Where did James Grantson Holliman Live? (1750-1836)

 by Glenn N. Holliman and Sally Campbell

Background

James Grantson Holliman’s great-grandfather, Christopher Hollyman (1618-1691), gave up his home in Bedfordshire, England, and sailed the dangerous Atlantic with his sister, Judith.  They arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1650.  Judith married and disappeared from history.  Chris farmed, married, and, by his death, had accumulated over 1,000 acres in Isle of Wight County.

Christopher divided his land among his four sons.  One of them, Richard, chose to stay in the area and expanded his share of the family's legacy by acquiring land in Surry County.  His son, Samuel Holliman (1707-1789), inherited his grandfather’s adventurous spirit and relocated to Edgemore County, North Carolina.  Years later, possibly due to the depletion of his land from years of tobacco farming, Samuel moved again, this time to Johnston County, North Carolina. 

This map was passed along to this writer by the late Rhodes Holliman, Ph.D. It shows in yellow and purple markings where James Grantson Holliman performed his militia service during the American Revolution when he lived in Johnston County, North Carolina. For a copy of his pension application, one may visit Hollyman Tree (Holyman Heritage Group) at Ancestry.com or www.bholliman.com, a virtual archive of associated family materials.

Either in Edgemore or Johnston County, James Gantson Holliman came into this world in 1750 and died in 1836. After service in the North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution, he followed in his ancestors' footsteps and moved to newer, richer farmland. 

James purchased property in what is now Union County, North Carolina, and Lancaster County, South Carolina. There, he prospered. His sons Charles, Warren, and Cornelius married, but like their father, other ancestors and tens of thousands of young Americans, continued the westward movement. Their destination was Fayette County, Alabama. Warren would move on to Arkansas after a few years in Alabama.

Cornelius received a free land grant for his service in the War of 1812.  Perhaps the other brothers migrated in order to establish larger, more productive farms.  Sally reminds us that in order to move family, stock, tools and supplies in a wagon train, migrants had to have a certain amount of cash or trade goods. One did not start a new farm and house penniless.  The people left behind were either financially established, impoverished, or elderly like James Grantson Holliman. His daughters did not move to Alabama.  They stayed in the Carolinas most probably to care for their father in his final months.

New Research

Sally Campbell, a descendant of James Grantson Holliman, has searched land records and traveled the countryside of Lancaster, SC and Union, NC counties to discover precisely where he farmed and raised his family. James owned properties on both sides of the state borders, which confused his descendants as to whether they were South or North Carolinians. 

He took an oath in Anson County (now Union County) for his Revolutionary War service.  In his 80s, it appears that James had a disability, and he went to Monroe (Courthouse), NC, rather than Lancaster (Courthouse), SC, because there were fewer creeks to cross by cart and horse. Does this research clarify the location of his legal residence?  Perhaps his descendants can claim citizenship from either state!

 Sally’s research reveals:

 1. James owned property along Lynches Creek, the boundary between Lancaster and Chesterfield, South Carolina counties.  Anson County, North Carolina, was divided later, and James' property was in what is now Union County.

 2. James also owned land in South Carolina adjacent to Paul Plyler at the fork of Wild Cat Creek, on the south side of Great Lynches Creek, and on the south side of Pole Cat Creek.

 3.  Paul Plyler, a major property owner, had possession of South Carolina land on both sides of Otter Creek and Little Otter, a branch of Lynches Creek, and Wild Cat Creek.

 This map prepared by Sally shows Monroe, NC where James took his Revolutionary War service oath.  Underlined in red in North Carolina is the Pole Cat Creek property area.  In South Carolina underlined in red is Otter Creek. 

This is a close up of the map.  Tradesville, nearer than Monroe, NC, to Holliman property, probably was the village of choice to purchase supplies.  Pole Cat and Otter Creeks are underlined west of the Lancaster and Chesterfield County lines—the county line defined by Lynches Creek.  

