1. GABRIELL HOLLAND is generally thought to be a son of John Holland and Mary Molyneaux, who were married March 5, 1583, in St. Clement Danes Church, London. John’s father or grandfather is said to have been Thomas Holland, an illegitimate son of Henry Holland, the third Duke of Exeter. With a Richard Holland, likely an elder brother, Gabriell emigrated to Jamestown, Virginia, aboard the ship Supply, in 1621. Richard did not survive long in the New World, but Gabriel was married at least twice and left descendants.
Jamestown genealogy is notoriously difficult. Between bouts of malaria and Indian attacks, the colonists tended not to keep their family bibles up to date. Families were wiped out overnight, and wives had to be replaced with grim frequency. The climate was, and still is, hostile to the preservation of paper records -- the best preserved documents are actually in London, where the colonists seems to have been regarded as so much cattle. The desire of our more immediate ancestors to know their genealogies has prompted a lot of guesswork and speculation that has acquired a patina of authenticity by sheer repetition. I've tried to go back to an original source for each assertion made repeatedly, and for the most part these are elusive.
So, what can we say with confidence?
Most Virginia genealogists assert that the emigrant Gabriell Holland is a son of John Holland and Mary Molyneaux. This may indeed be the case, but in terms of documentation the connection is not proven. The frequent assertion that Gabriel was born in Northumberland is unlikely if his parents are indeed John Holland and Mary Molyneaux, as the couple lived in London throughout their childbearing years. There is slight evidence that this is the John Holland who was christened January 29, 1556, at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster. Peter Holland, presumably the first child of this marriage, was christened April 25, 1585, at the Church of St. Martin in The Fields. A Gabriell Holland, presumably also of this marriage, was christened February 15, 1596, at the same church. A Richard Holland was christened August 11, 1588.
The names Richard and Gabriel Holland occur together twice in records of the Virginia Company as emigrants to the Jamestown colony. It must be noted, though, that the paternity of the 10 Holland children in the records of St. Martin's is noted simply as "Hollande," which is not a conclusive identification with John Holland and Mary Molyneaux.
A search of "Records of the Virginia Company Volume III, 1607-1622 Miscellaneous Documents", does yield some information about Gabriell the emigrant. The names Gabriel Holland and Richard Holland appear on the list of "Men now sent for Plantacion in Virginia" dated Sept. 3, 1620 (Page 396) and again on a certificate documenting arrivals at Berkeley Hundred dated January 29, 1620/21 (Page 426). Published transcriptions of these documents, which were collected and preserved by Thomas Jefferson, can be viewed online at Ancestry.com and through the Library of Congress Web site (Series 8, Virginia Records 1606-1736.) It is stated in some histories that the ship was the "Supply," which sailed from England, October 5, 1620, but this information is not part of the official documents. In annotations made later to the Sept. 3, 1620, list, both Gabriel and Richard are noted as "dead," which is very likely the case for Richard, who is never heard from again. Gabriell -- if it is the same Gabriell -- is listed among the muster of settlers living at "Colledge Land" (10,000 acres on the northerly side of James river, from the falls down to Henrico) on February 16, 1623. (The original 1623/4 census and the 1624/5 Muster are in the Public Record Office, London, England. They can be viewed online at "Virtual Jamestown, Public Records, Musters 1623/24) Wives, children and servants were not recorded in the first muster, taken to enumerate survivors of the devastating attack on the colony by Powhatan Indians in March 22, 1622. Although I have not yet found other evidence of a Thomas Holland having arrived there, the name Thomas Holland is found twice in a list of the dead published in London in 1622. The first Thomas Holland is among the dead at Capt. Berkeley's plantation (Page 35). The second Thomas Holland, among the dead at Mr. William Bennett's plantation, is identified as "Capt. Whitaker's man" (Page 54) (See Edward Waterhouse, "A Declaration of the State of the Colony and Affaires in Virginia. With a Relation of the Barbarous Massacre in the Time of Peace and League, Treacherously Executed by the Natiue Infidels vpon the English, the 22 of March last. Together With the Names of those that were then Massacred: that their Lawfull Heyres, by this Notice Giuen, may take Order for the Inheriting of their Lands and Estates in Virginia…. " London, England: G. Eld. for Robert Mylbourne, 1622. An online version is available at Early Encounters in North America, a site of the University of Chicago.) A secondary source (Virginia General Assembly. Colonial Records of Virginia, Richmond, Va: Clearfield Company, 1874, version available online at Ancestry.com) repeats Waterhouse's information. Clearly Richard goes missing in 1622. The name Thomas Holland in Waterhouse's list could be an error for Richard. It may be that a Thomas had arrived in Jamestown by 1622.
