Maxine Wright, Holliman Genealogist

by Glenn N. Holliman

Maxine Wright, 1926-2017, a friend and fellow genealogist of the Holliman families, passed away last month. Thanks to the late Rhodes B. Holliman, I met Maxine over the internet in 2010.  Within a few months she was kindly sharing pictures and information on her family tree, which like mine emerged from west Alabama in the early 19th century.  As with many of you reading this posting, she descends from immigrant Christopher Hollyman, 1618-1691, first of Bedford, Bedfordshire and later from Isle of Wight, Virginia.

Her 17th, 18th and 19th great grandparents were the same as mine, immigrating from Virginia to North Carolina and by 1836 to Fayette County, Alabama near the Mississippi line.  Her ancestors later moved into west Tennessee and she to Arkansas, while mine stayed in Alabama.


Until her health failed, she wrote me often, both by email and surface. Photographs, old letters and records cascaded into my mail box (which I returned to her after scanning).  She was one of several who had questions about family trees on the internet that seemed to have errors on our common 18th century paternal ancestors.  She forwarded records from North Carolina for me to review.  With these clues and others from Joe Parker, Ron Holliman and Jeanette Holiman Stewart, we were able to rewrite our common lineage.

It goes as follows - Christopher Hollyman, d 1691 to Richard, d 1711, to Samuel, d 1787, to James Grantson, d 1836 and then to the three brothers - Warren, Charles and Cornelius who immigrated from the North Carolina/South Carolina border to Alabama the year their father died in 1836.  She descends from Charles Holliman.

Maxine's full family tree can be found in the Hollyman Ancestry.com tree and her work saved at www.bholliman.com, a virtual archive for a growing number of Holliman (various spellings) and associated families.  Go to the Records page, find the search box and enter Maxine Wright and her work will be made available.  We are grateful to her for her work, her sharing and her kindness. Below is the obituary as released on this good lady by the funeral home in Arkansas last month.

An Archive of Holliman Family Materials

A Collection

of Holliman and Associated Families Materials 
assembled by Glenn N. Holliman

as of 28 March 2015

This writer has been in communication and visited with Phil Upchurch, a superb genealogist of his family's history whose stories closely parallel the Hollimans, both families from Tidewater Virginia and the Piedmont of North Carolina.  Discussions are underway with his organization, Allied Families, to create a virtual archive of our mutual families and others, which would allow for the storage and the immediate downloading of materials such as listed below of the Holliman families.

Until that day comes, I list below an archive of scanned Holliman and associated family manuscripts and research made available by Maxine Wright, Joe Parker, Bob Hollyman-Mawson, Bishop Holliman, Anne Holmes, Sarah Holliman Hatch, Lindsay Holliman and others; plus the  late Walt O. Holliman, Cecil R. Holliman and Rhodes B. Holliman.  These are mainly of Alabama and Texas families and their ancestors from the Carolinas, Virginia and England. Materials vary from one page to 200. 

From time to time, I scan and upload additional materials.  I post announcement of scanned materials on future blogs at http://hollimanfamilyhistory.com/ .  Happy to add your research to the list.  Bear in mind some of this writing is 20 to 50 years old and has been super ceded by new research in the Internet age.

Happy to send these materials by email and insure their research is available to present and future generations.  Contact me at glennhistory@gmail.com.  My thanks to cousins who continue to make their findings available!