Building on the thoroughness of Sally’s research, I pulled up a map that the late Walter Holliman did in the early 1990s before the internet era. Walt, whose family donated his research to this writer, reinforces Sally’s work. He, too, identified South Carolina creek branches where Hollimans and Plylers lived. At the top of Walt’s map, he also shows there were Holliman and Blakeney properties on the North Carolina side.

All three of these families, or at least some of their offspring, moved to Fayette County, Alabama, where some of descendants live to this day.  Cornelius Holliman received his Alabama land as a grant from War of 1812 service.

I want to thank Sally for reaching out to provide this information, her interpretations and catching typos. Not only was James Grantson my fourth GGF, but his neighbor Paul Plyler is also my fourth GGF because his daughter, Elizabeth, married Cornelius Holliman, my third GGF. This story affirms what historians have written: neighbors married neighbors, and neighbors often migrated in families in America’s westward movement. It appears that the Carolina neighborhood caught ‘Alabama Fever’.

Sally Campbell is a descendant of both Cornelius Holliman and Charles Holliman, double-descended from James Grantson Holliman.  Below is her story. - GNH

My parents were from Texas and stationed in Washinton DC during WW2, and that is where I and my twin sister were born.  After WWII, they moved to a suburb of Philadelphia PA, where I grew up.  I graduated from Simmons College in Boston, and married and moved to NY state for 10 years.  Then my husband and I moved  to Charlotte NC, with our three children.  I worked in Computer Services for UNC-Charlotte for about  fifteen years, then my husband and I bought a cruising sailboat which we sailed to the Bahamas and back for 3 or 4 winter months almost every year for 20 years.  

I have always been interested in family history then was started in researching names, dates when I interviewed my paternal grandmother about her 8 siblings. I wish I had interviewed all my grandparents.  I knew my maternal grandfather Elijah J. Holliman was born in Fayette, Fayette County,  north western Alabama.  I discovered Newells' History of Fayette County, which mentioned that Cornelius and his wife Elizabeth Plyler were from South Carolina. I found 'The Plyler Genealogy'  by Monroe, NC.author Herman Starnes.  With the Internet it was easy to communicate with the late Maxine Wright of Arkansas. - Sally Campbell

The sources for this article are based on land abstracts from the book 'Some South Carolina County Records Vol. 1 by Brent Holcomb, printed in 1976, pages 143 through 195, and 'Lancaster County South Carolina, Union County North Carolina metric Topographic Map' by the US Geological Survey printed in 1986.

 

DNA, Cousins and a Promotion

by Glenn N. Holliman

This writer and another writer, Tina Peddie, both Hollyman family historians, gathered in Tennessee 8 October 2016 to discuss genealogy. Tina has moved recently from California to Tennessee.

Joining us for the 3 hour session on DNA analysis were Glenn's two sisters - Becky Holliman Payne and Alice Holliman Murphy.  Alice has explored her husband's Irish roots, and Becky is seeking DNA analysis of her children's Payne background.

Tina has for decades been a force to research and communicate Hollyman history. In the 1980s, she expanded and reissued George Holleman's 1953 ground breaking history of this American family. In 1999, utilizing the technology of the early Internet era, she opened and directed a Hollyman Yahoo chat room.  Most recently, she is the administrator of the Hollyman Facebook page.  She is the go-to person for DNA guidance and explanation for the family. 

 Becky, who lives near Tina's home in Tennessee, took extensive notes during our 
DNA tutorial courtesy of Tina.

During our discussion, Tina and I reviewed our  Holliman roots.  We, and of course my sisters, are descended from Samuel Holliman (1707-1786) who was born in Surrey County, Virginia and died in Johnston County, North Carolina. James Grantson Holliman was a son of Samuel, and is my generation's 4th GGF.  Tina's ancestor was David Holliman, another son of Samuel, who moved to Georgia and eventually a descendant married a Keene, Tina's maiden name. 

