Amanda (Hall) Holland sells Georgia land

This legal record is a deed documenting the transfer of property ownership—80 acres described as the north half of land lot number 184 in the Tenth District and Third Section of Whitfield County, Georgia—from Amanda Holland to W. R. Hammontree. Amanda (Hall) Holland was the second wife of my 2nd great-grandfather, Leroy Thomas Holland, who passed away on May 4, 1892, in Beaverdale, Whitfield County, Georgia. Leroy purchased the land after moving from Anderson County, South Carolina, to Whitfield County around January 1891. I descend through Leroy’s first wife, Amanda Elizabeth Scott.

This deed corroborates what Leroy and Amanda’s son, Aaron Hall Holland, shared in a 1964 letter to my grandfather detailing Hall/Holland family history. I included some of what he wrote in a sketch about Amanda that I wrote in 2015. You can read that here. Essentially, Aaron mentioned that in 1894, the Holland family (Amanda and her sons Aaron, Lawrence, and Joseph) were ordered off land owned by their friend George Brownlee in Whitfield County, where they had lived since moving from Anderson. Following this, Amanda moved the family to 80 acres of land Leroy had purchased adjacent to Brownlee’s land. Amanda worked hard to make the land viable for them, but after much encouragement and an offer from her brother she could not refuse, she sold the 80 acres and moved to Alief, Harris County, Texas. Aaron believed she sold the land for $100, but it appears it was $150. She was already in Texas when she signed the deed over to Hammontree on December 6, 1899. This deed ensures that Hammontree legally owned the specified property in Whitfield County and that Amanda Holland transferred all her rights to him.

Amanda Holland, Deed to Wm. R. Hammontree.

N. 1/2 N. Lot No. 184 10th & 3rd.

State of Texas, County of Harris. 

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: 

That I, Amanda Holland, of the County of Harris and State of Texas, in consideration of the sum of one hundred fifty ($150.00) dollars cash in hand paid by W. R. Hammontree, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged have granted, sold, and conveyed, and by these presents do grant, sell and convey unto the said W. R. Hammontree of the County of Whitfield and State of Georgia, all that certain tract of land, viz: The North half of land lot number one hundred and eighty-four (184) of land in the Tenth District and Third Section containing eighty (80) acres, more or less. 

Said land being situated in the County of Whitfield and State of Georgia. 

To have and to hold the above described premises together with all and singular the rights and appurtenances thereto in anywise belonging unto the said W. R. Hammontree, his heirs and assigns forever. And I do hereby bind myself, my heirs, executors, and administrators to warrant and forever defend all and singular the said premises unto the said W. R. Hammontree, his heirs and assigns against every other person whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof. 

Witness my hand at Alief, Texas this 6th day of December A.D. 1899.

(R. S. 50) Amanda Holland.

State of Texas, County of Harris. 

Before me A. M. Smith, Notary Public in and for Harris County, Texas, on this day personally appeared Amanda Holland known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument and acknowledged to me that she executed the same for the purposes and consideration therein expressed. 

Given under my hand and seal at office this 6th day of December 1899.

(Seal) A. M. Smith, Notary Public, Harris County, Texas.

Filed, recorded, and certified for June 20th, 1902. 

Clerk.

This was the second time I found a record that corroborates the family history Aaron Holland shared with my grandfather in 1964. In 2016, I wrote about two news articles I found in the Anderson Intelligencer. The first article described how Amanda and her boys survived the historic 1900 Galveston hurricane. The second article detailed a fire in Whitfield County that destroyed their livelihood when their corn, cotton seed, and fodder were lost in a fire on George Brownlee’s land. You can read about both articles here.

Reference

• An Appeal to the Charitable. Beaverdale, Whitefield [sic] Co., GA, The Anderson Intelligencer, Anderson, South Carolina, December 20, 1893.
• Former Resident Dies in Texas, The Anderson Intelligencer, Anderson, South Carolina, January 3, 1915.
• History of Aaron Hall and Clementina Ann (Norris) Hall, letter written by Aaron Hall Holland to Samuel Jackson Holland, May 15, 1964.
• Mr. Lee Holland, The Intelligencer, Anderson, South Carolina, May 12, 1892.
• Sad Letter from Texas, The Intelligencer, Anderson, South Carolina, September 19, 1900.
• Whitfield County, Georgia, Land Records March 1901–December 1903, image 198, FamilySearch.

Joseph Norris Holland - the youngest child of 14

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “youngest.”