On January 24, 1624, "Gabriell Holland and Rebecca" are listed among a census of settlers living on James City Island, with the additional information that "Gabriell Holland came in the John & Francis; Rebecca his wife in the same Shipp." No date of arrival is recorded; the ship had made seven voyages to Virginia by 1623. It is possible that Gabriel returned to England to collect his wife -- or to marry her -- and returned to Jamestown with Rebecca aboard the John & Francis. The couple's possessions are recorded as a house, 100 dried fish, 7 barrels of corn, 2 bushels of dried peas and beans, 6 swine, a coat of mail, and 6 'piece,' -- small firearms for hunting and defense. In that year also Gabriell was a signer of "The Tragical Relation of the General Assembly," in which members of the Virginia Assembly respond to Sir Thomas Smith's attempts to discredit and bring about the dissolution of the Virginia Company of London.
Most genealogies name two wives for Gabriel: Rebecca George and Mary Pink. I have not yet seen documentation for either marriage. A Rebecca Georg was christened October 24, 1591 at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, who may be this woman. If Mary Pink succeeded the Rebecca who arrived on the John & Francis, she did so quickly: Mary Holland, wife of Gabriel Holland, patented land "formerly belonging to one Pinke" on James City island in 1624. Rebecca George, however, is generally thought to be the mother of Gabriell Holland's younger children. If we accept the accuracy of the records, one logical explanation would be that Gabriell married one Rebecca before 1624, Mary Pink by 1624, and thirdly, another Rebecca. It's awkward, but plausible.
According to the Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, “Burgesses and Other Prominent Persons,” Gabriel Holland was a yeoman, and one of the first settlers at Berkeley Hundred in 1620. He was made a burgess in 1623; in the same year he was a signer of "The Tragical Relation of the General Assembly." The encyclopedia continues: “Long resident in Nansemond county, Virginia, the family of Holland has in that time occupied honorable position in that locality. That the family is an old one is proven by the fact that Gabriel and Richard Holland arrived at Berkeley, Virginia, February 8, 1621, on the ship, "Supply," with fifty others, leaving England, October 5, 1620. Gabriel Holland was one of thirty-one signers to the answer of the general assembly in Virginia to the Declaration of the State of the Colony in 1624, and also was one of the signers for the incorporation of Henrico County and the incorporation of college plantations.”
A tentative list of the children of GABRIELL HOLLAND and MARY PINK, all born and baptized at Jamestown, are:
2. i. JOHN HOLLAND, born 1628, died 1710, Suffolk, Va.
ii. JOB HOLLAND, born 1629.
iii. DANIEL HOLLAND, born 1634.
iv. WILLIAM HOLLAND, born 1635.
A tentative list of the children of GABRIELL HOLLAND and REBECCA GEORGE, all born and baptized at Jamestown, are:
v. RICHARD HOLLAND, born 1637.
vi. GEORGE HOLLAND, born about 1638.
Here we step onto firmer ground:
2. CAPT. JOHN HOLLAND was christened at Jamestown in 1628 and died about 1710 in Suffolk, Va. He married ELIZABETH MARY OUDELANT, daughter of CORNELIUS OUDELANT and his wife ELIZABETH. She was born about 1637 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and died in Nansemond County, Va.
Children of JOHN HOLLAND and ELIZABETH OUDELANT are:
i. ELIZABETH HOLLAND, born about 1655.
ii. HENRY HOLLAND, born 1660.
iii. JOSEPH HOLLAND, born 1661, town of Holland, Nansemond County, Va..
iv. JAMES HOLLAND, born1662, Nansemond County, Va.; died about 1733, Nansemond County.
v. JOHN HOLLAND, born November 1, 1664.
3. vi. CAPT. MICHAEL HOLLAND, born about 1666, Holland, Nansemond County; died October 10, 1746, Goochland County, Va.
3. CAPT. MICHAEL HOLLAND was born about 1666 in Holland, Nansemond County, and died October 10, 1746 in Goochland County. He married JUDITH WEEKS there in 1685, daughter of JOHN WEEKS and his wife MARTHA. She was born about 1680 and died after August 22, 1751 in Goochland County.
