The Hollyman English Ancestry Quest 2019, Part 15

by Glenn N. Holliman

So Goodbye to our Ancestral Sites, England 

and our English Cousins!

May 17 - 19, 2019

We boarded our bus at the Hartwell House, thanked Anne Holmes for her kind and excellent genealogical and arrangements work and our driver drove us across Buckinghamshire, through Oxfordshire to the edge of Gloustershire.  

Soon we were back to the Royal White Hart Hotel in Moreton-in-Marsh, making our goodbyes with newly discovered cousins.   

 Above, Brian Holliman, Kathy and Glenn Joiner and Madeleine Holliman, Lindsay Holliman's wife in Moreton.

Below, left to right, Kathleen and Jimmy Holliman talking with Rob Fenske.  In blue, Kimberly Holliman and her father, Paul Holliman chatting with Elisabeth Krueger Ahrens, Walter O. Holliman's grand daughter.

Below, Ann Holliman Krueger and Jim Holliman in the foreground; looking on are Allen Holleman and Brian Holliman with our coach in the background.

During that spring weekend, we traveled back in time to the Tudor and Stuart eras of British history.  This was an era of kings and queens who ruled, not just reigned. A period when the Isles were torn apart on how best to worship God and whether Parliament or monarchs should have the final say.  Hollymans and matriarchal families, our ancestors, are part of that tapestry of the past, a past that shaped our present. 

Please share these articles with family, present and future so that other Hollymans in future generations can find their way back to their history. - GNH

The Hollyman English Ancestry Quest 2019, Part 1

by Glenn N. Holliman

The Hollymans Gather in the Cotswolds

May 17, 2019 

Above, at the Royal Hart Hotel courtyard in Moreton in Marsh, Gloustershire, England, Hollyman cousins from Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, Indiana, Florida, Alabama, California, North Carolina and the countries of the United Kingdom, Nigeria and Italy gather on May 17, 2019, the first night of a tour of Hollyman (various spellings) ancestral sites in England.

Left to right, front row are Glenn Holliman, Alice Holliman Murphy, Rebecca Holliman Payne, Allen Holleman, Marcia Holliman, Mary Lippo, Di Holliman and Madeleine Holliman.  Second row, Lindsay Holliman, Paul Holliman, Susan White (in front of Paul), Bryan Holliman, Matthew Holliman, Marshall Cocke, Ann Holliman Krueger, Alison Holliman Marlowe, Kimberly Holliman, Teresa Holliman, Mary Ann Holliman Fenske, Rob Fenske, and Dr. Jim Holliman.  Third row, in the blue shirt, Glenn and Kathy Joiner, Elisabeth Krueger Ahrens, Karen Holliman, and Kathleen and Jim Holliman.

First Some Background....

Since 2009 upon retirement, I have been seeking information on the paternal ancestry of my Holliman surname.  Birmingham, Alabama (b 1946) is my birthplace and that of my late father, Homer Bishop Holliman (1919-2018).  He told me his father, Ulyss (1884-1965) and grandfather, John Thomas (1844-1930) were from Fayette County, Alabama located near the Mississippi border.  Beyond that Dad had no further information.

With the advent of the internet and time to explore, I discovered the research of Ron Holliman in Dothan, Alabama (a second cousin) and shortly thereafter of Cecil Rhodes Holliman (1902-1986), my father’s first cousin, and his son, Dr. Rhodes Burns Holliman (1928-2014).  Through conversations and emails with Rhodes, I found Glenda Norris, Tina Peddie, Joseph Parker, Lynn Holliman, Maxine Wright, Jeanette Holiman Stewart, Allen Holleman, Jim and Karen Holliman and some wonderful second and third cousins in and from Fayette County.  In 2011, the children of Walter O. Holliman (1927-2003) posted to me 20 boxes of their late father’s prodigious research, over 50 allied families!  I am still scanning and uploading this work.

Along the way, my daughter Grace introduced me to ‘blogging’ and having a bit of my father’s writing bug, I began to record first the stories of my father and his six siblings.  There are 18 first cousins from this generation, and those who could shared letters and photographs for the articles which have been posted since 2010 at http://hollimanfamilyhistory.blogspot.com and http://ulyssholliman.blogspot.com/ .   A few years ago, my stepdaughter, Cyndi, created a virtual archive where I have uploaded over 3,000 manuscripts and records donated by relatives noted above.  That site is at www.bholliman.com.

 Above at the Crown Pub in Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, brothers Rod and Andrew Holliman and Lindsay, their second cousin.  Rod and Andrew live in west England and Lindsay now in Scotland.  In 2013 DNA testing comparing Lindsay of English descent to Glenn N. Holliman, Alabama born, confirmed their paper ‘trails’ that both descend from Thomas Hollyman, d 1558, of Cuddingdon. Thomas was the great grandfather of Christopher Hollyman, 1618-1691, who immigrated to Virginia in 1650.  This Christopher is the ancestor of almost all Hollimans in the USA.

Before long, distant cousins found my web sites and inquiries tumbled in, expanding my knowledge of the extended family and introducing me to some wonderful people interested in our common heritage.  The list is now over 100 email addresses.

During excursions to England I found, with the help of the late Roger Smith, the late Fred Cooper, Jayne Sullivan, Bob Hollyman-Mawson, Lindsay Holliman and genealogist Anne Holmes the ancestral record of Hollymans from the 14^th to the 20^th century in the United Kingdom. 

Eventually I was led to the Hollyman farm in Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, now owned by Caroline and James Stonham, pictured below in front of their 1699 thatched cottage on the site of the 15^th Century Hollyman manor.  This kind couple have welcomed many Hollimans to their historical home.

