The Holstead Inn and Early Maps of Petitcodiac

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Click twice to make them even bigger.

The Stage Stop at Holstead Inn

I'm not sure if you descendants of Charles Holstead Holmes know who he was named after or not. But just in case you don't, or others don't, I will tell. 

Daniel Holmes mother died when he was very young. His father remarried, handed his children over to his in-laws, and left for the United States. It would be many years before he inquired into their well being.

Samuel and Elizabeth Holstead, Daniel's maternal grandparents, took these two children into their home and treated them as their own. Daniel's sibling died young, we believe. We cannot find a trace of him or her beyond infancy. Daniel grew up with a slew of uncles and aunts who were more like brothers and sisters to him. One of these uncles, who was older than him, followed him to New Brunswick. The history books call him Mr. Holstead, so I am not sure which brother it was. In the back of my mind I'm thinking Samuel. Closer in age to Daniel, about five years older was his uncle, Charles Holstead. So, in all probability, your grandfather and great grandfather was named after Daniel's uncle.

I wrote down some notes about the Holstead Inn today at the Petitcodiac Library. This is from Village of Fire: History of Petitcodiac, by Robert and Mary Hibbert, page 15.

"Mr. Holstead came from Cumberland Co. in the early 1830's and built a home which he later used as an Inn. The establishment of the Holstead Inn appears to have been the vital start of the settlement (Humphrey Corner, later Petitcodiac). Mr. Holstead did not stay in the community for long . . . "

P. 23,24                                                              The Early Grants

The first land grant for this property was given in 1833 to Mr. O. A. Pittfield, who was from Sussex Vale.

From 1833 to 1839, this land changed hands at least three times. Just months after it was originally granted to Mr. John Burnham, it was deeded to Daniel Holmes who held the property until 1839. Mr. Burnham and Mr. Holmes operated a small saw mill on the Holmes Brook at this time. Mr. Holmes sold the land to Mr. Lewis Trites.

( That paragraph is a little confusing. The land first went to Mr. Pittfield, whose name you can see in the map. He sold it to John Burnham, who in turn deeded it to Daniel Holmes. Burnham and Holmes were partners in the saw mill business until they sold it in 1839.)

The little brook in the bottom right of the photo is the Holmes Brook, named for Daniel Holmes.

Map of Humphrey's Corner and the Station

(Taken from Walling's Map of 1862. Map drawn by Robert Hibbert,

information given by Herbert Holt.)

Page 21 This map gives an idea of where Daniel lived and worked. At the very end of the map, right side, you see D. Holmes. That was the "holmestead." Daniel was a farmer, and he also built a mill on the Holmes Brook, which is to the far left of the map. The long road that he traveled to work was called the Old Post Road. He later built a sawmill on the Salt Springs Brook in Hillgrove. In the map of land grants, you can see a road going to the left in the direction of Hillgrove.