George Holland (abt. 1722 - aft. 1792)

Born about 1722 in Hanover County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Husband of Sarah (Ford) Holland — married about 27 Aug 1746 in Goochland County, Colony of Virginia

Husband of Mary (Coleman) Holland — married 21 Mar 1757 in Orange County, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died after 1792 after about age 70 in Louisa County, Virginia, United States [uncertain]

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George Holland resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

NOTE: This profile represents the George Holland who appears in Louisa and Goochland Counties, Virginia, during the period from 1746-1792, and is designated as DAR Ancestor A057119. He is frequently confused with George Holland, who lived in Montgomery, Wythe, and Grayson Counties, Virginia, during the same period, and made his will in Grayson County in June 1802

Biography

Birth

George Holland was born in about 1722 in the Colony of Virginia, possibly in Hanover County. He was the son of Michael Holland and Judith (____), and is identified as his son in Michael's will made on 10 October 1746.^[1] The exact location of his birth is uncertain, but when George was a boy his father received several Virginia land grants between 1732-1735, including a parcel of 88 acres in a settled area of Hanover County, and more than 8000 acres further west in Goochland and future Louisa Counties.^[2][3][4][5]

Marriages

Sarah Ford

The earliest known record which mentions George is the record of a marriage bond entered by Michael and George Holland for the marriage of George to Sarah Ford, made in Goochland County on 27 August 1746.^[6]

George Holland and Sarah Ford were married in Goochland County within a few days of the date of that bond. On 10 October 1746, George's father Michael made his will in Goochland County, in which he a made large bequest of land in Louisa County (land he had received in the 1732 land grant), as well as slaves, stock, etc., to George, in part to fulfill an agreement with William Ford, father of Sarah Ford, pursuant to which Michael had agreed to give the couple £600 and William Ford had agreed to give them £200 in consideration of their marriage promise. Michael died before 17 March 1746/7 when his will was probated, leaving George as the owner of extensive land holdings in what had by then become Louisa County, Colony of Virginia.^[1]

Sarah was still alive as late as 27 March 1750, when she relinquished her dower rights in a 200 acre tract of land in Louisa County George Holland had sold to Dabney Pettus on 27 June 1749. At that time, George and Sarah were living in Fredericksville Parish, Louisa County.^[7] However, Sarah died before 1757, when George married his second wife. There is an entry in the Douglas Register in which Rev. Douglas notes a sermon preached at "Mrs. Hollands funeral" on an unspecified date in 1750, which could be Sarah.^[8]

Mary Coleman

On 21 March 1757, George Holland married second Mary Coleman at St. Thomas Parish in Orange County, Colony of Virginia, which is adjacent to Louisa.^[9]

American Revolution

Dr. George Holland performed Patriotic Service in Virginia in the American Revolution.

George Holland is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A057119.

George Holland furnished supplies in support of the American Revolutionary War.^[10] He is honored for his Patriotic Service by the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution as DAR Ancestor A057119.^[11]

Profession

George is identified by several sources as a "Doctor," presumbaly a medical doctor.^[12][13]

Patrick Henry Defends His Son on a Murder Charge

In about 1792, George's son Michael Holland was working as a schoolmaster in Botetourt County when he killed a man and was charged with murder. Dr. Holland, still living in Louisa County at this time, had been a childhood friend of Patrick Henry, whom he retained to represent his son in the murder trial. Based on Judge Roane's first hand description of the events and trial, it appears that this son had not turned out well, and the man he killed was quite popular, leading to a great deal of local outrage about the killing. However, Patrick Henry's defense of the young man was dramatic, and he was able to persuade the jury to quickly acquit him of the murder charge. Unfortunately, after the judge reminded the jury that they could find him guilty of a lesser charge of homicide, they then convicted him of manslaughter instead.^[13]

Death

The circumstances of George's death are uncertain, but he likely died not long after that murder trial. The last known record clearly referring to him is a land transaction in Louisa County on 11 September 1792, in which his wife Mary, who was unable to travel to Court to acknowledge a deed George had entered into on 11 June 1791 deed, was interviewed at “the dwelling house of Doctor George Holland” in Louisa County by Nelson Anderson & John Overton, Justices of Louisa County, to confirm her acknowledgment; both appointed by the Court for this purpose on 2 Apr 1792.^[14] There is a transaction on 19 February 1795 in which "George Holland of Goochland County" enters into an indenture of several named slaves, stock, and household goods to secure a large loan from David Ross in Louisa County, but this is probably George's son George rather than the elderly doctor himself.^[15]

