Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/341

This page needs to be proofread.

HOLMES


HOLMES


HOLMES, Abiel, clergyman, was born in "VVoodstoc-k, Conu.. Dee. 24, 1763; son of Capt. David and Temperance (Bishop) Holmes; grand- son of Deacon David Holmes and of John and Temperance Bishop, and great-grandson of John Holmes, who came from England and settled at Woodstock, Conn., in 1686. He was graduated from Yale in 1783, was a tutor there, 1786-87, and in the meantime studied theolog}'. He was pastor of the Con- gregational church at Midway, Ga., 1787- 91, and of the first parish in Cambridge, Mass., 1792-1832. He received the honorary degrees of A.M. from Harvard in 1792, D.D. from Edinburgh university in 1805. and LL.D. from Allegheny college, Pa., in 1822. He was married, first in 1790, to Mary, daughter of Ezra Stiles, president of Yale college, and secondly, March 26, 1801, to Sarah, daughter of the Hon. Oliver Wendell, of Boston. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Massachusetts His- torical and American Philosophical societies. He is the autlior of pai^ers on Stephen Pannenius, and on the Mohegan Indians; biography oiJolinLa- tlirop; TJie Life of President Stiles (1708); Annals of America (2 vols. , 1805); standard edition of same brought down to 1826 (1829); a volume of poems, and contributions to the Collections of the Mas- sachusetts Historical society. He died at Cam- bridge, Mass., June 4, 1837.

- HOLMES, David, governor of Mississippi, was born in York county, Pa., March 10, 1769; son of Col. Joseph Holmes, a native of the north of Ireland, who came to America at an early age, served in the Revolution as commissary, with the rank of colonel; married a daughter of Col. David Hunter, of Berkeley county, Va., and shortly after the birth of Davitl removed to Win- chester, Va. After some years in his father's store David was admitted to the bar, and prac- tised law in Harrisburg, Pa. He later returned to Virginia, and was a representative frona that state in the 5th-10th congresses, 1797-1809. He was then appointed governor of Mississippi Ter- ritory by President Madison, serving 1809-17, and on the admission of the territory as a state, he was elected its first governor, serving 1817-19. On the resignation of Walter Leake as U.S. sen- ator in 1820, Mr. Holmes was elected to succeed him, and after serving out the term was re-


elected for a full term, to expire March 3, 1837. He resigned in 1825 to accept the governorship for a second time, and held that office, 1825-27. In 1827, broken in health, he retvirned to Win- chester, Va., where he died Aug. 20. 1832.

HOLflES, Elias Bellows, reinesentative, was born in Fletcher, Vt., May 27, 1810; son of Joseph and Diantha (Bellows) Holmes; grandson of Zephaniah and Barbara (McLucas) Holmes; great-grandson of Nathaniel and Sarah (Whit- tington) Holmes, and a descendant of English ancestors, wjio settled in America in 1610. He was educated at the St. Albans, Vt., academy, taught school in his native state and in 1827 removed to Pittsford, Vt. , where he engaged in the study of law with his uncle. Judge Ira Bellows. He was admitted to the bar in 1830, and practised law in Brockport, N.Y., 1831^4. He was a representative in the 29tli and 30th congresses, 1845-49. He was married in 1835 to Maria, daughter of Hiel and Phebe Brockway, of Brockport, N.Y. Hiel Brockway was one of the founders of the village, and was engaged in the packet business on the canal. Elias and his brother, Joseph Holmes, succeeded to the entire packet business of the original firm, continuing it until the railroad was constructed between Rochester and Buffalo. He engaged in project- ing and building the Rochester and Niagara Falls railroad, and the Toledo and Wabash rail- road. He was one of the directors of the former imtil the consolidation of the railroads between Buffalo, Niagai-a Falls and Albany, as the New York Central railroad. He was also a director of the Toledo and Wabash railroad. He was a director in the Third National Bank of Chicago; president of the Brockport Union Agricultural society, and a trustee of the Collegiate institute. He died at Brockport. N.Y., July 31, 1866.

HOLMES, Elias Burton, lecturer, was born in Chicago, 111., Jan. 8, 1870; son of Ira and Virginia (Burton) Holmes; grandson of Stiles and Ann W. Burton, of Chicago, and a descendant of Elias Bellows and Maria (Brockway) Holmes, of Brockport, N.Y., and of Stephen and Hannah Germain, of Illinois. He was educated at Allen academy and the Harvard school, Chicago, 111. He travelled in all the continental countries of Europe, and in Japan, Algeria, Tunis. Morocco, Corsica, Greece, Thessaly, made an expedition to Fez, travelled in the Hawaiian islands, and in August, 1898, made the ascent of Haleakala, the greatest volcano in the world, situated on the island of Maui, with his assistant, Oscar Bennett Depue, and his lecture manager, Louis Francis Brown. He also explored the Yellowstone Park, and the Grand Canon of the Colorado river. He acquired a wide reputation as a lecturer, illus- trating his lectures by motion pictures.