His will reads:
I, Michael Holland, being in perfect health and Memory do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following: Item: I give and devise and bequeath unto my Wife Judith Holland and to her heirs forever eight hundred acres of land whereon Timothy Odenale now lives in Louisa County. I also give unto my said wife during her Natural life eight hundred acres of Land on Licking Hole Creek with two plantations thereon and the use of the stock of cattle and hoggs and all my household goods for her own support and not to sell, as also the use benefit and profit of the labor of the six following negroes Frank, Pompy, Will, Nan, Dennis & Noell which negros after her decrease I will direct and appoint to be sold by my Executors and the money equally divided between the children of my son John when they arrive at age or m. I give devise and bequeath to my son John Holland and to his heirs forever after the said Judith my wife's decease the aforesaid eight hundred acres of land on Lickinghole Creek with the two plantations thereon and the stocks of cattle and hoggs likewise a negro woman name Hager and her three children and Daniel. Item: I give devise and bequeath unto my son Michael Holland and his heirs forever four hundred acres of land lying in Louisa Co which I bought of Craddock and fifty pounds Current money to be paid eighteen months after my death.... money two hundred pounds to be paid when of age or m. and two hundred pounds to be paid two years after and if either of them shall dye before they are of age or m. or her part or parts of such money to be equally divided between the children of my sons Michael and Richard Holland. I likewise give to my daughter Anne a negro girl name Nan to my Daughter Susannah a negro girl named Patt, to my daughter Mercy a negro girl name Lucy. Item: All the rest of my lands negroes and personall estate not before mentioned I will direct and appoint to be sold by my Executors Henry Martin, Pouncy Anderson, Richard Holland and the money to be applyed towards the payment of my debts and legacyes and maintaining my daughters Anne, Susanna and Marcy the residue (when all the land negroes and personal estate shall be sold I give to be equally divided among my sons, John, Michael, Richard. George and my daughters Eliz. Anderson and Judith Martin. Item: The next profits of my estate between my death and the sale thereof I will and direct shall be applyed to the uses aforesaid and also my household goods after the death of my wife. I will and direct that my estate be not brought to any appraisement. Item: I appoint Henry Martin, Pouncy Anderson and Richard Holland Guardians to my three daughters Anne, Susanna and Marcy. Item: I also constitute and appoint my son in law Henry Martin my son in law Pouncy Anderson and my son Richard Holland to be executors to this my last will and testament and do hereby revoke all former wills by me made. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my had and affixed my seal this 10th day of October 1745. Mich. Holland (Seal) Signed, sealed and delivered to be his land will in presence of John Martin, John Parrish, John Sandland. At a Court held for Goochland Co March 17, 1746. This will was proved by th oaths of the witnesses hereto to be the last Will and Testament of Michael Holland deceased and it was thereupon ordered to be recorded. Teste; Henry Wood Cl Cur. [Recorded in Goochland Co Va. Deed & Will Book 5 pages 222-224] Executors: Michael Holland and son in law Thomas Massey.
Children of MICHAEL HOLLAND and JUDITH are:
i. MICHAEL HOLLAND, born 1695; died 1763, Amelia County, Va.
ii. JUDITH HOLLAND, born 1700; died November 19, 1751, Goochland, Va.; m. HENRY MARTIN, March 7, 1745/46, Goochland; he was born about 1690.
iii. ELIZABETH HOLLAND, born about 1700, Nansemond County, Va.; died July 7, 1791, Louisa County, Va. She married POUNCY ANDERSON.
4. iv. JOHN HOLLAND, born 1705, St James Northam, Goochland, died. 1773, Goochland County, Va..
v. RICHARD HOLLAND, born about 1710, Nansemond County, died 1784, Hanover County, Va.
5. vi. ANN HOLLAND, born about 1715, Goochland County.
vii. DR. GEORGE HOLLAND, born 1725, Nansemond County, Va.; died November 23, 1796, Goochland County; m. (1) SARAH FORD; m. (2) MARY COLEMAN.
viii. SUSANNA HOLLAND, born about 1727; died before 1813.
ix. MERCYE HOLLAND, born about 1729; died before 1842, Wilkes County, N.C.
4. JOHN HOLLAND was born 1705 in St James Northam Parish, Goochland County, Va, and died 1773 in Goochland County. He married MARTHA WEEKS before January 16, 1734/35 in Goochland, County. She was a daughter of HOBBS WEEKS and MARY PARROTT of Middlesex County. She was born 1714 in St James Northam Parish.