Left, Alice Holliman Murphy, makes Texas her home. Both she and Becky attended the national Christopher Hollyman gathering April 1, 2016 in Isle of Wight, Virginia.  She has been collecting material on the Murphy clan, which included a recent trip to Ireland.

My two sisters and I gathered in Tennessee for the promotion ceremony of Becky's son, Bryan, to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.  One of Alice's children, Jonathan, is on active duty as a major in the Army. 

Below, some of the members of the immediate family who are veterans gathered in Tennessee for the swearing in of now Lt. Colonel Bryan Payne. Left to right are Glenn N. Holliman (Vietnam), Paul Payne (Viet Nam era), Bryan Payne (Iraq) and the father of this writer, H. Bishop Holliman, b 1919, Seaman 2nd class, a radioman on destroyers in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic in World War II.  

Bishop is the father of Glenn and grandfather of Bryan.  Bishop's grandfather, John Thomas Holliman (1844-1930) and great grandfather, Uriah Holliman (1820-1862) fought in the Civil War.  Bishop's second great grandfather, Cornelius Holliman (1796- 1862) was a veteran of the War of 1812 and third great grandfather, James Grantson Holliman (1750-1836) served as a patriot in the American Revolutionary War in the North Carolina militia.

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/ .  For Hollyman Facebook entrance and DNA assistance, write Tina at Tinapeddie@yahoo.com.

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.

A Holliman History by Walter O. Holliman, Part VI

by Glenn N. Holliman


This is the sixth in a series of a history of the Holliman family written by Walter O. Holliman in 1995 and edited in 1996. 


In this Third Generation as Walt labels his manuscript, his ancestor Cornelius Holliman (1792-1862) leaves the used-up soil of South Carolina, and with a good dose of Alabama fever, he and two of his brothers leave the grave of their father, James Grantson Holliman, and migrate to West Alabama in 1836.

If you have information to add to this narrative, please let us hear from you.

A Gathering of Hollimans, Part II

by Glenn N. Holliman

In mid-October 2011, a dozen descendants of Christopher Holyman, Sr. (1618 - 1691),born an Englishman and died a Virginian, gathered in Fayette, Alabama for a seminar on the family.  In 1836 three Holliman brothers arrived in Fayette County in West Alabama.  Today their descendants live in Fayette, adjacent counties and states, and literally all over the country.  In these articles we look at Fayette and also family, some living and some passed on.

Above, Fayette County’s legal system and records resides in its one hundred year old gold domed court house.  A fire in 1911 destroyed much of the down town taking many early records with it. 

Above and far left James Monroe Holliman, Glenda Norris’ great grandfather, stands in front of Harkin’s Store which was destroyed by the 1911 disastrous fire that swept through the west Alabama community.  Later, James became a successful attorney in Birmingham, Alabama (1878 - 1938).


Today, (below) the front street across from the Court House reflects the gentle pace of life during a Friday afternoon in autumn.  

Below, James Franklin Holliman (right) inspects the materials Raiford Brandon (left) brought to the Fayette Round Table.  Frank is a descendent of Cornelius Holliman and Raiford of Charles Holliman.  All present were descended from Christopher Holyman, Sr. (1618 – 1691) and his son, Richard Holyman (1660c – 1711) with the exception of Joe Parker, who descended from Christopher Holyman, Sr. through a different son; that being Christopher Holyman, Jr.

  Below, two blocks from the Court House is the old train depot which survived the 1911 disastrous fire, now a community museum and visitor’s center.  Just a few blocks away stood the home of John Thomas Holliman (1844 – 1930), the great grandfather of Glenn Holliman and great, great grandfather of Glenda Norris.

Below, holding the bridle of his horse, John Thomas Holliman, and Martha Jane Walker Holliman (1845 – 1931), his wife, stand in the 1920s in front of their Fayette home, only four blocks from the County Court House and close to the depot.  The house is now gone. 