Joseph Norris Holland, son of Leroy Thomas Holland and Cindarilla Darliska “Amanda” Hall, was born on March 2, 1888 at the old home place in Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina. He was the third child of three—Aaron Hall Holland, Lawrence Lafayette Holland, and Joseph Norris Holland. Amanda Hall was Leroy’s second wife. He had previously been married to Amanda Elizabeth Scott whom he married in 1854. Leroy and Amanda Scott had shared 23 years of marriage when she died on December 18, 1877. Still a young woman in her mid-30s, she and Leroy had 11 children together, most of which didn’t survive past childhood or early adulthood. These 11 children, half siblings of Joseph were Eliza Ann Holland, Marion Scott Holland, John Newton Holland, Thomas N. Holland, William Harrison Holland, John Louis Holland, Brown Lee Holland, Maggie Idora Holland, Elijah Jeffers Holland, Andrew Turner Holland, and William Charles Holland. He went by Joe and was Leroy’s youngest child of 14. I descend from Joe’s brother Elijah Jeffers Holland, which makes him my half great grand uncle.

This is the only photo I have of Joe. Pictured left to right:
Aaron Hall Holland, Joseph Norris Holland (in chair),
Lawrence Lafayette Holland (standing),
William Charles Holland (in front of Lawrence).

I’ve blogged extensively about this Holland family so won’t repeat all of it here. If you’re interested, you can read the following posts:

52 Ancestors - #8: Leroy Thomas Holland – Father; a confederate veteran who fought with Company L, Second South Carolina Rifles, Jenkins Brigade, C.S.A. Leroy was my 2nd great grandfather. Sometime after I posted his story, I found a death notice for Leroy. You can read it here: Leroy Thomas Holland Death Notice. Died at age 56.

Eliza Ann Holland – Half-sister; died after an illness of several weeks on September 10, 1883 at about age 28.

William Harrison Holland (103-2016) – Half-brother; died on March 26, 1890 at age 24.

52 Ancestors -- #14: Elijah Jeffers Holland – Half-brother; moved to Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia. He died on March 4, 1915, less than three months after his step-mother Amanda, at age 42.

52 Ancestors -- #12: Andrew Turner Holland – Half-brother; moved to Washington, DC. He died on March 18, 1915, just 14 days after his brother Elijah and three months after his step-mother Amanda, at age 37.

52 Ancestors – William Charles Holland – (week 40 – 2015) – Half-brother; lived in Murray County, Georgia. One of the few that lived to full adulthood, dying at age 62.

Aaron Hall Holland – Brother; survived the longest of all of the Holland children. He died on February 17, 1966 in Denver, Colorado after a short illness at age 85. Aaron never had any children.

52 Ancestors – Lawrence Lafayette Holland (95-2016) – Brother; died of an acute heart attack in Alief on August 17, 1934 at age 51.

52 Ancestors - #26: Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall – survivor of historic 1900 Galveston hurricane (week 10) – Mother; worked hard to support her children. Moved the family to Texas.

52 Ancestors – News Articles from 1893 and 1900 Corroborate 1964 Aaron Hall Holland Letter (86-2016)

Other siblings died young as well:

• John Newton Holland – Half-brother; born and died on May 3, 1860.
• John Louis Holland – Half-brother; died on June 26, 1868 at six months of age.
• Maggie Idora Holland – Half-sister; died on March 1, 1872 at seven months of age.
• Thomas N. Holland – Half-brother; died on October 22, 1873 at age 12.
• Brown Lee Holland – Half-brother; Brown died on April 5, 1890, ten days after Harrison’s death, at age 21.

About January 1891, Joe’s father Leroy moved his family from Anderson to Dalton, Georgia to make a better life for everyone. Leroy worked hard to get his family settled in their new home. Sadly though, he would not reap the benefits of his hard work as he died of pneumonia in Beaverdale, Whitfield County, Georgia on May 4, 1892. Leroy was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Dalton. In a March 1964 letter Joe’s brother Aaron wrote to my grandfather, Samuel Jackson Holland, which detailed extensive history of this family, Aaron wrote that he felt his father had worked himself to death. After Leroy’s death, Joe and his immediate family fell on hard times. His mother’s brother, Lawrence Peak Hall, lived in Texas and offered to furnish all of their food, free of charge, as well as a house and half of what they produced if they moved to Texas. So, in January 1895, Amanda and her three boys packed their bags and headed west to Italy, Ellis County, Texas. I go into great detail on what life was like for Joe and his family after they moved to Texas in Amanda’s story. It was a hard life and they struggled. But they kept going. In January 1899, the family moved to Alief, Harris County, Texas.

