William Holmes’s brother, Samuel, was born on Christmas Day, 1832, in the quiet rural community of Noyan (Pike River) in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, to John Holmes and Jane Calhoun. As a child, he grew up among siblings in a family deeply rooted in the region’s agricultural life. Eventually, Samuel moved south to Massachusetts, where he settled in Sterling and took up farming.

     In 1861, at age 28, Samuel married Jane Elizabeth Reed. Over the next decade, they built a family, welcoming five children: Burton Edward, Charles Herbert, Lena Luella, Albert Wilton, and Elbridge Reed Holmes. Their early years included both joy and sorrow—Burton Edward lived less than a year, but the other four children survived into adulthood and beyond.

Samuel’s life was marked by steady work and community involvement. He was recorded as a farmer in the 1870 and 1880 censuses in Erving, Massachusetts. In 1881, he purchased farm and timber land, expanding his holdings. During the Civil War, he also served as a Union soldier in the 53rd Massachusetts Infantry (Militia), Company K, contributing to the national effort while maintaining his life as a farmer.

     Though Samuel’s family roots remained in Quebec—where his parents and most of his siblings lived and died—he made his adult life in Massachusetts. He died on May 4, 1904, in Erving at age 71, and was laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in Sterling, where his family’s story continues through his surviving children and their descendants.