Last autumn, my two sisters, Becky Holliman Payne and Alice Holliman Murphy, asked if I could take them to the English sites.  As several distant cousins had asked also for a tour, I asked why not offer an organized quest for all who wanted to view the discoveries made over the past decade? 

Above, my sisters Alice Holliman Murphy and Becky Holliman Payne in the garden of the Hollyman 1699 home, now owned by the Stonham family in Cuddington, Buckinghamshire.

Hence May 17-19, 2019, 25 American cousins made the trip over and we were joined by three English cousins – Lindsay and wife Madeleine, Rod and wife Di, and Andrew, all with the last name Holliman, all of us descended from Thomas Hollyman, d 1558, of Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, England.

So with this background, let us proceed to the next blog, peel back the centuries and discover our English heritage and those whose DNA we carry. - GNH

A NEW-FOUND, LONG-LOST COUSIN

THE TALE OF A NEW COUSIN…but not in the usual way
by: Allen Holleman

In mid-March 2016, while in the final stages of planning for the Hollyman family gathering, I was contacted through Ancestry DNA by a woman who was a match to me. I had seen the match, and there was one other with the Holleman name as part of the ID and numbers of others who have Holleman lineages listed.

I’ll call her Susie, as that is what she’s always been known by.  But I’ll not identify anyone directly, for privacy reasons.

Susie related that she was born in Florida in 1956 and immediately adopted. She grew up in south Florida, went to Auburn University, met her husband when he was in medical school, and has lived in Birmingham, Alabama since. They have four beautiful daughters who are all educated and with established families of their own.

Her daughters had given her the DNA test as gift because she was curious about her origins but was not looking for her birth-parents. She had never known the name of Holleman and wondered how she might fit into this family if indeed she did. She had close matches to three of us plus others with Holleman lineages. After looking closer I responded that she indeed seemed to be a Holleman cousin. We corresponded more after the Hollyman Gathering in VA and got very comfortable with each other. Besides emails, we had quite a few phone conversations.

With the strongest matches being in a great-uncle’s line, she appeared to be there. I contacted some cousins, and two brothers had a memory from their mother about such an event. I remained in contact while they discretely inquired. This was quite sensitive and required a lot of delicacy.

Indeed what they heard from their mother seemed to be correct. It seems all of the females in the line were aware, even those too young at that time to have the full story. It appeared certain that it was not one of the younger girls but their aunt who was 32 and unmarried then. The aunt did marry later, in the 1960s, and had two sons; that made discretion even more imperative. I remained the only contact for now and tried to keep her insulated and to soothe any speculations from the daughters, although Susie remained quite patient even with as little as I had given.

While the cousins worked on how to handle the discussions and revealing details, I worked on the DNA matches. When it was certain where Susie fit with records and DNA confirmation, the two sons were delicately advised.  The younger brother was so ecstatic about having a sister, he called Susie to tell her what we had found. He then flew to Birmingham to meet her. At first the older brother was so taken aback he wasn't quite ready to accept it. After a few weeks, he had become more accepting and has now welcomed Susie enthusiastically. Their Mother passed away in 2005.

In late July, Susie's travel plans allowed her to come to Raleigh and a 'reunion' was planned and she, her husband and three of the daughters have been officially welcomed and all are thoroughly charmed with these new cousins.

There are many factors in DNA but cM is an effective measure of relativity.  Basically by analysis finding exact copies of segments of the first 22 chromosomes that two (or more) people have.  The measurement is in cM (centiMorgans, named for the scientist  who developed the process). Adding those gives the total cM - the measurement we use.  Chromosome 23 determines gender.

Several other cousins also quickly tested at Ancestry, the results were soon returned.  The DNA matches found were pretty conclusive early on. Mine with her is 2nd cousin: 251.9 cM. The two cousins who got the details confirmed each match her in the 840-50 cM range as 1st cousins and with each other as brothers at 2667 cM. Susie’s match with her (half-) brother is 1670 cM.

I had mentioned another match, and when I advised Susie that he is a professor at the University of Alabama Law School, she said, “My daughter is graduating there next week!” It turns out that the daughter did not have classes with him but does know him, and I encouraged contact and for Susie to meet him as well and tell him her story. In the meantime, he and I made contact. I didn’t get an impression that he was going to reply quickly, so I gave him enough to pique his interest and a little background. He now has the full story after contacting his mother and cousins and he is as excited and enthusiastic as the rest of us. Their match is at 535cM.

I am so pleased that I could put bits and pieces together and get this story on to a happy new beginning.

I never expected DNA to play such an important role in our family but it certainly has made a believer out of me!

As this is an encouragement for DNA testing as well as a wonderful story, I want to add a post-script on two other findings.

My Mother was a Jones and I was having difficulties in connecting any beyond my Great Grand Father but I contacted a match and found her mother has traced the Jones and Canada families of North Carolina and Virginia to 1800.

The second was just this week (Sept 2016) in emails with a 55 cM match  that felt promising.  We compared notes on lineages and found a common connection to my GGM's Olive lines. Her folks had done much research.  Our Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) is James Olive, b. 1713 in Virginia.  We both got a lot of Olive DNA to match at 55cM 9 generations (for her, 7 for me) back.  And I now have the Olives back to 1646 in Virginia.

Our primary research is still genealogical through records but genetic genealogy through DNA is becoming more important all the time.  We encourage DNA testing, you never know what - or who - you may find.