Surnames: Alexander, Baldwin, Barham, Bass, Beall, Blakeney,  Baker, Bond, Bostick, Brewer, Bryan, Bryant, Bullock, Burns, Calvert, Carter, Champion, Chew, Clemmons, Cofer, Cole, Crafford, Crockett, Curtis, Dale, Daniel, Davidson, Davies, De Mallpas, Douglas, Dover, Duckett, Edwards, Edgerton, Emerson, Fitzhugh, Fowlehurst, Fox, Gains, Galvin, Garrison, Gonson, Graves, Gray, Guyton, Guins, Hall, Hamby, Hawkins, Hendrix, Hill, Hogg, Holliman, Hollyman, Holt, Howard, Jackson, Jones, Judkins, Juston, Kaiser, Lees of England, Love, , Lucas, Maget, Mansfield, Manwaring, McBee, McComas, McCurdy, McKnight, McNewsome, Moore, Nicholson, Norsworthy, Noyall, O'dell, Oliver, Pearce, Peerce, Pettigrew, Petway, Pitman, Plow, Plyler, Porten, Prather, Petite, Ridgely, Riggan, Roberts, Smith, Spencer, Sprigg, Standley, Stanyard, Swan, Strother, Thompson, Thornton, Thrope, Trelawney, Turpin, Underhill, Underwood, Walker, Wallace, Walters, Weedon, Whitherspoon, Whitten, Williams, Wilmot, Wilson, Whitaker and Yerby.  

In addition to the above, the following histories, research and cemeteries are available.

Dr. Rhodes B. Holliman (1928-2014), professor of biology at Virginia Tech for many years.  Continued his father, Cecil R. Holliman's work in family history.  Rhodes wrote extensively of his Alabama roots.  This photograph taken 1975.

Cemeteries -

Fayette, Alabama and surrounding counties, 4 parts

Grant Co., AR

Pickens Co. AL Unity Cemetery

Shepherd Baptist Church Burials, Fayette Co., AL

Springhill, Millport, AL

Family Histories and Biographies

FAMILY HISTORIES Alexander, Frank (1833-1925) et al by W.O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Baker and Kaiser Papers, 2 vols collected by C.R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Baker, George (b 1782) by C.R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Baker, George and Descendants by Douglas Blakeney, 2001

FAMILY HISTORIES Baker, Hogg and Jones Families, 2 vols by Cecil R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Beall, Walter (1590-1653) et al by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Beaver, Elizabeth Blakeney biography by Minnie Beaver Rivers, 1926

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeney Ancestors by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES  Blakeney and Associated Families by Cecil R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeney, Baker and Holliman Alabama Biographies contributed by Adolph Blakeney

One of the outstanding Blakeney historians and novelists is Reed Blakeney of Georgia.  Here in 2013, I hold one of his novels entitled Sipsey, the story of some Blakeney ancestors in Fayette, Alabama.  Yes, Hollimans, the Blakeney's Alabama farm neighbors and blood kin, are mentioned in this pager turner.

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeney's Irish Heritage

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeney, James A. House, Mecklenburg, NC

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeney, John (1732-1832) et al

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeney, Thomas and Descendants by Reed Blakeney

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeneys of Smith County, Mississippi

FAMILY HISTORIES Blakeneys, Ten Generations by Rob Blakeney

FAMILY HISTORIES Boddington, Henry of Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, contributed by Lindsay Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Bryant Back Trails by Lazelle Parsons Long

FAMILY HISTORIES Bryant Family History by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Bryant Family Tree by Annabell  Wishart Lane, 1954

FAMILY HISTORIES Bryan(t)s of Kentucky and Mississippi

FAMILY HISTORIES Bullock and Holliman lineages by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Burns, Fox and Dover Families

FAMILY HISTORIES Champion, Edward (b 1610) et al

Maxine Wright of Arkansas is prolific in her research and always willing to share.  Her Holliman line stems from 19th Century Alabama and Tennessee.

FAMILY HISTORIES Clemmons-Holliman lineage by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Cofer Families by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Curtis, Dr. James (1819-1882) et al

FAMILY HISTORIES Davidson, James A. (1788-1856) et al

FAMILY HISTORIES Davies, Samuel (1725-1815) et al

FAMILY HISTORIES De Mallpas (1240) ca

FAMILY HISTORIES Douglas, Scottish Ancestor

FAMILY HISTORIES Edwards, William (1605-1673)

FAMILY HISTORIES Egertons et al, Middle Ages to Am. Revolution by W.O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Emerson, Fitzhugh, Fowlehurst and Gonson Families by W.O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Fox Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Glavan, Marilyn Wilson Lineage

FAMILY HISTORIES Graves and Gray Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Guins of Lamar Co., AL

