Mary Josephine Packard ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

  General Notes:

Apparently she went by the name of Josephine during her later years.
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  Death Notes:

Name: Mary J. Holmes
Event Date: 12 Mar 1925
Event Place: Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois
Gender: Female
Race: White
Age: 74
Birth Year (Estimated): 1851
Birth Date: 06 Apr 1850
Birthplace: Cherry Valley, Illinois
Father's Name: Henry Packard
Father's Birthplace: unobtainable
Mother's Birthplace: Unobtainable
Occupation: retired
Spouse's Name: Charles T. Holmes
Burial Date: 14 Mar 1925
Cemetery: Greenwood Cem.

Citing this Record
"Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3WL-CM5 : 9 March 2018), Mary J. Holmes, 12 Mar 1925; Public Board of Health, Archives, Springfield; FHL microfilm 1,487,774.
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  Noted events in her life were:

• She has alternate birth date of 1851 and a birth location of Illinois.

⁵

• She appeared on the 1860 US Census in Cherry Valley, IL on 23 August 1860. ⁵

1860 US Census
Page 515, Dwelling 3711, Family 3784
Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois
Mary J. Packard..9.. IL

(Living with father and step-mother.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 6 Apr 1850, then her age should have been 10 instead of 9.
.

• She appeared on the 1870 US Census in Cherry Valley, IL on 22 June 1870. ⁶

1870 US Census
Page 5, Dwelling 31, Family 35, Roll 294
Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois
Mary Holmes..19..IL..Housekeeper

(Living with husband and daughter.)
.

• She appeared on the 1880 US Census in Cherry Valley, IL on 1 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 15C, District 217, Dwelling 149, Family 153, Roll 0261
Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois
Mary J. Holmes..Wife..29..IL..Keeping House

(Living with husband and 6 children.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 6 Apr 1850, then her age should have been 30 instead of 29.
.

• She appeared on the 1910 US Census in Rockford, IL on 14 April 1910. ⁷

1910 US Census
Page 6B, District 172, Dwelling 114, Family 126
Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
806 Elm Street; home owned with mortgage
Mary J. Holmes..Mother..59..IL..Widowed..married 30 years..11/11..Housekeeper

(Living with married son, Frank, and his family.)

NOTE - Even though she indicated that she was widowed on the census, Mary was living separately from her husband, Charles, who was living with their son, Charles William Holmes. The elderly Charles died later in this year apparently with both spouses still living apart.
.

• She appeared on the 1920 US Census in Rockford, IL on 8 January 1920. ⁸

1920 US Census
Sheet 7B, District 190, Dwelling 92, Family 184, Roll 417
Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
806 Elm Street; home rented
Josephine Holmes..Head..68..IL..widowed

(Mary Josephine was widowed and living in same residence as her married son, Frank.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 6 Apr 1850, then her age should have been 69 instead of 68.
.

• Her obituary was published in the Rockford Morning Star on 13 March 1925 in Rockford, IL.

¹¹ Death Summons to Mrs. Mary Holmes When 74 Years Old

Mrs. Mary J. Holmes, widow of Charles T. Holmes, died last night at 8 o'clock at the home of her son, Frank R. Holmes, 806 Elm street.

She was born in Cherry Valley April 6, 1850, and had spent her entire life in this section.

She is survived by five daughters, Mrs. Adeline Noreen, Rockford, Mrs. Rose Walker, Belvidere, Mrs. May Wagner, Iowa, Mrs. Clara Gustafson, Rockford, and Miss Bertha Holmes, and four sons, Frank R., with whom she made her home, William, Portland, Ore., Bert, Mt. Morris, and Edward Holmes. Funeral
arrangements were not completed last night.

(Source: Rockford Morning Star, Rockford, Illinois, 13 Mar 1925)
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.

• She was buried on 14 March 1925 in the Greenwood Cemetery in Rockford, IL.

Find A Grave Memorial #107626780
. ¹⁰

Mary married Charles Tarbell Holmes, son of Ira Holmes and Harriet Newell, on 24 December 1867 in Cherry Valley, IL.^{1 2 3} (Charles Tarbell Holmes was born on 22 May 1841 in East Pepperell, MA,^{3 12 13 14} died on 4 December 1910 in Rockford, IL ¹⁵ and was buried after 4 December 1910 in Rockford, IL ¹⁵.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Image: Image, on 24 December 1867, in , Winnebago County, IL. ¹

• They appeared on the 1870 US Census in Cherry Valley, IL on 22 June 1870. ⁶

1870 US Census
Page 5, Dwelling 31, Family 35, Roll 294
Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois
Charles Holmes..23..MA..Farmer
Mary Holmes..19..IL..Housekeeper
Addie Holmes..1..IL
.

