The Life and History of William "Billy" Hollinger

Sherry Schindler Bloodsworth shares some intriguing discoveries she made while researching and piecing together her husband's Creek Indian family tree.

Thomas Tate Tunstall is also Indian and claimed his Indian blood through his mother, Elouise Tate, who was the daughter of David Tate (of Tate’s Shoals of the Alabama River). David Tate was the son of Col. Tate of the British army and a native of Scotland, and Sehoy III "Windclan" McGillivrary, a Creek nation princess and is buried beside her son, William "Red Eagle" Weatherford in the William Weatheford Memorial Park.
 
William B. Hollinger was known to be a half breed Indian and had a son, James Jim Hollinger with Mary Polly V. Stewart who also was said to be Indian. As of this date, there is no evidence found that would support a ban or marriage taking place, so it is most likely that James Jim Hollinger might have been born out of wedlock, which was very common back in those days.
 
William married Levitce "Vicey or Hetty" Colbert, daughter of William Colbert and Celia Sizemore. Together they had four boys and two girls, all of whom led very interesting lives also, with their own stories to tell.
 
Mary Polly went on to marry Hezekiah "Hasey-Hayes" Forbes and he raised James Jim Hollinger as his own son. James is found on all the census using the last name Forbes. Some think he used the Forbes last name because of being raised by his step father, while others think it was for his own personal safety because of his father’s role with the government as an Indian spy.
 
Guy Johnson shares with us footnotes from a story passed down to him about Hayes Forbes a ferryman, and his wife known as "Poll Forbes the Midwife". It states that Grandma Forbes practiced her profession up and down the Old Indian trading trail winding along the fringes of the swamps and hammocks adjacent to the Escambia-Conecuh River. She traveled it as a trail and later as a winding river. Grandma Forbes was almost pure Indian stock. It was often said she was here during the revolutionary war with England. She passed away in the area in the 1880's at the ripe old age of 110 years.
 
On 1 April 1854, William Hollinger age 68 or 69 appeared before the acting Justice of Peace of Monroe Co. Alabama and submitted his sworn oath for his application for Bounty land. He stated that he was a volunteer as an Indian spy under Captain Richard Bailey who was under command of Major Beasley in the War of 1812 and were known as the Mississippi Volunteers, and after which he volunteered as a spy under Major Peacock in an expedition to Florida, after the performance of the latter service he volunteered under Major Twigs as a pilot and spy from Montgomery Hill to the banks of Murder Creek to Fort Crawford (said fort was built and erected by Major Twigs on said expedition) which latter expedition said Hollinger served for the period of thirty days, the time said Hollinger was engaged in the two services above named was about sixty days. He was at the taking of Fort Barrancas at Pensacola, Florida under General Jackson, and in all of the several expeditions he rendered the army valuable services from his experience and knowledge of the country and the Indians, being familiar with their language and habits, having been born and raised in the State of Alabama, or within the territory of what is now the State of Alabama.
 
James Jim Hollinger-Forbes, who was 3/4 Indian married a young Indian maiden, Theodora Serena "Seney" Snowden (who’s mother was a Dees and also Indian) and together they had 13 children, 6 sons and 7 daughters. All of these children were given the Hollinger name as part of their middle name and used Forbes as their surname. Many of these children submitted their family history and notarized statements to the Special Commissioner of the Court of Claims in 1907, documenting that their Creek Indian blood came from their grandfather William Billy Hollinger and their mother Seney Snowden Forbes and her mother, Tabitha Ann Dees. They were approved and can be found listed on the Guion Miller Roll.
 
This line of family has a rich Creek Indian history and stories just waiting to be told; I have only just begun to touch on it. William B. Hollinger is third great grandfather to my father-in-law, Jay Cloudy "J.B." Bloodsworth, who grew up in Wallace, Alabama hearing all about the Indian culture of his family.  Mary Sherline Chancery Young, J.B.’s first cousin, also shares this kinship. Hopefully, between the two, more stories will be forthcoming in the near future.

Sherry Schindler-Bloodsworth  January, 2011