His will:
I give and bequeath to my son Nathaniel Holland & his heirs forever the tract of land whereon I now live, containing 200 acres which I bought of John Moss, lying on Little Byrd Creek with one negro girl named Pilley, I also give and bequeath to my sd son Nathaniel Holland 2 negro women named Patt & Nell, with all their increase after this date, except the first live child the wench Nell shall bear, which I give to my daug Lucy Holland. I further bequeath to my son Nathaniel Holland one negro lad named David, one feather bed and furniture, 1 pewter dish, 6 plates & 1 bason, 4 head of cattle, one black walnut table and my desk. I constitute & appoint my beloved wife Martha Holland, Extrix, & my 2 friends George Payne Sr & Josias Payne Sr Exec of this last will & testament...7 day June 1779 [Recorded in Deed & Will Book 10 p 387]
Children of JOHN HOLLAND and MARTHA WEEKS all born and baptized in St. James Northam Parish, Goochland County, Va., are:
6. i. JOHN HOLLAND, born January 16, 1734/35, died March 9, 1801.
ii. MICHAEL HOLLAND, born December 29, 1739, died before 1772.
iii. JUDITH HOLLAND, born November 4, 1739.
iv. HEZEKIAH HOLLAND, born June 14, 1742.
v. RICHARD HOLLAND, born February 3, 1742/43.
vi. MARTHA HOLLAND, born April 1, 1745, Goochland County, Va.; married ADAM GRAVES, May 4, 1769, Goochland, Va.; he was born about 1743.
vii. NATHANIEL HOLLAND, born April 1, 1748.
viii. ALICE HOLLAND, born December 13, 1752. Known as “Abie.”
ix. MARY HOLLAND, born July 27, 1756.
x. LUCY HOLLAND, born March 3, 1758.
5. ANN HOLLAND was born about 1715 in Goochland County, Va. She married (1) DAVID MASSIE in New Kent County, Virginia. He was born September 3, 1721 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County, Va., and died August 1755. She married (2) BENJAMIN MITCHELL March 29, 1756 in St James Northam Parish, Goochland County, Va. He was born about 1731 in New Kent County, Va.
Child of ANN HOLLAND and BENJAMIN MITCHELL is:
7. i. ARCHELAUS MITCHELL, born December 11, 1768, Goochland County, Va.
6. JOHN HOLLAND was born January 16, 1734/35 in St James Northam Parish, Goochland, Va, and died March 9, 1801. He married (1) JOYCE BAKER in 1759 in Albemarle County, Va.. He married (2) MARTHA WILLIAMS June 13, 1773 in Goochland, daughter of PHILLIP WILLIAMS and FRANCES TAYLOR. She was born about 1752 in St James Northam Parish, Goochland County, Va.
Children of JOHN HOLLAND and MARTHA WILLIAMS are:
i. NANCY HOLLAND, born September 10, 1774; married GEORGE HUDSON, July 13, 1792. She was baptized November 3, 1774, in North Farnham Parish, Goochland County.
8. ii. SARAH HOLLAND, known as Sally, born February 17, 1776, North Farnham Parish. She died after 1810, Goochland County.
7. ARCHELAUS MITCHELL was born December 11, 1768 in Goochland County. Baptism: April 21, 1769, St. in James Northam Parish, Goochland County. He married ANN ------ on December 26, 1795.
Known child of ARCHELAUS MITCHELL AND ANN ---- is
9. i. MARY T. MITCHELL, born 1805, Goochland County, Va.; died April 30, 1874, Greenbay, Prince Edward County, Va.
8. SARAH HOLLAND was born February 17, 1776 in North Farnham Parish, Goochland County, baptized June 28, 1776, North Farnham Parish, Goochland County. She died after 1810 in Goochland County. She married THOMAS S. HOLLAND December 30, 1795, in Goochland, son of PETER HOLLAND and MARY MEADOR. He was born about 1770 and died 1816 in Goochland County. In census of 1810, Thomas S. Holland of Goochland, Va. has two sons age 10 or under. As recorded in Prince Edward County Courthouse Will Book 3, Page 157: Thomas S. Holland names children: Jane, wife of Thomas Shelton; John S., m. Mary Mitchell; Peter; James; Elizabeth, wife of John Shelton; Nancy; also Lawson and Patsy, both under 21. Although the couple were both named Holland, their nearest traceable common ancestor is quite remote.
Children of SARAH HOLLAND and THOMAS HOLLAND are:
i. JANE HOLLAND, married THOMAS SHELTON.
ii. PETER HOLLAND.
iii. JAMES HOLLAND.
iv. ELIZABETH HOLLAND, married JOHN SHELTON.
v. NANCY HOLLAND.
vi. LAWSON HOLLAND.
vii. PATSY HOLLAND.
10. viii. JOHN S. HOLLAND, born 1800.