FAMILY HISTORIES Guyton, Joseph of S.C. Ancestors by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Hall, Hawkins and Crockett Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Hendrix Family by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Hogg, Baker and Jones Families and Records by Cecil R. Holliman, 1980

FAMILY HISTORIES Holleyman Family of South Carolina

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cecil R. - Immediate Ancestors, 1976

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cecil R. Notes from 1750 to 1900 on SC and AL Hollimans

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cecil R. My Family in 13 Parts

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cecil R. papers compiled by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Charles, Warren and Cornelius by Kay Blevins

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cornelius (d 1864) by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cornelius materials

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Cornelius 1812 military record

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, David (d 1818)

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, David 1819 Will by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Elijah (d 1836) records by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Ezekiel information by Maxine Wright

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Henrietta lineage

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, James Franklin Children by Sara Hall Holliman Hatch

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, John Newton Hall Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, John Thomas (1844-1930) biography by Rhodes B. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Joshua by J. H. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Leon O'Lenthus Family

FAMILY HISTORIES Hollimans in CSA by Rhodes B. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Mary Lucas (1819-1913), Two Biographies

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Rhodes B. (1928-2014) lineage

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, David Fannin and Trogno Family

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Uriah and Family of Alabama

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Walt O. relations

FAMILY HISTORIES Holliman, Warren C., the Walters and Bryant Records from the Collections of Victoria Boune, Maxine Wright and Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Hollyman, Edward of Wigginton, near Tring, England

FAMILY HISTORIES Holymans of Hertfordshire, England by Glenn N. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Howard, Judkins and Love Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Jones Families of Fayette and Walker Counties, AL, Cecil R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Jones, Keeping Up With The by Cecil R. Holliman 1970s ca

FAMILY HISTORIES Juston, Eddy Smith of Fayette Co., AL lineage

FAMILY HISTORIES Lees of England, a folder

FAMILY HISTORIES Lucas Genealogy and other Families

FAMILY HISTORIES Manfield, Manwaring, McBee and McKnight Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Moore, Nicholson and Odell Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Oliver Families by Walt O. Holliman

Below meeting in California in 2011, Glenn Holliman and Tina Peddie, the communications guru who has brought hundreds of Hollyman descendants together on her Yahoo chat room and Facebook Hollyman page.

FAMILY HISTORIES Peerce, Petite and Petway by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Plyler Family records

FAMILY HISTORIES Ridgely Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Riggan Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Roberts Family by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Roberts, Sarah lineage by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Smith, Col. John by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Spencer, Sprigg, Sandley by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Steward, Wm. M Civil War letters, Fayette Co., AL

FAMILY HISTORIES Thompson, Thorton and Trelawney by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Tring, England Hollimans by Anne Holmes 2013

FAMILY HISTORIES Walker Families of Alabama by Cecil R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Walker, James (b 1765)

FAMILY HISTORIES Wallace, Walters and Whitaker Families by W.O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Walters, Easter Holliman research by Cecil R. Holliman, 2 vols

FAMILY HISTORIES Walters Families by Cecil R. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Weedon Family Records of England

FAMILY HISTORIES Whitten Family by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Williams, Wilmont and Wilson Families by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Wilson Family History by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Wilson Families of Fayette Co, AL from Heritage Pub.

FAMILY HISTORIES Wilson Family of Pendleton

FAMILY HISTORIES Wilson, Joel by Walt O. Holliman

FAMILY HISTORIES Yerbys of Fayette County, AL

Cecil R. Holliman (1902-1986), outstanding attorney in Birmingham, Alabama and exhaustive family researcher in the pre-Internet age.  Picture taken in 1919 at Marion Military Institute, Alabama.  Father of Rhodes B. Holliman.

