WHY THE HOLLY FAMILY WEB SITE?
My thoughts about this web site started in early May 2001. They were haunting thoughts and seem to come out of nowhere. I was 42 at the time. Initially, I was emersed in a sea of curiosity surrounding the Holly family... almost in a supernatural sense which developed into an insatiable desire and drive to discover the past, and to personally experience Johnstown, PA. I couldn't put my finger on why this was happening, but I was about to put some pieces together and travel back in time (so to speak) during the years prior to and after the turn of the century. In my quest for peace, I discovered that the city of Johnstown, PA was planning a 100 Year Memorial for the Rolling Mill Mine Disaster on July 10, 2002 where our grandfather John Holly died a hero, one-hundred years to the date of the mining disaster (July 10, 1902.) I traveled there for the memorial with my distant cousin Lillian Walters Horn, and stayed for 5 days. Once we arrived, I felt as if I belonged there. I discovered along the way that Lillian had pretty much kept track of all the Holly family and descendants, and that this web site was a dream of hers for the Holly family and all our relatives. I'm just sad that it was not realized until after her death. Perhaps there is a hidden meaning to this web site that only you will understand. Perhaps the Holly family story just needs to be told before it disappears.
Thomas Rouse
(great-grandson of John and Mary Holly)