Homer Cephus Holley

Notes:

Lived in Callands VA.
Member of County Line Christian Church.
Worked as a tobacco farmer, saw miller, and logger.
Served in the United States Army.
Veteran of World War II.

Buried:
Find A Grave Memorial# 156672591

Homer married Mabel Alice Finney on 20 Jul 1940. Mabel (daughter of Peter Thomas Finney and Minnie Alice Wright) was born on 26 Apr 1922 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A.; died on 7 Sep 2002 in Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.; was buried in Holley Family Cemetery; Liberty Baptist Church, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.. [Group Sheet]

1. Living
2. Living
3. Living
4. Living
5. Margie Marie Holley was born in 1944; died in 1944 in Died in Infancy.

Beverly married Martha Ellen Reynolds about 1909-10. Martha (daughter of William Barton "Bart" Reynolds and Nancy "Nannie" Reynolds) was born on 27 Sep 1889 in Marlowe homeplace, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.; died on 09 Sep 1965 in Danville, Virginia U.S.A.; was buried in Holley Family Cemetery, Liberty Baptist Church, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Buried:
Find A Grave Memorial# 68966960

Notes:

James Leonard Holley fought in the Civil War at the age of 17. He was in the Johnson C. McIntosh Artillery Battalion and was at Appomattox when Lee surrendered. It is recorded that he attended two DAR birthday dinners; one on 30 Sep 1909 and another on 30 Sep 1911.

He lived with his wife and family in Callands, Virginia where he was a miller.

James married Alzeria Ella Gregory on 24 Mar 1878. Alzeria (daughter of John Branch Gregory and Martha Jane Eanes) was born on 22 Jul 1855; died on 19 Jan 1941; was buried in Holley Family Cemetery; Liberty Baptist Church, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Examination of the Census Records for 1900 and 1910 show that Bart and his family are closely situated to the Joshua Columbus Manning's (married his sister Mary Permelia "Bettie" Reynolds. They are shown within two households of one-another on each Census.

Born 28 Sep 1848 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, William Barton Reynolds, was the fourth child of Allen Gilmer Reynolds and Martha Ann Jackson. Bart was named for his father's brother, William Barton Reynolds, Sr. (Barton), a testament of his father's regard for his brother. The name Barton first appears in our family when Bart's grandmother, Sarah Philpott named Bart's uncle in 1827, after her great-great grandmother, Elizabeth Barton Smoot, born in 1701.

"Bart" became his 'distinguishing name', very early. He had two older brothers, Levi and James Samuel, each named for his mother's father and his mother's brother; each instrumental in her upbringing. Older sister Tabitha Ann and younger siblings John Henry, Cephus Wilson, Elizabeth "Bettie' and Texanna composed Bart's family. Texanna, was born after her mother's brother moved to Texas, and was so named to commerate the event.

We find no evidence of Bart serving in an official capacity during the Civil War. Too young, to go away, he served at home, with a thousand chores and fear everywhere. His uncles, served in the Home Guard, their sons, so many of them; gone to fight. Loved-ones left at home, to worry and fear. Bart grows into manhood while the war rages and claims his cousins. His brother, Levi, leaves home in 1860 to travel to Pennsylvania and marry; Levi is 23, Bart 12. Brother James Samuel is 16, John Henry is 5 and Cephus is 2 years old. Sister Bettie is 9; Tabitha is 14 and Texanna is 7. Levi is the only one of his siblings who will leave Pittsylvania County to make his home.

During his 25th year, Bart marries the very attractive 18 year old Nancy Reynolds in about 1873. His brother James Samuel "Jim" marries her sister Bet about the same time. They knew them well. The girls are the daughters of his Uncle Barton and Aunt Rutha Reynolds. Three other of the girls also married cousins.

Bart and Nancy farmed on Barn Road in Callands. A family photograph of their log cabin, taken in 1898 shows all of their children except the last one, Buster, who was in his mother's belly for the occasion. Bart is 50, Nancy, 44. They have buried two newborn babies in the last 3 years, and she is pregnant again. Their private cemetery marks their sorrows; two infants graves, marked with fieldstones, In another six years they will bury their oldest daughter. Dead before her prime, grieved by her parents, siblings and all of her grandparents, cousins, and a husband.

Weddings and births, christenings and parties mark the years as they pass. They have 10 children living before 1900; eight will survive into middle age and most will bring home their own babies.

Bart has had diabetes for a long time. He lost his right leg below the knee; an infection that would not heal. The disease would take its toll before his death, progressing in a now predictable sequence of events; a disease that would trickle down through his progeny for the next 110 years.

By 1910 the next generation has begun, and the last generation is a beloved memory. Bart's mother and father are dead. Nancy's mother and father died with a year of each other, nearly 20 years earlier. Bart's oldest son has a son; his eldest daughter is dead. Molly too has a young son, and is about to remarry in Norfolk; Essie is settled with several children; Missy is about to have her first baby; Kate 29, has moved to North Carolina; Jim, 25, is courting Sally Fannie Wells, and Claira and Ruth are striking 18 and 20 year-olds, as yet unclaimed by mates. Ford is 23 and Buster, his baby son is only 12 years old.

