Preserving our Past for the Future

by Glenn N. Holliman

The Annual Review with Jeanette Holiman Stewart

Forty-three thousand plus names, almost twenty thousand photos, 2,000 stories and over 200,000 records!  

That is the total to date of the items Jeanette has loaded into the Hollyman Tree at Ancestry.com web site over the past six years.  Most days of the year, when not visiting grandchildren with her husband Jim, playing with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Henry, she is keyboarding away adding leaves to the ever expanding Hollyman Tree.

Below, Jim and Jeanette Holiman Stewart at
Indian Shores, Florida

Conceptualized by Joseph Parker, Lynn Royal Holliman, Tina Peddie, Glenda Norris, Jeanette and this writer, today the extended  Hollyman families (and all our various spellings) have a tremendous resource to discover their ancestors and many branches of cousins.

Others have joined Jeanette's committee - Denise Keeter Goff, Sue Jones, Allen Holleman, Chris Holliman and more.

"Adding names to the Tree is often detective work.  Names can be similar or the same in any locality.  In recent generations I have to deal with multiple marriages or relationships within a life-time which means children by multiple partners. It can be so confusing so one must be careful. 

I note adoptions when the evidence is there. If a long time relationship, but not confirmed legally, I will include a note.  Also, now we have same-sex marriages; one I will list as spouse.

Right, Barb L. Holliman, Glenn's wife, and Jeanette sharing lunch along the St. Petersburg waterfront.

I love the search, finding a gem; its exciting finding fresh lines I have never heard of.  Connecting various branches is fun when family lines click together!  Some branches are just floating; later on we find a record that defines such. 

Some branches are so fascinating - public speakers, educators, naturalists for example, such cool families in the 19th century when the country was younger and poorer.  So many have done remarkable things.

And we have so many soldiers in the Tree.  I am so proud of the service Hollymans (various spellings) and allied families have done to preserve our country.  They may have been simple farmers, but they performed exceptional service for the nation."


We are so grateful for her service to our extended family.  To contact Jeanette directly, email her at htreekeeper@outlook.com. - GNH