Family Records and Research

Alabama Records pertaining to Hollimans, a folder

Alabama Family Union Soldiers by Cecil R. Holliman 1964

Anson Co., NC Records

Auiler, Patsy Holliman emails to/from Rhodes B. Holliman

Baker, Hogg and Jones Family Records, Vol. 2 by Cecil R. Holliman

Baker and Kaiser Papers by Cecil R. Holliman 1960s ca

Baker, Prof. Jacob H. letters to Cecil R. Holliman

Bedfordshire, England Notes by Glenn N. Holliman

Blakeney 2003 Reunion and Ancestral History

Blakeney's Irish Heritage

Blakeney Notes by Deanna Adams Holm and Rhodes B. Holliman

Blakeneys Irish Notes by Rhodes B. Holliman 1999

Blakeney, James  A. House, Mecklenburg, NC

Blakeney Notes by Rhodes B. Holliman

Blakeney Notes and Tables by Walt O. Holliman 1995 ca

Bryant and Holliman Deeds and Wills, other Histories by Walt O. Holliman

Bryant Families Deeds and Wills by Maxine Wright

Bryant, James Family Here and There by Lazell P. Long, 1989

Bullock, Chester papers

Bullock Family Notes

Burns, Fox and Dover Families

Civil War Letters of Wm. M. Stewart to Biddy Stewart, Fayette Co., AL, 1860s

Chesterfield Co., SC

Choctaw Co., MS

Cousin Emails by Maxine Wright

CSA Alabama Military Records for Hollimans

41st AL, CSA Regt.. H Co. Roster, 30 May 1862

41st Al CSA Regt., H and B Co. Rosters

41st AL CSA Regt. on Warren Holliman by Juanita Holliman

Hatch, Sarah Hall Holliman lineage

Herfordshire Holymans of England by Glenn N. Holliman

Hollimans and Blakeneys in Fayette Co., AL Cemeteries 1999

Holliman, Bessie Moore

Holliman, Cecil R. Notes on Alabama and S.C. Hollimans

Holliman, Cecil R. Notes from 1750 to 1900

Holliman, Cornelius 1812 Records

Below, Jeanette Holiman Stewart of Texas visits in 2013 Bob Hollyman-Mawson in Wales.  Jeanette is the keeper of the 20,000 plus names in Hollyman Ancestry.com Tree.  Bob is the British expert on his ancestors in Bristol, Somerset and Wales.  He also has a vast collection of names and histories of international Hollymans.

Holliman, David by Tina Peddie and Jeanette Holiman Stewart

Holliman, David by Tina Peddie

Holliman, David will d 1819 by Maxine Wright

Holliman, Elijah by Maxine Wright Holliman

Holliman, Isaac and Mollie by Hollis McCoy, Texas 1985

Holliman, James Franklin Holliman papers

Holliman, J.F. and Dr. Joshua, Notes by John H. Holliman 1964

Holliman, James F. papers

Holliman, James Grantson 1800 and 1810 census

Holliman, James Grantson lineage by Walt O. Holliman 1995

Holliman, James Grantson Revolutionary War Pension

Holliman, Juanita's notes and emails to Rhodes B. Holliman,, early 2000s

Two avid Holliman researchers, Joe Parker, left and Lynn Holliman, right, both of Texas, compared notes in 2011 in Fayette, Alabama, a root county for many Texas Hollimans.

Holliman, Marriages 1609-1938 by Joe Parker
Holliman Names and Associated Families with Index, 2 Parts by Cecil R. Holliman

Holliman, Spellings, Six Parts by Cecil R. Holliman

Holliman, Rhodes B. 1942-45 School Days photographs

Holliman, Rhodes B. Ancestor Photographs, 1999

Holliman, Rhodes B. Emails on Blakeney Families 2000 ca

Holliman, Walt O. Relations

Holliman, Walt O. Emails to Rhodes B. Holliman 2000 ca

Holliman, Warren, the Walters and Bryant, Elizabeth records from collections of Victoria Boune, Maxine Wright and W.O. Holliman

Hollimans in the CSA by Rhodes B. Holliman

Hollimans who fought in Wars

Holyman, Christopher 1684 patent, Library of  Virginia

Holyman, Christopher (1618-1691) some records

Holyman, Christopher (1618-1691) some descendants

Left, Peter and Maureen Smith of Bedfordshire first opened new vistas to Hollyman history in England in 2012. 