THE HOLLEMAN FAMILY MOVES TO WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

by J. Allen Holleman

NOTE FROM GLENN

As I have written at this space, I am taking a time out from blog writing for a while in order to concentrate on building a virtual archive at www.bholliman.com.  In the meantime, cousin Allen continues to produce excellent material on his Holleman branch that left Isle of Wight County in Virginia and migrated to North Carolina in the early 1800s.  Earlier Susan G. White in this space wrote of her maternal descendant from her Holleman ancestors in Isle of Wight, Virginia.  I invite others to utilize this blog to share their research with others.  - GNH


Allen Holleman continues....

Previously I have posted articles on Jesse Holleman, Sr. (1737-1824) and his sons John (my 4th GGF) and Jordan. I had so little on the younger Jesse, only the lineage and a few scant notes that it would have been just a few dull paragraphs.  To the rescue has come a cousin, through 2 or 3 lines (Holleman, Womble and possibly Sims) - Clayton P. Mann of Burlington, North Carolina.  He is a direct descendant of Jesse, Jr. and has researched him very well and provided far more data than I had been able to find to then.  He has to be named a co-author as well.

JESSE HOLLEMAN JR...
...was born about 1768 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia (IoW), the third son of Jesse Holleman Sr. (1735-1824) and Charity Cofer (1735-abt 1810), both from prominent and prosperous families in the Virginia Tidewater region.


Below, Allen Holleman in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
 
The senior Jesse was the GGS of Christopher Hollyman (1618-1691) who had immigrated from

Bedford, England in 1650 and later received a royal patent* of 1,020 acres.  Jesse Sr. had inherited about 200 acres of that from his father, John, and was a planter himself and became a well-regarded citizen, Baptist minister, surveyor and patriot in the American cause.  He and Charity raised nine (or more) sons and two daughters.

(*Royal in that it was granted by the governor who was appointed by the crown.)

Hereinafter, the younger is known as Jesse and any mention of the father will be as Jesse, Sr.

JESSE BEGINS HIS OWN FAMILY
Jesse Holleman, Jr. and Patience Pope (1769-1830) of Southampton Co, Virginia were married 26 February 1795 in that county by the Rev. Ben Barnes. The bondsman was Simmons Gwaltney, his brother-in-law.  Patience was born about 1769 to Nathan Pope and Patience Everett. They didn't wait long to start a family as first son, Zachariah was born within a year in 1796.

The earliest official record we have found of Jesse, is a tax listing in Isle of Wight, VA (IoW) of 2 September 1799.  This shows he had farm property there at the time.  We cannot be sure where that was, relative to the plantation of his father and grandfather and where he was born. Most probably by Mill Swamp in the Newport District of IoW and on the Blackwater River, the far west edge of the county.

The main cash crop was tobacco and that leeched the soils so badly a field was good for only a few years. It took several more years for nutrients to return naturally. Farmers did not have a strong understanding of soil replenishment at the time.  Another issue was that the production of tobacco in Virginia was greater than even the strong demand in England, driving the price and profitability downward.

 Most of the farmland in IoW, Surry and Southampton counties was either owned and in use or depleted as was theirs.  As with thousands of others, it seemed more effective to move on once a farm was no longer productive.

AND MOVE ON THEY DID
About 1804-05 Jesse and Patience, along with his older brother John and wife Nancy (nee Womble) moved to Wake County, North Carolina and settled in the southwestern district, known as Buckhorn. Both couples had children under 5 years old. Nancy's father Thomas Womble and brothers William and Thomas, Jr. also came south about the same time, although it seems several Wombles had migrated up to ten years earlier.   Her older sister Frances, called Frankey, with her husband Frederick Taylor was in Buckhorn at least by 1799.

Some Pope families also had moved to Wake but most seem to have settled in Johnston and the part of Cumberland County that is now Harnett.

From an 1872 map of Wake County.   This is almost 70 years after John and Jesse Holleman and other brothers, Jordan and Jonathan, settled in Buckhorn District, then into other areas as well.  In that later time some land of their children  can be seen:  EHolleman  (Edwin, son of John) underlining the C  and K in Buckhorn and just down the road, WHolleman (Wiley, son of Jordan, arr. 1815).  These are under Harris Lake of today. These are just two of the Holleman tracts.  I  cannot point out Jesse's farms.    Under the B is Shady Grove Church, near New Hill.  Over the Big White Oak Creek on Fayetteville Rd. is where Jesse built the bridge discussed.  That road is the New Hill-Holleman Road of today, and  where it is crossed by the lower Avent Ferry Rd. (shown as J W Collins) is now Holleman's Crossroads.    Chatham Co. is to the west, to the south is Harnett Co. (estb. 1856 from Cumberland Co.) and  Johnston Co. is on the east side.

The cash crops were tobacco and cotton along with vegetables and livestock for meats.

JESSE BECOMES A SOLID CITIZEN OF THE NEW COMMUNITY
In April 1806, Jesse was a buyer at the estate sale of Joseph Betts in Wake Co.

Jesse had learned more than farming from his father, Jesse, Sr., a surveyor also who during the Revolutionary War served as 'Surveyor of the Roads' for Isle of Wight Co. Also showing that he had become a prominent citizen, the younger Jesse was appointed to a similar position for Wake County on 16 February 1807, to "be overseer of the road in the (place) of Willis Hicks, deceased, and that the same hands work on said road as usual".  He certainly would not have been appointed had he not demonstrated skills and experience for the position.

And further on 15 August 1807, he was appointed with several other men "to view the public road leading through by the plantation of Robert Brown and to lay off a new road if necessary".
Wake is a large county and Jesse's home in the southwest corner was over 20 miles from Raleigh, another 25 miles to the northeast corner and over two hundred miles of roads even then.   It took quite a long time by horseback or wagon to cover that territory.

