Lee was born in North Carolina, USA, and is one of our American ancestors. His father died when he was just six years old, he had two older brothers and one younger sister. They lived close to his maternal grandfather's home in Crowder's Creek, near Gastonia. After the war, in 1867, being his grandparents already dead they sold their property and went to New York where they got a steamer to Brazil. They landed, it seems, in Santos and went to live in Tatuhy, and then Porto Feliz. Lee was seventeen when arrived Brazil. He went to school for a while and it is said that, as he was not blond and quickly learnt how to speak Portuguese very well, with almost no accent, most of his friends used to forget he was not Brazilian. They called him Luiz. That is why his son Bob named his oldest son, Lee's first grandchild, Luiz Lee Holland. The name was after Leroy's Brazilian and American nicknames.

In 1873 his next brother, James Oliver married Jurilla Green. In the end of 1875 and begining of 1876 died both, his mother and oldest brother William. Probably he must felt loneliness for now there were but he and his youngest sister Mary Priscilla and soon they moved to Americana, where most of the American immigrants were settling that time. They lived in Retiro, a neighborhood not far from the city, close to a few other American families.

Lee and Cynthia first met in a visit he made to Santa Barbara. She used to tell that he had very lovely curly hair, and that when he used to visit her, before getting to her house, there was a little creek, so he always stopped at the creek and wet his hair them it would get curlier and he would look like prettier to her. She was only eighteen at the time they engaged, and her all life kept one lap of his hair he gave her that time.

Lee and and his wife moved a lot all his life, but ever to close counties, and small farms around Americana. However, twenty years passed, Lee having not seen his sister Mary Weissinger all this time. Also Lee's brother James Oliver married Jurilla Green. She and Cynthia always hated eachother. Aunt Nelly tells that Lee, having that great many of children, Edward, Bob, Tom (who just walked when five years old), Rosa, Diddie, was all the time with a lot of children around him, hanging from his arms, and pulling his clothes. And his brother James, instead almost used to give a kick on his ones. Cynthia always used to show the difference from one brother to the other. Even Cynthia lost a bit her ties to her family.

From the birthing place of their children we learn that from 1882 to 84 they were living in Indaiatuba, near Campinas, then, before 1886 they had moved to Santa Barbara, where they stayed at least until 1890 and from 1894 to 1900 they were in Dois Córregos. They where living in Itirapina at the time of their death. Lee had lived before his marriage in Tatuhy, Santa Barbara and Porto Feliz. Lee was an introspective and melancholic man. There is some poetry he made himself, in old papers kept by Paulo Wilson Holland, one of his grandsons. He was, is some respects, a very stern person. He had a very long white beard, the manner the old Southerners used, and was a much tall man, as all of his son were. After his second son, Robert Wilson Holland, died Robert's widow and children went to live in Leroy's home for some time. There was a rigid time to go to bed, and it was early. So, Rita, the grandchildren's mother used to silently open the bedroom window and says to the two older to go playing outside while the slumber hasn't come. Everybody used to call him Lee and he liked his grandchildren call him Daddy. They had a parrot that was ever counting "One, four, one, four" this was because their sons used to exercise near the parrot, in the barn.

Cynthia was always very gentle with Uncle Tom, the one who had Down's Sindrom, and she had one of the most beautifull flower gardens, she loved the flowers and was much stern about her grandchildren playing and spoilling her garden, in Itirapina. Itamar tells that one time she was with her grandmother in the garden and a man came by the fence and picked one flower. Itamar, seeing that, then a girl not older than five, went running to tell him to not to do that, but Cynthia hold her and told: "No child, that is all right". The man was retarded too.

"Minha querida filhinha Itie,

Recebi tua cartinha, que veio junto com a carta de mamãe: Vovó agradece os beijinhos que você manda a ella, e vovó manda muitos beijos, abraços e saudades para você e tua irmazinha Cy. Então você vem na cesta? e Cy não quer deixar mamãe? então sabe como você pode fazer? compra uma cesta grande, e você senta num canto, Cy no outro, e mamãe no outro, e enche o outro canto de flores, não fica bom assim? mas você , mamãe e Cy já são três flores de vovó. Agora vou terminar esta e escrever à titia Nellie. Você e Cy aceitem muitos abraços e beijos, de quem te ama com todo o coração,

Vovó."

They had one infant daughter named Annete Elizabeth Holland, born January 17, 1894 who died January 25, 1895. She is buried in Campo Cemetery, in Santa Barbara. It is engraved in her tombstone: "For such is the Kingdom of Heaven". She was a twin to Paulo Pierce. The next daughter they had they gave the same name of the dead baby.

