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​FROM THE HOLMDEL HISTORICAL SOCIETY FAMILY!
   

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The Holmes Family

Rev. Obadiah Holmes (1606-1682)​

Rev. Obadiah Holmes was one of the Monmouth patentees, to whom Governor Richard Nicolls granted the territory of nearly the entire present County of Monmouth in 1666.  He never actually settled in Monmouth County, he made occasional visits to this region and helped to organize the old Baptist Church in Holmdel (now known as the Holmdel Community United Church ), which was the first Baptist church in New Jersey and the fourth in America.
  


Rev. Obadiah Holmes married Katheryn Hyde (1608-1684) and had nine children.

  1.   John (1631-1633)
  2.   Jonathan (1633-1713) – married Sarah Borden (1644-1705)
  3.   Lydia (1635-1693) – married John Bowne (d.1684)
  4.   Mary (1639-1690) – married John Bowne (1630-1706)
  5.   Martha (1640-1711) – marred John Oldin/Auly (1642-1711)
  6.   Samuel (1642-1679) – married Alice Stillwell (b.1645)
  7.   Obadiah (b.1644) – married Elizabeth Cole
  8.   John (1649-1712) – married Francis Holden (1649-1679)
  9.   Hopestill (b.1681)



The two boys, Jonathan and Obadiah settled on land given to them by their father.  This land was part of the 1666 Nicholl’s patent and was named Middletown.  The Holmes tract was later known as Freehold and then Baptistown and is now called Holmdel after the family first settled here.

Obadiah remained in Holmdel for five years and then returned to Rhode Island.

Jonathan stayed in Holmdel permanently and married Sarah Borden (1644-1705).  Together they had nine children.
  1.    Obadiah (1666-1745)
  2.    Jonathan (1682-1766) *
  3.    Samuel (1676-1769)
  4.    Sarah
  5.    Mary
  6.    Catharine
  7.    Martha (1675-1729) – married Phillip Tillinghast
  8.    Lydia
  9.    Joseph
Jonathan Holmes (1682-1766)*
Son of Johnathan Holmes
Grandson of Rev. Obediah Holmes
Son of Jonathan Holmes settled on his father’s Monmouth County land and married first, Deliverance Ashton and later Rebecca Throckmorton (d. 1761), who together gave him seven children.

1.  Jonathan (d.1738)
2.  Deliverance
3.  Sarah (d. 1805)
4.  Joseph (1722-1738)
5.  Captain John (1730-1804) – born to Rebecca Throckmorton Holmes, and was                       sometimes referred to as John Holmes minor or John Holmes Jr.  During the                     Revolutionary War he joined the Continental Army eventually earning the rank of           Captain of the First Regiment – forever after he was referred to as Captain John               Holmes.  Captain Holmes never married and died in Monmouth County on March             26, 1804
6.  Rebecca (1734-1757)
7.  Samuel (1726-1769) - in 1745 he married Mary Stout**

​​
Samuel Holmes (1726-1769)**
Son of Johnathan Holmes
Grandson of Jonathan Holmes
Great Grandson of Rev. Obediah Holmes
​
Samuel married Mary Stout in 1745 where they had nine children:-​​

  1. Johnathan (d.1811) - married Anna Schenk
  2. Lydia – married Garrett Stillwell
  3. Parmelia – married John Stillwell
  4. Stout – married twice, first, Elizabeth Pintard and then to Mary (Ogbournes) Bray
  5. Catherine – married Nathan Stout
  6. Samuel
  7. Elisha
  8. Joseph H – married Nellie daughter of John Schenck and had five children:-
  • Jonathan - married Eleanor Schenck, daughter of Chrineyonce Schenck, who had nine children:-
    1. Joseph
    2. Margaret
    3. Mary
    4. Anna Eliza (d.1809)
    5. Rhoda (d.1838) married a Van Mater
    6. Ellen
    7. Chrineyonce
    8. Kate
    9. Huldah
  •  John H. (1800-1871)
  • Elisha 
  • Nellie
  • Mary – married Hendrick Longstreet whose parents were Aaron Longstreet and Williampe Hendrickson.  The had ten children:-
    1. Aaron (1805-1894)
    2. Eleanor S. (1807-1879)
    3. Lydia Hendrik (1809-1838)
    4. Anne Holmes(1812-1814)
    5. Emeline (1814-1887)
    6. Joseph Holmes (1816-1856)
    7. Jonathan (1818-1888)
    8. Hendrick H.  (1819-1888)
      • ​Hendrick received his earlier education in the village of Middletown Point, now known as Matawan and finished his academic courses at the seminary at Lenox, Mass.  Having determined to persue the study of medicine, he became a student under Dr. Robert W. Cooke of Holmdel.  Dr. Longstreet stood in the front of his rank of his profession and probably no other in the state was more widely and favorably known.  
    9. Mary Ann (1821-1911)
    10. John I. (1828-1857)

