William Hollar's Not So Fortunate Kids

Paul Hollar's Tragic Home Explosion, 1969

ZACHARIAH HELLER/HOLLER/HOLLAR > JOHANNES HOLLAR > GEORGE ELAM HOLLAR m Lucy Robertson (who then married Nathan Poyner) > WESLEY HOLLAR > ISAAC WALTER HOLLAR > WILLIAM HOLLAR

Isaac Walter Hollar ended up being raised by his grandmother and her second husband, the founder of Poyner Township in Black Hawk County. You can read about it here. Isaac's seven children fared pretty well, overall. Oldest son William, born 06 Dec 1878 in Poyner Township married Sarah Zarr in 1902 in Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa, where he had spent most of his childhood. After their marriage, they spent a few years in Waterloo before 1913 and then moved to Nashua, in Chickasaw County, where they remained for most of their lives.

William was a bricklayer who did masonry work and helped build many of the buildings in Nashua. He then became a tile contractor and retired about 1949. Sarah died in 1965 and William died in a Charles City nursing home on 28 Jun 1969 at the age of 90.

Young Walter Hollar Killed by Train

They had seven children, but the boys did not live long lives - two were tragically killed. The oldest boy, Walter, who was nine years old, was killed after being hit by a train while playing with his friends on 20 Oct 1914. He had been visiting his grandparents in Manchester when it happened.

Then, bachelor son Paul, born in 1909, was killed when his entire small frame house exploded the morning of 03 Dec 1974. They found his body in the rubble. It is believed that a gas cook stove might have been the cause. He was 65 years old.

Brother Clayton Hollar's wife saw the house go up from her kitchen window. Clayton had returned in 1962 from years living in Shrevesport, LA at the behest of his mother after their brother Lee's death at age 53 from cancer in 1960. Clayton ended up getting a job on his return with Oliver Co in Charles City and then to Koehring-Bantam in Waverly before being struck with a chronic and debilitating condition that ultimately caused his death in July of 1979 at the age of 62.

Florence Hollar Baldwin lived to the ripe age of 95, dying in Independence on 13 Jul 2007, after living for years in Bettendorf, Iowa. Her husband Elton died 02 Apr 1982 in Scott County.

Sister Marian lived to 87, dying 28 Jan 2006 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She outlived her first husband, Dayton Lang, who died 23 Mar 1974 in Waterloo and her second husband, Orval Robert Goldsworth survived her, dying 28 Mar 2011 in Cedar Rapids.

Finally, oldest daughter, Pearl Phillips, who had moved west to Arizona, died at 73 in Phoenix on 18 Sep 1976.

Isaac Walter Holler

ZACHARIAH HELLER/HOLLER/HOLLAR > JOHANNES HOLLAR > GEORGE ELAM HOLLAR m Lucy Robertson (who then married Nathan Poyner) > WESLEY HOLLAR > ISAAC WALTER HOLLAR

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To have a good background on this story, read about Johannes Hollar, and the origins of the Midwest Hollars. You can read about the founding of  Poyner Township here. You can also read about David Owens and Sarah Holler and their families. You can read about Wesley Hollar's brother, John B. Hollar here.

Sarah Hollar was my 3rd great grandmother and married David Owens in Indiana, then came to Illinois and then Iowa with several family members, including her widowed mother, Lucy Robertson Hollar. Lucy's husband George Elam Hollar and she had at least five children, including Wesley, Sarah's brother.

Wesley's birth year is unknown, but he was most likely born in Washington County, Indiana along with the rest of the children. He married Martha "Patsy" Brown 09 Feb 1844 in Washington County.

The couple moved down to Muscatine County, Iowa, where they resided in Sweetland township. The 1852 Iowa census indicates that there were five residents of the household, with only one being a voter, so perhaps three children had been born to them. Two of them I know nothing about. The third, Isaac Walter Hollar, was born about 1850. His parents died when he was very young (and possibly to his siblings) in about 1852.

Isaac's grandmother, Lucy and her new second husband, Poyner township founder, Rev Nathan Poyner, adopted him.Nathan's first wife, Nancy Johnston, was the first person to die in Poyner Township in 1854. Nathan married Lucy a few months later. Isaac was raised in Poyner township in Black Hawk County, from that point.

Residing in the household in 1860 was Nathan, Lucy, Nathan's unmarried son, Thomas, and his adopted son, J. B. Edwards. Nathan died in 1867.

By 1870, grandson Isaac, JB Edwards, Thomas Poyner, Lucy Robertson Hollar Poyner, and two of David Owens' children, Enoch and Sarah were living in the household. In 1880, Lucy was living with her daughter Edna Wheeler and family and Thomas and JB Edwards were living in their own home. Lucy died 19 Aug 1889 of old age at 82.

Isaac was born on 27 Aug 1850. He married Elizabeth Lodica "Libbie" Preston on 30 Mar 1873 in Delaware County. He was farming in Poyner Township in 1880. 1900 found them in Delaware County where Isaac was a teamster.

Isaac & Libbie Hollar Family

In 1908, Isaac sued his adoptive nephew, J. B. Edwards for half the land J.B.'s father, Thomas Poyner left him. That would include land owned at one time by Isaac's adoptive father, Nathan Poyner. The outcome of that case is not known.

On 25 Jan 1910, his wife Libbie died of typhoid fever pneumonia There was a mini-outbreak in the city of Waterloo, Iowa, where they were living. Several people died in the outbreak, which was mostly restricted to a small area on the east side of Waterloo.

Isaac returned to Manchester eventually and died at the home of his daughter, Elsie Straub, on 02 Jul 1934.

The Hollar's had at least seven children including:

1. Elsie Elizabeth, born 16 Jan 1874 in Poyner Township. She married Edward Straub on 14 Feb 1900 in Delaware County. They had two children. Elsie died 07 Jun 1955 in Manchester.

2. Minnie Mabel born 16 Aug 1876, most likely in Poyner Township (some sources say Masonville). She married Emslie H. Frentress and they resided in Jo Davies County for many years. They had six children. Minnie died 06 Nov 1956 in Manchester.

3. William Hollar was born 06 Dec 1878, in Poyner Township. He married Sarah Zarr. They had seven children. They resided in Nashua for many years where Will was a mason and drainage tile contractor. William died 28 Jun 1969 in Charles City, Floyd County.

4. Eva was born 17 Feb 1881 in Poyner Township. She married Harry Duke, a very successful plumbing contractor in Waterloo. They had five children. Eva died 26 Jan 1970 in Cedar Falls.

5. Elzada was born 04 Aug 1885. She married Harry E Rogers and then Louis "Gus" Hill. She lived in Kansas and then in Oklahoma. Her date of death is unknown.

6. Elizabeth "Libbie" Marion was born 18 Sep 1888 in Manchester, Delaware County. She married Robert Earl Wallace and then Karl Eugene Henze Sr. They had three children and spent several years living in Texas. She died 30 Sep 1944 in Des Moines.

7. Bert was born 15 Dec 1890 in Manchester. He married Ethel Frost and they divorced. They had four children, one of whom died at age 3. Bert died 22 Sep 1970 in Waterloo.

The minister who adopted him was actually his grandmother
Lucy Robertson Hollar Poyner and her husband, founder
of Poyner Township, Rev Nathan Poyner.