Four years in his position with the county was long enough, and the travel may have been taking too much time away from his farm, home and family.   It probably didn't pay very well, so in the court records of 20 May 1811 it was "ordered that Britain Mims be appointed overseer of the road in the (place) of Jesse Holleman".

It seems that surveying was  his primary profession.  Good surveyors were in demand and  highly regarded.  We will see too that he was also a builder.

His days in public service were far from over however and in May 1811 he was selected as part of a "committee to allot dower lands to Nancy Levins, widow of Jacob Levins, deceased, on White Oak Creek, 55 acres of a tract of 157 acres joining Moses Hicks".  His abilities as a surveyor were still needed.

(A widow's lifetime dower right is to 'life estate' of 1/3 of all real property of her late husband and unless specified by a will, the courts appoint trusted men of the community to decide which part of the lands go to her, the widow and which to the children.  The dower does not convey title and goes to the children per will or probate, at her passing, so no deed was required.)

JESSE IS A BUILDER AS WELL
On 17 February 1812 the Wake County, "commissioners let the contract for building a bridge across White Oak Creek on the road leading from Hillsborough to...Jesse Holleman".

And later: "the Commissioners appointed to let the bridge across White Oak [Creek] reported to this court that the same is completed" and ordered that 23 pounds* be paid for building this bridge by the County Trustee to Jesse Holleman".

*(Even into the 1820's the courts still used pounds, shillings and pence in reference to currency.)

Twenty-three pounds was a substantial sum of money, well over $100,000 in today's dollars for such a project* and it's fair to say he didn't build it alone.  White Oak Creek was rather substantial, navigable by small boats and was a tributary of the Cape Fear River.  And this was on a main road so the bridge had to be very strongly constructed and expected to last for many years.   As the contractor and supervisor he hired a number of competent workers for this major project.

*(The 'relative value' of building that same wooden bridge by hand today would translate to between $150,000-$200,000 or more now in materials and labor.)

On 22 February 1814, he was "drawn to attend" the next County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions* for the May 1814 session, as a juror.

*(similar to District Courts of today, meeting each quarter. Also the court handled adminstrative duties, taxes and estates issues.)

On 17 May 1814 he was appointed to serve on a grand jury along with 14 other men.

TAX RECORDS DON'T MAKE FOR VERY SEXY PROSE
For several years those are most of what we have on Jesse and his children. He is not on the Wake poll tax records in 1805 but his brother John is.   Jesse may have been either still in Virginia or newly arrived in North Carolina. We know from the notations above that he was in Wake by 1806 and likely before as one year is not quite enough to be recognized as a upstanding citizen to be appointed Surveyor of the Roads and serving on a jury.

The 1806-1808 Wake poll tax records have disappeared. The word poll is Old English for head (...count) and was charged to male property owners allowing only them to vote, hold office or serve on juries. It was used to keep free blacks and poor whites from participating in the political process. The word poll has found its way into modern English in several references, mainly in politics still.

He is listed in 1809-1814 as having 65 acres and one slave (most likely a field hand) in Buckhorn District of Wake County. Afterwards no slaves are listed. His boys were getting old enough to help work the farm.

From 1812-1816 records show he served on several juries, was buyer at several estates sales, witnessed a number of wills and estates and testified in court.

In 1815 he has acquired another 100 acres of land as the tax records show. We might presume it was acquired through one of the estate sales but I have  not found a deed or other record to tell us just how. Interestingly in 1817, he is again shown with just 65 acres.  A mistake?  No. On the line just below it shows Jesse paying the poll tax for Zachariah Holliman with 100 acres. As the poll tax is charged to males at age 21, he was most likely born in 1796 in Isle of Wight Co., VA.

The Wake tax listing for Jesse from 1818-1822 again show him with 165 acres.

In 1823 the tax record on the 100 acre farm shows the poll tax was paid by second son, Nathan.  This seems to be about age 24 rather than the more usual 21 as the later census records indicate he was born in 1799. He later moved to Georgia along with Zach and died after 1880.

FOUNDING A BAPTIST CHURCH
Jesse, Patience and John and Nancy along with her brother, William Womble's family, the Johnstons and a few others, were instrumental in founding Shady Grove Baptist Church in the New Hill area in 1823.  The 1872 map of Wake Co. above shows the church near the Hillsborough-Fayetteville Road, that became the New Hill-Holleman Road of today.

By the 1830 census in Wake, youngest son Ezra (1803-1865/'66) and wife Rebecca (nee Womble, 1804-1870) are in Buckhorn near his uncle John and her aunt, Nancy.  Daughter  Zilla (1804-after 1880) and husband William Barker (1785-1862) are also nearby in Buckhorn District.   And the two older sons have moved on.  For more on the children see the addendum on "The Progeny of Jesse Holleman".

JESSE MAKES HIS TRANSITION
Jesse passed away on 8 September of 1829.  It may have been rather sudden or unexpected as he seems to have not left a will.  Youngest son Ezra was appointed administrator by the probate court and he held sales of the personal property items.  Much of that was in farming and building tools but surprisingly it seems kitchen and household items also that we would think Patience would have needed...,  unless she was moving in with one of the children.  She even had to buy the bed and some furniture, her spinning wheel and even the Bible.  I' would love to see that Bible as it surely had a lot of family entries.  Patience died later, in 1830.  *NOTE BELOW on PROPERTY....

