Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998
From: DAVID VMPH00A@prodigy.com
Subject: Mary (BARTON) HOLLAND, spouse of Rev. Moses HOLLAND (1758-1829), Pastor of Big Creek Baptist Church (BCBC) -- near what is now Williamston (Anderson Co), SC -- from 1788 until his death.
Moses HOLLAND was one of my maternal 4th gr-grandfathers. He was born Nov. 17, 1758, almost surely in Cumberland Co., VA, and by 1771 had removed with his parents to Charlotte Co., VA. As required, at age 16-18 he became a member of the Charlotte Co. militia and appears on surviving rosters as a "Drummer." As fate would have it, the Charlotte Co. militia was "called out" to reinforce the Continental Army in 1781, as it maneuvered to entrap Cornwallis on the VA Peninsula; consequently, Moses had the distinction of being among those who witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
By numerous, evidently factual accounts, Moses HOLLAND married Mary BARTON in Charlotte Co., VA, soon after his return from military service. A 1782 Charlotte Co. tax list (non-alphabetized) depicts the household of Moses HOLLAND as being only six removed from that of a James BARTON. While I can't as yet say with any certainty, it seems reasonable to suggest that Mary BARTON likely was related in some way to this James BARTON.
Shortly after this 1782 Charlotte Co. tax list was compiled, Moses HOLLAND and wife Mary removed briefly to Henry Co., VA, before embarking upon their journey to Pendleton District, SC. While the first reference to Moses yet found in "official" SC-related records is his appearance in the 1790 Federal Census of Pendleton District, the records of BCBC make it clear that he became Pastor upon its establishment in 1788. To the best of my knowledge and belief, no one has yet accounted for Moses' whereabouts in the years 1784-1788 -- although much speculation centers on several counties in west-central NC.
Mary (BARTON) HOLLAND died ca.1809 and is buried in the cemetery at BCBC. Although omitting the date of death, the tombstone gives her date of birth as "1768." Mary was the mother of at least two children by Moses HOLLAND -- a daughter, Frances HOLLAND (b.1794) who married Robert KING; and a son, Thomas HOLLAND (bef.1794) -- and perhaps others [see note below]. As is/was the case with the nearby BARTON household in Charlotte Co., VA in 1782, I cannot yet offer an opinion whether-- and if so to what extent -- Mary (BARTON) HOLLAND was related to the several BARTON families present in Pendleton District in the last decades of the 1700s and first decades of the 1800s. Suffice it to say, though, that I would be stunned to learn that no relationship existed.
Either/Both of you are welcome to use this material however you choose -- or, of course, not use it if you choose. I'll watch with great interest as you unravel the various BARTON connections in Upper SC -- and in North GA, as well, since some of Moses' descendants moved there, as well. I wish I had more to offer re Mary (BARTON) HOLLAND's birth family at the moment; when such material is discovered, at least I now know where to turn!
NOTES:
1. Although not mentioned in a published history of BCBC -- and thus not yet widely accepted among Moses HOLLAND researchers -- a growing body of evidence suggests that Mary BARTON was the second wife of Moses HOLLAND. Dependent upon the outcome of on-going research by/debate among Moses HOLLAND researchers, Mary also may have been the mother of the four oldest children of Moses: a daughter, Ellender HOLLAND; and three sons, James HOLLAND, Chesley D. HOLLAND, and John HOLLAND.
2. As noted above, it can now be demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that Moses HOLLAND was born in Cumberland Co., VA. Nevertheless, the published history of BCBC states that Moses HOLLAND was "born in Culpeper Co., VA . . ." This latter statement has been repeated so frequently over many years that it has become almost an article of faith among virtually all Moses researchers, who have accepted it as factual without verification/validation. In truth, the records of Culpeper Co., VA -- intact since its establishment in 1749 -- reveal no reference to ANY HOLLAND before the mid-1770s.
I mention this point only for this reason: One is inclined to think that the BCBC historian(s) must have had some good-faith reason -- albeit erroneous -- to think that Moses' birthplace was Culpeper Co. I noticed with great interest the several references to BARTONs in Fauquier Co., VA, which was/is immediately adjacent to Culpeper Co. While several other, equally plausible explanations can be offered, IF -- IF -- Mary (BARTON) HOLLAND were born in the vicinity of Fauquier Co., it's not too difficult to imagine that an early descendant of Moses and Mary might well have supposed that both were born in that vicinity. This might thereby provide not only the basis for the incorrect BCBC statement re Culpeper Co. as Moses' birthplace, but also a potential clue re the birthplace of Mary (BARTON) HOLLAND.
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998
From: DAVID VMPH00A@prodigy.com