About us
The name HOLLOW (originally HOLLA) was a surname described as peculiar to Cornwall in the 1700s to 1800s. That is, the name was rarely found outside Cornwall. The famed Cornish Diaspora has resulted in Cornish Hollows finding their way to all corners of the earth. One aim of the project is to see if people with the surname Hollow now have their origins in Cornwall or are there other origins.
The Hollow DNA Project welcomes all participants. If your surname is Hollow,Hallow,Hallo, Holla or Hollah we encourage you to join the project.
Some years ago my friend, the late Keith Hollow, and I, Colin Hollow, began constructing Hollow family trees beginning with our own families. Keith found he belonged to the earliest family tree that goes across many generations to the present. It begins in with the marriage in Zennor in 1685 of William Hollow and Uslea Cock. I found I belonged to another tree that begins with another marriage in Zennor, this one between John Holla and Chesen Thomas ten years later in 1695. Try as we might we could not find a link between the two. We also built other trees that we could not link. The hope was that the DNA project could tell us whether those trees are connected.
In 2016 there was a breakthrough, two more descendants from William Hollow - Uslea Cock line tested and both came back with results that were the same as those from the John Holla - Chesen Thomas Line. Keith and I were related.
In 2017 we found that one of the disconnected lines, the line going back to William Hollow b c1781 St Ives (see below) is also connected to the two larger families.
The main trees that have been found that still have descendants alive today.
William Hollow – Uslea Cock line. (Three descendants tested to date.)
William Hollow and Uslea Cock married Zennor 16thApril 1685.On the Hollow database there are 857 descendants that have been found of this marriage. Although the marriage took place at the Zennor church William Hollow is recorded as being from Madron and subsequently the couple appeared to live there. This tree is sometimes referred to as the Penzance Hollows.
John Holla – Chesen Thomas line. (Four descendants tested to date.)
John Holla married Chesen Thomas at Zennor 26thMarch 1695, the Hollow database has 2780 descendants for this marriage, by far the largest of any of the trees. It includes a group often referred to as the Redruth Hollows but other branches are to be found in Zennor, Towednack, St Ives and surrounding parishes.
John Holla –Jane Holla Line
John Holla married Jane Holla 23rdFebruary1716, Madron, This line has 569 descendants and is probably the next generation to the first two Lines. The marriage took place at the Madron church but Jane Holla is recorded as being from Gulval, a neighbouring parish.
John Holla m Elizabeth Bennetts Line.
John Holla m Elizabeth Bennetts 14 Oct 1732Madron – This line has 218 Descendants. One branch migrated to Utah, USA last known male of the line is John Frank Hollow d Los Angeles, CA 1946. Another branch took on the name Hallo, some came to South Australia then to Western Australia. Others migrated to Victoria. There are still Hallo families in these places but none are on the Hollow mailing list.
Ishmael Holla - Sarah Stephens line. (One descendant tested to date.)
Ishmael Holla married Sarah Stephens Madron 7th October 1755.This line has 296 Descendants.
This is the next generation again. Ishmael Holla was baptized in 1723, in his baptism record in the Zennor church records he is the base child of Jane Holla. That is, Jane Holla was unmarried. If the father was not a Holla then any descendants that are tested should not have the same DNA profile as the other Hollow/Holla families.
This line is almost certainly connected to the main Hollow/Holla family. Jane Holla lived in Zennor.
William Holla b c1770 line St Ives
William Holla married Ann Curnow in St Ives in 1893, this line has 175 descendants in the Hollow database. There are descendants of this line in Australia and descendants still in England.
William Hollow b c1781 line St Ives (One descendant tested to date.)
William Hollow b ~1790 possibly in St Ives, 250 descendants. This William had a son John Hollow born 1806 in St Ives. John had two marriages his first to Catherine Sandow in 1828, Descendants of this marriage came to South Australia. His second marriage was to Ann Sanders in 1845, descendants of this marriage went to Michigan USA and then to California.
William Hollow Christian Mitchell Trewren Ludgvan line
William Hollow married Christian Mitchell Trewren in Ludgvan in 1807, the line has 219 descendants in the Hollow database.
Thomas Hollah Elizabeth Leacher Ludgvan line
Thomas Hollah married Elizabeth Leacher at Nan Cladre in 1828, the line has 162 descendants. The second line from Ludgvan but no linkages between the two at this stage. Another instance where the DNA study may help.
There are several smaller lines with children born in the 1900s that I still have not been to link to older trees. Hopefully with a combination of written records and the DNA project it will be possible to solve these puzzles.
Participating is an opportunity to uncover information not provided in the paper records,which will help with your research of your family tree. We will also discover which family trees are related.
The surnames in this DNA Project are researched as part of the Hollow one-name study. You can learn more about this significant research, and the associated family trees, by visiting the Hollow One Name Study website,or contacting the Group Administrator, Colin Hollow. Hollow@one-name.org
The Y DNA test tells you about your direct male line, which would be your father, his father, and back in time. You must be male to take this test, and you should have one of the surnames shown. If you believe there is a Hollow or variant in your direct male line, although you have a different surname, you are also welcome to participate. If you are female, you will need to find a direct line male in your family tree, a father, brother, uncle, cousin, to participate and represent your tree.
We encourage males to order a Y-DNA test for 37 markers, if possible.
We have also established a General Fund, to accept donations in any currency via credit card or Paypal. These funds will be held at the testing company, and used to help sponsor test kits for those key males who would otherwise be unable to afford the cost of participation in the project.If you would like to help the project we encourage you to make a donation. To make a donation please click on the‘Donate’ button on the side panel of this page.