A Cousin Connection Found!

Somebody read my blog!!

Several weeks ago I got  an email from a researcher who has additional information about John Holloway. And she found me by reading my blog! I'm so excited, about the information, and about somebody finding me!!

Her husband was a descendant of Martin Holloway's sister, Nancy Jane Holloway, who married Isom Osborne. This New Cousin Connection has provided information about Nancy Holloway Osborne's descendants, along with additional info on some of the other siblings in the family. (Nancy was a sister to Martin Holloway, my husband's 4th great-grandfather.)

New Cousin Connection also has a copy of a letter written by Nancy and Isom Osborne's son. In this letter, A.J. Osborne states that John Holloway and his wife (unnamed in his letter) went to Alton, Madison County, Illinois in the early 1840's! And while there (or on the way there) John died after contracting smallpox.

My email from New Cousin Connection says that John's wife and kids moved back to Virginia, first to Grayson County and then to other counties. That all the kids moved back to Virginia except for Daniel who moved out west and he thought Texas.

A.J. Osborne apparently wrote this letter in his later years, likely recalling things he heard in his childhood, since he would not have known his grandparents. But, he is talking about his grandparents, not distant ancestors.

I'm thrilled to have more information on John Holloway (which also leads to more questions. Illinois - really? Why there? What led him, or them, to Illinois? Did anyone else contract smallpox? Or did he go on, alone, and got sick while away from his family? Some questions may never have answers.)

I'm also happy to have confirmation that Martin was the son of John Holloway, instead of Isaac Holloway, as is commonly reported on Ancestry.

The locations of Delila and the children moving around also matches the census data found for them. And a Daniel Holloway can also be found on the Texas 1880 census (with one of Martin's grandchildren living with him). While this might not be absolute proof that he is the "right" Daniel, it sure does suggest it to me! (Although, Daniel was not the only son who moved to Texas; Martin did too. He may have followed his older brother at a later time, though, which could explain why A.J. Osborne didn't know or remember that part.)

And I've really enjoyed the conversations that New Cousin Connection and I have shared online. It's great to have somebody to discuss ancestors with!

Somebody read my blog!

Old Christmas

This is simply a thought that I wanted to preserve - my father-in-law has mentioned "Old Christmas" over the years and I finally asked him about it. He said his parents talked about Old Christmas, but they never observed it while he was growing up. He didn't know if either of his parents had ever observed it during their childhoods or not.

But on this day, Old Christmas, January 6 (also known as Epiphany or Twelvth Night) I wanted to record the fact that Old Christmas was apparently talked about during my father-in-law's childhood in the Walnut Grove community western North Carolina.