I guess nothing is safe when the courts get their fingers into it.  Any wonder these folks had little use for or faith in  government?  And for some reason the final probate wasn't filed into court records until November 1831 - more than two years after his passing.

Jesse Holleman was certainly his father's son. Both were farmers, surveyors and active in their communities without being directly in politics; both served as Surveyor of the Roads in their respective counties.  Both helped found Baptist churches and while the younger likely led services and even preached a few sermons in the formative period of Shady Grove Church, the elder served two terms as the minister of Mill Swamp Baptist Church in IoW County, VA.  Mill Swamp Baptist was the first non-Anglican church in Virginia.

Father and son were highly regarded by friends and neighbors and the community, evidenced by being asked to serve on juries, to witness many legal documents  and to help evaluate and settle many estates.  Both would have served also in the local militias though those records have been lost.   Jesse Holleman and his brothers are all men of whom we can be proud of as ancestors.

*NOTES ON INHERITANCE OF PROPERTY:  Until after the Revolution the colonies were under English law and custom of Primogeniture in which the eldest son inherited all of the real estate.  In that, no wills or deeds were required as the property passed to him at the father's death.  The very practical reason for this was to keep property, mainly farms, as intact as possible rather than having it sub-divided at each generation.  Land was not subject to probate.

Further, unless specified by a will, laws of the time required all personal property subject to probate to be sold and converted to cash for the heirs and any creditors.

In 1784, North Carolina enacted a statute that provided for all the sons to share equally in the land and buildings.  As the two older sons were in Georgia, this seems to have passed to Ezra, subject to the 'widow's dower', a life estate of 1/3 of the land (the 65 acres).  That would pass to the son(s) at her death. This explains why we have no deeds to Ezra for the transfer of the lands.

Jesse Jr. was the son of Jesse (Sr.), my 5th GGF. His brother John was my 4th GGF, so Jesse, Jr. was my 4th Great-Uncle.  Following this article will be one on:"The Progeny of Jesse Holleman" in which tells the story of his children: three sons and one daughter.

-J. Allen Holleman, Jr.: Raleigh, North Carolina and Clayton P. Mann:  Burlington, North Carolina

For information on placing an article, please write Glenn N. Holliman at glennhistory.gmail.com.  For manuscripts and materials on Hollymans and other associated families, visit the growing virtual archive at www.bholliman.com/ .

EARLIER HOLLEMAN/HOLLIMANS IN WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

by J. Allen Holleman

Allen Holleman, organizer of the Hollyman Gathering April 2016 in Isle of Wight County, Virignia, continues his articles on some of the Hollemans who left Virginia and moved south to North Carolina. Allen's direct lineage stayed in North Carolina (but certainly not all), while mine kept moving south and west, eventually in my case to Fayette County, Alabama in 1836. - Glenn N. Holliman

The recent posts I have lately added seem to indicate that John and Jesse (Jr.) Holleman were the first of our ancestors in Wake County, North Carolina; arriving in 1804/05.  They were not.

Wake was created in 1772 in large part from the huge, old Johnston County to the east, as well as from Orange on the west side and a sliver from Cumberland to the south.  Chatham County was created from Orange at the same time.

Far right, Allen at the Smithfield, Virginia Hollyman seminars with cousin Steve Holleman, descendant of Jonathan and Barnett Holleman.

About 1800 Lewis Holleman, son of Jedediah, known as Jeddia, who was brother of Jesse Sr., my 5th GGF, bought property in Raleigh as well as some near-by farmland.  In 1805 he married a widow, Penelope Lane Atkins.  Penny's father was James Lane, brother of Joel Lane, called the "Father of Raleigh".

Penny had a dower right to 1/3 of a large plantation, and the couple were given leave to run the entire plantation by the Atkins family for the benefit of her two children by Thomas Atkins.  In 1812 they had a son, one of several named William Henry Holleman, who in the latter half of the 19th C. became a wealthy businessmen and one of the largest property owners in Raleigh.

In the first US census in 1790, there were two others named Holliman.  One was James Grantson Holliman, a direct ancestor of Glenn N. Holliman, the principal of this website.  Before 1800 he had moved west and amassed huge acreages in Anson and Mecklenberg Counties in NC and Lancaster Co., SC.   He evidently had a large farm in Johnston Co. that became part of Wake in 1772.

The other was Thomas Holliman, with his wife Amelia and two children.  They lived in Raleigh west of the State House.  After he died, before 1800, she remained until her 2nd marriage later.  We don't know where Thomas was from.  A descendant, Lynn Holliman Fusinato, an excellent genealogist herself, has not been able to discover his origin.


For information on placing an article, please write Glenn N. Holliman at glennhistory.gmail.com. For manuscripts and materials on Hollymans and other associated families, visit the growing virtual archive at www.bholliman.com/ .

Please click on 'Older Post' below to see all of Allen Holleman's recent articles and the August 1, 2016 posting by Susan G. White.  A descendant of the Isle of Wight, Virginia Hollemans, she records the various quests of her maternal lineage to acquire a higher education.  GNH

Going Forward

by Glenn N. Holliman

Thoughts to Share and Feedback Welcome

Our first national gathering of the Christopher Hollyman Families Society was held March 31 - April 2, 2016 in Smithfield, Virginia.  Judging from the comments and photographs posted on Face Book, it proved to be the grand experience the organizers hoped it would be.  Allen Holleman and I met with Sarah Barlow Wright, Joe Barlow and Billy Joe Holleman in October 2015 to carve the outlines of a three day event.  Allen kindly took on the job of coordinating meeting and residence space and registration.

Left, part of the group at our gathering space for our meetings, Billy Joe Holleman in the blue shirt and Brenda Holloman, right, in white.

