Holland, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Holland, Virginia was an incorporated town
Incorporated town
-Canada:Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.-United States:...

 in the southwestern section of Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...

. Since 1974, it has been a community in the independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...

 of Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...

 following a [political consolidation which formed Virginia's largest city in geographic area.

History

Holland is located in what used to be called Old Nansemond County. In 1860, the Holland City Commission was made up of 12 members, 10 of whom were named Holland.

Holland was named for an English family headed by Capt. John Holland, who arrived in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 in 1630.(Although a record given in Hotten's List of Persons of Quality, 1600-1700, states John Holland and wife as being sought in Mass. in 1627 for taking part under the Earl of Lincoln in tax protests against the Crowns wishes.) As a ship's captain, he traveled from Nantucket Point to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 and out to the English-held islands of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

. He died at sea (1652) but is actually buried at Cape Charles, Virginia
Cape Charles, Virginia
Cape Charles is a town in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,134 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cape Charles is located at ....

.

His son, John Jr.(mentioned in the Suffolk County Massachusetts wills of 1651, as heir to John Holland seniors' island known as 'Munings Moore'(? migrated to Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...

 around 1645 and was a Major in the Virginia militia in 1654 in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,718 people, 6,846 households, and 4,689 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,286 housing units at an average density of...

 and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses during the 1654/1655 session. He moved the family to Nansemond County
Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...

.

James Holland, grandson of the original land grant holder for the area that later became Holland, Virginia, was still living in Nansemond County in 1680. He is buried somewhere on the grounds of Fighting Cock Plantation in Chuckatuck
Chuckatuck, Virginia
Chuckatuck is a neighborhood of the independent city of Suffolk, Virginia, United States. It is located at the junction of State Route 10/State Route 32 and State Route 125, just south of SR 10/32's crossing of Chuckatuck Creek. Its elevation is 36 feet above mean sea level...

.

On May 21, 1928, the first Ruritan Club
Ruritan
Ruritan National is a service club located in small towns and rural areas in the United States. It aims to achieve "Fellowship, Goodwill and Community Service". The local clubs are autonomous from the national organization...

 in the United States was founded in Holland, Virginia.

Consolidation into Suffolk

Following voter referendums and political consolidation in the early 1970s, the former Nansemond County and the former towns of Holland and Whaleyville
Whaleyville, Virginia
Whaleyville, Virginia is a former incorporated town which was located in southern Nansemond County, Virginia. It is located midway between the former county seat at downtown Suffolk and the North Carolina border along U.S. Route 13....

 within it were joined in 1974 with the former county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 town and city of Suffolk
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...

 to form a single independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...

, which became was Virginia's largest in geographic area, and assumed the name of Suffolk for the entire area.
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