John and Nellie Pyeatt Holmes
Nellie Pyeatt was born 5 Mar 1876 in Du Quoin, Perry County, Illinois to Jacob and Margaret Pyeatt.
She moved with her family from Illinois to St. Clair County, Missouri, in 1880. On May 15, 1895 she was married to John Holmes. In 1899 John and Nellie moved to the territory of Oklahoma (along with Nellie's parents and her siblings) and filed claim to a
homested near Webb in Dewey County. They endured the privations and hardships of pioneer life along with other early
settlers. In December of 1910, the Holmes family moved to a farm near Doby Springs in Harper County, Oklahoma. They had two daughters as follows:
- Nora Holmes m: ? Miller
- Audrey Holmes m: Rayburn Donley
John Holmes was born 10 Nov 1874 in Moultrie Co, Illinois and died 17 Oct 1917. He is buried in the Raymond Cemetery, Dewey County, Oklahoma.
His daughter, Audrey Holmes Donley told this story of his death. "John Holmes and a crew of harvest hands were moving harvesting equipment (header barge) to another field.
As they went into the yard the barge hit or run into telephone wires overhead and scared the horses.
John was thrown or lost his balance and the barge run over him across his abdomen or groin injuring him fatally.
He lived about an hour after the accident. Mother (Nellie) was sitting sewing in the kitchen and I was playing nearby.
A car drove into our yard (to my childish eyes it seemed very big black) they had came after my mother to take her to
my father lying injured. He told my mother to tell Nora he would meet her in heaven and he wanted me (Audrey) to
be raised a christian. As he passed away a beautiful smile was on his face and he seemed to be greeting someone
and called "Ma, Ma" as though he saw his mother waiting for him. His mother had already passed on some years before.
After our fathers' death, Mother, Nora and I lived with Grandpa and Grandma Pyeatt, Uncle Dwight and Aunt Jennie for a
year or so on the farm south of Lenora, Oklahoma. John Holmes and Nellie Pyeatt went to school together."
Grandpa and Grandma Pyeatt would be Nellie's parents, Jacob and Margaret. This is how the families of Jacob and Dwight Pyeatt appeared on the
1920 census of Dewey County, OK:
- Pyeatt, Jacob age 70 born IL
- Pyeatt, Margrett J (wife) age 68 born OH
- Pyeatt, Jennie (daughter) age 25 born MO (this family enumerated 24/217/1/60)
- Pyeatt, Dwight age 38 born MO
- Pyeatt, Everline (wife) age 36 AR (this family enumerated 24/217/1/63)
It would seem, from Audrey's story, that in 1917-1918 Dwight was still living at home with Jacob and Margaret.
After living with her parents, Nellie returned to Dewey County and established a home in Lenora. In 1942,
Mrs. Holmes moved to Vici and cared for an invalid sister for a period of 18 years. When her health no longer permitted her living
alone (two years), she moved to the home of her daughter, Mrs. Nora Miller, where she was tenderly cared for until enter
ing the hospital three days before her passing.
Nellie Pyeatt Holmes died 21 Oct 1967 at the age of 91 years, 7 months, and 16 days in Woodward, Woodward County, Oklahoma in the Woodward Hospital.
She was buried 25 Oct 1967 in the Raymond Cemetery, Dewey County, Oklahoma by funeral director C. C. Shaw of Vici, Dewey Co.,OK. (Raymond Cemetery about seven miles south of Lenora, Dewey Co, OK.)
According to her obituary, Nellie Pyeatt Holmes was a member of The Methodist Church, having dedicated her life many years ago.
She was a lover of her home her flowers and her pets and throughout her long illness, often expressed a longing to return again to her own home.
Nellie was buried in the Raymond Cemetery alongside her first and only husband.
Sources:
- Info supplied by Reeta Miller Martin crackerjack@pldi.net
- 1920 Dewey County, Oklahoma federal census
- Obituary of Nellie Pyeatt Holmes
Updated June 2000
Back to Home
Back to Jacob and Elizabeth Yearian Pyeatt Page
See photos of John and Nellie
Email: rpyeatt@mailexcite.com
