| Notes |
- Adapted From: The History of Cottonwood Mansion, Selkirk, Ontario, Canada N0A 1P0
http://linetap.com/cottonwoodmansion/index.htm
In 1811 Mary Hoover inherited from her father, Christian Hoover, Lot 1, Concession 4, Rainham Township. Mary was only 10 at the time and the property was likely looked after by other members of the family. Like her father and grandfather, Mary was a Mennonite. She lived with her widowed mother until she was almost 33, when she married a 24-year-old Baptist, William Holmes. The original wedding certificate shows William and Mary were married in Buffalo on July 17, 1834 by a justice of the peace.
William Holmes Jr. was born in 1810 near Brockville, Ontario. His father was born near Albany, NY. How William Jr. made his fortune is unclear, but we know that he was a land speculator, and about 1855 he began lending money. He had a reputation for being shrewd and was known locally as Twenty Percent Holmes. At least two of the lots he held mortgages on had sawmills, and eventually he owned them.
Though we can't be certain, it is likely William was involved in the lumber business as well. During the years following his marriage, he bought several lots in the townships of North Cayuga and Rainham, usually keeping them five years or less, which suggests involvement in lumbering. William's brother, Asher Holmes, had a sawmill on the north half of the next lot to the east of this property
William and Mary had five children in the ten years following their marriage, Elizabeth (Smith) born in 1836, Fidelia (Snell) in 1837, Susan (Holmes) in 1839, Jose in 1841 and Margaret (Shearer) in 1844.
The assessments of 1848 and 1849 record that William and Mary had a one-story frame house on Lot 1, likely built at the time of their marriage. In 1852 they had a one-and-a-half story frame house, and in 1861 a frame school house was also reported on the lot.
Mary Hoover Holmes died in 1869. In October 1870, William married Cynthia (Camfield) Anderson, a widow 19 years younger than himself with a 12-year-old son, Melancthon (Mac). Cottonwood Mansion was built about the time of the marriage.
Cynthia was probably an enthusiastic hostess at Cottonwood, and was renowned as a fiery spokeswoman for the temperance movement. In 1871, when she was 42 and William 61, Cynthia gave birth to Lillian C. Holmes. Lillian was the only child of this marriage.
When William died in 1892 at age 82, he left Cynthia a small pension and the lifetime use of their bedroom "so long as she shall not remarry." Cynthia survived him by 11 years. To his beloved Lillian, then 21, he bequeathed the Mansion with 100 acres, the furnishings, and the interest from a trust fund. The five children from his first marriage had received land and monetary bequests before his death. Despite these gifts, William left an estate worth over $100,000, equivalent to more than $17 million today! The inventory of his assets lists the Mansion and farm at $8,700, about $1.47 million in today's dollars.
Partial Abstract of Title: Lot 1, Concession 4, Township of Rainham, County of Haldimand, Ontario
Will - 29 Nov 1811- 29 Dec 1811- Christian Hoover - John & Jacob Hoover, Executors - Christian died 3 Dec 1811
944 - Quitclaim - 20 Feb 1817 - 10 Nov 1817 - John Hoover, Executor - Mary Hoover (Sister) - 200 acres fee £2 4s
313 - B & S - 27 Jan 1863 - 14 Mar 1871- William Holmes & Wife, Mary (Hoover) Holmes - Jose W. Holmes (Son) - 200 acres for Love & Affection & 5s
535 - B & S - 2 Jan 1873 - 12 Jan 1873 - Jose William Holmes et ux - Trustees School Dist #13 - 4/5 acre NW corner - Holmes School
772 - B & S - 8 Jan 1875 - 12 Jan 1875 - Jose William Holmes & Wife - William Holmes - West 100 acres
Wentworth Marriages - William Holmes, aged 60, Resides Rainham, born Kitley, Widower, Gentleman, son of William and Mary Holmes, Cynthia Anderson, aged 42, Resides Oneida, Born Ontario, daughter of Rev. Ziba and Nancy Camfield, Witnesses Hugh Anderson, Oneida, Ansel Smith, Michigan, Date and Place of Marriage October 18, 1870, at York, Baptist, Baptist, Rev. E. Chesney, by License, Division Binbrook, County Wentworth
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Rainham Builders
1810 - 1892 (82 years)