The Illinois Connection – “Dad got that look in his eye”

John Quincy Holladay and Ann Hays

John Quincy Holladay

John Quincy Holladay was born in Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois on March 30, 1847, to John Skirvin and Catherine (Fugate) Holladay.  His father John Skirvin Holladay was born in Gallatin County Kentucky and his mother Catherine (Fugate) Holladay was born in Russell County Virginia.  Most of the genealogy researchers list John as being born with the name John Quincy Adams Holladay, since there were no birth certificates issued in Illinois, at the time of his birth, there is no way of proving, or disproving his birth name.  However, John signed his name as John Q. Holladay and I have found nothing where he used John Q. A. Holladay during his lifetime.

Ann Hays

Ann Hays was born in Ohio on December 16, 1846 to Daniel and Eliza (Parks) Hays.  The 1850 census, enumerated on October 3rd, shows the family had relocated to McDonough County.  Her father Daniel Hays was born in Ohio, probably Paint Township, Ross County. Ann’s mother, Eliza (Parks) Hays was also born in Ohio.

Marriage

John and Ann were married on February 16, 1873, in McDonough County, Illinois.  In April of 1874, their first child was born, a daughter they named Jennie Bert.  They would have a son, George Milton, in May of 1876. John with his young family, several of his siblings, along with his parents then moved to Carroll County, Missouri.  The 1880 census shows the family, now with 4 children, living in the Stokes Mound Township of Carroll County.  John and Ann would stay in Carroll County until 1884.

Westward Bound

In 1884, John packed up his family and headed west to Reardan, Lincoln County, Washington.  They didn’t settle there for long; they soon returned to Illinois.  According to their daughter Jennie’s account:

“We hadn’t been back there two weeks ’til Dad got that look in his eye and we came back to Washington in 1888”

The family returned to the Reardan area, but not for long.  In 1889, John Q., along with fellow McDonough County transplants, to the Pacific Northwest,  P. E. (Prince Emanuel) and Reed Stookey, went to Teakean area to scout for potential homestead sites.  P. E. Stookey was married to Minerva E. Fugate and John’s 1st cousin by marriage.  The Holladay and Stookey families then packed up and moved, by team and wagon, to Teakean.  They arrived in the area on September 11, 1889.  The families were greeted by thick smoke due to the many forest fires plaguing the Northwest region.  According to daughter Jennie:

“We didn’t see the sun for a month because of the bad forest fires all around at that time”

John Q. and Ann would stay in the Cavendish-Teakean area until the spring of 1908, when they moved to Myrtle Creek, Oregon, where they would stay the remainder of their lives.  Their daughters Jennie Bert and Eliza Leona would join them in Myrtle Creek but both would soon return to the Clearwater Valley to raise their families and live out their lives.