One Long Life: Jane (Turner) Holloway

When I began tracing my paternal family history in 1978, the first person I went to for information and guidance was my aunt, Nancy Jane McLean. She gave me a 4-generation pedigree chart, and that was the first time I saw the name of my great-great-great grandmother Jane Turner Holloway. Aunt Nancy had copied the chart from one drawn up in 1915 by her uncle, Charles W. Armstrong. He probably gathered the information from his grandmother, Mary Jane Scholfield who married Jane’s son, Charles Holloway. Although Mary Jane died in 1913, there is evidence in Charles’ poetry that he spent a good deal of time with his grandmother, of whom he was very fond. Charles had noted on his chart that the Holloways and the Scholfields were from Virginia, and came to Newton Township in the 1830’s. He also noted that George Holloway and his wife, Jane Turner, were Quakers, and that George had served in the War of 1812.

Charles’ chart provided only names and relationships, no dates, so I turned to the U.S. censuses to help me with birth information and age.  Back in the early 1980’s, finding this information meant a lot of hand-cranking and scrolling through hundreds of names. At least I could narrow my search for Jane and George to Newton Township, and successfully found them in the 1850-1860 censuses, and her in the 1870-1880 censuses. Jane’s age in these censuses gave me a birth year of about 1788, and confirmed she’d been born in Virginia. However, it was in the Muskingum County death record for 1884 (on file in the Clerk of Probate Court’s office) where I found precise information about G-G-G-Grandma. Page 106, line 4 reads:

Jane Holloway [Marital status] wid’d- [Death] Feb. 16, 1884, Newton Tp- [Cause] Old age- [Age] 96 yrs 1 mos. 12 days- [Place of birth] Stafford Co., Va.-[Occupation] Weaver- [Names of parents] Jas. Turner-[Residence] White Cottage.

This was a goldmine, but what most delighted me was that at 96, Jane had an occupation listed. It strikes me that weaving must have been an integral part of Jane’s long life; maybe she was weaving right up until she drew her last breath. Since weaving is listed as an occupation, Jane must have been talented enough to charge for her work; possibly her work was in demand. “Oh, look,” says one neighbor to another, “I just purchased an original Jane Turner Holloway woven blanket.” The other neighbor, jealous, vows to save up.

All kidding aside, I did and still do find the fact that a 96-year-old woman is listed with a skilled occupation at the time of her death of considerable interest and pride.

Despite having some rather precise vital information, I have not, to date, located anything more about Jane’s parents. I can say with assurance that Jane wasn’t a Quaker, although she’s noted as such in Great-uncle Charles’ pedigree chart. First, according to the 1850 U.S. census, Jane couldn’t read or write, and that would be unusual in a Quaker family, where great importance was placed on educating sons and daughters equally. But the definitive evidence that Jane wasn’t a Quaker is found in the minutes of Hopewell Monthly Meeting dated 10^th day of the 8^th month 1815: “George Holliway [sic] reported marrying contrary to discipline” [emphasis added] and “training in the militia & hired a substitute to serve therein. Disowned.”

Jane, Wife of George Holloway

I don’t know when Jane and George married. Their first child, Mary Ann, was born on November 8, 1812, so the marriage probably occurred a year or two earlier, and probably in Stafford County or in Frederick County, Virginia. However, the fact that Hopewell Meeting didn’t get around to disowning George for marrying out of meeting until 1815 makes me wonder if Mary Ann were born prior to her parents’ marriage. However, Quaker meetings sometimes accepted a Friend’s heartfelt apology for marrying contrary to discipline, and didn’t punish by disowning, so the earlier marriage year is possible. The military involvement, though, coupled with the contrary marriage would have pushed the Meeting over the disownment edge.

Jane and George had at least eight more children: John, Elizabeth, Jane Jr., Elmira, George Jr., Charles, Jesse S., and Caroline. All lived to adulthood.

Jane Turner Holloway outlived her husband 21 years. After her husband’s death, Jane applied for and was awarded a widow’s pension for George’s one month of militia service during the War of 1812. I haven’t found the amount of the pension awarded to Widow’s Certificate 28897.

Jane Turner and George Holloway are buried in the tiny Jacob Cherry Cemetery in Newton Township. Their names are inscribed on opposite sides of one gravestone.

One last thing. Until recently, when I found George Holloway’s last will and testament, I didn’t know the names of all Jane’s and his children. Thanks to the will, I not only know those names (above) but the names of spouses and children. A piece of calligraphy dedicated “To My Affectionate Grandmother” (an heirloom found in the Scholfield-Holloway Family Bible) is now identifiable as the work of Jane’s hitherto unknown grandson, John H. Murry, and she, of course, is the affectionate grandmother.

Jane's grandson dedicated this artful calligraphy to her