9. MARY T. MITCHELL was born 1805 in Goochland County. and died April 30, 1874 in Greenbay, Prince Edward County, Va. She married March 15, 1826, her second cousin 10. JOHN S. HOLLAND in Goochland, Va. The wedding was officiated by the Rev. James Fife. John was son of THOMAS HOLLAND and SARAH HOLLAND. He was postmaster of Palmyra, Virginia. Mary T. Holland died at the home of her son John Lyttleton Tazewell Holland in Greenbay on April 30, 1884. in Prince Edward County in her 70th year. A photograph of her as an old woman survives.
Known child of MARY MITCHELL and JOHN HOLLAND is:
11. i. JOHN LYTTLETON TAZEWELL HOLLAND, born July 5, 1833, Palmyra, Fluvanna County, Va.; he died March 5, 1896.
11. JOHN LYTTLETON TAZEWELL was born July 5, 1833, in Palmyra, Fluvanna County, Va., and died March 5, 1896. He was a circuit minister of the Disciples of Christ. To see his photograph, click here. He married EMMA ALICE WALTON, daughter of WILLIAM WALTON and MARY WOOTTON. To see a photograph of her, click here. She was born November 11, 1845, and died October 14, 1898. He is buried in the churchyard of the chapel he served in Jetersville, Virginia.
(These photographs may be viewed individually either in the text, or collected with additional pictures in the JLT Holland family album )
Holland descendant Cynthia Cassidy writes in 2003: "Mama used to tell this story about her grandfather's accident and subsequent death. I remember that he was kicked (I thought by a horse) when he was attending to one of his churches on his circuit. I think it was in or near Blackstone in Nottaway County. He was terribly injured and they feared for his life. A family who belonged to that church took him in and paid for the doctor. He stayed for a long time (I think a number of months but it could have been four or five weeks) Clay was sent to help nurse him back to health. When he finally went home he had to be taken lying down flat in the back of a buckboard. He never fully recovered and his death was attributed to that injury.”
"I have a lovely eight-sided table that came from the Waltons. It was apparently in "Osceola" when some Yankee soldiers rode up to the house. I was told that the lady of the house (whom I believe was Emma Walton Holland) met them on the front porch with a rifle on her shoulder and ran the Yankees off.
Children of JOHN HOLLAND and EMMA WALTON are:
12. i. BERNARD PEABODY HOLLAND, born March 13, 1867, Osceola, Fluvanna County, Va.; died January 1960, Virginia Beach, Va.
ii. WILLIAM WALTON HOLLAND, born about 1869; died about 1889.
Ann Holland remembers in May 2000: Walton Holland went (to Virginia Beach) with (his brother) Bernard. Unfortunately he contracted a case of what was called 'galloping consumption' from a maid at the Princess Anne Hotel and died. He was two years younger than BP. We (her aunt Cornelia, cousins Hester Neal and Emily Lineberry) and I saw his grave behind the little church in Jetersville, Va. in about 1985 or 86. Both John Lyttleton Tazewell Holland and Emma Walton Holland are buried there too. Cynthia Cassidy remembers in 2003: When I was reading about Walton Holland, I remembered a story my grandmother had told me many times. She said that Walton Holland became ill after giving his overcoat to a shivering homeless man one bitterly cold day in Virginia Beach. The story went that he saw the man, took off his coat, wrapped it around the man's shoulders and just kept walking. His photo
iii. MAMIE HOLLAND, born about 1870; died about 1886.
Cynthia Cassidy writes in 2003: I had forgotten all about Mama Farrar's (Clay Woodruff Holland) older sister. She had an older sister who had some illness. Maybe I'll remember in the middle of the night or something. Anyway, the doctors thought the way to treat that particular illness was to withhold food. Mama (my grandmother) told me that Mama Farrar's sister's death tormented Mama Farrar. When Mama Farrar would sit with her ill sister that her sister would beg her to bring her something to eat but because the Dr.'s had forbidden it she didn't do it. I think Mamie was about 16 when she died.
13. iv. CLAY WOODRUFF HOLLAND, born July 1, 1874, Prince Edward County, Va.; died September 5, 1949.
v. AMELIA MEREDITH HOLLAND, born about 1878; she married ROBERT H. JONES.
