Kerry Ann Hollier again

Kerry Ann queried the identity of the two very young grandchildren shown in the 1891 census for the family of William and Elizabeth Hollier (née Stevenson) of Leicester. She had bought their birth certificates and was none the wiser. The answer seems to be that they were both illegitimate children of the two daughters of the family: Annie Elizabeth and Emma. The 1901 census data supports this. The birth certificates are far from being truthful!

Burnham Abbey Farm

Carol Eden found this engraving showing Burnham Abbey Farm c1814, which is the time when the tenant farmer was John & Mary Ann Hollier, descendants of the Deddington Holliers.

Art Gallery update

More items have been uploaded to the Art Gallery

Headington Marriage Challenge

Sue Hedges sent through 6 certificates from the Headington Marriage Challenge, including one that had been mistranscribed in the GRO indexes as Hillier, so was new to me. However, I was somewhat taken aback by this new marriage of Arthur Hollier to Beatrice Willis in Q4 1923, as I also have a marriage in Q4 1924 of Thomas Hollier to Beatrice M Willis in Pontypridd. It turns out that it is just a coincidence!

HOLLYER-L Mailing List

As well as this Blog, I still keep a mailing list going for those interested in the research. Recent postings have led to three out of date e-mail addresses bouncing messages. In case you read this Blog, can the following get in touch?

Crystal Calbreath
David L Hollyer
The previous owner of grmn005@it.canterbury.ac.nz

Catch-up posting

While I've been abroad, I've fallen behind posting items to this Blog, so this is by way of a catch-up of events in the last month.

Marion Harper Hopkins sent through 3 interesting marriages from the Lambeth Marriage Challenge.

1838: Joseph Carter and Caroline Hollier. She says she was the daughter of John Hollier, a solicitor. The only Hollier solicitor around that time is John Hollier, the prominent solicitor from Thame, OXF. But he never married. Maybe he did have a daughter though...

1840: Arthur Marriott and Jane Hollier, daughter of Thomas Hollier deceased. From the 1851 census, I suspect that Jane was born c1811 in Lambeth, so might be the Jane born 15th Oct 1810 in the IGI who was baptised late at St Leonard's, Shoreditch, daughter of Thomas and Ann Hollier. If so, then she may be the daughter of Thomas and Ann from the 'Till Hollier' family. They certainly had a son Till Henry in 1806.

1847: James Hollier and Charlotte Towsey. James was the son of John Hollier, labourer. A previous marriage challenge for Aylesbury RD showed that James Hollier, son of John Hollier from the Sydenham family, was already a widower when he married in 1859 to Mary Holt. He married a third time in 1872. So although Lambeth is perhaps a surprising place to find him, I think this must be the same James from Sydenham. Charlotte is probably the one shown as dying in Q1 1853 in St Olave.

Bernadette Siebert, my regular correspondent from NZ, gave me details of a recently released record of a 1946 divorce: Thomas Stanley Hollier v Violet Mary Allan Hollier.

Kirsty Gray, the Guild secretary came across a baptism previously unknown to me:
William Thomas Hollier son of John and Elizabeth Hollier bapt. 21 August 1763 at St Mary, Lambeth.

He was from the 'Westminster Holliers' and this baptism date fits well with his apprenticeship date of 1777, whereas his age at death had previously suggested a birthdate around 1748.

Carol Eden came back to me with some information and further enquiries about the Deddington Holliers. She also sent the photo of the 1799 gravestone in Deddington of John Hollier, shown above left. She also tells me there is a memorial to Benjamin Hollier (died 1805) at Shipston upon Stour.

Sandra Jones wrote enquiring whether I knew of an Edith Rebecca Hollier amongst the 'Sydenham Holliers' in Penrith, NSW, Australia. I've scoured my records and can't find anyone with this name - but she has a photo of her! She also asked about Thomas Collins who married Ann Hollier (née Rymills) after her first husband Eden died. She also asked about those from the Sydenham family that emigrated from Australia to New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century. This seems to be a real case of "there were three brothers who emigrated..."

Finally, Guillaume Hollier replied giving outline details of all the descendants of Bertram Hollier who went to France.

Guillaume Hollier

Guillaume Hollier wrote to the HOLLYER-L mailing list to say hello. Although he is French, his grandfather Bertram Hollier was born in England in 1919 and descends from the Moreton in the Marsh Hollier family, and ultimately from the Deddington Holliers from Oxfordshire.