Below, in 2014, Barbara, Madeleine and Lindsay Holliman, visited with Carolyn Stonham, left, at Hollyman manor farm from the 16th century in Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, another breakthrough event in understanding Holliman English heritage.

Holyman Name, English Origin

Itawamba Co., MS Records

Lamar Co., AL Records

Lancaster Co., SC Records

Marion Co., AL Records
Mississippi Hollimans Notes

Mecklenburg Co., NC

Moore, Bessie letters by Maxine Wright

Noyall and Richard Holliman, Isle of Wight, VA documents

Rowan Co., NC Records

Somerset Family Tree of England by Bob Hollyman-Mawson

Tuscaloosa Co., AL Records

Wake Co., NC Records

Walker Co., AL Records

Walker Family names

Walters, Easter Holliman notes collected by Cecil R. Holliman

Wilson and Hughes Creek Nation Passports

Virginia Early Records by Maxine Wright

Walter O. Holliman, Jr., below, (1926-2003) left us a magnificent library of manuscripts, right, of his Holliman lineage and his associated families. 

His children bequeathed his genealogical materials to me, and I remain grateful for the opportunity to pass along his valuable research to future generations.

Histories

All Spellings of Holliman by Cecil R. Holliman, six parts

Boddinton, Henry of Cuddington, Buckinghamshire by Lindsay Holliman

Bryant Back Trails by Lazelle Parsons Long

Civil War Letters of Wm. M. Stewart to Biddy Stewart, Fayette, AL

Clemmons-Holliman Family History

Cofer Family History

Holliman, Edward of Wiggington, near Tring, Hertfordshire

Holliman Family History by Cecil R. Holliman

Holliman, James Franklin, Recollections of Children by Sarah Hall Holliman Hatch

Holliman Names and Associated Families by Cecil R. Holliman

Holliman, Rhodes 1942-1945 Memorabilia of Woodlawn High, B'ham, AL

Holliman, Richard of Haddenham, England by Lindsay Holliman

Hots Springs, AK and Holimans by Maxine Wright

In 2013, then 93 year old Bishop Holliman gave an oral history interview to historians in Irondale, Alabama, his home from his birth in 1919 until he left for World War II.  He now lives in Avilla, Indiana, age 95. 

Irondale, AL, Memoir of by H. Bishop Holliman 2013

Irondale, AL Further Memories of the 1930s by H. Bishop Holliman 2014

Lee Brasses at Dinton, Buckinghamshire, England

Below, in 2014 Anne Holmes in Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, English with Hollimans on the historic medieval farm of the 15th century Hollyman family.  A professional genealogist, Anne has been superb in locating and translating Hollyman and Lee families documents. 

St. Mary's Parish, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England

Shepherd Baptist Church, Newtonville, AL

Tring, Hertfordshire Hollimans by Anne Holmes

Please email glennhistory@gmail.com for copies of the above or if you wish to contribute materials yourself.

Exploring further Holleman History in Old Virginia, Part 12

by Glenn N. Holliman

Note in previous articles, I have written of Josiah Holleman and his sons, Joel and Wilson who lived in 19th Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia.  In this posting, Allen Holleman of North Carolina writes of Jesse Holleman, the father and grandfather of the before noted Hollemans.  Allen's lineage is profiled in our October 4, 2012 article in the Archives of this blog. Take a look at Allen's blue convertible! GNH

Jesse Holleman, a Man Among Men 
by descendant Allen Holleman (photograph below)

 

Jesse Holleman (1735 ca - 1825) is a great grandson of Christopher Holyman (1618-1691), the patriarch of most of the Hollyman (various spellings) clans in America.  Christopher, Sr. arrived in Jamestown in 1650, and fathered Christopher, Jr. who parented John Holleman, the father of Jesse Holleman of this article.  All lived in Isle of Wight County, VA and had extensive land holdings in this Tidewater area of southeast Virginia. 

