Son of Thomas Holmes (and Fanny Hoddinott, born on the 1st of April 17871??) in Sherborne, Dorset
Married Susanna Wilcox (1807 - 1872) on the 3rd of December 1826 in Brigus, Conception Bay North, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada 1
Children 1
Thomas, born on the 12th of September 1827 (died on the 12th of October 1827
James, born on the 29th of August 1828
John, born on the 26th of August 1830
William Henry, born on the 5th of September 1831 at Seldom Come By, baptised on the 11th of June 1836 (? at Brigus, Newfoundland
Frances, born on the 18th of September 1834
Samuel, born on the 10th of November 1836 (died on the 10th of May 1839)
Susannah Elizabeth, born on the 18th of February 1839
Thomas Samuel, born on the 15th of April 1841
George Albert, born on the 21st of April 1843 (died on the 9th of January 1844)
George, born on the 29th of September 1845 (died on the 5th of April 1846)
Henry Albert, born on the 5th of December 1847, died on the 30th of December 1866)
Moses Edmund, born on the 20th of August 1850
Buried
1 Information from The Don Ross & Jeanne (Guppy) Ross Family Tree on Ancestry.com. Family lore from his descendants says that he ran away from his father and step-mother using the name of his mother 'Hoddinott' to avoid detection and only in later life readopted the name Holmes. The same source gives his date of birth as 1st April 1787. However I have found no baptism has for a John Holmes in Sherborne or district around this date and believe he is the John Holmes, son of Thomas Holmes and Fanny Soper baptised in Sherborne in 1798. It is very unlikely that this is a late baptism since the registers are very particular about noting dates of birth in such cases - indeed the very next entry to John Holmes baptism is - 21st Nov 1798 'Thomas Ridout, Do of Mr James and Susanna, born August 8th 1798, baptised Nov 21 1798.
Thomas Holmes had married Fanny Soper in 1784 and the same Fanny was still alive in 1803 as evidences by her signature as witness to a wedding in 1803. It may be significant that this wedding is of a Robert Tucker to an Elizabeth Hoddinott indicating a close relationship between the two families and this may be the source of John adopting the name Hoddinott.
2 Almost certainly related to Thomas Holmes in view of the recorded connection with his son William Holmes revealed in Florence Gushue's research