The history of the Holst name is vague but
definitely appears in several areas of Western Europe. Holst appears as a lower German,
Dutch, and Danish name. From medieval lower German the Holst name refers topographically
to someone who occupies a patch of woodland and is reduced from the the word hols'ate.
One source on the Internet describes the name as having origins in the Netherlands.
The GGGrandfather we know as Charles Ferdinand Holst was the naturalized name taken by Carl Ferdinant Holst, b. 1813, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His family lived in the Garrison Area of Copenhagen which may suggest he was not Danish but rather German. The Grarrison had many nationalities including Norweigen. His first wife was Ida Jeannette Eloise de Rosendahl, b. 1817, also of Denmark. However there are many Rosendahls to be found in Norway. It may be possible that Carl (GGGranddaddy Charles) met Jeannette of a Norweigen family in the Garrison Area and brought her to Chester, SC. Charles and Jeanette came to America in the mid to late 1830's, probably into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then to Charleston and ultimately Chester, South Carolina, where they lived out their lives. There are naturalization and accession records in Charleston for C. F.
Of his family we know very little. There is one sister named Wilhemina who was alive and in Copenhagen during the War Between the States (Civil War). Charles received a letter from her telling him of the death of his father and the older brother and that he had an inheritance of some sort. Charles thought he would pursue this after the restoration following the Civil War but died on June 6, 1871 without ever making the contact with his sister in Denmark.
After the death of Jeanette in Abt. 1863, Charles Ferdinand married Isabella Ann Woodruff of Georgia with two daughters being born: Wilhemina, b. 1866, m. A. Burr Randall; Theodora Russell, b. 1869.
In a response to a posting on the GEN forum for Charles F. Holst: "Charles Ferdinand Holst was in Charleston, South Carolina in 1840, having recently immigrated from Denmark. I think Charles had a brother in Charleston that he and his wife Jeanette stayed with before moving to Chester, Chester County, South Carolina." Todate this has not been substantiated.
For GGrandfather Charles Emile Holst we know that his wife Frances Elizabeth Blasingame was born in 1848 in Chambers County, Alabama and was married to her in 1875. The young couple set up house keeping in Philadelphia, Neshoba County, Mississippi and had five of their six children born there. They then moved to Malvern, Arkansas in the mid 1880's where they lived out their lives. Her father was Thomas Jefferson Blasingame. We use here the prefered surname spelling written by Frances Blasingame. In the family records it has several versions; Vlasingame, Blassingame, Blassengame, and Blasengame.
Notes for CHARLES FERDINAND HOLST: It is told that Charles Ferdinand came to the United States with two or three brothers. The 1860 Census shows his age as 49, Chester, South Carolina. Occupation: Master Carriage Maker. Notes for IDA JEANETTE ELOISE DE ROSENVAL: 1860 Census shows age as 42. Chester, South Carolina
Copyright © 2001 Harbour-Holst Genealogy. All rights reserved.
Revised:
March 12, 2006
.