Hi Andrew,
As requested, here's the genealogy of my gg grandmother, Anna Sara Beamish.
I have a lot of lineal descendancy and background genealogy, but am still seeking Anna Sara's birth date and the exact place and date of her death, plus her father's name and both of her parent's ancestry.
I'm especially looking for Anna Sara's husband, Francis Smollet Holden's background. Need place of his son William's birth (born 1831 Ireland), plus the year William immigrated to New York City. Also need Francis Smollet's grandparent's names, etc. (Smollet's & Janet Fraser's parent's.)
ANNA SARA BEAMISH FOLLOWS:
This information is taken directly from my family's personal HOLDEN genealogy written about 100 years. It was done by a family member and is titled "Saga of the Holdens."
Anna Sara Beamish died in the mid to late 1800's. Probably in New Ross, Ireland where she ran a finishing school for girls after her husband Francis Smollet's early death.
My mother acquired the "Saga," from her father, FRANCIS SMOLLET HOLDEN (mother, Elizabeth Cunningham), who had it prepared. Only one page of it survived through time. The tone of the rest of the genealogy points to FRANCES MARGARET HOLDEN McGILLICUDDY EAGAR (Francis Smollet Holden's aunt) as being the author. Her name, as author, may have been on one of the missing pages.
NOTE, here is the section pertaining to Anna Sara Beamish's genealogy. Her mother's, her husband's, and her descendant's names are in capital letters:
ANNA SARA BEAUMIS' (anglicised to Beamish) ancestors, French Hugenots, came to England at the time of the Edict of Nantes. Her father (BEAMISH) had been an officer in the French Army. Her mother was ANNA CHALLONER PILSBURY, an heiress of considerable fortune. Anna Sara Beamish was educated at Queen Charlotte's School for the daughters of officers. She knew German well, spoke French and Italian fluently, and was a fine musician.
When left a widow with five children, aged from fourteen to seven, she started a finishing school in New Ross, where her husband DR. FRANCIS SMOLLET HOLDEN (AKA Francis H. Holden) had died as a young man. [He had a doctorate in music and collected, composed and published Irish Traditional music with his father Smollet Holden. Both were instrumental in helping to preserve Irish Traditional Music and their names are mentioned, posthumously, in Dr. George Petrie's 1855 work, "Ancient Music of Ireland," and other musical history sources. All of Anna Sara's immediate "Holden" family were musically gifted. Her daughters, Dr. Francis Holden's sisters, were "the toasts of Dublin and splendid musicians, playing organ, harp and piano. They also sang beautifully.
ANNA SARA BEAMISH'S youngest child, FRANCES MARGARET (McGillicuddy Eagar), and an older sister, MARY JANE (Grace), were adopted by their aunt, MATILDA JANE GRACE (nee Holden), whose husband was Governor of Spike Island Convict Settlement.
FRANCES MARGARET met her husband, Francis McGillicuddy Eagar at Spike Island. He was for a time Deputy Governor there.
MARY JANE married a connection by marriage to one of the Grace family, and went to Canada. She has descendants in Toronto, Canada.
ANNA SARA BEAMISH/FRANCIS SMOLLET HOLDEN DESCENDANTS FOLLOW:
i. William H. Holden, B. 1831, Ireland.
ii Mary Jane Holden; m. GRACE.
III Francis Margaret Holden, b. abt. 1834; m. EAGAR.
iv Margaret Holden
v. Ann Holden
WILLIAM H. HOLDEN/CLARA TONGER DESCENDANTS:
i. William Holden, b. 1863
ii. Samuel Holden, b. 1864; d. 3/25/1926, New York City,NY; [m. ANNA M. STRUSS (b. 2/14/1861, NYC, NY; died 4/1/1922, NYC, NY.]
iii. Richard Holden, b. 1866.
iv. Francis Smollet Holden (my grandfather), b. 11/14/1869, NYC, NY; died 1/22/1936, Flushing Hospital, Flushing, NY.
v. Charles Holden, b. 1871.
vi. John A. Holden.
FRANCIS HOLDEN/ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM DESCENDANTS:
I. Mary Ellen Holden, b. June 25, 1894, NYC, NY.
II. Elizabeth Veronica Holden, b. June 29, 1896, NYC, NY; Died June 16, 1983, Jersey City, NJ.
III Francis Holden, b. March 23, 1898, NYC, NY.
iv. Charlotte (Margaret) Holden, b. Dec. 02, 1899; died
May 31, 1966, NYC, NY.
v. Clara Holden, b. 1903, NYC, NY.
vi. Sarah Marie Holden (my mother), b. Sept. 23, 1904, NYC, NY; died May 13, 1986. [Husband, Thomas Peter Murray.]
vii. William Henry Holden, b. Nov. 16, 1907, NYC, NY; died Apr. 15, 1994, Sarasota, Florida. [Wife, Ruth Nancy Holden.]
vii. Frances Holden, b. May 10, 1910; died July 24, 1910.
ix. Mary Holden, b. June 17, 1915; died June 17, 1915, St. Mary's Hospital, Hoboken, NJ. [Elizabeth Cunningham died within days of giving birth to Mary Holden.]