The Smithfield Inn, where we had dinner on March 31st, had the only private room in town with a restaurant attached (or the other way around).  We originally thought the service and space would be fine for say 25 or so who might attend, even believing the rooms available at the Smithfield Inn would be sufficient for out-of-towners.

Wow, did you surprise us!  Almost sixty persons registered (some could not make it at the last minute) pleasantly forcing Allen to reach out to the Hampton Inn for lodging, meeting space and to bring in a food truck for meals.  And he did all this from Raleigh, North Carolina, a lot of work for which we are all grateful.  
  

Right, Mike Holliman, Jimmy Holliman, Norman Holliman and Becky Holliman Payne, all with Alabama roots.

And Billy Joe and wife went over the top, not only escorting us around the Holleman House, providing a hay ride to the possible resting place of Christopher Hollyman and other descendants, but then feeding us Smithfield Ham, cookies and hot and cold drinks at the Mill Swamp Baptist Church.  That church is the first Baptist Church planted in Virginia and was founded in part by the Hollemans.  The land for the cemetery adjacent to the church was donated by Hollemans from Christopher's original 1,020 acres.

Joe Parker, center in the light blue shirt, helped 'supervise' the generous ham sandwich snack at Mill Swamp.   

Besides the emotional experience of standing on historic Hollyman ground and the delightful opportunity to meet so many new cousins, the conference provided education on mutual family history and discussion on formalizing a Hollyman society.  Some of these outcomes I reported in the recent April  5, 2016 post.  

One thought in particular was the desire to meet again, to hold another Gathering, perhaps in two years, and perhaps even in England, the ancestral European home of Christopher's descendants. 

So the purpose of this blog is really a questionnaire asking for your feed back.  May I ask you to send your comments to glennhistory@gmail.com please.  Whether you attended earlier this month or not, we would welcome your opinion as we go forward in planning.

1. If and when another Gathering is held, where should it be?

2. Should we meet at a conference hotel with an in-house restaurant, meeting rooms and an indoor pool for children who might attend with parents and/or grandparents?  

3. Or should we hold the Gathering at a less expensive conference center in the woods, perhaps a bit more rustic setting and facilities but at a lower cost?  And such might not be near an Interstate Highway or airport.

4. Should it be held at or near a historic Holliman landmark, such as Samuel Holliman's 1741 restored home in Edgecombe County, North Carolina?  Or should we stay in the Jamestown/Richmond, Virginia area, our common American ancestral home?

5. Would one have an interest in holding a Gathering in Buckinghamshire, England and visit historic sites in High Wycombe, Cuddington, Dinton, Sherington and Bedford, Bedfordshire?  Obviously this would require a lot of planning and appropriate expense.

Below in 2014, Carolyn Stonham, owner of the 1699 Holyman House in Cuddington, Buckingshire, England with cousins Lindsay Holliman of England and Glenn Holliman of Pennsylvania, USA.  This thatch cottage would be an important stop on a Hollyman ancestral tour of England.

In my next post, I will get into agenda building.  As one plans a conference, one wants to offer subject matter that is meaningful to as many as possible.  That is why we met in Isle of Wight County, Virginia and began our program with the latest research on our English roots. Everyone there had that interest in common.  

So more thoughts and opinion seeking in the next blog.  Enough for now.  Please take a moment to respond to the above questions.  

Again, just write me at glennhistory@gmail.com or leave a comment below. I will 'combine' thoughts and share the findings.

A Holyman Gathering in Virginia

by Glenn N. Holliman

A report on the First National Gathering of the Descendants of Christopher Hollyman (1618-1691)....

They came from Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia - direct descendants of the Englishman who migrated in 1650 from Bedford, Bedfordshire to Isle of Wight, Virginia. This picture taken at the Smithfield, Virginia Hampton Inn were many stayed and sessions were held.

Christopher Holyman (or Hollyman) settled in 1661 along the Cypress River and in 1684 nestled his family in northern Isle of Wight County along the Surrey County border.  He left his four sons over 1,000 acres to be divided amongst themselves.  Direct descendants - the Barlows and Hollemans still live in the county and in southeast Virginia and provided hospitality for those who traveled back to the community where the American venture of this extended family began.

Right, Steve Holleman of South Carolina and Allen Holleman of North Carolina.

Counting spouses and significant others, over 50 individuals from March 31 to April 2, 2016 enjoyed visiting and sharing research on our various lineages.  Organized by Allen Holleman of Raleigh, North Carolina and coordinated with the great assistance of Joe Barlow and Billy Joe Holleman of Smithfield, Virginia, cousins explored early home sites of 17th century Hollymans.

Below, after first sessions and an afternoon stop at the Isle of Wight Museum (a gem of a museum), the group traveled to the original plantation of Christopher Hollyman.  Billy Joe Holleman, owner and steward of the Hollyman plantation, explained who is buried in the family cemetery adjacent to the 1830 Holleman House and other older out buildings.  After a tour of the grounds and farm, Billy Joe and his wife hosted a late afternoon 'feast' of gourmet Smithfield ham and rolls at the Mill Swamp Baptist Church fellowship hall.

Many expressed their deep feelings at being able to walk the ground where Christopher Hollyman and family had girded virgin timber, cleared the first fields, raised livestock, corn and a cash crop and thrived in the New World.  And from this place, our ancestors lived and eventually began the western movement across what became the United States of America.  

Below, Sarah Barlow Wright, whose mother was raised in the Holleman House in Mill Swamp, shared her knowledge of the 1830 colonial style residence.  On this property Hollemans have lived and continue to live since 1684.

