Genealogical History

Family history means a lot! It’s a source of pride an identity for many people, giving the sense of belonging and continuity. However, that is generally not the case for many African Americans, for reason that seem obvious. Fortunately for me, that’s not a problem, blessed with women who live long lives and a strong sense of family responsibility, we have a long tradition of oral history that goes back to the 1850’s, my mother’s family has long known where we came from.

This is the Story of the Holloway family, my mother’s ancestral family, made up of Free and Enslaved African Americans whose legacy includes a Speech Language Pathologist and Academic Dean/History Professor and a 2023 Graduate of Georgia State University and 2023 graduate of Arizona State University. We are the descendants of enslaved persons owned by a man named Silas Holloway who moved from Virginia to South Carolina in 1787. It is unknow it the enslaved persons were purchased in South Carolina or forced to migrate from Virginia. By 1820 Silas Holloway owns 11 enslaved males one born around 1820 whose name we don’t know in any official record, but according to family lore is named Silas.

It is here that my family’s story takes an interesting turn, because Silas next appears in the historical record in 1850, a freeman listed by name in the census, with a son named Willis who was, apparently born free in 1844. We have no idea how he came to be free; this discovery was somewhat surprising as most of the family had long since believed that to be an old rumor. I refrain from speculating on exactly how and focus on Willis, how worked as a laborer and carpenter and fathering 10 children, one of whom he names Silas after his own father.

Silas would meet and eventually marry a lady by the name of Eliza (Freemen) Holloway (who is known in the family as Grandma Eliza) born 1888. Her mother was a Women named Mary Freeman, born an enslaved women around 1855, who we all know in my family as Grandma Mum. Fortunately for this story she lived until 1957, my mother born in 1938 remembers her very well and still tells stories about her to my Children and my nieces and nephews ranging in age from 48 to 5. Unfortunately there is little record of her, but her stories live on, one of the family favorites is her refusal to speak to the WPA writers when they came around to interview formerly enslaved persons and her absolute instance that everyone speak proper English in her presences, a tradition that continued with her Great Granddaughter Zephia (my grandmother) who only allowed us to speak “the kings English” in her presence.

Which brings us back to Silas Holloway and his wife Eliza who my mother also remembers very well because she was alive until 1959. They would have six children, one of whom was Everlena McKnight (Grandma Suel), who would give birth to 7 children and was herself the Black Midwife in Cayce, South Carolina from the 1920s until the 50’s, the running joke in my family is that if you were Black and born in Cayce, you’re one of us because my Grandma Suel (I don’t know where these nicknames come from) delivered you. One of her children would be my Grandmother Zephia, and her only child, Myrtle, is my mother.

I have two siblings, one brother and one sister, one a entrepreneur the other a speech therapist and me the Dean/History professor. Between us we hold 3 BA’s, one BS, two MA’s, a Law Degree, and a PhD in progress. All of which are the legacy of Grandma Mum, who insisted on education as the cornerstone of our family, even at a time when African Americans were largely unable to attend school in the south.

Our story may or may not be exceptional, I tend think the story itself is probably not, our achievements may be impressive, but I’m sure this story is repeated by other families and likely more common that we are led to believe. What is special is the fact that I can tell it. For many African Americans this level of family detail is simply not possible. And while we are blessed as a family the true blessing is our ability to trace our roots back and share the story with others. While we have many more exceptional stories; like my grandfather, who served the army from January 1942 until Aug 1967 and his experiences from World War II to Korea and the integration of the army those will have to wait for another time.

I hope you all go and research your family history, you may be surprised what you find.

 

“Family View - Ancestry.Com.” Accessed May 7, 2023.

“Family View - Ancestry.Com.” Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/163405750/family?cfpid=262130375407&fpid=262130525022&usePUBJs=true.

“Mary Freeman - Hints.” Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/163405750/person/262130525022/hints?usePUBJs=true.

“Silas Holloway - Hints.” Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/163405750/person/262130375406/hints?usePUBJs=true.

“Willis Holliway - Hints.” Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/163405750/person/262130836628/hints?usePUBJs=true.