Amelia Meredith Holland was known to some cousins as "Abby Mel" and to others, just "Mel." Ann Holland remembers that she married late in life, and was subject to depression. She seems to have been Bernard Peabody Holland's favorite sister. The couple had no children. In 1900, the U.S. census lists her occupation as school teacher, like her sister Emma. Cindy Cassidy writes in 2003: "She lived with my grandparents for the last few years of her life. I almost wrote that she lived with "us" instead of "my grandparents." We lived next door. The property the two houses were on had been one property and I considered the two houses and the land surrounding them both to be "home." I think I was in grade school when I would come home from school almost every day and go directly to Mel's room. She would rest in the afternoon until I got home and then she'd get up and we'd play cards. She taught me how to play canasta and we would play for as long as I would be allowed before I had to do homework or we had to stop for dinner. Somewhere, I have a lovely picture of her that we took just a week or so before her death. She was out walking in the yard and feeling quite well. The night she died I woke up in my bed in the house next door to where she was and felt her tell me goodby and I knew she was dead.
vi. EMMA KELLOGG HOLLAND, born about 1880; died October 15, 1940, Charlottesville, Va.; married EDWARD P. MARSHALL. Ann Holland remembers in May 2000 that according to her father, Kellogg was a mathematical genius and the only woman admitted to the University of Virginia, which was extraordinary in that day. She worked with an astronomer there. She married, but was childless.
The sisters were photographed around 1900.
vii. HARRY RUSSELL HOLLAND, born September 20, 1887, Amelia, Va. Ann Francis Holland remembers in 2000: HARRY HOLLAND, at least 10 years younger than BP, was a real problem child and was sent to BP and Emily Holland’s because they couldn't handle him at home. They sent him back. He returned to Virginia Beach as an adult and stayed there. I remember him well. He was a handsome and genial man and the founding father of the Russell Holland branch of the Hollands of Va. Beach. His photograph
12. BERNARD PEABODY HOLLAND was born March 13, 1867 in Osceola, the family home near Farmville in Fluvanna County, Va. At about the age of 18, he migrated to Princess Anne County to seek his fortune. Beginning as a desk clerk at the Princess Anne Hotel, he became a general store keeper, land owner and first mayor of Virginia Beach. He died there January 1960. He married EMILY RANDALL GREGORY 1895 in Cooperstown, N.Y., only child of DAVID GREGORY and EMILY WELD RANDALL. She was born May 23, 1873 in Jersey City, N.J., and died 1949 in Virginia Beach, Va.
Ann Francis Holland writes January 11, 1999:
THE ODD COUPLE: BERNARD PEABODY HOLLAND and EMILY RANDALL GREGORY
As mentioned earlier, "Osceola" the Walton family home since the 1700's was lost after the War Between the States. The JLT family moved to a small, modest home in Amelia Court House. BP set out to seek his fortune with his younger brother Walton. He mentions being at Virginia Beach in 1885 so he would have been 18 years old or younger when he went there. His brother was probably only 16. In those days the railroads owned many resort areas and hotels. The lavish Princess Anne Hotel was one of these. It was the custom of very wealthy New Yorkers to spend part of the winter in the south. St Augustine, Fla. was a favorite place. It was a long trip by train and elegant stopovers were provided along the way. The Princess Anne Hotel was one of these. (It was located between 14th and 17th St on the oceanfront. There have been at least two other hotels of that name located elsewhere, but this was the original. It burned in the early 1900s. If you haven't seen the movie or read the book "The Age of Innocence" - Book by Edith Wharton, movie by Martin Scorcese - do. Rent the movie is best, not so much for the story but to see the lavish life-style in which my grandmother (Emily Gregory) grew up. You will recognize a lot of the tableware, furniture, gewgaws that we all grew up with at the beach house. My grandmother had a personal maid to pick up after her. They were rich! Grandma hated that life - except for the opera, which she loved - had box seats at the old Met. (She particularly loved Wagner) Otherwise she found the life boring and superficial. She used to say of it "We sat and sat and sat, and then we sat some more." The only 'work' these ladies ever did was needlework -which as you know came in handy later on and a bit of baking of special cakes and pies. She was also very well-read, an intellectual, and a gifted musician - played the piano, violin, viola and sang. One winter she went to St. Augustine, Fla. with her mother and father. (David Henderson Gregory and Emily Weld Randall Gregory) They stopped at the Princess Anne Hotel and there she met and fell in love with the young BP. And vice versa. They say it was love at first sight. She was rich, intellectual and fat. He was slim, dapper and unintellectual (though far from unintelligent). Her parents persuaded them to wait a couple of years. They were married in 1895 in Cooperstown, N.Y, where her parents had a summer home named "Sunnyside." BP