Ward, Ellis County, Oklahoma. In 1920 both of them were living on Walnut Street in Oleta, Ellis County, Oklahoma.

Samuel died on November 21, 1928, in Fargo, Ellis County, Oklahoma and was buried in Fargo City Cemetery.