Linda Hollis

Last updated
Linda Hollis
Linda Allen Hollis.jpg
Linda Allen Hollis speaking at slave commemoration at Mt. Vernon, 2021
Born
Linda Allen Hollis

1951
Peoria, Illinois, United States
Other namesLinda Allen Bryant [1]
OccupationHistorian
Known for West Ford Legacy
Notable workI Cannot Tell a Lie: The True Story of George Washington's African American Descendants (2004)
Photo of Linda Allen Hollis 2025 Linda WP.jpg
Photo of Linda Allen Hollis 2025

Linda Allen Hollis (born 1951) is an American historian and biographer. She is a direct descendant of West Ford, [2] who, in Ford's oral history, is the African-American son of George Washington. [3] Her work focuses mainly on early American history and race relations.

Contents

Early life and education

Hollis was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, in a large family of eleven children. [3] Her mother, Elise Ford Allen, was a newspaper editor and publisher of the Traveler Weekly, and her father was an inventor and owner of the Traveler Printing Company. [4]

Linda Allen Hollis next to ancestor, West Ford's, plaque at Mount Vernon, June 2025. Lindas Photo MV.jpg
Linda Allen Hollis next to ancestor, West Ford's, plaque at Mount Vernon, June 2025.

Hollis attended Manual High School and received her undergraduate degree from Bradley University in Geology. She obtained her master's degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in the same discipline. [5]

Linda Allen Hollis at the 157th Anniversy Reunion of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Association, 2023 Photo of Linda Allen Hollis at the 157th Anniversy Reunion of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Assosciation.jpg
Linda Allen Hollis at the 157th Anniversy Reunion of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Association, 2023

Career

Hollis started her career by joining Anaconda Mineral Company and later for several other pharmaceutical companies. She has written various books on American history, as well as on the West Ford. [3]

Hollis' work focuses mainly on early American history and race relations.Over three decades, she has meticulously researched her lineage and the extended Ford family, becoming a recognized expert in early American race relations and genealogy. Her work is particularly associated with George Washington and his relationship with slavery. [6] She written a memoir, I Cannot Tell a Lie: The True Story of George Washington's African American Descendants. She also writes as Linda Allen Bryant and L.A. Hollis. [3]

As president of the West Ford Legacy Foundation, Hollis organizes descendant reunions, public talks, and preservation initiatives focused on Gum Springs, Virginia — the community founded by West Ford in 1833 and the oldest African American settlement in Fairfax County, Virginia. She currently is involved with the Major George W. Ford, Buffalo Soldier Exhibit. [5]

Personal life

Hollis resides in California with her husband, Emerson Mark Hollis, an educator. The couple has six children together. [5]

Publications

As Linda Allen Bryant
As L.A. Hollis

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Biography". L.A.Hollis. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  2. ↑ "Who Was West Ford? by Linda Allen B. Hollis". The Traveler Weekly. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Did George Washington Have an Enslaved Son?". The New Yorker. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  4. ↑ Renken, Leslie; Star, Peoria Journal (2021-11-06). "'The pen has power': Peoria's first Black female newspaper founder dies at age 100". Journal Star. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  5. 1 2 3 "Linda Allen Hollis". Blackpast. August 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  6. ↑ Marcus, Josh (March 8, 2022). "George Washington had secret son with enslaved woman, family claims". The Independent (Online); London London: Independent Digital News & Media.
  7. ↑ "Linda Allen B. Hollis". Official Website of West Ford Legacy. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  8. ↑ Hunneman, John (2003-02-17). "Book claims women is kin of slave son of George Washington". North County Blade-Citizen. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  9. ↑ Hollis, L. A. (2010). Going in circles. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse Inc. ISBN   978-1-4502-2682-0. OCLC   1244789298.
  10. ↑ Hollis, L. A. (2016). Blood Virus: A Pandemic By Design. iUniverse. ISBN   978-1-4917-8526-3. OCLC   1124372702.
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