Billy Joe Holliman even provided a 'hay wagon' to take cousins deep into the former plantation fields to share the site of the oldest cemetery known to hold the remains of ancestors. Right in red, Laurie Sherrod and in white top with black dots, Jeanette Holiman Stewart.

Below in light green, Brenda Holloman of of Wake County, North Carolina, shared her thoughts as the group gathered at the oldest cemetery located on original Hollyman land. In living memory, a house of unknown age, but old, was located near this location.  Is this then the unmarked grave of Christopher Hollyman and some of his 18th century descendants?   We may never know.  Then again, what if?

 At the Hampton Inn community room, sessions were held on our English heritage and research papers and booklets distributed by Lynn Holliman, Steve Holleman, Allen Holleman and Glenn Holliman.  Importantly consensus emerged to formally organize a Christopher Hollyman Families Historical Society with future memberships and gatherings.  Among the goals of the Society will be to conduct scholarly research and share and preserve that research and family documents and photographs.

Below center in light blue, Joe Parker, acknowledged 'dean' of Hollyman family history, donated a volume of his research to be scanned and uploaded to the family's new virtual archive at www.bholliman.com/ .

Development of a Society web site is to be explored that would link or fold into the site current assets.  These being the Yahoo Hollyman group chatroom and Hollyman Facebook page developed and administered by Tina Peddie (who can be reached at desabla1@yahoo.com) and the Hollyman Ancestry.com Tree administered by Jeanette Holiman Stewart (who can be reached at htreekeeper@outlook.com).  Other assets include two administered by this writer - http://hollimanfamilyblogspot.com/ and a virtual archive at www.bholliman.com/ .

Additional photographs of this emotional and important Gathering can be found at the Hollyman Facebook page. Photographs on this page provided by Alice Holliman Murphy of Texas.

Please continue to watch this space not only for more items of family history, but information on the emerging Christopher Hollyman Families Historical Society....

Further Exploring Holleman History in Old Virginia (and North Carolina), Part 14

By Glenn N. Holliman

Cousin Allen Holleman, one of our serious family historians, continues to write of his Holleman ancestors who left Isle of Wight, Virginia for the Raleigh, North Carolina area in the early 1800s.  Christopher Hollyman, arrived in Jamestown, Virginia from Bedfordshire, England in 1650, and by 1661 purchased land in Isle of Wight County, Virginia.  He had two daughters and at least four sons.  

By the 3rd and 4th generations, many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren of colonial founder Christopher Hollyman were leaving the 'burned out' tobacco lands of southeast Virginia and migrating to the Carolinas.  This southwestern migration was typical of our many Holliman (various spellings) ancestral branches.  Below is Allen's lineage.

Christopher Hollyman, Sr. (1618-1691), father of:

Christopher Hollyman, Jr. (1660-1731), father of:

John Holleman (1700-1751), father of:

Jesse Holleman, Sr. (1735-1825), father of:

John Holleman (1766-1850), subject of this article who moved from Virginia to Wake County, North Carolina, where his descendant, Allen Holleman lives to this day.

A Strong Willed Second Wife by Allen Holleman

Right, Joe Barlow and Allen Holleman at the original Holleman farm at Mill Swamp, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Both are direct descendants of Christopher Hollyman, Sr.  Joe's family remained in Isle of Wight County.  Allen's family moved to North Carolina from Isle of Wight County around 1805.

In July 2014, I posted an article on my 4th Great Grand-Father,  John Holleman (B 4 Feb 1766 Isle of Wight Co, Virginia), son of Jesse Holleman (1737-1824), planter, surveyor, minister and patriot in the American Cause.  I recommend re-reading that here for background:

 http://hollimanfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/John%20Holleman

As so often happens in genealogy, new information comes to light that adds to and sometimes even changes what we knew earlier.  And such is the case here.

John and his brother Jesse (Jr.) moved with their families to Wake County, North Carolina and settled in the Buckhorn District SW of Raleigh between New Hill and Holly Springs.  I stated that I couldn't place him solidly there before 1810, but we now have tax records as early as 1805. Likely they were there earlier as it takes time to get established and be recognized as a citizen of the community.

John and Nancy (nee Womble) were married in 1783 in Virginia and had five sons and three daughters before moving south.  Nancy was evident in the 1840 census but died soon after.

And he married another Nancy (nee Utley; 1792-1858) 19 Mar 1844.   She was born in Wake, the 2nd child of Britain Utley (1765-1813) and Mary Huckaby (b 1770-) and had five brothers and five sisters.  Her Grandfather was John (Capt. Jack) Utley, Revolutionary hero

John passed away six years later in August 1850 and very clearly limited what his 2nd wife was to inherit, via his will. 

"To beloved wife NANCY HOLLEMAN the interest of $500, to be paid by executor during life tenure or widowhood then the $500 to be divided among my heirs. Wife Nancy HOLLEMAN to have all of property she brought to my house when I married her.

It is my will and desire that my beloved wife NANCY HOLLEMAN have the interest of five hundred dollars as before named and what property she brought to my house as before named and no more. It is my will and desire that she have that much of my estate as her only shear (sic) in my estate in any way what ever"

North Carolina, as with the other colonies had mainly English law until after the Revolution. Much of that was not so much legislated as  determined by judicial decisions in court and based on custom of the times.  Even after, the old legal custom remained that a married couple became one entity that was represented (controlled actually) by the husband as the head.  That remained as a cultural custom, though not a legal demand well into our times. Then a married woman could not own property separately nor devise nor will property she 'owned' without consent of her husband.

