Holman/Hollmann Surname Research

pfalz-l
1

I have posted here before several years ago and am doing it again to see if it reveals any new information.

Looking for any one, especially any one living in Germany, who is researching the Holman/Hollmann surname family. My ancestor Conrad Holman came to Charleston, SC in January 1750 with only a wife Mary Ann.

The only clue of him coming from Germany is when 20 years later he mentions in his will he left a daughter by a first wife in "Germany." What does "Germany" mean in 1771 since there was no one country Germany until 1871.

He was a Protestant (likely Lutheran). He and Mary Ann had children named Conrad Jr., Mary Ann, Joseph, John, Melchior and Catherine. He had enough money to pay for his voyage from Rotterdam via London to Charleston, SC on the Ship Greenwich.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, even the smallest comment. I am currently trying to identify modern day concentrations of Holman/Hollmann by using the German Phonebook (Das Telefonbuch) in hopes of identifying locations to target for detail research and contact.

Hoping for Good Luck,
Larry Holman
Mississippi, USA

2

Larry,

the name Hollmann is very common in the Oldenburg region in northern germany. Most of the people there are lutheran.
You may subscribe to the Oldenburg-L list and post your questions there.

Ernst (Heinje)

3

Try this web site to get an idea of where the surname is most common in Germany today -

http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/en/Default.aspx

This will allow you to narrow down your search area in Germany.

You should also look at his neighbors in South Carolina or other people on the same ship - it's quite possible he was not the only one from his town/area who came over at the same time. Early on, especially, people tended to emigrate in groups. So if you can find out where his neighbors came from (maybe someone else has already researched them), then you can more easily get to the right town for Conrad.

Regards,
Sylvia