We don't know much about Jesse's early life other than he was born about 1735-37. His mother was named Elizabeth but we know less about her except that she was named as heir and executrix of John's will dated and applied in 1751 when John died. 

Below a Google photograph of the Holleman Farm at Mill Swamp today.  Approximately 100 acres remain of the original 1,020 acres Christopher Holyman, Sr. patented in 1684.  The Mill Swamp Cemetery land and possibly the land for the Mill Swamp Baptist Church, adjacent to the Cemetery, were donated by the Holleman family.  The Holleman House and remaining farm are located on the left center of this picture on Highway 621.

Jesse inherited 200 acres beside the Mill Swamp as a teenager, and it is safe to say he began farming the land as he grew into manhood.  He was educated well enough to read and write as he signed his name, not using an 'X'.  Also in his later professions of surveyor and land appraiser, many documents and other written works were necessary.  Even later, as a Baptist minister he needed not only to read and quote the Bible but to deal with the records and documents required.

Jesse acquired other properties and expanded his farming, mainly tobacco which leeches the soils so badly that land could be used only for a few seasons.  He, and later his sons, must have worked the farms themselves as census records show him having only one slave.  Although the slave population grew rapidly in Virginia in the 1700s, Jesse probably could not afford bonded servants in his early years.  Tobacco demands skill to raise, cure and transport, and he may have been able to hire some help among the numerous free blacks in Isle of Wight County.

What was Jesse like, what sort of man was he?  Farming demands dedication and hard work so he would have been self-directed and even driven.  By learning a new profession, he showed determination to succeed and proposer. He surely had high standards for himself and expected no less for his children.  

And they did not disappoint. A son, Josiah, became a member of the House of Delegates and a long time commissioner of Isle of Wight County.  A grandson, Joel Holleman, became a U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Delegates.

The Holleman family was reasonably prosperous and prominent in the area among such neighbors as the Wombles, Gwaltneys, Burwells, Wrenns and Cofers.  And in marrying Charity Cofer (m. ca 1766), Jesse did very well indeed.  He was held in such regard that he was co-executor of her father's will along with her brother and was trusted to value the land and divide it according to the senior Thomas Cofer's wishes.

There are records of Jesse's father, John, being a land appraiser, and one wonders if John might also have been a surveyor.  Jesse had probably learned much from John, even at a young age, as children grew up quite early in colonial times.  Jesse became a highly-regarded surveyor, an exacting science even in that more "primitive" time.  Land appraisal is more of an art, but requires trust in one whose judgement and experience can be relied upon for sale or inheritance purposes.  There was little circulating money, so property and the cash crop tobacco were the basis for wealth.

Jesse and Charity had three daughters: Mary "Polly", Sarah and another whose name is lost to history.  I have read that they had twelve sons but we can only identify seven.  All the boys names started with 'J': John, Josiah, Jesse (Jr.), Jordan and Jonathan we know quite well and some about Jeremiah but nothing about Jeptha.  He might have died at a young age - as possibly others?

And none named James. It was written by early genealogists that  James Grantson Holliman (1750-1836) of North Carolina was a son of Jesse, but Joseph Parker, Maxine Wright, Jeanette Holiman Stewart and Glenn N. Holliman have demonstrated otherwise earlier at this blog site.  Charity would have been only 10-12 years old if she had birthed James Grantson, and she never lived in North Carolina as did he.

Charity was in the 1810 census and died before 1816 when Jesse married a prominent widow, Frances Dews Stringfield, when he was about 70 years old. 

And no, there were no more children, but Jesse took up another profession, that of minister of the oldest Baptist church in Virginia - Mill Swamp Baptist that is still a thriving congregation today.  There was a previous congregation that met at Burleigh Plantation, but this group never had a building per se.  MSBC grew from this first Virginia attempt at organized Baptist worship. When he was in his 80's, Jesse again served the church as minister.  Below, Mill Swamp Baptist Church as it looks in the 21st Century.

And what might seem strange today....Jesse was also a distiller of spirits.  It was common practice to have a toddy before dinner, and Jesse, who evidently had no use for temperance, made apple brandy, his favorite.  It probably helped him live longer and surely made the journey more enjoyable.  My how the Baptists have changed!

