Waller Lewis Holladay (1776 - 1860)

Born 17 Aug 1776 in Bellefonte, Spotsylvania County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Huldah Fontaine Lewis — married 3 Sep 1793 in Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 27 Aug 1860 at age 84 in Prospect Hill, Spotsylvania County, Virginia

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Biography

Waller was born in 1776.

Waller Holladay experimented with crop rotation and fertilization at Prospect Hill, an early effort at restoring farmlands depleted by tobacco growing. Holladay also held various local offices and served in the General Assembly.

Prospect Hill’s historic flavor is enhanced by the survival of several early outbuildings. Still owned by the Holladay family, Prospect Hill is now known as Littlepage Inn. A collection of architectural drawings in the Holladay family papers at the Virginia Historical Society appear to be preliminary studies for the house.... He passed away in 1860 at Prospect Hill, Spotsylvania County, Virginia. ^[1]

Research Notes: Virginia Project

The following is the biography available on his Find-a-Grave Memorial:^[2] Note: that although his memorial lists he passed away in 1860; some publications list the year of his death as 1863.

Son of Major Lewis Holladay and Elizabeth 'Betty' Lewis.

Mr. Waller Holladay studied law, was admitted to the Bar on January 12, 1801, and practiced his profession until a large estate left him by his half-brother, General Lewis Littlepage (Find A Grave Memorial# 5004843), demanded his full time, when he retired from practice. He was a man of scholarly tastes, and a poet of considerable merit. Though not personally attracted to public life he was very intimate with some of the foremost men of that day, and counted among his regular correspondents Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Randolph, John Randolph, of Roanoke, James Madison and other statesmen of the time. Like most of the prominent Virginians of that day, he served as a magistrate and as overseer of the poor. He was a member of the Virginia Senate in 1829 and 1830, and a Democratic presidential elector in 1836 and 1840. He declined to be a candidate to the State Senate in 1839 because of illness. He permitted his name to be used as a candidate to the House of Delegates, and was beaten by Major Oscar M. Crutchfleld, who jocosely said that he had beaten "the old wheel horse of Democracy in his county." He was a half-brother of General Littlepage, who made him his heir.

Waller Holladay was an excellent man of business and no man of his generation stood higher in his community. He is listed with his wife and several of their children on the 1850 Census^[3] in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Spotsylvania, Virginia and on the 1860 Census in Berkley Parish, Spotsylvania, Virginia.^[4]

His children were: Dr. Lewis Littlepage Holladay, born August 16, 1803, who married November 8, 1827, Jean Thompson. His second wife, whom he married in 1864, was Mary Elizabeth (Willis) Garnett.^[5]

The second son, Reverend Albert Lewis Holladay, was born April 17, 1805, and married October 30, 1830, Anne Yancey Minor. He died October 18, 1856.

The third son, John Zachary Holladay, born December 13, 1806, married on May 19, 1836, Julia Anne Minor. He died October 12, 1842.

The fourth child was a daughter, Anne Elizabeth, born February 25, 1808, who married, on May 23, 1833, Dr. W. Q. Poindexter, of Mississippi, a nephew of Governor Poindexter. She died in December, 1853.

The next child, Waller Lewis Holladay, was born on October 22, 1809, married, June 14, 1849, Emily Mansfield, and died December 11, 1873.^[6]

The next child was Alexander Richmond Holladay, twin with Henry Addison Holladay. These two were born September 18, 1811. Alexander Richmond married, on September 7, 1837, Patsy Q. Poindexter, and died January 29, 1877. His twin brother, Henry Addison, married, May 14, 1846, Mary F. (Jenkins) Calvert. Henry passed away in June of 1873.^[7]

The eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh children were daughters: Huldah Lewis,^[8] Eliza Lewis,^[9] Mary Waller and Frances Anne,^[10] none of whom ever married (all four are listed with their parents on the 1850 Census and the 1860 Census).

The twelfth child, James Minor, was born May 9, 1823, and married June 22, 1861, Lucy D. Lewis.

The thirteenth and youngest child was Virginia Watson, born August 29, 1829, who died on the 2nd of May, 1888.

Extracted from:

MAKERS OF AMERICA: BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING MEN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION; THE MEN WHO CONSTITUTE THE BONE AND SINEW OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY AND LIFE. VOLUME II By: LEONARD WILSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ASSISTED BY PROMINENT HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WRITERS Illustrated with many full page engravings B. F. JOHNSON, INC. CITY OF WASHINGTON, U. S. A. 1916

Copyright, 1916 by B. F. Johnson, Inc.

Sources

1. ↑ Prospect Hill, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
2. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88222144/waller-holladay: accessed 28 November 2023), memorial page for Waller Holladay (17 Aug 1776–27 Aug 1860), Find a Grave Memorial ID 88222144, citing Prospect Hill, Belmont, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by Dick Pickett (contributor 47773500).
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8DR-GLX : Mon Nov 06 22:33:24 UTC 2023), Entry for Waller Holladay and Huldah F Holladay, 1850.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M411-TMF : Thu Oct 05 10:55:17 UTC 2023), Entry for Waller Holladay and Huldah Holladay, 1860.
5. ↑ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRSD-6J8 : 29 January 2020), Walter Holladay in entry for Lewis L. Holladay, 1864.
6. ↑ "Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR9C-Y2F : 29 January 2020), Walter Holladay in entry for Walter L. Holladay, 1873.
7. ↑ "Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR9C-Y2S : 29 January 2020), Walter Holladay in entry for Henry A. Holladay, 1873.
8. ↑ "Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRWW-PQY : 29 January 2020), W. Holladay in entry for Huldah Holladay, 1891.
9. ↑ "Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR9Z-33F : 29 January 2020), Wallace Holladay in entry for Eliza L. Holladay, 1878.
10. ↑ "Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR9Z-33D : 29 January 2020), Wallace Holladay in entry for Frances A. Holladay, 1878.

See also:

• Prospect Hill, Spotsylvania County, Virginia