Holman, John (senior)

**Fast Facts**
Type of person	Individual
Date of birth	1795
Place of birth	Crowan, Cornwall, England
Date of arrival	1839
Principal occupation	Farmer
Date of death	1853

John Holman was born in 1795 in Crowan, Cornwall and he was the son of John Holman and Susannah George. John had at least two sisters – Philippa (b 2 July 1797) m. Sampson Bastian and Eliza (b. 23 April 1810) m. John Vanstone. Religion – Wesleyan Methodist (Uniting Church).

John Holman, aged 23 years, married Melicent (nee Hodge), also aged 23 years, on 11 Dec 1818 in Wendron, Cornwall.

John Holman, 36 years, and his wife Melicent (nee Hodge), 36 years, (1795-1850) and seven of their fourteen children (2 sons and 5 daughters – marked *) arrived from Crowan, Cornwall on 7 June 1839 aboard Sir Charles Forbes at Port Adelaide from Liverpool. Six children (all under the age of three) had died in Cornwall before they embarked for Australia. Children:

Philippa (1819-1856) * m. John Peterson in 1839

Mary (1820-1821) died as an infant

Elizabeth (1821-1856) * m. John Snoswell in 1843

Mary (1822-1860) * m. Sampson Bastian junior in 1845

John (1823-1866) m. Ann Bastian in 1851

James (1824-1826) died as an infant

Susanna (1826-1851) * m. William Higgins in 1843

James (1827-1903) * m. Susanna Atkinson in 1852

Jane (1828- ) * m. (1st) Thomas Williams in 1850

William (1830- ) * m. Juliana (Julianna) Davey in 1853

Henry (1832-1833) died as an infant

Edward (1833-1833) died as an infant

Henry (1835-1835) died as an infant

Grace (1836-1836) died as an infant

According to the 1841 census John Holman, his wife Melicent and their three daughters (probably Mary, Susanna and Jane) were resident in Currie Street, Adelaide while their son James (14 years) was living in Willunga. Their two oldest daughters (Philippa, who had already married, and Elizabeth) and two sons John and William do not appear in the 1841 census for this address.

John (senior) was a farmer, who with his wife Melicent and family, lived at Willunga through the 1840s until his death in 1853. He paid rates on section 262 (80 acres) in 1850 and section 256 (80 acres and a house) in 1853.

At least partly because of their Cornish links or their Wesleyan Methodist religion, at least four of their children married into Willunga pioneer families: Elizabeth Holman married John Snoswell in 1843 and they lived in Willunga from about 1846 until her death in 1856 and five of their children were born in Willunga. Mary Holman married Sampson Bastian junior in 1845 and they lived in Willunga until her death in 1860. All of their seven children were born in Willunga. John Holman (junior) married Ann Bastian at St. Stephen’s Church in Willunga on 8 April 1851. John junior was a farmer at Willunga and paid rates on section 255 (80 acres) and section 462 (80 acres) in 1850 James Holman married Susanna Atkinson in 1852 at St. Stephen’s Church in Willunga. James was a farmer at Willunga and paid rates on section 256 (80 acres) in 1850, then on allotment 700 in Beltunga (with a cottage) in 1853 and half of section 256 (40 acres and a house) in 1855. They moved to Napperby in the mid north of South Australia soon after 1855 and never returned.

John Holman (senior) died on 12 August 1853.