The Explorations of a Holloman Genealogist, Part 2

We continue the 2017 genealogical exploration by the late Lynn Fusinato as recorded by her devoted husband, Bob, who kindly wrote this description of their journey.  This is part two of a three part series. -GNH

Lynn Fusinato's Genealogy Trip to Missouri: 
The Holloman Move to Arcadia Valley
by Bob Fusinato

Religion played a large part in establishing sense of community in Missouri. Allan Holloman, 1805-1895, and his kin were largely Methodist Episcopalian. Unfortunately, it also was a source of disagreements and arguments. In the 1840's the Methodist Episcopalians split between North and South.

It was about this time that family friend and preacher Reverend Jerome C. Berryman convinced Allan Holloman to move his family to the Arcadia valley were Allan's children could attend the school Berryman was founding. Allan bought land, established a residence and as a literate man participated in the business of the community. When the area was split off of Madison county to form Iron county Alan served as a surveyor that established the boundaries of the county. A new city of Ironton was formed to serve as the county seat.

For information on A. W. Holloman, born Raleigh, NC, died Ironton, MO, visit http://stegenevieve.net/2009/01/allen-wolford-holloman/ .

Meanwhile the school flourished as a boarding school. An Irish immigrant and artist, named James W. Hinchey began teaching at the school eventually meeting and marrying Alan's daughter Lucinda Holloman. Hinchey was a prodigious keeper of diaries which he wrote in shorthand. He eventually taught his sons to do the same. Much of what Lynn has found out about her Holloman family comes from Hinchey diaries, drawings, and later photographs as his son's became pioneering photographers.           

Drawing by James W. Hinchey from Hinchey-Cochran papers, R1280] The State Historical Society of Missouri, Manuscript Collection.

Sainte Genevieve Missouri's Oldest Town

Settled by French Canadians from across the Mississippi in Illinois in the late 1740's, Sainte Genevieve claims to be Missouri's oldest town. We decided to spend a little time there on Saturday (3/25) (when government offices would be closed) to play tourist and visit Sainte Genevieve. First stop was the welcome center where we saw a short film clip and picked up some brochures of the oldest this and that. Bob was reminded of his visits as a Florida resident to Saint Augustine.

We walked around the old historic district and took the tour of the Felix Valle House, which was both his store and his family home. It was furnished in antiques from the period and was quite interesting. Lynn's ggggrandmother and her children bought land from the estate of Felix's brother back in 1847 and some of Lynn's other relatives apparently shopped at one of Felix's stores in Ste. Genevieve County in the 1830s and1850s.

The Felix Valle house was built in 1818 as an American Federal style residence. It gives visitors a glimpse into Missouri's French colonial past.

Felix's father was governor and referred to as "commandante". The Valle leadership was adept at transitioning from French rule to Spanish rule reflecting changes in European politics rather than anything on the ground here. It even continued past the Louisiana Purchase as English became the official language and Americans began pouring in.

It is likely that many of the newcomers would provision themselves here in Felix Valle's store for travel to the west. Lynn's Holloman's ancestors were apparently among them.

The collage on the left shows Bob standing in front of the welcome center. In the middle picture, Lynn is standing in front of Felix's father's house. The bottom is from a brochure showing the Felix Valle house and store.

Berryman's academy had a rough time continuing through the Civil War. Eventually after the war, the facilities were taken over by an Ursuline order. The original buildings and various successors were destroyed by fire. What is there now was mostly built in the early 1900's. Recently the school cafeteria and dining room have opened as a restaurant and creamery.

There is also a bed and breakfast operation in a section of the building. We spent Sunday night (3/26) there as a way for Lynn to get close to the ancestors who lived in the area.

The interior of the bed and breakfast area was quite nice. They give one a hint of what life might have been like in this area in the early 20th century. (With the exception of interior toilet and steam heat replaced by wall AC).

The Bollinger connection leads to one of the few lines of living relatives that Lynn has been able to trace. Lynn's second cousin once removed, Joyce Bollinger Hale, still lives on the Joseph Bollinger property in Iron county which contains the Bollinger family cemetery where Joseph Bollinger and other members of the family are buried including Lynn's great grandparents, Thomas Edward Holloman and Precia Matilda Bollinger.

We drove down to visit Joyce and her family on Sunday afternoon. Lynn went out to see the improvements made to fencing around the cemetery and take a few pictures to document current condition and in hope of finding new identifying markers. People have suspected that there are more grave sites than are marked, sadly with nowhere to turn to help identify them.

That's it for visiting the areas where Lynn's ancestors lived. Monday we will drive to the Missouri School of Mines at Rolla which houses a branch of the Missouri Historical Society and was our access to the Hinchey collection of papers, drawings, and photographs.- Bob Fusinato