For a several years Cynthia and Lee Holland had a Cynthia's nephew, son of her brother living with them, this boy had the same age their oldest son Thomas Lee and had the same name. Thomas Edward was this name. His mother died, probably of parturition problems when having the first child and his father had married again. Cynthia who loved very much this sister-in-law offered to raise her child, for her own Tom was only fifteen days. They had Ed with them till he was twelve years old, when his father took him back to his house. In 1906 Edward went spent some time in his father's house in Tatuhi. Uncle Thomas, Edward's father, was a Manager in a farm there. Edward was a very well-tempered, talky, young man and had lots of friends. Edward had invited many of his friends to visit them in a weekend. It was a very nice parting all day. He danced with his step-mother several times, even when she complained for resting they went on. When everything was over they said "So let's get some sleep!". Then Edwardd got a gun that was over the table and put it in his belt. Meanwhile a friend called. "Edward, how did you do that funny thing?". It was a playing with a sheet and a lamp behind. So Edward answered; "It is like this: You put your knee on the floor.." he was saying but already in his knees to show also. Unfortunately this way the gun felt from his belt, and accidentally fired, targetting him in the chest. He was still able to stand up and cross the room after his father. And said to him: "Daddy, I killed myself". He was 24 years old. Edward used to call Cynthia "mama" for really she was the one who raised him Cynthia. He used to call her and say that he always cried of missing her. Few days before he had called and said that was intending to come to visit them. The night he died they were at home when the telegram arrived. Everybody was happy and saying "It is Edward saing that is coming". Instead they were informing about his death. Cynthia cried during six months with no relief, night and day. Until the day she died she had a big picture of Edward (and D. Pedro II) in her room. Eduardo, second son of her son Bob was named after this cousin.

Few months after the death of their son Bob (see under his name), one of Lee and Cynthia's neighbors lost a horse and asked Lee to help him to find it. It was afreezing and rainy day and he got pneumonia. The doctor treated him during a week for lumbago, but when they finaly discovered the real problem it was too late. Of course there was no antibiotics that time. He died from tetanus he got when a palm tree thorn hurt his finger.

After Lee's death, Cynthia went to Franca to stay some time with her daughters Nellie and Rosa, called Joe by the family members. There she wrote a letter to Lillie and Jennie, showing some anxiousness:

Franca, 25-11-21
My Dear children,
I want you to write right now and let us now if Cianelli did the work at the cemetery, and what it amounted to? Paul must know before the end of the month, so as to be able to settle with Jahú; he must know also what our two wreath cost, so as to put them on the account too, you know me, was Ritinhas, and the other two ours? Another thing, I want to know if you took Nellies letter to Salustiano, and what he said? It is most essential that you keep us frosted on these matters, but dont talk much about it to outsiders, am afraid we will have trouble. Lillie, do all you can to secure a place in the Continental, because Armani is going to close for some time (time indefinite). This is a secret. I think it is best that you hurry on to São Paulo, and go as soon as possible to see Mrs. Hughes. Jennie, I want you to take your medicine regular, and get well, and strong. When Jahu gets some thing good for Ritinha, you must stay with mama, and be her compromised, you Tom and mama will live together; with Gods help we will get along. Tell Ritinha to look after everything there for me, and I will try to go soon. I know I ought to be there, but Joe and Nellie are so good to me, I cant go yet. They do all they can for my comfort.
Ritinha can have Rita to do the housing, and if she want put a price on it, I will settle with her when I go. Yesterday was thanksgiving day and Roy and Paul had dinner with us, Roy will go the evening. Will close as am so nervous. Tell the boys to water the plants and take in the fertilizer for vovó till she goes to be there. With lots of saudades, Ever your old Mama
(P.S.) Just read your letter. When you go to SP, as soon as you get settled, write and send address and tell me what you arranged. I am afraid Joe is sick.
Mama"

Margaret Cynthia was very depressed with the death of her son and husband and died, of pneumonia like her husband, less than nine months later she wrote this letter. She is resting with her husband in Itirapina. After Cynthia's death, Ritinha, her widow daughter-in-law, with her four boys, and Deedie, Itamar and Iracy stayed at the farm during months to settle the estate. Cynthia's daughters decided that their two brothers, Roy and Paul, should get the money left, because they had never been at school. Their parents used the money they had so send only the girls to school while the boys stayed for help their father in the farm's affairs, so it was only fair they share the money they got after selling the estate.

Aunt Deedie used to say that Cynthia was a lovely person, with only one flaw: Cynthia had an oldest daughter, Patty, and she felt that had allowded Patty to dominate her and all other sibblings. Then Cynthia doesn't wanting anything like that amongst her own children never alouded any of them to give orders to the others. This was very hard for the older ones, who usually had to look after the yourger ones, when their parents were out, without giving orders to them. Cynthia had to work very hard and was also very harsh on the children, for Lee was too kind and could not make money. He had a mill of "fuba", and the way the people would pay him was, they would take the whole corn in a can, and he would pour that in the mill and grind it, and then would fill the can with the flour, and whatever was leftover was his payment. Of course there was nothing left, always the grounded corn was not enough to fill up the can. So Cynthia had to make money, sewing and selling to face the family bills. Cynthia always said that it was very hard to be the wife of a man who does not have the owing abillity. She was the man of the family in a way, had a lot of strenght.