Many researchers have stated that Jesse was a patriot in the American Revolution (true) - as a soldier in the army. That part is not accurate.  He would have been about 40 and too old for field service - except maybe as a senior officer and the records would exist for that. 

No, he had a large farm and family to look after as well as his other professions. As all able-bodied men were expected to serve in the local militia, Jesse might have served there, probably along with his teen-aged sons.

 Alas, when the British officer, Banister "Bloody" Tarleton, burned the Isle of Wight courthouse, many of the militia records were lost along with many other documents. (This is why we have lost so much information on our antecedents.)

Jesse did something equally important as being a soldier.  In 1779 he was appointed Surveyor of Roads for Isle of Wight county, building and maintaining roads used by the citizens, militia and army. Unfortunately the area roads were utilized by the British as well, who made excursions into the region burning, pillaging and thieving, before being driven back to their ships by the militia. 

This service is the important basis for a number of DAR and SAR applications - including my own.  Jesse Holleman was truly ‘A Man Among Men’.

Jesse died in December of 1824, and his will was proved with an inventory on January 3, 1825.  It has long been written that he was buried in the Mill Swamp Baptist church cemetery, but that land was not given until later.  It is almost certain that Jesse was laid to rest in the existing cemetery on the Holleman farm, possibly with John, and Christophers Sr. and Jr.  Wooden markers of the time did not last long, and Wilson's is the earliest carved in stone. - Allen Holleman of North Carolina

  I am grateful to Allen for this article, and encourage all who have an ancestral story to send it along so we may share it with others. GNH

Next posting...back to our English Roots, some new research....

Have questions about Holliman family history? You are invited to join the Hollyman Email List at Hollyman-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com and the Hollyman Family Facebook Page located on Facebook at "Hollyman Family". Post your questions and perhaps one of the dozens Holyman cousins on the list will have an answer. For more information contact Tina Peddie at desabla1@yahoo.com, the list and Facebook manager for Hollyman (and all our various spellings!).

Join your many cousins at MyFamily.com and view an expanded Holliman family tree and many files on the history of the family.  Just write to glennhistory@gmail.com for an invitation. Or go to the HOLLYMAN GENEALOGY MyFamily site at http://myfamily.com/group/hollyman. Then click on "Request to Join" in upper righthand corner!

Maxine Wright makes available a Warren Holliman Family History

by Glenn N. Holliman

Holliman cousin, Maxine Wright, recently sent me a booklet prepared several decades ago by the late Mavis Williams and the late Chester Bullock, a Baptist minister.  Most of this 65 page manuscript highlights the life of Warren Holliman and his descendants in Arkansas.  Ms. Williams was a great granddaughter of Warren Holliman (1801-1876), one of the three Holliman brothers who left Lancaster County, South Carolina in 1836 to move their families to Alabama.

Warren was restless and after several years, left his brothers Charles and Cornelius in Alabama and moved his family and others by wagon train to Arkansas in 1840.  The brother, Charles Holliman, is Maxine's great great grandfather and brother Cornelius is this writer's great, great, great grandfather.

Maxine writes: "I started doing research back before computers, subscribed to genealogy magazines and wrote letters to different Hollimans. I posted queries in books and sent SASE along with family group sheets. Most always received a reply. There is a picture of Warren Holliman and his wife Barbara in a museum in Sheriden, Arkansas."

Thanks to Maxine this manuscript has now been scanned and with her permission is available by email to those who might be descendants of Warren Holliman or who wish to add to their family library. She writes that Mavis and Chester had wanted it shared with all.

Maxine is so kind to share of her collection of family history materials, and like the family of the late Walt O. Holliman, hopefully their example will encourage others to share research and memorabilia via the Internet.

For a copy of the manuscript on the life and family of Warren Holliman, please write me at glennhistory@gmail.com.  Since the last posting of this blog, several have requested manuscripts prepared by Walt O. Holliman, which I have been happy to oblige.

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!