   9.  John S. Holmes (1762-1821) – Youngest married Sarah Hendrickson (d.1824).  They had five children:-
  1. Mary - married to Albert Van Brunt
  2. Catherine  - married to  Daniel Ellis
  3. Emma – married to George Taylor
  4. Eleanor – married to Charles Hasbrook
  5. Daniel – married Rhoda Van Mater, daughter of Chrineyonce Van Mater
  (1762-1821) John S. Holmes
Son of Samuel Holmes
Grandson of Johnathan Holmes
Great Grandson of Jonathan Holmes
Great Great Grandson of Rev. Obediah Holmes 
  
 John S. Holmes was a merchant in Middletown, NJ.  He appears to have been involved with two firms, Holmes & Schenk from around 1795-1798, and John S. Holmes & Son with his son Daniel from around 1818-1820.  John S. Holmes was also a trustee of nearby Middletown Academy and possibly partners with his father-in-law Daniel Hendrickson (1736-1797) in grist, saw, and fulling mills located in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.   He was also one of the executors of his father-in-law’s estate. 

John S. Holmes married Sarah Hendrickson (1767-1824) and with her had at five children.   He died on August 15, 1821
  ​
Mary - married to Albert Van Brunt
Catherine  - married to  Daniel Ellis
Emma – married to George Taylor
Eleanor – married to Charles Hasbrook
Daniel – married Rhoda Van Mater, daughter of Chrineyonce Van Mater


The last son born in Holmdel, Daniel spent his early years at the home of his parents.  His father John S. Holmes, was at this time engaged in business of a country merchant, in which he proved to be an invaluable assistant.  He then became a merchant in Middletown and entered into a partnership with his father in the firm, John S. Holmes & Son.  They later partnered with Holmes Van Mater (born 1789) in the firm Van Mater & Holmes.  Daniel received his education at the neighboring school.  The family moved to Matawan and Daniel pursued goods trading.  On the death of his father in 1821, Daniel returned to the Holmdel farm and became interested in the labors attending its cultivation.  Daniel married Rhoda Van Mater on February 23, 1815 and had seven children:-

1.  Huldah (b.1815) – married to Joseph Holmes Longstreet and had two children
  • Rhoda H.
  • Lydia Anna
2.  Catherine (b.1817) – married to John W. Ely who had three children
  • Daniel H.
  • Eugene
  • John M.
3.  John S. (1819-1820)
4.  Sarah (1821-1822)
5.  Joseph H. (1824-1892) – married to Ann (d.1894), daughter of James G. Crawford of Raritan            Township on September 19th, 1848.  They had four children
  • Carrie S. – married to Asher S. Ely
  • John  S. – married to Annie, daughter of James Lake
  • Daniel
  • Lizzie
6.  Maria Louisa (1826 - 1867)  – married to Ely Conover
7.  Sarah (b.1829) – married to Rudolf P. Smock who had two children
  •  Daniel H.
  •  Peter V.D.

Daniel Holmes, a farmer, was also engaged in business pursuits at Holmdel for many years.  His political beliefs were with the Democratic Party, whose principles he advocated with untiring zeal during a long and active life.  The party in recognition of his services, several times elected him to the State Legislature, and he was Sheriff of Monmouth County for one term.  He was largely identified with the township and the county matters and exercised a marked influence on the business and public interests of the portion of the state where he resided. Daniel died October 27, 1851 in his 55th year and his wife, Rhoda on January 20th, 1838 in her 46th year.
  


  
Daniel Holmes (1792-1851)

Son of John S. Holmes
Grandson of Samuel Holmes
Great Grandson of Jonathan Holmes
Great Great Grandson of Jonathan Homes
Great Great Great Grandson of
Rev. Obediah Holmes
  
​