Children

Children of George and Sarah

The children of George Holland and Sarah Ford included at least:

1. Mary, b. abt 1747, m. Charles Burton, 3 Nov 1766^[16][17]

Children of George and Uncertain Mother

The children of George Holland and uncertain mother, but probably his second wife Mary Coleman, include at least:

• George, m. Susannah George, 7 Nov 1779^[18][19]

The date of George's birth is unknown, but if he was about 21-22 at the time of this marriage, then he would have been born in the middle of the gap between the marriage of George and Mary in 1757 and the birth of their first child with a confirmed brth date from the Douglas Register on 15 February 1762, discussed below. The elder George and his young second wife Mary appear to have had a child like clockwork every two years from 1762-1768, so it is likely that they had at least one older child during the period from 1758-1760 not reflected in the Douglas Register baptism records, probably this son George.

• James

Nothing further is known about James, but he is referred to in a letter from Marmaduke Beckwith Morton (1794-1886), who claimed to know the family as a boy. However, the letter was written by Morton when he was in his 90s, and contains some details about the murder trial which conflict with the more contemporaneous account from Judge Roane quoted above; among other things, Morton identifies James as the brother who was charged with murder rather than Michael.^[20]

Children of George and Mary Coleman

Children of George Holland and Mary Coleman include at least:

1. Richard Anderson, b. 15 Feb 1762, bp. 12 Apr 1762^[21]
2. Salley, b. 26 Apr 1764, bp. 24 Jun 1764^[21]
3. Frances ("Frankie"), b. 8 Apr 1766, bp. 17 May 1766^[21]
4. Michael, b. 30 Mar 1768, bp. 10 Apr 1768^[21]

Other Possible Children

Jeannette Holland Austin identifies the following additional children of George, without specifying the mother or citing the source for the claim:^[22]

• Betty, b. abt 1752, m. Stephen Robinson
• Judith, m. George Goodloe

and "probably"

• William, b. abt 1750, owned 1000 acres on South Ann River in Goochland County, m. Jane Beckley

Research Notes

Estimated Birth Year

The birth year of 1722 is an estimate based on his first marriage in 1746.

Disputed Middle Name & Suffix

A prior version of this profile included a middle name of Russell, but there is no known source for this claim. He was also previously identified as "George Holland, Sr.," but no known primary records refer to him in that way either, so the suffix and middle name have been removed pending citation of a reliable source for those claims.

Additional Property Transactions

• 1761 May - George and Mary Holland of Goochland, St. James orphan Rarish bought 797 acres of land by name of Green Spring on South Anna River in Fredericksville Parish.^{[citation needed]}

