Leroy Thomas Holland Death Notice

Leroy Thomas Holland

I’ve blogged about my 2nd great grandfather Leroy Thomas Holland before but recently found a death notice that ran in The Intelligencer on May 12, 1892 so wanted to share that:

Mr. Lee Holland, a former citizen of this County, who lived near Belton, died at his home in Whitfield County, Ga., on Thursday of last week. Mr. Holland leaves a wife and three children and many other relatives and friends who feel deep sorrow at his death. The deceased was about 45 years of age, and though in the prime of manhood, he was fatally stricken with a case of fever, and in his death the bereaved wife and children see the hope of their life and the mainstay of their home cut down and taken from them. May they who have felt so heavily the hand of affliction turn to Him for comfort and support who has promised to be the stay of the widow and the Father to the orphans.

Unfortunately, the death notice is misleading for several reasons:

• You had to be paying attention since it lists his name as Lee vs. Leroy.
• It states that he “leaves a wife and three children” when he actually had seven children survive him: four by his first wife—Marion Scott Holland (age 33), Elijah Jeffers Holland (age 19), Andrew Turner Holland (age 16), and William Charles Holland (age 14); and three by his second wife—Aaron Hall Holland (age 11), Lawrence Lafayette Holland (age 9), and Joseph Norris Holland (age 4). Perhaps they took the information from his widow and she only acknowledged her three boys, all underage. Marion and Elijah were adults in 1892 but Andrew and William were still underage so I would have at least thought they would be recognized as survivors. 
• It states that he was “about 45 years of age.” Leroy was born in 1835 so if you do the math, he was in fact 56 years old. That’s a big difference!

The Intelligencer, May 12, 1892

But the notice does confirm several pieces of information:

• Leroy was from Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina.
• He lived in Whitfield County, Georgia at the time of his death.
• He died from an illness (his son Aaron would later write that Leroy had pneumonia when he died).

All genealogists know it’s important to prove your facts. This record shows that can sometimes be difficult.