George William Perry Holland

George William Perry Holland, son of John Holland and Elizabeth Hutchinson Majors, was born in Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina on November 20, 1849. William grew up in a large family that included his parents and 15 siblings—Elijah Major Holland, Martha A. Holland, Gambrell W. Holland, Leroy Thomas Holland, Symantha C. Holland, Emily Caroline Holland, Miranda Elizabeth Holland, Nancy L. Holland, Martha L. Holland, Jane A. Holland, Samantha Jane Holland, John Louis Holland, Mary M. Holland, Eliza Amanda Holland, and P. C. Holland. His brother Leroy is my 2nd great grandfather which makes William my 2nd great grand uncle. Our nearest common relatives are his parents. Early in his life, records listed his first name as George. But as he grew older, the name George appears to have been dropped.

On August 16, 1850, the Holland family lived in the Eastern Subdivision of Anderson County. At nine months of age, William, enumerated as George W. P. Holland, was the baby in the family. His father was a farmer with real estate valued at $1500, Elijah was a student at age 21, and Leroy a farmer.

1850 census

On June 25, 1860, the Holland family lived in Regiment 4 of Anderson County. William’s father, a farmer, had real estate valued at $2000 and a personal estate valued at $500. William was enumerated as George W. Holland in the 1860 census record. The family lived next door to William’s sister Nancy and her husband Marcus Hall.

On August 16, 1870, William lived with his brother Elijah and his family in the Belton Township of Anderson County. At age 20, William worked as a day laborer. They lived two houses from Robert King and Frances Holland King, William’s grand uncle and aunt. Frances was the daughter of Moses Holland, a leading citizen of Anderson County and Baptist minister who founded many churches in the area. Moses, a drummer during the Revolutionary War, “was present at Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown in 1781.” 

By 1876, William had married Sallie Lee Sims and started their family of at least four children—John William Holland, Charles Allison Holland, Lilly B. Holland, and Frank Holland. I can’t be certain though that Sims is Sallie’s maiden name. In my research, I found death certificates for John, Charles, and Frank and all three list a different last name for Sallie. Charles’ death certificate lists his mother as Sallie Lee Sims, on John’s certificate, it’s Sallie Suber, and on Frank’s it’s Sallie Dumas. Frank’s obituary only lists his father. It appears that Sallie died sometime after Frank’s birth in August 1886 and that William married Josephine Miller about 1891. William and Josephine had at least four children—Robert Perry Holland, Ruby Estelle Holland, James Carlyle Holland, and one child that did not survive infancy.

By June 2, 1900, William had moved his family to McFarland Drive in Florence, South Carolina. The census enumerator noted that William and Josephine had been married for nine years. Josephine had given birth to three children, with only two living, Robert and Ruby. Three children from William’s first marriage were still in the home—Charles, Lilly, and Frank. William worked as an engineer for the railroad. Josephine died in 1905 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Florence.

On April 19, 1910, a widowed William lived in Ward 1 of Florence. He still had three children at home, Robert (age 16), Ruby (age 13), and James (age 7). William was no longer working. His son Robert, however, worked as a clerk in a grocery story. None of the children were attending school. William was still living in the McFarland Drive home in 1913.

William apparently suffered from melancholia, or severe depression, and on December 19, 1915, his life ended tragically in Florence at the age of 66 from “injuries received by jumping from a window.” Three news articles reported the circumstances of William’s death.

"The Greenville News," Greenville, South Carolina, December 23, 1915. Jump Proves Fatal. William P. Holland Dies from Injuries at Florence. Florence, Dec. 22—William P. Holland, for many years an engineer on the Atlantic Coast Line, died here on Sunday afternoon as the result of injuries received in jumping from the second story window of the infirmary where he had been sent for treatment on account of an ailment from which he had suffered for years, and which was the cause of death, hastened by his accident. Mr. Holland came to Florence from Anderson county in early life and was employed by the Atlantic Coast Line as long as he was physically able to work. Four sons and one daughter survive him.

"The Intelligencer," Anderson, South Carolina, December 23, 1915. The following from yesterday's Columbia State will be of interest since Mr. Holland was formerly a resident of this county: Florence, Dec. 22— ... [carried the same article above that ran in "The Greenville News"] … .

"Yorkville Enquirer," York, South Carolina, December 31, 1915. William P. Holland, for many years an engineer on the Atlantic Coast Line railway, died last week from injuries received when he jumped from the second story window of a Florence sanitarium where he was undergoing treatment.

William’s death certificate listed his occupation as locomotive engineer. He was buried in the family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Florence on December 21, 1915.

Stone photos by Darlington SC, Find A Grave member ID unknown

References

• Charles Allison Holland, Standard Certificate of Death no. 56 011650, Division of Vital Statistics—State Board of Health, State of South Carolina.
• Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/130529182/william-perry-holland: accessed 11 July 2021), memorial page for William Perry Holland (20 Nov 1849–19 Dec 1915), Find a Grave Memorial ID 130529182, citing Mount Hope Cemetery, Florence, Florence County, South Carolina, USA; maintained by Find a Grave (contributor 8).
• Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/130529348/josephine-holland: accessed 18 July 2021), memorial page for Josephine Miller Holland (1862–1905), Find a Grave Memorial ID 130529348, citing Mount Hope Cemetery, Florence, Florence County, South Carolina, USA; maintained by Find a Grave (contributor 8).
• Frank Holland, Standard Certificate of Death no. 15992, State of South Carolina, Bureau of Vital Statistics, State Board of Health, 1933.
• James Carlyle Holland Certificate of Death no. 338, North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941.
• Jump Proves Fatal. William P. Holland Dies from Injuries at Florence, The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, December 23, 1915.
• Melancholia, Merriam-Webster Dictionary; https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melancholia.
• Moses Holland, Manley McClure to Join Anderson HOF in October, Anderson Observer, August 16, 2014; http://andersonobserver.com/news/2014/8/16/moses-holland-manley-mcclure-to-join-anderson-hof-in-october.html.
• Robert Perry Holland Certificate of Death no. 59 009572, Vital Statistics—State Board of Health, South Carolina, 1959.
• Ruby Estelle Van Collom, Commonwealth of Virginia—Certificate of Death no. 85-000683, Department of Health—Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics—Richmond, 1985.
• The Intelligencer, Anderson, South Carolina, December 23, 1915.
• U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, South Carolina, Florence, 1913.
• United States Federal Census, Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina, 1870.
• United States Federal Census, Eastern Subdivision, Anderson County, South Carolina, 1850.
• United States Federal Census, Florence, Florence County, South Carolina, 1900.
• United States Federal Census, Florence, Ward 1, Florence County, South Carolina, 1910.
• United States Federal Census, Regiment 4, Anderson County, South Carolina, 1860.
• William Perry Holland, Certificate of Death no. 23528, State of South Carolina, Bureau of Vital Statistics, State Board of Health, 1915.