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Cherry Valley, IL on 1 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 15C, District 217, Dwelling 149, Family 153, Roll 0261
Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois
Charles Holmes..Self..39..MA..Laborer
Mary J. Holmes..Wife..29..IL..Keeping House
Addie M. Holmes.Daughter..11..IL..At School
Rosanna Holmes..Daughter...9..IL
William Holmes..Son..7..IL
Ira E. Holmes..Son..5..IL
Clara D. Holmes..Daughter..3..IL
Frank Holmes..Son..1..IL
.

  Marriage Notes:

Name: Charles Holmes
Titles and Terms: Mr
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 24 Dec 1867
Event Place: Winnebago, Illinois, United States
Gender: Male
Spouse's Name: Mary J Packard
Spouse's Titles and Terms: Miss
Spouse's Gender: Female
Page: 1290

Citing this Record
"Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9L-5TDN : 17 October 2017), Charles Holmes and Mary J Packard, 24 Dec 1867; citing Winnebago, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,914,066.
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Neither Charles nor Mary can be located in the 1900 US Census but in 1910 both are found separately with each living with one of their married children. I suspect that sometime after the birth of their last child in 1886 that the couple started to split up, although not divorced, and lived separately in the Rockford area for a number of years perhaps even eluding the census enumerators during 1900. However, the obituary for Charles in November of 1910, several months after the census was taken, indicates that both Charles and Mary were living with their son, Charles William Holmes.
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The obituary for Charles Tarbell Holmes is interesting in that it claims he had 10 children (7 sons and 3 daughters) yet almost all researchers, myself included, only show a total of seven names (only 4 sons and 3 daughters). The obituary for Charles specifically names the following children:
1. [Charles] William
2. [Ira] Edward
3. Frank
4. Walter (a previously unknown name)
5. Fred (a previously unknown name)
6. Wagner (a previously unknown name)
7. another son (only mentioned in the obituary as "another son" but this was probably Benjamin who was adopted out; aka Francis Stimax)
8. [Addie] Mrs. Leggett
9. [Clara] Mrs. Crowell
10. the obituary only provided 9 names but said he had 10 children. The tenth name was probably his daughter, Rose Walker.

Meanwhile, the obituary for his wife, Mary Josephine Holmes, is also interesting in that it claims she had 9 children (4 sons and 5 daughters). Her obituary specifically names the following children:
1. [Charles] William
2. [Ira] Edward
3. Frank
4. Bert (this would be Benjamin who was adopted out and became known as Francis Stimax)
5. Adeline Noreen
6. Rose Walker
7. May Wagner (a previously unknown name)
8. Clara Gustafson
9. Bertha Holmes (a previously unknown name and unmarried)

The difference between their two obituaries is that the one for Charles shows 3 additional sons and the one for Mary shows 2 additional daughters. If these 5 additional names were indeed their children, then when added to the seven known and verified children's names, their total would be up to 12. So how much faith should I put into these obituaries? Should I add May and Bertha as daughters? Should I add the sons Walter, Fred, and Wagner? At this point, I think it all to be erroneous information added by surviving relatives who did not really know. As the siblings died off, none of the obituaries seem to mention these previously unknown names so this reinforces the idea that they were erroneous names coming from surviving relatives when Charles and Mary died.

On the 1910 US Census when Mary was living with her married son, Frank, she indicated that she had a total of 11 children and all 11 were still alive. This census was just about 6 months before Charles died.

On top of all this confusion about the names and number of children, there is the possibility on additional daughter, Helen Mae Holmes, born about 1883 in Cherry Valley, Illinois. Of course the 1890 US Census that would show her with the family is the census that was destroyed in the fire. And the family is not found at all for the 1900 US Census. She was supposedly married in 1904 in Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa in 1904. There are no other records or documents that show either her maiden name or her married name. Notice the names of the parents for Helen Mae Holmes in the following marriage record:

Name: Clarence G. Wagner
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 13 Jul 1904
Event Place: Charles City, Floyd, Iowa, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year (Estimated): 1880
Father's Name: Isaac Wagner
Mother's Name: Letty Socks
Spouse's Name: Mae H. Holmes
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 21
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1883
Spouse's Father's Name: Charles Holmes
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary Packard

Citing this Record
"Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KC4C-X8Y : 18 October 2017), Mary Packard in entry for Clarence G. Wagner and Mae H. Holmes, 13 Jul 1904, Charles City, Floyd, Iowa, United States; citing reference 278, county courthouses, Iowa; FHL microfilm 1,481,686.
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