For the first time ever, living relatives of descendants from six siblings stemming from Bulloch County in the early 1800s met each other, enjoyed fellowship, and learned about their past together.
DNA and platforms like Ancestry are what made this opportunity possible. The reunion was affectionately named Portal’s Promise.
Ancestry has piqued the interest of many during the pandemic, and this family was no different. After many months of research, this family has been able to trace their ancestors back to the early 1800s, stemming from a group of Holloway siblings who were the first generation of this lineage born on U.S. soil.
The primary families of Holloways, Parrish, Riggs and Lanier extend to the Mercer, Ellis, Dekle, Summerlin, Mincey, Bird, Williams, Holland, Littles, Lindsay, and Rawls lineages.
Their ancestors lived, worked, and tended to the land within Bulloch, Evans, Screven, Candler, Tattnall, Daisy, Emmanuel, Toombs, Liberty, and Brooks counties.
Based on information retrieved from the 1870 and 1880 Census, the Holloway descendants learned that the father to Andy, Aaron, Isaac, Lymus/Linus, Perry, and Clara Holloway was born in Africa, and the family now refers to him as “Father Africa Holloway” (abt. 1776). The mother was born in Virginia and is referred to as “Mother Holloway” (abt. 1780). Their children above, are now referred to as the “Root Holloways.”
Also in attendance for the historic occasion were Mayor Jonathan McCollar and Bulloch County commissioners at the Friday, June 30, gathering at the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, as the family learned more about its past.
For more information on the reunion, click here.