Like almost all Alabama white men and his male relatives of that era and age, John Thomas Holliman was a Confederate veteran.  He fought at Stone’s River in the West and the Petersburg, Virginia Crater in the East.  Martha Jane’s father, Samuel Walker (1822 – 1900) also of Fayette County, was one of the remaining 7,000 who surrendered with Robert E. Lee at Appomattox.  (A fascinating article on John Thomas Holliman by Dr. Rhodes Holliman, grandson of James Monroe Holliman, can be found in the Archives, March 2010.)

Next posting, more views and news of the Alabama Round Table....

The Hollimans of Alabama

by Glenn N. Holliman

Back to the 19th Century...A Series of Articles on the Hollimans and Related Families of Fayette County, Alabama


Actually this article is about a Baptist Church just south of Fayette County and Newtonville.  Spring Hill Baptist Church is located just over the Tuscaloosa County line.  The memorial stone below in front of the church honors to of my generations's three great grandfathers - Charles Daniel Lucas and Cornelius Holliman.  Their graves were visited on April 9, 2011 by some of their descendants.

Below the church with the memorial stone in front.

As we know, Charles Daniel Lucas is buried several miles away in an Indian grave site.  Cornelius is at peace twenty or so miles north at Old Blooming Grove in the Bluff Community.  Glenda Norris believes Cornelius's wife, Elizabeth Plyler, is buried inside the gates of the Spring Hill Cemetery.  However, her grave is lost.

Next post, more graves in Spring Hill....
Plan now to attend the Holliman and Associated Families Genealogical Round Table at the Fayette County, Alabama Civic Center, 10 am to 3 pm, Saturday, October 15, 2011. For information and reservations for lunch, contact Glenda Norris at gnorris@bcbsal.org or Glenn Holliman at Glennhistory@gmail.com.  Sessions to include Tracing the Holymans from England to Alabama, Holliman Farm Sites in Fayette County and sharing of information on Associated Families.  All invited, including the 5:30 pm - 9 pm social at the Rose House Inn, Fayette, Friday, October 14th.

The Hollimans of Alabama

by Glenn N. Holliman

Back to the 19th Century...A Series of Articles on the Hollimans and Related Families of Fayette County, Alabama


    Warren Holliman (1833 - 1908), A Civil War Veteran of the 41st Alabama Infantry Regiment

Above Warren Holliman (1833 - 1908) took a .58 mini-ball to the arm on August 17, 1864 during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, knocking him out of the Civil War.  At age 29, he signed up for the conflict with his relatives and neighbors with the 41st Confederate Alabama Infantry.  This storied regiment was at Stones River, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Richmond and Petersburg before surrendering with General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, Virginia in April 1865.  After three months in a Richmond hospital, Warren was sent home in November 1864, his war effectively over.  Photo and information from the extensive files of  Dr. Rhodes Holliman, family historian, and Vonceil Duckworth, descendant of Cornelius Holliman.  More on Warren and his military adventures in later posts.

Above on a warm, sunny April day, 2011, Bill and his daughter, Joey Holliman, look for Holliman grave stones at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Fayette County, Alabama.  Warren Holliman and his two wives are buried at Chapel Hill (see previous article).   Bill Holliman, a multi-great nephew of Warren, is a 3rd great grandson of Cornelius Holliman (1792 - 1862). 


 Now living in Mississippi, Bill grew up in Irondale, Alabama, a grandson of Ulyss (1884 - 1965) and Pearl Caine Holliman (1887 - 1955), who migrated from Fayette County to Jefferson County in 1917 to take advantage of employment opportunities in the Birmingham area.  This migration from rural Alabama communities to metropolitan areas accelerated during the World War I era.  Today, descendants such as Joey and Bill return to Fayette, Lamar and Tuscaloosa Counties to discover family roots and stories.


