William, the eldest son of William and Martha Kerr, was born 22 January, 1866 at Ottawa, Ontario. He became a salesman, and later a farmer. Brought up in the Methodist Church, in his mature years he became the Sunday School Superintendant, which position he held for several years.
Martha Augusta Florence was born 11 April, 1863 at Masham, County of Ottawa, Quebec. She was the second youngest in a family of twelve children. Her nickname was "Gussie". She also was brought up in the Methodist Church, and was a staunch member. Gussie attended the Ottawa Conservatory of Music.
Through her Friendship with Martha Maxwell Kerr, she met William Henry Kerr, whom she married 23 July 1890 in the town of Masham, County of Ottawa, Quebec. John Fawkes was the officiating minister, and witnesses were Abe and Frank Pritchard. They lived in Ottawa, Ontario where all their children were born: Hester Adelaide, Henry Munro, Martha Agnes Winnifred, Donald Andrew and Ethel Hamilton.
William went west to the New Ottawa District in Saskatchewan and filed entry for a homestead on NW¼, Section 16, Township 43, Range 11, West of the 3rd Meridian on 2 March, 1904. In April 1907 he built a house and the family moved in 15 September, 1907. In 1905 he broke 22 acres, but cropped none; 1906 he broke none, cropped 22; 1907 broke none, cropped 11. In 1907 he had 1 cow; 1908, 4 cattle; 1909, 7 cattle. The house was of log and plaster construction, 20 feet by 30 feet, valued at $400.00. A sod stable 14 feet by 16 feet and valued at $40.00. He received patent for the homestead 30 June, 1909.
He also farmed the adjacent quarter section SW¼, Section 16, Township 43, Range 11, West of the 3rd Meridian which Gussie had inherited from her father. In 1906 he broke 5 acres, and cropped none; 1907 broke none, cropped none; 1908 broke 5 and cropped 5; 1909 broke none, cropped 10; 1910 broke 56 and cropped 25. In 1910 he had 3 horses, a house of frame construction measureing 8 feet by 16 feet valued at $50.00, stable valued at $30.00 and fenced 50 acres at $45.00. The patent was issued 22 September, 1910.
William and Gussie had been influenced to go west by John Grenfell, a retired minister from Bell Street Methodist church in Ottawa. A whole section of land had been reserved by him and many of his folk followed him out to the settlement. William's mother, Martha Maxwell Kerr, came with them "as they couldn't leave her behind".
The Greenbluff School was built in 1905 and church services were held there. In 1911 W. H, Kerr was on the Board of Missions. The children attended both the school and the church. W. H. Kerr was elected a trustee of the School Board. In 1906 he was appointed Secretary/Treasurer at a salary of $25.00 per annum, receiving $50.00 in 1907. In 1909 he was hired to do carpenter work at the school for $2.50 per day.
Their daughter, Miss Hester A. Kerr was hired to teach in 1910. She took ill and was buried April 1st in the New Ottawa Cemetery the day she was supposed to start teaching at Greenbluff School. The cemetery was on land adjacent the school.
In 1914 the family moved to the Rabbit Lake District and settled on NW¼, Section 33, Township 47, Range 13, West of the 3rd Meridian in the Royal Park school district. William farmed there until about 1921, when he and Gussie moved to North Battleford. They worked at a high school where Gussie was cook and William was a janitor. They stayed there until 1930 when they moved back to their farm at Rabbit Lake. Gussie died on the homestead 27 April, 1938 of chronic kidney trouble. William had hardening of the arteries and died of a stroke in the Rose Gill Hospital at Rabbit Lake 23 January, 1941. Both are buried in the New Ottawa Cemetery at Speers, Saskatchewan.
Taken from the Holmes Family History as compiled by Wilma ("Billie") Holmes
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