The Holmes Family

David A. Holmes in Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa

The full biographical sketch as printed, transcribed from the public-domain book. Spelling and wording are the original author’s; a few scanning errors may remain.

DAVID A .HOLMES.

Few men of Fayette county are as widely and favorably known as D. A. Hobnes, of Donnan. He is one of the strong and influential citizens whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section of the state and for years his name has been synonymous for all that constitutes honorable and upright manhood. Tireless energy, keen perception and honesty of pur¬ pose, combined with every-day common sense, have been among his chief char¬ acteristics and while advancing individual success he has also largely pro¬ moted the moral, educational and material welfare of his community.

Mr. Holmes was born in Rensselaer county, New York, on January 5, 1834, and is a son of William and Rachael (Thompson) Holmes, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The father came from his native land to New York state in 1820 and was there married. In 1838 he came to Oswego county, New York, where he followed the vocation of farming, though earlier in life he had been a weaver. In 1864 he came to Fayette county, Iowa, and here spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 1883, at the age of eighty-three years ; he had been preceded to the silent land a number of years by his wife, whose death occurred in 1870. They were the parents of five children, four sons and a daughter, of which number the daughter, Mrs. Mar¬ garet J. Claxton, and the subject are the only ones living.

D. A. Holmes, who spent his boyhood days on the home farm, was given the advantage of a good practical education, his common school training being supplemented by a course in the Mexico (New York) Academy. He engaged

MR. AND MRS. DAVID A. HOLMES.

in teaching school, and was so employed in New York and in Fayette county, Iowa, for several years. He then decided to make agriculture his life work and to this end he bought forty acres of land, to the cultivation of which he assiduously applied himself. Hard and consecutive labor brought its result and as Mr. Holmes was prospered he added to his landed possessions until today he is the owner of four hundred acres of good land, practically all of which is under cultivation or devoted to pasture for his livestock. He has been an extensive and successful breeder of pure-bred Durham and Galloway cat¬ tle, having gained an enviable reputation in this line. In 1904, Mr. Holmes went to California, remaining there until the spring of the following year, and on his return he erected a fine residence in the attractive village of Donnan, where he now resides, having turned the operation of the home farm over to other hands and is now enjoying that rest which his former years of toil have so richly entitled him to.

Politically, Mr. Holmes is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party and has held several local offices, having been township trustee several years, a member of the school board for twenty years, and assessor for several terms. Fraternally, he is a member of the Good Templars. He has taken an active and potential interest in the advancement of the best interests of the com¬ munity and was a very active promoter of the county fair, having served ten years as a director of the fair association and one year as the president. He has always had a deep interest in educational matters and he has been in many ways a valued friend of the Upper Iowa University, to the success of which he has been devoted, assisting materially in advancing its interests.

In i860 Mr. Holmes was united in marriage to Angelica Newman Holmes, the daughter of John and Catherine Newman, and the widow of J. A. Holmes, having by that marriage two children, James A. and Lizzie C. Her parents were born in Germany and on coming to the United States settled in Saratoga county, New York, where they spent the remainder of their days. To Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were born two children, S. Kate, deceased, and D. N., a farmer in Center township, this county. Mrs. Angelica Holmes died in 1867 and in 1869 Mr. Holmes married Sarah Carter, who was born at Carterville, Oswego county, New York, the daughter of Robert G. and Emily M. (Chittenden) Carter, the father a native of Ireland and the mother of Westland, New York, her people being of Scotch origin. Robert G. Carter came to Oswego county, New York, when seventeen years of age, and was married in Oneida county, that state. He became the father of four sons and a daughter, of which number four are living. Mr. Carter was a suc¬ cessful farmer and extensive land owner, his holdings at one time amounting

to about two thousand acres. He was also engaged in mercantile business, owned and operated a grist-mill and a saw-mill, a tannery and a hotel. His death occurred in 1893 and his widow passed away in 1903. To the subject’s second union were born four children, namely: One that died in infancy; George R., born August 23, 1871, is engaged in business at Donnan; John Andrew, and Ina Sarah, the wife of Henry Adams, of West Union. John Andrew Holmes, who is the successful pastor of a large Congregational church at Champaign, Illinois, received a splendid education, being thoroughly equip¬ ped for the sacred calling to which he has devoted his life. After completing the common school course, he pursued the full course and graduated from the Upper Iowa University, after which he traveled in Europe with Professor Geiser, returning home the day he was twenty-one years of ago. He then became a student in the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois, after which he attended Yale College, and completed his training at the Andover Theological Seminary, Andover, Massachusetts.

Mrs. Holmes is descended on the maternal side from Jerry Chittenden, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, who was with the patriot forces at Valley Forge and Yorktown, and who, though of English extraction, devoted him¬ self unselfishly to the cause of the colonists. For his services he received a land warrant for six hundred acres of land. His wife was Asena Douglas, a cousin of Stephen A. Douglas.

Mr. Holmes is justly numbered among the representative men of his county. He wields a definite influence in his community and his opinions on the leading questions of the day are treated with the greatest respect. He is a man of many sterling qualities, successful in business and influential in his community, and is known for his public spirited interest in all that tends to benefit his fellow man, standing deservedly high in general esteem.

Source: Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.