The first census record Joe appears in is on June 15, 1900 in Justice Precinct 8 of Harris County, Texas. His widowed mother Amanda was a farmer. Both Aaron and Lawrence were farm laborers while Joe was attending school. In September 1900, Joe and his family were in the path of one of the deadliest hurricanes in history. They were inside their house when the hurricane hit. Worried the house was going to collapse during the storm, Joe and his family tried to run outside and were nearly swept away. Luckily, the family and the house survived, and they lived to tell the story of the historical hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas and killed thousands of people. Again, you can read about the hurricane in Amanda’s story. By the end of the decade, Joe’s brother Aaron had moved to Denver, Colorado, originally to care for their ailing aunt, Hattie Hall Welch. After some time spent back home in Texas, Aaron would officially move to Denver.

The 1910s were filled with life changing events for Joe. On May 9, 1910, the Holland family were all living with their mother in Harris County working the home farm. The first event was the death of his mother in Houston, Harris County, Texas on December 20, 1914. Amanda was buried at Italy Cemetery in Italy, Ellis County, Texas on Christmas Eve. Less than three months later, Joe was in mourning again when on March 4, 1915, his brother Elijah died in Dalton, Georgia. Elijah was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Dalton, Georgia. I doubt Joe had seen Elijah since he left South Carolina in 1895. It was a sad time for the Holland’s, but life must go on. Just three months after the death of his mother and 12 days after the death of his brother, Joe married Ethel Hassell, daughter of John T. Hassell and Mary C. Woods, on March 16, 1915 in Alief, Harris County, Texas. But the grim reaper wasn’t done yet. Deaths often come in threes and that was the case in 1915. On March 18, Joe’s brother Andrew died in Washington, DC and was buried in an unmarked grave at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC. Again, I doubt Joe had seen Andrew since 1895 either. But the next year brought joy to Joe and Evelyn when they welcomed their only child, a daughter they named Mary Amanda Holland on December 30, 1916. Mary was born in Alief. As the decade was coming to an end, Joe registered for the World War I draft in Harris County on June 5, 1917. He was a self-employed farmer in Alief. Joe was of medium height and build, had blue eyes, and red hair, and noted that he had no defects on his body.

On February 12, 1920, Joe, his wife, and daughter lived in Justice Precinct 8 of Harris County, Texas. As he had done all of his life, Joe was a farmer on a general farm while his wife stayed home with their daughter. Two weeks after this census was taken, Joe died on February 26, 1920 in Alief. He was buried at Alief Cemetery. Like many of his siblings, Joe was not destined to live a long life and was only 31 years old when he died. He left a three-year-old daughter behind. One might think there was a curse on this Holland family

Photo by Sonya Dudley, Find A Grave member no. 47533003

References

1. Aaron Hall Holland letter, on March 23, 1964.
2. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed August 4, 2018), memorial page for Joe Norris Holland (2 Mar–unknown), Find A Grave Memorial no. 10762247, citing Alief Cemetery, Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA; Maintained by a mommy mouse (contributor 46575145).
3. Texas, Brazoria County Marriage Records, 1870–2012.
4. Texas, Select County Marriage Index, 1837–1977.
5. U.S. census, Justice Precinct 8, Harris, Texas, 1900, 1910, 1920.
6. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, Joe N. Holland.

52 Ancestors – Lawrence Lafayette Holland (95-2016)

Lawrence Lafayette Holland

Lawrence Lafayette Holland, son of Leroy Thomas Holland and Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall, was born on September 26, 1882 in Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina. He was the second child of three—Aaron Hall Holland, Lawrence Lafayette Holland, and Joseph Norris Holland. Lawrence also had 11 step-siblings through his father’s first marriage to Amanda Elizabeth Scott—Eliza Ann Holland, Marion Scott Holland, John Newton Holland, Thomas N. Holland, William Harrison Holland, John Louis Holland, Brown Lee Holland, Maggie Idora Holland, Elijah Jeffers Holland, Andrew Turner Holland, and William Charles Holland.

Lawrence was almost one year old when he first experienced death, although he was too young to realize what had happened to his family. Eliza, his oldest sister, died at the age of 27 on September 10, 1883. She was buried at Neal’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Anderson. In the spring of 1890, he lost two older brothers when he was seven years old. By then, I’m sure he felt the pain of losing his brothers whom he probably looked up to. His brother, William Harrison Holland, just 24 years old, died in March 1890. Shortly after Harrison’s death, another brother, Brown Lee Holland died in April after being stricken down with pneumonia from taking care of Harrison. Brown was just 21 years old when he died. Harrison and Brown were laid to rest together in Neal’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.