It was custom but not legally required to provide an abode and 1/3 of all real property to the widow for her life or widowhood - unless she remarried.  This was not an inheritance with title and ownership but a 'life estate' that reverted to the heirs, usually the children upon her death, mainly an interest in the income the property produced as well as a home.

Nancy thought she deserved more and filed suit to get it. She was twice awarded a year's support in food and supplies, but the will was direct enough that the courts determined she wasn't due any of the property.  I now suspect Nancy wasn't an innocent know-little.  

I now see her as a strong-willed, intelligent woman, a powerful person who didn't marry until in her 50's because she was an ugly duckling.  It was by her own choice and it took a man as strong and able as John Holleman to change her mind.  I'd bet they had some lively conversations and discussions and I'd also bet he listened to her as well.

We had thought she was poorly treated in John's will and I speculated on the reasons.  But he gave her back all that she rightfully owned.  I now understand the reasons after finding her will and probate of 1858. 

Below, 2015  Joe Barlow and Billy Joe Holleman inspect an out building on the Holleman farm in Isle of Wight, Virginia, a structure probably similar to the John Holleman house in Wake County, North Carolina.

She didn't need John's house.  Nancy Utley was a rather wealthy woman for the place and time.  She already had a house, property, livestock and money. Nancy didn't cook or do housework because she owned slaves who did that for her.  John did not own slaves.   And I further think all of this was taken into account by the courts in their rulings.

I wouldn't go so far as to call her greedy, but we can wonder if perhaps marrying a wealthy older man, with an idea of adding to her own through inheritance, might have been an influence - as indicated by the lawsuit.  She likely already had some understanding that John intended to preserve his own wealth and pass it along to his own children, which was certainly understandable. 

I also see Nancy as a good person who willed much of her property and wealth to her own kin, mainly three nieces whom she cared about.  She devised the house to them "to live in during their single hood as long as they should agree".  Further she left to them her old "servant Issac to do for them" .  And even more, left funds to provide for him "should he get past laboring for support".  How about that - a retirement plan for a slave!?

Nancy didn't just go back to live with her Utley relatives. She made her own way.

Nancy did not inherit wealth from her father - just one young slave girl.  Her brothers got the property and money. She made it herself in a man's world and is to be admired for that.

I wish I could tell you how she did it - I can only see the result.- Allen Holleman

An important announcement below:

THE CHRISTOPHER HOLLYMAN, SR.

 HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Executive Committee

Tina Peddie (California) Jeanette Holiman Stewart (Texas), Allen Holleman (North Carolina), Glenn N. Holliman (Pennsylvania), Lynn Holliman (Texas) Glenda Norris (Alabama), Sue Jones (Wyoming), Joseph Parker (Texas), Denise Goff (Virginia) and Sandra Torbert French (Florida)

CORDIALLY INVITE YOU

to

The Inaugural Meeting of the Society

at

SMITHFIELD

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY

VIRGINIA

MARCH 31- APRIL 2, 2016

FOR

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME TOUR TO THE CHRISTOPHER HOLLYMAN'S PLANTATION CA 1682

AND

OTHER HISTORIC HOLLYMAN SITES

AND

TWO DAYS OF SEMINARS

and Round Table Discussions

ON

THE HOLLYMANS of ENGLAND

AND

SUBSEQUENT MIGRATIONS

THROUGH OUT THE USA

PLUS

SESSIONS ON HOW TO TRACE YOUR HOLLYMAN DNA, THE MASSIVE FAMILY TREE (at www.Ancestry.com), HOLLYMAN WEB SITES, THE JAMESTOWN SOCIETY AND THE NEW HOLLIMAN ARCHIVES FOR HOLLYMANS (ALL SPELLINGS) AND ASSOCIATED FAMILIES!

If you trace your ancestry to Christopher Hollyman, Sr. (1618-1691) you will not want to miss this national gathering of his descendants in the ancestral home of almost all North American Hollemans, Hollimans (and various spellings).

Our Registration Center and Gathering Place for Seminars and Dinners will be the Smithfield Inn, 112 Main Street, Smithfield, VA (757-357-1732).

As the Smithfield Inn is sold out for lodging, a special rate has been secured at the near-bye Hampton Inn.  Guests may book individual reservations under the name of Holliman Family Reunion.  One may call the hotel direct at 757-365-4760 or go to www.smithfieldsuitesva.hamptoninn.com.

·       Enter the dates ranging from March 31-April 2, 2016.

·       Click on Add Special Rate Code and enter the Group Code (HFR).

·       Click on Check Rooms and Rates.

Guests will be able to select their room type and proceed to make their own reservation using a credit card to guarantee their room.

The rates are as follows:

·       Standard King room at $109.00 plus tax.

The cut-off date is March 1, 2016 for this special rate.

The program begins with a Meet and Greet, Thursday, March 31, 5 pm - 6:30 pm, Smithfield Inn followed by order-from-the-menu dinner.  Sessions and field trips held and/or originated at the Smithfield Inn on Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2, 2016.  Please call your lodging choice directly BUT let us know if you plan to attend as space is limited. Location could be moved subject to enrollment. 

The Holleman House and Smithfield are located approximately 1 hour from Jamestown (by ferry across the James River) where Christopher and his sister, Judith Hollyman landed after their long and weary sailing from England, May 1650!  Williamsburg and Yorktown are near Jamestown, making it possible to treat yourself and family to a delightful spring vacation while learning more about your English and Virginia roots.

For information and a complete schedule of the program and times, email Allen Holleman, Program Reservations, at jallen.holleman2@gmail.com or call (919-210-6862).