The Hollister Family, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Sandra McLellan, Sep 2006 Special thanks to Jim Perrin for donating it to the archives. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ THE HOLLISTER FAMILY BY JIM PERRIN, Local Historian For many generations people have migrated to Ponchatoula in search of a better life. Such was the case of the Hollister family of south central Michigan who moved south to Ponchatoula in the 1880's, probably for economic reasons. Other families such as the Jamisons, the Elmer D. Parker family, and the Bert Branch family also moved from Michigan to Ponchatoula about the same time. Two Hollister brothers, among others of that family lived in the Ponchatoula area for many years. George Jamison Hollister was born 6 Nov. 1861 in Ovid, Michigan, and was a son of Oliver Chapin Hollister and Margaret Jamison. He moved to Ponchatoula by April 1886 and married here on 10 July 1889 to Inez Kinne. Inez was born about 1870 in Illinois. George and Inez farmed in the Ponchatoula area for many years. George died 23 March 1931 and was buried in Pascagoula, MS. He and Inez had children, all of whom were born in Ponchatoula: John Jamison Hollister, b. 8 Aug. 1890, m. Sallie Beauchamp; George Louis Hollister, b. 1 Aug. 1891; Ralph Kinne Hollister, b. 31 Jan. 1897; Graham C. Hollister, b. 19 Aug. 1906, m. 1926 to Fairfax Gautier; and William Ladnier Hollister, b. 14 Sept. 1908. When George J. Hollister was living in Ponchatoula he had other family members living with him including his sister Ada B. Hollister, who was born 3 Dec. 1859, and was living with the family in Ponchatoula in 1900. In addition, George's mother Margaret Jamison Hollister died in Ponchatoula 2 April 1900 and was buried the next day, probably in Wetmore Cemetery. Dr. Ralph Oliver Hollister, a younger brother of George Jamison Hollister, was born 20 August 1863 in Langsburg, Michigan, and was also a son of Oliver Chapin Hollister and Margaret Jamison. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in December 1890 and soon moved to Louisiana where other Hollister and Jamison relatives had previously settled. He practiced in Ponchatoula in 1891- 1893, but by the fall of 1895 he relocated to the busy lumber mill town of Ruddock, LA. After several years of courtship, Ralph and Alice S. Tucker of Ponchatoula were married Feb. 4, 1899. Alice was born 18 June 1876 in Grand Chenier, Cameron Parish, LA, and was the daughter of Christopher Columbus "Deet" Tucker and Ella Gosselin of Ponchatoula. Alice moved to Ponchatoula as a child and when she reached adulthood began teaching in the Ponchatoula public school. Alice had told Ralph in September 1895 that Ruddock was not the place to advance his medical practice as there were three other doctors in the small lumber town. By the summer of 1897, Ralph had relocated to Hammond, which offered better business opportunities, and had the added benefit of being closer to Alice. After their marriage Ralph and Alice resided in Hammond, with Ralph practicing medicine mostly in the Hammond-Ponchatoula area. Ralph served the community for many years before his death 8 June 1925 at age 61. He was buried in the Wetmore Cemetery west of Ponchatoula near many of his relatives. Alice continued to live in Hammond following Ralph's death. She died in New Orleans and was buried near her Tucker relatives in the Sand Hill Cemetery. Ralph and Alice had two children Alice Marguerite Hollister, m. 1921, Ernest Strickland Kinchen of Ponchatoula, son of E. H. Kinchen and Lula K. Perilloux, she married 2nd Mr. Addison; and Oliver C. Hollister. Anyone with questions, comments or suggestions for future articles, may contact Jim Perrin at 386-4476.