was a man on the rise. He bought land. On the strip of land from the oceanfront to Lake Holly at 12th Street. he built what they called 'the brick house', now known as the DeWitt Cottage. Four of their five children were born in that house. Grandma didn't like living on the oceanfront. Also they felt the house was too small for their growing family, so they planned and built the house across the street which Grandpa named 'Ozone' . John, the youngest was born in 'Ozone'. BP also bought land in the county, Bird Neck Point and Back Bay. He was active in politics. He was one of the founders of the movement to incorporate the area into the City of Virginia Beach. It was chartered in 1907 and BP served as its first mayor. The mayor’s "office" was in what we knew as the library of 'Ozone' He loved politics, duck hunting and fishing. I'm not sure exactly when, but he became very ill along the way. I know that it was about the time the boys, Walton, David, and my father (BPH Jr.) were to go to college. Walton served in the Navy in WW I, so we can date the illness from about 1915 or so.) He came close to dying several times. The illness was not diagnosed for several years. After a year, he felt honor-bound to resign from his job at the railroad and this left his family in desperate circumstances. About this time, the elder Gregorys’ fortunes began to decline. Great-grandpa made a lot of bad investments and lent money to scoundrels. They were no longer rich and were unable to help the family. Grandma took BP to New York where members of the Gregory family owned a hospital room. Doctors there diagnosed the illness as an inflamed cecum (the first chamber of the large intestine.) The doctor said that an operation would be life-threatening, so he returned to Virginia Beach still sick. He was sick for five years in all. Grandma did the following: Took in borders and/or rented out the house. She sent the children to Sunnyside and lived in the attic while summer renters lived downstairs. She opened "The Variety Shop" which had a lending library, yard goods, etc. etc. She did knitting and sewing for people. She sold a valuable piece of jewelry and probably some other things. In this way she managed to send the three older boys to the University of Virginia. Nini (Cornelia, her only daughter) went to summer school there to take 'teaching' courses. She resented not being educated as well as the boys. Girls seldom were, but she had a right to resent it. She cured Grandpa with diet. She banned caffeine and spicy foods from the larder. She became a fantastic cook. It was a remarkable feat for a woman who had never done any work in her life. Of course there was a price to pay and Nini paid it. It was left to Nini, who was not much more than a child to take care of her little brother John and to do many of the household chores. She had the help of a wonderful old black woman who had been with the family for years. Her name was Virginia Snead and I remember her well. She was a true member of the family and took great pride in us. She died in the library attended by Nini and David and Wrennie. Grandma always regretted sacrificing Nini. It was one of the last things she said before she died. It was not unusual in those days for the eldest or only daughter to take over the mother role but Grandma realized that it was a tragedy. We all know that Nini was very much in love with a young man, and was forbidden to marry him. They bought her off with a trip to Europe and the promise of the property. Grandma loved working, she loved the shop and when Grandpa recovered, she kept the business. After his recovery Grandpa opened a general store. He never got back on the success track again. During World War II, one of the rich Gregory uncles died in Switzerland and although there were 14 children born to D. S. and Anna Maria Gregory, there were not so many in Grandma's generation. She was left a nice legacy which could not be collected until the war ended. When she did get the money she put central heating, new plumbing etc into the house. Grandpa objected. Because of his stubbornness, Ozone was was one of the last houses on the beach to get electricity Emily died in 1949. B P lived for many years after that. He died at the age of 93. The couple is buried in Eastern Shore Cemetery, Virginia Beach.
The couple was photographed with all their descendants on the occasion of their 50th anniversary
Children of BERNARD HOLLAND and EMILY GREGORY, all born in Virginia Beach, are:
14. i. WALTON GREGORY HOLLAND, born August 30, 1896, died in Virginia Beach December 1970.
ii. CORNELIA RANDALL HOLLAND, born 1898, died in Virginia Beach February 12, 1988.
15. iii. DAVID GREGORY HOLLAND, born February 25, 1901, died Virginia Beach November 1960.
16. iv. BERNARD PEABODY HOLLAND JR, born August 12, 1902, died July 1970, Richmond, Va..
17. v. JOHN LYTTLETON TAZEWELL HOLLAND, born about 1909; died about 1977, Waycross, Ga..
13. CLAY WOODRUFF HOLLAND was born July 1, 1874 in Prince Edward County, Va., and died September 5, 1949. She married (1) WALTER EVANS GRIFFITH November 30, 1898. He was born September 10, 1868, and died March 17, 1904. She married (2) JUDGE STEPHEN LEE FARRAR November 28, 1908. He was born December 13, 1861, and died April 14, 1929. Burial: Amelia Courthouse, Va.