• 1771 - Pouncy Anderson sold to George Holland of Louisa County, Virginia, 400 acres.^{[citation needed]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Goochland County, Virginia, Deed Book 5, pp. 222-224; images, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P6-9SF9 : accessed 16 Jun 2023); FHL 31,654, DGS 7,645,025 (Will of Michael Holland, made 10 Oct 1746, proved 17 Mar 1746/7).
2. ↑ Virginia Land Grant 11 Apr 1732, Michael Holland; Land Office Patents No. 14, 1728-1732 (pt. 1 & 2), p. 412 (Reel 11); images, Library of Virginia, (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007711230205756 : accessed 17 Jun 2023) (88 acres between the lines of Wm. Barnet, and Robert Clopton, Hanover County).
3. ↑ Virginia Land Grant 11 Apr 1732, Michael Holland; Land Office Patents No. 14, 1728-1732 (pt. 1 & 2), p. 434 (Reel 11); images, Library of Virginia, (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007711130205756 : accessed 17 Jun 2023) (3360 acres on the branches of Licking Hole Creek and the branches of the Byrd., County not given (appears to be future Louisa County).
4. ↑ Virginia Land Grant 11 Apr 1732, Michael Holland; Land Office Patents No. 14, 1728-1732 (pt. 1 & 2), p. 437 (Reel 11); images, Library of Virginia, (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007711190205756 : accessed 17 Jun 2023) (400 acres on both sides of Cunningham Creek, Goochland County).
5. ↑ Virginia Land Grant 10 Sep 1735, Michael Holland; Land Office Patents No. 16, 1735, p. 242 (Reel 14); images, Library of Virginia, (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007711200205756 : accessed 17 Jun 2023) (4365 acres on both sides of Ivy Creek of the south side of the Rivanna River, Goochland County).
6. ↑ Marriage Bond, Michael Holland for marriage of George Holland & Sarah Ford, 27 Aug 1746; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91W-B6K8 : accessed 17 Jun 2023); FHL 1,928,586, DGS 7,736,797. NOTE: The date of this record is incorrectly indexed by FamilySearch as 27 Feb 1746, but the date on the original record is 27 August.
7. ↑ Louisa County Deedbook A, pp. 352-353; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS42-43QM-R : accessed 17 Jun 2023).
8. ↑ W. Mac Jones, ed., The Douglas Register, (Richmond, 1928), 338; images, Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/details/douglasregisterb00doug : accessed 17 Jun 2023).
9. ↑ Orange County, Virginia, Marriage Register vol. 1, p. 1, 21 Mar 1757, George Holland & Mary Coleman; image, Family Search, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GGY3-X18 : accessed 17 Jun 2023); FHL 33,031, item 1; DGS 4810100.
10. ↑ Janice L. Abercrombie & Richard Slatten, comp., Virginia Revolutionary "Publick" Claims, 3 vols., (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Co., 1992), 2:626, 663 & 640.
11. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 19 August 2022), "Record of George Holland", Ancestor # A057119.
12. ↑ Louisa Deed Book G, pp. 248-9, at 249; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKJ-4TVM : accessed 17 Jun 2023); FHL 32,204, DGS 8151707, images 141-2 (referring to "the dwelling house of Doctor George Holland").
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} William Wirt Henry, Patrick Henry: Life, Correspondence and Speeches, 3 vols., (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1891), 2:480-481; images, Hathitrust, (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006578451 : accessed 17 Jun 2023); quoting a letter from Judge Spencer Roane, who witnessed the 1792 trial in which Patrick Henry defended George's son Michael Holland on a charge of murder in Botetourt County.
14. ↑ Louisa Deed Book G, pp. 130-31 & 248-249; FHL 32,204, DGS 8,151,707.
15. ↑ Louisa Deed Book I, pp. 88-89; images, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKJ-W9LM-H : accessed 17 Jun 2023); FHL 32,205, DGS 8,151,708.
16. ↑ Goochland County Marriage Register 1730-1853, p. 11, 2 Nov 1763, Charles Burton; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89XF-CVDV : accessed 17 Jun 2023), FHL 31,650, DGS 7,578,977 (Marriage bond given by George and Michael Holland for marriage of Mary Holland, daughter of George, to Charles Burton (b. Jan 1740), son of Robert Burton).
17. ↑ Douglas Register, at 213 (marriage of Charles Burton & Mary Holland, 3 Nov 1763).
18. ↑ Goochland County Marriage Register 1730-1853, p. 23, 6 Nov 1779; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99XF-C693 : accessed 17 Jun 2023), FHL 31,650, DGS 7,578,977.
19. ↑ Douglas Register, at 65 (marriage of Susannah George & Geo. Holland, 7 Nov 1779)
20. ↑ Stephen O. Southall, "Henry Wood, First Clerk of Goochland, and his Descendants," The Virginia Magazine of History & Biography, 53 (1945): 64-69, at 68; images, JSTOR, (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4245335 : accessed 16 Jun 2023) (another description of the murder trial and MIchael's misbehavior as a schoolmaster; also claims that their brother George "hung two Tories during the Revolutionary War on the Ground Squirrel Road leading from the mountains to Richmond").
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3} Douglas Register, at 213.
22. ↑ Jeannette Holland Austin, The Georgia Frontier, 3 vols., (Baltimore: Clearfield, 2005), 2:198-199. NOTE: Austin's book is a helpful resource for Holland researchers but she frequently does not not cite her sources and some of her claims appear to be speculative. Use with caution.