Jolly Island Holmes's

[CHRISCRTS]

I have a wonderful travelog written by Mrs. Augustus (Susan?) Holmes. The Holmes's had a place on Jolly Island in 1913 when they climbed Mt. Chocorua with my grandparents (George and Mora Curtiss) and a woman they called Fan. I would love to track down the Holmes family. Does anyone know of them? They had two children, Walter and Emma. Their place on Jolly Island was called Rocksmere Lodge. I'm in the process of scanning the travelog, which was a gift to my grandparents from the Holmes's. I am putting it on a CD. It was quite an adventure, both the climb, stay at the Peak House, and getting there in a car that kept breaking down and getting stuck in ditches, after, of course, travelling from the island by boat. H

[Rattlesnake Gal]

A search at NH Deeds (http://www.nhdeeds.com/belk/web/BeIndex.html) in Belknap Country shows that Walter Ela of Danielson Connecticut and Augustus L. Holmes of Melrose Massachusetts purchased a piece of land on Jolly Island for $150 on February 23, 1897.

To see the actual document select
Old Index Books
Grantee 1896-1915
Then click to begin search
At the top right of the page in Document Book type in 98
Document page is 29

You may also find more information by searching in later years as Augustus Holmes as the Grantor. There might be a more current address for the family. So far, it looks like Melrose, MA is a good place to start. Good luck in your search.

[CHRISCRTS]

Thanks for your reply! I actually have an address for them in Melrose. They are no longer there, and no one seems to know where they went. A search of property records in Melrose would show who bought their house there, but probably not where they went. I'm in Maine for the summer, but will pursue this when I get back to my own computer in the fall. Your suggestions may be useful. Thanks for doing some research!
Chris C.

[Jollymom]

Our family has a place on Jolly Island, and the Holmes's were our next door neighbors. When Wally and Elizabeth (his wife) passed away, they left the place to their two daughters, who sold it maybe 10 years ago to relatives of another island family. My father has contact information for the daughters, who would probably enjoy the travelog. I would imagine that the current owners of the property would also be interested in the travelog. They seem to appreciate the history of the place and have meticulously restored and beautified the property. I'll attempt to email you my contact info now. Thanks to the internet, this is a really small world!