Child of CLAY HOLLAND and WALTER GRIFFITH is:
18. i. EMILY MEREDITH GRIFFITH, born July 30, 1900, Amelia Courthouse, Va.; died there December 5, 1995.
Children of CLAY HOLLAND and JUDGE STEPHEN FARRAR are:
19. ii. STEPHEN LEE FARRAR JR., died April 16, 1977, Amelia Courthouse, Va.
20. iii. LILLY VIRGINIA FARRAR, born October 23, 1915, Amelia Courthouse, Va.
iv. CLAY HOLLAND FARRAR, born October 15, 1911; m. WITMER J. FRANK, December 17, 1943.
14. WALTON GREGORY HOLLAND was born August 30, 1896 in Virginia Beach, Va., and died there December 1970. He married LYNDELLE POSTON. She was born August 16, 1897 and died March 1986.
Ann Francis Holland writes in May, 2000: WALTON GREGORY HOLLAND lived all of his life at Virginia Beach. He served in the Navy during World War I. He attended the University of Virginia where he earned a law degree. Because of the Depression he became a carpenter. Eventually Walton had his own construction company. Later he became the building inspector for Virginia Beach. His wife, Lyndelle Poston, invented the famous Virginia Beach Life Guard swimsuit.
One of two children of WALTON HOLLAND and LYNDELLE POSTON is living; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
15. DAVID GREGORY HOLLAND was born February 25, 1901 in Virginia Beach, Va., and died there November 1960. He married WRENNIE JOLLET, daughter of CHARLES JOLLET and NANNIE FOGG. She was born June 22, 1900 in Portsmouth, Va., and died August 1977 in Virginia Beach.
Ann Francis Holland writes in May, 2000: DAVID GREGORY HOLLAND studied engineering at the University of Virginia He worked for the park service until illness and the loss (by fire) of his house on Lake Holly forced him and his family to move back with his parents. Their only surviving child was DORA CORNELIA HOLLAND; two children died at birth. David and Wrennie are buried in Eastern Shore Cemetery, Virginia Beach.
Child of DAVID HOLLAND and WRENNIE JOLLET is:
23. i. DORA CORNELIA HOLLAND, born September 14, 1937; died September 2, 1998. Four children; grandchildren are living.
16. BERNARD PEABODY HOLLAND JR. was born August 12, 1902, in Virginia Beach, Va., and died July 16, 1970 in Richmond, Va. He married CLAUDIA MILDRED EMMERSON April 28, 1928, daughter of JOHN CLOYD EMMERSON JR. and CLAUDIA VAUGHAN. She was born December 8, 1903 at 419 High St., Portsmouth, Va., and died in Richmond.
Ann Francis Holland writes in May 2000: He earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and worked for the Seaboard Railroad, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in Washington and then for the Smaller War Plants bureau. After the war he moved to Richmond and worked for Reynolds Metals. He was a master bridge player. His wife, Claudia Mildred Emmerson, was educated in Portsmouth Public Schools followed by Stuart Hall, Staunton, Va.; she was the author of "The Primrose Path," 1947; "Center Aisle," 1949; both published by Rhinehart & County, New York.
Two children of BERNARD HOLLAND and CLAUDIA EMMERSON are living; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren.
17. JOHN LYTTLETON TAZEWELL HOLLAND was born about 1909, and died about 1977 in Waycross, Ga.. He married MAY MURRAY in Savannah Ga.
Ann Holland remembers 'the "Uncle John" was a mechanic, loved Limberger cheeses and was a sweet man. Their adopted son, JOHN LYTTLETON TAZEWELL HOLLAND JR., died at age 9.
18. EMILY MEREDITH was born July 30, 1900 in Amelia Courthouse, Va., and died there December 5, 1995. She married GEORGE OLIN HARDY February 15, 1919. He was born August 4, 1896 in Lunenburg County, Virginia, and died November 27, 1981 in Richmond, Va.
EMILY GRIFFITH and GEORGE HARDY had three sons; grandchildren.
19. STEPHEN LEE died April 16, 1977 in Amelia Courthouse, Va.. He married LOIS FRANCIS MEEKS December 27, 1939 in Roanoke, Va.. She was born November 27, 1913 in Roanoke, Va., and died April 23, 1999 in Connecticut. Children are living.
20. LILLY VIRGINIA FARRAR was born October 23, 1915 in Amelia Courthouse, Va. She married CARY ELDRIDGE PATRICK there July 3, 1940. Children and grandchildren.
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