The Parents of James Grantson Holliman, Part II

by Glenn Holliman


 Below is a synopsis of the reasoned impossibility that my 17th and 18th century family lineage could have developed as outlined in the previous post.  This is prepared by Jeanette Holiman Stewart, who along with  Dr. Rhodes Holliman, Joe Parker, Ron Holliman and Maxine Wright, has studied this issue extensively. Below, Jeanette Holiman Stewart at the Spring Hill Baptist Cemetery near Bluff, Alabama on April 9, 2011 on an excursion to explore Holliman family sites. - GNH

Why Jesse and Charity Cofer Holliman Cannot be John Grantson Holliman's Parents! by Jeanette Holiman Stewart 


"I can't begin my synopsis without also paying tribute to another Holliman doctor, this one being Dr. Sidney A.  Holleman of Ft. Worth, Texas.  In 2003, Dr. Holleman wrote a book on Hollemans in Louisiana, which stimulated my thinking on Jesse Holleman.  I owe this Dr. Sidney Holleman, Dr. Rhodes Holliman and many others a salute for their research.  Below are my time line and thoughts.


1737 - Jesse Holliman, born in Isle of Wight, VA

1740 - Charity Cofer born in Isle of Wight, VA (sometimes Coffer)


1753 - Age 16, marriage of Jesse to Charity Frances Cofer, Isle of Wight (IOW), VA


1755 – Susannah Holliman names Jesse Holliman in her Isle of Wight will.

1771, 1772, 1784, 1787, 1787, and 1791 - Jesse Holliman witnessed wills in Isle of Wight Co. Hard to do so if he is supposed to be living in North Carolina.

 1771 - Age 34, Appraised John Jones Estate, IOW, VA 


1779  - Age 42, Replaces James Cofer as surveyor of IOW, Virginia Revolutionary War Patriot, held a civil engineering position surveying roads  for the military. They had to have roads to move troops around, just like today.


1783 - Age 46, Executor for Thomas Cofer's Estate, IOW, VA


1790 - Age 53, Residence, IOW, VA



1798-1801 - Joint Minister with John Gwaltney of Mill Swamp Baptist Church, IOW, VA



1801 - Age 64, Became guardian of IOW orphan John Fones



1810 - Age 73, Residence, IOW, VA



1816 - Age 79, Marriage to Frances Stringfield, IOW, VA by John Gwaltney
                    Listed in the Ministers Returns of Marriage, IOW Co. Marriage Register



1819-1820 - Age 82-83 Minister Mill Swamp Baptist Church, IOW, VA


1829 - Age 83, Residence IOW, VA



25 Sep 1824 - Age 87, Will, IOW, VA, Will Bk Vol 17, pgs 101-102

Dec 1824 - Age 87, Death, IOW, VA


Jesse Holliman lived a long and productive life, and I would be glad to claim him as my 5th Great Grandfather, but the evidence denies this possibility.  In 1835 James Grantson  Holliman, when applying for his Revolutionary War pension, stated he was born in 1750 in Johnston Co., NC.  We have records of his life demonstrating James Grantson did live and farm and in Johnston County, some 100 miles southeast of Isle of Wight County, Virginia during the 1760 to 1780s.


James Grantson Holliman could not be a son of Jesse and Charity Cofer Holliman.  As demonstrated above, Jesse and Charity lived all their very well-document lives in Isle of Wight Co. One doubts Charity had James Grantson when she was only 10 years old in Johnston County, North Carolina! 

So did another Jesse Holliman exist in Johnston Co., NC?  Yes, but the Jesse Holliman in North Carolina lived there in 1811, with no mention of such a name before that."

So then who might be James Grantson Holliman's parents?  

We will explore that issue in the next post, and we now have an answer!