Randolph Holbrook 1696
and Ann Mary Stanway

Randolph Holbrook b 1696 Wynburg Parish, England d 11 Oct 1777 Goochland Co VA s/o Ralph Holbrook and Mary Wilcoxen. Randolph Holbrook m. 1 Feb 1716 Wynburg Parish, England to Ann "Mary" Stanway b 1699 Sandbach, Cheshire, England d 1732 Overwharton Parish, Stafford Co VA.  Children of Randolph Holbrook and Ann "Mary" Stanway;

 John Holbrook b 1727 d about 1805 Wilkes Co NC m. 1764 Goochland Co VA to Mary Hargis Hammons b 1730 NC d 1782 Wilkes Co NC d/o John Hargis II and Ann Elizabeth Whitehead.

 Randolph "Randall" Holbrook Jr b 1729 Stratford Co VA d 1792 Wilkes Co NC m. Susannah Hargis b 1729. Children of Randolph "Randall" Holbrook and Susannah Hargis;

I. Ralph "Randolph" Holbrook b 1755 VA d 1808 m. 1782 Surry Co NC to Hannah Whitley (aka Jane Winfrey) b about 1766 d 20 Mar 1854; Children of Ralph "Randolph" Holbrook and Hannah Whitley;

1. Lewis Holbrook b 1790

2. Caleb Holbrook b 1797

3. Amilla "Milly" Holbrook b 1798 Wilkes Co NC

4. Ambrose Holbrook b about 1798 Traphill, Wilkes Co NC d 24 Jan 1859 Lawrence Co KY m. about 1825 VA to Nancy Elam b 1798 d 1859. Children of Ambrose Holbrook and Nancy Elam;

i. William Rice Holbrook b 15 May 1825 Lawrence Co KY

ii. Ralph Holbrook m. Delta Johnson

iii. Campbell Rice Holbrook b 31 Oct 1830 Blaine, Lawrence Co KY d 2 Jan 1923 Stillwater, Payne Co OK; m. 12 Sept 1872 Traphill, Wilkes Co NC to Nancy Frances "Fannie" Holbrook b 23 Nov 1853 Traphill, Wilkes Co NC d 13 May 1948 Stillwater, Payne Co OK d/o Ralph Holbrook and Nancy Spicer. Children of Campbell Rice Holbrook and Nancy Frances "Fannie" Holbrook; James Minton Holbrook Sr. b: 30 MAR 1874 in Traphill, Wilkes Co., NC I. Mary Jane Holbrook b 1878 in Traphill, Wilkes Co., NC. II. Arthur Campbell Holbrook b 1881 III. Walker Hardin Holbrook b 1883 IV. Johnny Blaine Holbrook b 1888 V. Nancy Oregon Holbrook VI. Lillian Belle "Lillie" Holbrook b 1893

5. Winfrey Holbrook b 10 Sept 1801 Wilkes Co NC

6. John Holbrook b 9 Aug 1805

7. Ralph Holbrook b 3 Oct 1808 Traphill, Wilkes Co NC

Mary Unknown.

 Edy Holbrook married in 1756 to Mary Tolben.

 Elizabeth Holbrook born about 1730 married Samuel Earle.
 

Randolph Holbrook and
Jannett Patterson Conyers

Randolph Holbrook b 1696 in Wynburg Parish, England d 1777 Goochland Co VA s/o Randolph Holbrook and Mary Unknown. Randolph Holbrook m. about 1730 Stafford Co VA to 2nd Jannett Patterson Conyers.

Notes: John Holbrook, Sr., along with his brother, Randolph Holbrook, came to Wilkes County sometime before the county was formed, possibly as early as 1775. The ancestry of John has not been definitely established, although many genealogists believe that he was a son of Randolph Holbrook, Sr. of Goochland County, Virginia. There is documentary evidence to prove that John and Randolph lived in Goochland County during the period of 1750-1770. One Randolph Holbrook died there in 1778. This was the only Holbrook family known to have lived in that county during this time.

On 18 June 1778, John Holbrook, Sr. entered 175 acres of land in Wilkes County, described as being "on the south side of the mountain near Camp Branch, including the plantation where I now live." This is the area now known as Dockery and many descendants of John still live there.

John Holbrook, Sr. was married to Mary Hargis Hammon in Goochland County, Va. in 1763. She was the widow of James Hammon who died in 1760. Mary had only one child by her first husband, namely John Hammon. John Holbrook, Sr. and his wife Mary, had several children, but only three boys have been definitely identified. It is likely that there were some girls in this family as suggested by the Federal Census. Since John was criticized in 1787 by the Old Roaring River Church for "suffering dancing in the home", it seems likely that this social amenity suggests female involvement. The 1787 State Census indicates that John Holbrook was born during or before 1727. The fact that he was exempt from paying poll tax in 1786 seems to confirm the above date of birth. His death is unknown, for he was last enumerated in the 1810 Federal Census of Wilkes County. His wife, Mary Hargis Hammon Holbrook, died in 1782 in Wilkes County.