More soon on the Fayette County family tour led by Glenda Norris, a 4th great grand daughter of Cornelius Holliman.


Plan now to attend the Holliman and Associated Families Genealogical Round Table at the Fayette County, Alabama Civic Center, 10 am to 3 pm, Saturday, October 15, 2011.  For information and reservations for lunch, contact Glenda Norris at gnorris@bcbsal.org or Glenn Holliman at Glennhistory@gmail.com.

Our Family's Colonial Era, Part XIII

by Glenn N. Holliman

A Holyman Family from Isle of Wight, Virginia to North Alabama

A Closing Observations as the Old Year Slips Away....

1650 - 2010: 360 Years of American History in one Family

Christopher Holyman, Sr. arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1650. He and his immediate descendants lived approximately a century in Isle of Wight County and adjacent counties. However, around 1740, my direct Holliman descendants from this multiple great grandfather began moving south and west searching for land and increased fortune.

For my line of Hollimans, the chronology is approximately this, and of course, sons and daughters were always splitting off and moving to other parts of what is the United States. Many in the late 1700s and early 1800s would move to Tennessee and Kentucky. For the most part, my branch of this colonial family would migrate to the southern states, although there are exceptions.

Prior to 1650 - Origin of American family is England, with Christopher Holliman, Sr. born 1618 in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England with possible other relatives in Tring, Hertfordshire, England.

Research to date does not support the reported John Holyman (d 1650) of Tring, England and Southampton, Virginia as the father of Christopher Sr. The parents of Christopher Sr. appear to be Thomas (b 1576) and Helene Poynard of Bedford.

The map below traces my Holyman family migrations from Isle of Wight, Virginia to Birmingham, Alabama. Numerals are printed adjacent to each 'stop' . Below the map, the numerals are next to copy about each family historic home. As the map is copied from a history book on the westward movement, no part of this map may be used for commercial purposes. Click on the map twice to enlarge. The large red arrows indicate the forced migration of Native Americans from their tribal lands as European - Americans and African -Americans advanced westwardly.

1. 1650 to 1740s - Most of my direct descendants lived in Isle of Wight County and adjoining counties in Virginia. Naturally, many descendants under the names of Holleman, Hollomon, etc. reside in southern Virginia to this day.

2. 1740s to 1790s - Through the parents and relatives of James Grantson Holliman, the Johnston County, North Carolina area became home for my branch of the family.

3. 1790s to 1836 - In the 1790s Anson County, North Carolina and Lancaster County, South Carolina (border counties) became the location of this James Grantson Holliman family.

4. 1836 - 1918 - In 1836, three sons of James Grantson Holliman moved their families to Fayette County, Alabama. The families of Charles and Cornelius Holliman stayed in Alabama and descendants live in the area to this day. Warren Holliman moved with others to Arkansas, and there remain many Hollimans. Others of these extended families moved to Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana and other parts of the southwest and middle Great Plains.

5. 1918 - 1960s - My generation's grandfather, Ulyss S. Holliman (1884 - 1965), a son of John Thomas, grandson of Uriah and great grandson of Cornelius, moved his family from Fayetteville, Alabama to Irondale, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. Several other families migrated to the economic attractions of the 'Magic City' also, including James Monroe Holliman, a brother of Ulyss, and his children. Others of Ulyss' brothers scattered throughout North Alabama; one Bill Holliman, remained in Fayette County, dieing there in 1940.

1960s to the present - While many of my first cousins remain in the Birmingham and North Alabama region, and 2nd and 3rd cousins in Fayette Country area, many grand and great grand children of Ulyss and Pearl Caine Holliman, have relocated across the country living in Chicago, Boston, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska, Arizona and other states. As with many families, advances in education, transportation and career opportunities have led to the dispersion of formally regionally located kinfolk to every part of the country.

Next Posting, a close examination of life in Isle of Wight County in the 17th Century, and its influence on our family today....