The next 100 years see his progeny increase, and the legacy of this man's integrity, determination, faith, love and respect find its way from his genes to ours.
~ Mary Frances Reynolds Eggleston
mfeggleston@gmail.com

William married Nancy "Nannie" Reynolds about 1873-74. Nancy (daughter of William Barton Reynolds, Sr. and Ruth Ann "Rutha" Oakes) was born on 03 Jun 1854 in Marlowe homeplace, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.; died on 23 Jan 1924 in Marlowe homeplace, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.. [Group Sheet]

William married Mary "Polly" Hundley. Mary was born on 24 May 1813 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. [Group Sheet]

John married Martha Jane Eanes on 18 Dec 1851. Martha was born in Circa 1832. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Sherry Moschler and Michael Reynolds of 1426 Barn Road Callands Virginia submitted the following information to be included in the Heritage Series of Books for Pittsylvania Co., Virginia; this can be seen at the Bassett Historical Society Bassett, Virginia Article # 1095:
" Allen Gilmer Reynolds married Martha Ann Jackson. They lived on Turkeycock Mountain at a place known as "Double Oaks Gap". A foundation on the old homeplace can still be detected there along with large piles of rock - monuments to the backbreaking work involved in clearing the mountain land for farming purposes. Two of their children are buried at Double Oaks Gap. In 1878 they moved off the mountain to the Grady Community.

(Tabitha and Texanna, two of their daughters died, probably of yellow fever during an epidemic just before they returned to Grady; Allen and Martha were parents to eight children, six who reached maturity and produced families of their own.-Mary Frances Eggleston


Name:
Allen Gilmer Reynolds was named by his mother, Sarah Philpott, for her brother, Allen Gilmer Philpott.

Allen married Martha Ann Jackson on 24 May 1843 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Martha (daughter of James Samuel Jackson and Judith Emmerson) was born on 30 Mar 1819 in North Carolina or Virginia; died in 24 Mar 1909 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia; was buried in Worlds, Rt. 969, Pittsylvania Co., Virginia. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Martha Ann Jackson, d/o James Samuel and Judith Emmerson Jackson is the niece of Levi Jackson. Levi and his wife Ann Emmerson (sister to Martha's mother, Judith) had no children of their own and reared Judith's children after her death in circa 1828. Martha too, was probably in their household in the 1830 Census which shows one female child age 10-15 along with 6 other children. Levi and Ann had no children. Presumably these children are those of Ann's sister. It is likely that Martha named her eldest son, Levi for her uncle who helped raise her.
At the time of the 1880 Census they were living in Franklin Co., next door to Susan Bryant, proven to be a daughter of James, (sister of Martha Ann) Martha Ann is named for her mother's grandmother, Martha Walker.

Buried:
The 'modern' marker for Allen Gilmer and Martha Ann Jackson Reynolds was installed by Mrs. Ruth Mae Reynolds Marlowe, d/o William Barton "Bart" and Nancy "Nannie" Reynolds. Martha Ann Jackson was Ruth's grandmother.

Martha Ann Jackson is the daughter of James Samuel Jackson and Judith Emmerson. Judith Emmerson is the daughter of John Emmerson. Judith Emmerson DOB of 1787 is from an entry in the LDS IGI. She was deceased by Jan 1833 when James Jackson married a second time and two of her younger children were in the household of her sister and brother-in-law Anne Emmerson Jackson and Levi Jackson.

Notes:

1860 Census VA Franklin Co VA SW district
HH 663 661
Allen G Reynolds 42
Martha A 42
Chesley 23
James S 18
William B 12
Tabitha Ann 14
Permelia E 8
Texanna F 7
John H 5
Cephas W 2

Notes:

Barton Reynolds is the youngest child in his family. His father, John Devin died when he was 4 years old. He married Ruth Ann Oakes and had a large family. Five of the children of William Barton Sr. and Rutha Oakes married first cousins.

1880 VA Census Pittsylvania County, Callands District, Heritage Quest Series T9, Roll 1384, Page 49: HH/Fam 67 Line 25-33 Barton 52, Ruthey 51, Hallie 18, James A. 16, John T. 13, Henry (Hughey) 11, Marie F 8, Roxanne 6, William 6.

By 1880 Nannie, Bett, and Sally are out of the home. Hallie's age is wrong.

William married Ruth Ann "Rutha" Oakes on 14 Dec 1852 in Henry County, Virginia. Ruth (daughter of William Burl "Billie" Oakes, Sr. and Sarah Ann "Sally" Phraley) was born on 12 Jun 1832 in Marlowe homeplace, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.; died in 02 Feb 1891 in Marlowe homeplace, Callands, Pittsylvania, Virginia U.S.A.. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Rutha lived only 8 mos. after the death of her husband, William Barton 'Barton' Reynolds.