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.

Our Families Colonial Era, Part XXVII

by Glenn N. Holliman

Richard Holliman (1665? - 1711), a Son of Christopher Holyman, Sr (1618 - 1691)...and the Grandfather of James Grantson Holliman (1750 - 1836)


Christopher Holyman, Sr., the founder of the Holyman family that immigrated from England to Jamestown, Virginia in 1650, had six children, four males and two females.  The girls married Atkinson's and the boys carried the family name forward, sometimes spelling it Holliman, Holleman, Holloman, Holyman and other variations depending on the literacy level of the county court clerk at the time!

Above the Holleman House in Isle of Wight County, Virginia near the Blackwater River.  Built in the 1830s, the home and farm are still owned by descendants of Christopher Holyman, Sr.  On this plantation, Richard Holliman grew up. When of age, he sold part of his inheritance to a brother and purchased land in Surry County adjacent to his boyhood home.

Holliman family researcher, Joe Parker, proposes that Richard Holliman, one of Christopher, Sr.'s sons is the grandfather of my 4th great grandfather, James Grantson Holliman.  Based on the evidence we have at this date (subject always to additional research and interpretation), I favor Joe's thesis. James Grantson Holliman's father?  That would be one of Richard's sons - Samuel Holliman, my 5th great grandfather, and Richard, my generation's 6th great grandfather.

Let's first examine what we know of Richard Holliman, his life and go from there.  George Holleman in his 1953 classic volume on the family does not give a birth date for Richard, but lists him as the 4th child born to Christopher and an unknown mother.  The third child, William, was born in 1661 and the 5th child, Ann Holyman Atkinson married in 1691.  So if Ann were born in the late 1660s or early 1670s, then Richard's birth falls approximately in the mid-1660s, give or take a few years.

Richard would be the first son of Christopher Holyman, Sr. to die in 1711, perhaps in his mid-40s.

Information is available on Richard and his wife, and mother of Samuel, one Margaret Jordan House.
We will look closely at the fascinating Jordan lineage in later posts, a remarkable early Virginia family branch of the Holymans.

Above, Bishop Holliman (b 1919) surveys some of the land of Isle of Wight plantation founded by Christopher Holyman, Sr (1618-1691) in 2011.  Bishop, this writer's father, is a 6th great grandson of Christopher.

From Christopher Holyman, Sr.'s 1691 will, we know Richard inherited land along the Blackwater River in Isle of Wight County.  Evidently, he sold some of it to his brother, Thomas.

Richard Hollyman patented 1150 acres of land in Surry County, Virginia in 1696, five years after his father died.  The Christopher Holyman, Sr. land was on the border of Isle of Wight and Surry Counties.

Obviously doing well, Richard patented another 1,023 acres on the south side of the main Blackwater River, 25 April 1702. This latter he received for transporting immigrants to Virginia.  There is evidence he inflated the numbers in order to secure more acres under the 'head right' system.  For every person one 'imported' to Virginia, one received 50 acres outright.  (Information found p. 83, Crutchfield, James A. The Grand Adventure.  Richmond, Dietz Press, 2005 with contributions by Joe Parker, genealogist.) 

Next, the Walt O. Holliman Manuscripts are ready for emailing.  Lists shortly to be posted in this space.

A Holliman History by Walter O. Holliman, Part IV

by Glenn N. Holliman


This is the fourth in a series of a history of the Holliman family written by Walter O. Holliman (1927 - 2003) in 1995 and reworked by him in 1996.  


In this posting of a manuscript written in 1996, Walt labels this chapter as Generation One choosing to begin his Holliman family history with Samuel Holliman (1707-1789).  Walt was uneasy about the accuracy of his information on Christopher Holyman, Sr. and other early Hollimans in Virginia.  As I have pointed out in early blogs, he had reason be concerned about the veracity of information he had gathered on Holymans in the early to late 1600s.


Some of the material Walt presents below concerning the origins of Hollymans in America has been superceded by new research.  However, in this story there could be some tid bits that could yet lead us in new paths of genealogical research.


Walt provides valuable research on Samuel Holliman's real estate dealings in North Carolina.  On page three, Walt states one Elizabeth Jones, born Isle of Wight, was a wife of Samuel Holliman.  This is the first time I have seen such information and welcome comment on it.

As I have written extensively, I believe the Hollimans emerged from a family in Bedford and Buckingham Shires, England with Christopher Holyman, Sr. (1618-1691) arriving in Jamestown in 1650.  My descendant, in my opinion, is through Richard Holyman (1660s ca - 1711), a son of Christopher, Sr., through Samuel Holliman (1707-1789) and on to James Grantson Holliman (1750-1836).  Still, it is fascinating to study Walt O. Holliman's manuscript and reflect on what adds to our genealogical picture and challenges our perceptions. 

Above in Walt's own handwritting and type is his research on Holliman land sales in Johnston County, North Carolina in the 1700s.  This is valuable for those seeking North Carolina roots.

A Holliman History by Walter O. Holliman, Part III

by Glenn N. Holliman


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


Please refer to previous posts in order to understand the sequencing of these pages.  Walt continues sharing his research on the Holliman family that came to Virginia in 1650.  The Samuel Holliman below is believed by several serious Holliman genealogists, including this writer, to be the son of Richard Holliman and father of James Grantson Holliman (1750-1836).  Walt assigned Samuel to the Thomas Holliman line, and he admitted below his ambiguity over the issue.

It is hoped the above pages are useful for those who do not have this research.  This closes our presentation of Walt's 1995 publication.  In the next posting, we shall read of his 1996 conclusions and research beginning with Samuel Holliman (1707-1789), the believed father of James Grantson Holliman.


Obviously, much has happened in family research since Walt typed these words.  If you see any errors or material that should be challenged or enlarged, please let us know.  

From the Walter O. Holliman Archives

by Glenn N. Holliman

An Announcement -

My son, Christopher S. Holliman, writes a blog at http://the62mets.blogspot.com/ and, no, it is not about baseball.  One of his most recent blogs is a trip to the Crater at the Petersburg, Virginia battlefield where his 3 GGF and 2 GGF fought for the Confederacy.  You might check it out.  There are some photographs.


And now...
A Special Posting...
Several of you have been studying the page on the Walter O. Holliman Materials, an index of his voluminous research on his families and have asked for information.  Below I reproduce six pages of photocopies he made in the early 1990s of Johnston County, North Carolina Holliman land records.  This information may or may not be new to serious Holliman family researchers but I am happy to post this and other items as time permits.

Walt came to believe, as did Dr. Charles Holliman, that Samuel Holliman was the father of my 4 great grandfather, James Grantson Holliman (1750-1836).