74

For the first ten or twelve years of their married life they were apparently living on the seashore at two or three points. From 1776 to 1780 his family may have been at New York, where he was stationed, or more likely at Quebec with his wife’s people.

The legality of Major Holland’s second marriage to Mdle. Rolette appears to have been submitted by him to Judges and the Attorney-General of the Province of New Hampshire about 1772 several years after the marriage took place. He was then residing at Kittery, nearly opposite Portsmouth. John Wentworth was then the Governor of the Province. Wentworth was a native, as he was born at Portsmouth in 1737 and appointed Governor in 1765, which position he held until the Revolution. He was also appointed as “Surveyor of the King’s Woods” for all North America, and there can be no doubt that he and Major Holland were on intimate terms when the latter was employed sur- veying the sea coast of New England, and they were both ardent Royalists.

Wentworth returned to England about 1775, but appears to have been in Quebec in June, 1785. From 1792 to 1808 he was Governor of Nova Scotia. In 1795 he was made a baronet and died at Halifax, N.S., on April 8, 1820.

The following certificate from Wentworth is among the Holland documents now extant:

It is hereby certified that in or about the year 1772 the opinion of the Judges and Attorney General in and of the late Province, now State of New Hampshire, were taken on the Legality of a marriage then contracting by Major Samuel Holland, Surveyor General of Canada, &c., and that the said Opinion was, that He might lawfully contract marriage. My papers having been destroyed during the late war in America, I cannot recollect the particular circumstances.

Quebec, June 7th, 1785. J. WENTWORTH.

In a letter to General Haldimand, from Portsmouth, N.H., dated 16th March, 1773, Major Holland states: ”Am no longer a military man, having disposed of my company which I thought, a measure it became me to do, as a measure of common prudence, seeing my family increased to 2 boys and 4 girls besides one I may expect in a month's time.” If his eldest child was born in 1764 this would make seven children in ten years. There may have been twins.

In 1784 Major Holland states, in a letter to General Tryon, that he then had ten children, and that five were sons. Diligent search for some years has resulted in discovering the names of the following seven children:

(1) John Frederick, born on Isle St. Jean 27th October, 1764, died December 17th, 1845, probably at Charlottetown.

(2) Henry—date of birth unknown; drowned at sea when on service in the

army. (3) Charlotte—died unmarried, 1833.

(4) Susannah.

(5) Frederick Braham, born 1774, died at Quebec September 14, 1836.

(6) Samuel Lester, born 1776; killed in duel in March, 1795.

(7) George Speth, baptized December 9, 1780, date of death unknown.

In the return of officers of the First Battalion, King’s Own Royal Regiment of New York, in 1781, we find John Frederick Holland, son of Surveyor-General Holland, then credited with five years’ service. If this record be correct, he