Brief History of William Holmes

William is the son of Gideon and Sarah Ellen "Martin" Holmes born January 5, 1880 in West Weber, Utah. His mother Sarah was the first white child born West of the Weber river in the area known as Wilson Lane, West of Ogden, Utah. As a child she played with migrating Indian children who wintered in that area. Sarah's father John Martin was the first permanent white settler West of the Weber River. He built the first road up Ogden Canyon and as a contractor built a section of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The old Wilson Lane has changed due to development and is is now Wilson Lane, West 20th street, 1900 West and 1800 South. The area is now part of West Haven City, Utah.

As a child William helped work in his fathers brick making plant on West 20th street (behind the present Seventh Day Adventists School) where many of the bricks used to build pioneer homes and buildings in Ogden were made. His father donated the bricks for the LDS chapel now a residence on West 20th street.

William served an LDS mission. Married Mary Evelean "Child" November 19, 1925. They had eleven children and most of the boys served in WWII. William and Mary and several children are buried in the Liberty, Utah cemetery. Mary Evelean died June 7, 1925 and William died July 16, 1946. Only one of their children and one daughter in law are alive today.

They had a blacksmith shop on 19th street just North of 12th street, sold it and moved to Goshen, Utah where they had a thriving peach farm. When the irrigation flume broke and was not rebuilt they moved to Liberty, Utah. They were known for their hard working industry, impeccable honesty and charity to others, attributes that each of their children have passed on and is a legacy and attribute of all their descendants.

We have two annual events; a reunion and a cousins get-to-gether.