Hollowell-NC-KY-1800-Now Hello, my name is Walter Parker Hollowell. I am a member of Afrigeneas, and I have been researching my familes in western Kentucky for many years. In conducting my family research, I had never considered looking at the issue of slavery. I don't think that it was an issue of prejudice. I have been married to a wonderful black woman for thirty years. I think I had a paradigm that kept me focused on my immediate family line. One day, I met a young woman who appeared to be mixed and had a nose like mine and had my family name. My whole world turned upside down! I had to find out about this woman and her ancestry. That encounter, literally changed my life, and gave my life a richness that I treasure today. After discovering my new found cousin, I embarked on a mission to trace her family. After many hours of research all I had was her family's lineage back to 1880 and the knowledge that in the 1850 Census there were two old freed slaves Abram and Anica in my great great grandfather's household. I was stuck! I had hit the same wall that many people hit. Then came the discovery. I was reviewing a microfilm of estate inventories looking for Hollowell estates. I didn't find one. Almost ready to give up, I decided to look arbitrarily at some estates. When I stopped cranking the film, I looked at a frame. Before my eyes were the names of Abram and Anica along with about twenty other slaves. I was astonished. Whose estate were they in? It turns out that they were in the estate of Robert T. Parker. As you will learn, Robert T. Parker's daughter would marry my great great grandfather Erwin Hollowell. The point of this is that you must be flexible and be willing to look at families other than your primary family. Break the paradigm. This is a story about my family during slavery times. In many ways it is a typical story; in other ways, it is quite unusual. The story begins around 1800 in North Carolina with two families, the Hollowells and the Parkers, that would meet in western Kentucky. Robert T. Parker, his wife Mildred Ann, two children and a family of slaves left North Carolina for western Kentucky around 1808 The slave family included Abram (b.1778), Anica (b.1773), Nathaniel (b1804), Bivoy, Collins, Milly, Mallor, and Vina Sr. Robert T. Parker purchased 800 acres of land on the Dry Fork of Eddy Creek in what became Caldwell County, Kentucky. Robert would become a successful and influential farmer. Their primary products were hogs, corn, oats and tobacco. Miles Hollowell, a descendant of early Virginia Quakers, and a Revolutionary War veteran decided to find his fortune in the Kentucky frontier. At age 50, Miles and his wife Ann Smithwick, 8 children, his sister and brother-in-law, and possibly a family of slaves joined a wagon train that would eventually lead them to fertile lands along the Cumberland River in western Kentucky. Miles and Ann Hollowell settled on the Muddy Fork of Little River just south of the present county line separating Trigg and Caldwell counties. There were many people like themselves in the same area from North Carolina and Virginia. For many years these farmers and their slaves would struggle together to carve out a living in the wilderness. Master and slave performed the same tasks and often lived together. Miles raised tobacco, corn and made commercial spirits. Two of Miles and Ann's sons, Erwin Hollowell and Noah Hollowell, left home and settled about five miles north on the Dry Fork of Eddy Creek next to Robert T. Parker. In 1829, Erwin married Mary Ann Parker one of Robert T. Parker's daughters. Noah remained a bachelor. Both Erwin and Noah became successful tobacco farmers. They were also slave owners. By 1860, Erwin would own about 80 slaves and Noah would own 32 slaves. While there were slaveowners in the area who owned more slaves, most Kentucky slaveowners had about five slaves. In 1839, Robert T. Parker died. Erwin helped settle his estate. Most of the 30 or so slaves went to his widow Mildred Ann as part of her dower. Erwin received Vina Sr. and her daughter Vina Jr. By 1850, Mildred Ann died and almost all of the slaves went to Erwin Hollowell. In the 1850 Census, both Abram and Anica were free and living in Erwin Hollowell's household. Erwin had a number