Known children of John, Sr. and Mary Hargis Hammon Holbrook include: (1) John Holbrook, Jr. who was born during or before 1766 as shown by the 1787 State Census of N.C. By this date, he was married with a small family. He remained in Wilkes until about 1798, at which time he moved his wife, Mollie Cooksey, and family to Russell County, Virginia, settling on a farm on Clinch River. Since most of his descendants grew up and lived in the Virginia-Kentucky area, they will not be discussed further. However, there is one exception, William Holbrook.

William Holbrook, a son of John Holbrook and wife, Martha Collier, and grandson of John Holbrook, Jr. and wife, Mollie Cooksey, was born 15 May 1815 in Russell County, Virginia, just seven months before his father was killed in an accidental explosion. His young widowed mother, married Jonas Jordan in 1817 and removed to Louisa, Kentucky, taking her two small boys, Robert and William, with her. William remained with his mother until 1840, at which time he visited his relatives in Wilkes County. Arriving at Dockery 4 November 1840. Shortly thereafter, William accidentally broke his hip', and being unable to get it properly set, had to use a cane the rest of his life. He remained with his cousin, Johnny Holbrook, until he was married on 2 January 1844 to Sally Sparks, daughter of John, Jr. and Polly Fields Sparks. William and Sally Sparks Holbrook had issue: (a) Martha Louisa Holbrook, born 3 May 1845, died in 1935. She was married to J. Alfred Brooks and had two children John Arlington and William C. Brooks. (b) John Preston Holbrook, born 30 May 1847, died 19 September 1935. He married Nancy Elizabeth Bryan, the youngest daughter of Francis Bryan and his first wife, Charlotte Atkins Bryan. They had Emma A. Holbrook, who married a relative, John Tyra Holbrook; Francis Milton Holbrook, born 11 July 1877, died 4 December 1878; Carrie Jane Holbrook who married Pedro Myers of Hays, N.C.; and Ida Anna Holbrook, who married Wiley Reid Jones of Winston-Salem. (c) Ralph Milton Holbrook, born 6 April 1849, married Nancy Smoot and lived at Traphill until 1890 when they moved to Gallatin, Missouri. (d) Sarah Ann Holbrook, born 23 August 1851, married a relative, Ralph C. Holbrook. Issue: Joseph Preston, Theodosia, Lenora Leota, Sallie Belle, Nancy Jane and William (Billy). (e) Mary Jane Holbrook, born 23 February 1854, died 22 December 1858. (f) Nancy Dawson Holbrook, born 1 November 1856, died 24 November 1860. (g) Betty Marsella Holbrook, born 12 September 1859, married J.M. Pruitt. Issue: Alice, Florence, Fannie, Emma, and Carl.

(2) Randolph Holbrook, a confirmed child of John and Mary Hargis Hammon Holbrook, was born about 1775 and was married to Elizabeth Adams during the 1790's. Elizabeth was a daughter of Benjamin and Henretta Adams who migrated to Eastern Kentucky about 1802. Since Randolph also went to Kentucky during the early 1800's it seems likely that they all went together. All of the descendants grew up and remained in Kentucky; they will not be detailed in this Wilkes County Heritage. Only John Henry Holbrook, the oldest child was born in Wilkes County and married Susannah Back somewhere in Kentucky. They have many descendants in eastern Kentucky.

(3) Hargis Holbrook, probably the last son of John and Mary Hargis Hammon Holbrook, was born about 1775 and was married to Katherine Gross about 1798. Having inherited a large farm from his father in 1805, Hargis and his wife lived out their lives in the Dockery area of Wilkes County where their farm was located. The children of Hargis and his wife, Katherine, as shown in the deed of conveyance which was made after the death of their parents, were:(1) Elizabeth, born about 1799, who married Hanry Gambill in 1816, moved to Lawrence County, Kentucky, had eleven children, and died 25 July 1855; (2) Ezekiel, born about 1800, who married Susannah Grouse and reared a large family; (3) John H. Holbrook, born about 1802, who married Nancy Absher 3 May 1822 and had four children: Caleb who married Phoebe Absher, William J. who married Malinda Walker, Katherine who married Edmond Absher, and Polly who was unmarried in 1860; (4) A fourth child, name unknown, who married William Brooks; (5) Mary, born about 1805, who married John Collier and moved to Kentucky where they reared eight children; (6) Phoebe, who married William Baker 20 April 1828.

Sources: Wilkes County Taxables, State and Federal census, land records, wills estate records of Wilkes County, Stratton Hammon papers, Ida Holbrook Jones papers. Naomi Billings Gordan papers. Paul W. Gregory

The Heritage of Wilkes Co., North Carolina, Greensboro Public Library, Greensboro, North Carolina. NC 975.682, H54.