of children including two that became medical doctors. One of them, Isaac Parker Hollowell was my great grandfather. "Dr. Ike", I believe, had a life long relationship with a slave woman named Venus. We first learn of Venus in the 1839 will of Miles Hollowell. Miles willed his eight slaves to his wife and children. One of them, Venus, was willed to Miles' daughter Lucretia. Venus stayed with Lucretia until she was about 18. Lucretia, fearing the end, willed Venus and Venus' mulatto children Minerva and Alfred to her brother Erwin Hollowell. Lucretia also directed that her slave boy Sam be sold and the profits distributed to the heirs. Venus and Dr. Ike were the same age. I believe Dr. Ike and Venus saw each other whenever Dr. Ike visited his aunt Lucretia. Lucretia, I believe, didn't sell Venus and her children as she did her boy Sam because Venus' children were Dr. Ike's. As time wore on, we would continue to see Dr. Ike and Venus together. In the 1870 Census, Venus lives next door to Dr. Ike and is his servant. She also has additional children, including a son named Doc. Dr. Ike was married in 1863 to a woman 19 years younger. Venus' son Doc was already 19 years old. In 1873, Venus marries Nathaniel, son of Abram and Anica. After Erwin Hollowell dies in 1876, Dr. Ike arranged for Venus and Nathaniel to live in Erwin Hollowell's manor house. In the 1870 Census, Noah Hollowell had a lively household. He had nine blacks and mulattos living in his house. Living next to him were three other houses with blacks and mulattos. In each house, including his own, lived a woman without an occupation.. Noah Hollowell apparently fathered a number of mulatto children. One witness at an inquiry regarding Noah's taxes said that Noah once said that he "had a lot of small Negroes eating him up". Well, Noah in his will of 1872 provided land and money to these small Negroes. Noah also directed that after divesting his estate, any remaining property was to be parceled out to all his heirs equally. Erwin Hollowell, Noah's brother was the legal guardian for these children until he died in 1876. After his death, three of Erwin's sons, including Dr. Isaac Parker Hollowell were appointed legal guardians. I am close to some of their descendants whom I consider my cousins. Family life was very stable on the Parker and Hollowell lands. I am not aware of any slaves being sold except for Lucretia's boy Sam. A number of the original Parker slaves married Hollowell slaves. Noah's children married and so did Dr. Ike's children. Almost all of the original slaves of Robert T. Parker and the slaves of Erwin, Noah, and Dr. Ike continued to live in the same area well until the first decade of the twentieth century. During the first decade, times began to get very tough for Kentucky tobacco farmers, particularly farmers of the "Black Patch" tobacco of Caldwell county. Small farmers were being starved by the monopoly of the Reynolds tobacco empire. Night Riders were formed to break the tobacco monopoly's grip on prices. Unfortunately, the Night Rider Association was modeled after the Ku Klux Klan. It tore families apart and drove many black farmers out of the area. Ironically, it was Mary Lou Hollowell who broke the back of the Night Riders by testifying against several members including her lover and brother-in-law John Hollowell. Mary Lou and her husband Robert Hollowell were shot at and whipped for their efforts to expose the Night Riders. Many present day residents harbor hard feelings today because of Mary Lou's expose. It was during this time that Dr. Ike's widow and her children including my grandfather Burrell Gentry Hollowell left the Cumberland River area for California. I am continuing my research into the lives of everyone touched by Miles Hollowell and Robert T. Parker's migration to Kentucky. My research includes learning about their social and family lives. I am taking steps now to maintain the old slave cemeteries, one of which was recently discovered. I am also looking at the possibility of Negro ancestry in my white family line. This is a topic not often looked at. However, in southern families that have been around since 1640 like mine the chances of Negro ancestry are high. Miles Hollowell's wife Ann Smithwich had a great great grandmother named Africa. Nothing is know about her...YET. I would welcome the news that her name revealed her origin. Maybe, it would explain why our hair is so unmanageable and the apparent attraction of some of the Hollowell men for women of color! With this installment I am providing a listing of slaves owned by my families and a school listing of children who attended the Shiloh Colored school in Caldwell County, Kentucky during 1897-1898 school years. The following is a partial list of slaves owned by the persons indicated as (owner). I have included their birth/death dates when know. Also indicated in parenthesis is the individual(s) to whom they were eventually given. If anyone has any questions on this material or can assist me by referring me to other Hollowells, please e-mail me. Miles HOLLOWELL (owner) Joe; (to Mary Hollowell) Dudley; (to Lott Hollowell) John; (to Ann Hollowell) George; (to Adaline Hollowell) Rachel; (to Adaline Hollowell) Smith; (to Ann Hollowell) Venus; (to Lucretia 1843, then Irwin Hollowell) Sam; (to Lucretia 1843) Wade; (to Mary Hollowell) Lucretia HOLLOWELL (owner) Venus; (to Irwin Hollowell 1851) Sam; (sold 1851) Minerva; (to Irwin Hollowell 1851) Alfred; (to Irwin Hollowell 1851) Irwin HOLLOWELL (owner) Pinkney; b.1853 Julia; b.1854 Ellis; b.1855 Ellen; b.1856 Milly; b.1855 Adaline; b.1856 Rachel; b.1859 Pernecia; b.1853 Greene; b.1854 Emelie; b.1857 Elizabeth; b.1854 Green; b.1853 Abram; b.1783 Anica; b.1773 Abram Jr. George Phillip Ben Nathaniel; b1804 Vina Sr. Noah HOLLOWELL (owner) Alfred; b.1852 Anneline; b.1857 Robert Henry; b.1859 Burk; b.1852 Mary Hulda Mollie Caroline; 1838-1861 new born; -1861 William Clayton Dr. Isaac Parker HOLLOWELL (owner) Lazarus; b.1857 Zilpha; b.1830 Charlie Robert T. PARKER (owner) Anica; b.1773 (to Milly Parker, then Irwin Hollowell) Abram; b.1783 (to Milly Parker, then Irwin Hollowell) Nathaniel; b.1806 (to Milly Parker, then Irwin Hollowell) Abram Jr; (to Milly Parker, then Irwin Hollowell) Vina; b.1804 (to Irwin Hollowell) Vina Jr; b.1831(to Irwin Hollowell) Ben; b.1832 (to Milly Parker, then Irwin Hollowell) Daniel; (to Milly Parker) Joseph; b.1830 Rosa; b.1838 Sam; b.1827 (to Thomas Parker) Mallor; b.1833 (to Jane Parker) Collins; b.1827 Harriet; b.1843 Emmalie Esther; (to Jane Parker) Alia Willis; (to Jane Parker) Scotty; (to Milly Parker) Rachel; (to William Parker) Lucinoa; (to William Parker) Bivoy; (to Milly Parker) George; b.1823 (to Irwin Hollowell) William Jerry; (to Milly Parker) May; (to Milly Parker) Louis; (to James Early Caroline; (to James Early) Mildred Ann (Milly) PARKER (owner) Abram Anica Nathaniel Emaline Ben Bivoy Alia William Scotty Jerry May Thomas PARKER (owner) Sam Lucinoa William PARKER (owner) Rachel Milly (Milla) Alfred; -1852 Charles Biddy Sooky Clark Caroline Jackson Lotty; -1852 James EARLY (owner) Louis Caroline Within two miles of the Hollowell houses south of the the Nabb graveyard on the road to Princeton and Hopkins store was a school and a church (Shiloh Colored Baptist church) all in one building. During the week it was a school. On Sunday, it was a church. The Shiloh Baptist church and school do not exist anymore. Below are excerpts from the Shiloh school census of 1897-1898 for colored children: Parent; Children; Birth Date Morgan Hollowell; Ida Hollowell; March 11, 1884 Ollie Hollowell; January 10, 1886 Arvilla Hollowell; December 16, 1887 Lazarus Hollowell; Robert Hollowell; April 18, 1882 Edna Hollowell; January 26, 1884 George Hollowell; March 9, 1887 Amanda Hollowell; December 16, 1888 Flemming Hollowell; February 22, 1890 John Tandy; Livie Hollowell; May 30, 1886 Railie Hollowell; Charlie Hollowell; July 15, 1886 Noah Hollowell; December 16, 1891 Wyatt Hollowell; Harve Hollowell; November 17, 1877 Elvira Hollowell; February 4, 1879 Milton Hollowell; February 17,1888 Ella Hollowell; January 9, 1887 Fannie Hollowell; April 6, 1889 Webster Hollowell; Tivie? Hollowell; May 1, 1880 Daniel Hollowell; 1882 Jewett Hollowell; 1889 Eva Hollowell; 1891 Blaine Hollowell; December 18, 1881 John Hollowell; Dave? Hollowell; 1879 Willie Hollowell; June 1, 1881 __?__ Hollowell; January, 1883 Burnia Hollowell; July, 1888 Addie Hollowell; April, 1890 Contributed by: "Walter Parker Hollowell" WHollow867@aol.com