The early 1890s were hard on the Holland family. In addition to the death of two brothers, Lawrence’s father Leroy was struggling to support his family. In an attempt to make a better life for them, Leroy bought land in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia and around January 1891 moved the family there. They took a train to Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, spent the night there, and then headed for Dalton the next morning. George Brownlee, a friend Leroy bought the land from, met them in Dalton and invited them to stay at his home in Deep Springs for the 15 days it took their household goods to arrive. The first year in Dalton was a good one and his father worked hard. Leroy already had plenty of good farming land in cultivation but wanted to clear more land. He literally ended up working himself to death (or so Lawrence’s brother Aaron thought) and died of pneumonia on May 4, 1892 in Beaverdale, Whitfield County, Georgia. Leroy was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery there in Whitfield County.

If the family thought life was hard before, it was much worse now. On or about December 5, 1893, Brownlee ordered them off his land so they moved to 80 acres purchased by Leroy before he died. (In an earlier blog post I stated 1894 based on the recollections of Aaron Hall Holland, but recently found a news article from 1893 that proved he was a year off in his recollections.) The Hollands had just spent the night there when they were awakened and informed that the barn on the Brownlee place had burned to the ground. Amanda and the boys lost all of their corn, cotton seed, and fodder, leaving them with nothing. It was only with the help of Amanda’s sister, Permelia Ann Harriett (Hattie) Hall Welch, her son Edwin Parker Welch, and good neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Patterson that they survived.

Lawrence’s mother Amanda would not give up. She and the boys were encouraged by everyone, especially her brother Lawrence Peak Hall of Italy, Ellis County, Texas. Peak offered to furnish all of their food, free of charge, as well as a house and half of what they produced, if they moved to Texas. Amanda felt that was a deal she couldn’t refuse and accepted the offer. She sold everything the family had for cash, except the 80 acres of land which she sold for $100 on credit. They left for Texas, arriving on January 8, 1895 with $45 in cash and practically nothing else. They lived with Peak’s family for a couple of weeks and then moved into a four room house. They rented 30 acres of land from Peak and worked hard to produce a good crop of corn and cotton. Unfortunately, they lost money when they were unable to pick all of the cotton they had grown. This snowballed into the next year as they were refused the right to rent the land since they were unable to gather all of the crops. They looked for land elsewhere, ending up on a flag stop at Dairy Station in Alief, Harris County, Texas, 15 miles west of Houston, Harris County, Texas. The Hollands worked hard again and built a small house and fences. But there was no rest for the weary—they also had to prepare the land for crops. Once they completed that task, they headed back to Italy to harvest the corn there. After the crops were harvested, they loaded their mules, cows, shelled corn, baled oats, and furniture and took the train back to Dairy Station, arriving on January 8, 1899. They put Aaron in the box car to watch the stock on the trip. Once back in Alief, they stored the corn and baled oats in one end of the small house, cooked and ate in the other end, and slept upstairs where there was only one entrance and no windows. They managed to gather enough lumber to build a small barn to protect the mules and cows from the cold rains and then planted cotton. The first crop was a good one and they made enough money to meet their payments.

Aaron Hall Holland, Joseph Norris Holland
(in chair), Lawrence Lafayette Holland
(standing), William Charles Holland (in front of Lawrence).

The turn of the century came and the 1900s started off with lots of rain. The ground was so wet after raining for months that they couldn’t farm. Lawrence and his brothers contracted malaria, with Lawrence being the most sick. The census enumerator came on June 15, 1900 and found Lawrence living with his mother and brothers in Justice Precinct 8 in Harris County, Texas. He recorded Amanda, Aaron, and Lawrence as working on the farm. Joseph, age 12, was “at school.”

Of all the bad things that had happened to Lawrence and his family—they hadn’t seen anything yet. At dinner time on the night of September 8, 1900, the wind started blowing hard from the north. The house eased off the foundation and a plank came loose, flapping against the wall. It continued until 11:30 that night when it changed to the East and then dropped to the Southeast at an increased speed. The house began to rise up and drop down. They were frightened, fearing the house would collapse any minute. The house had two doors—one on the East end that faced the wind and one on the South end. They thought the storm was nearing the end and felt lucky the house was still standing. Not knowing what to do, they decided they might as well go outside. Aaron was the strongest so took Joe by the hand. Lawrence took his mother’s hand and they made a run for it. The run didn’t amount to much because as soon as Aaron hit the South door, the wind was so strong it tore him loose from Joe and sucked him in the back. The same thing happened to Joe and Lawrence. As his mother came out, the wind had such force that it blew her past the boys behind the wall into the water, which was a foot deep by that time. It turns out they were in the midst of the historical 1900 Galveston hurricane which killed thousands of people and destroyed many homes. They were lucky—their house stood and they survived.

Things settled down and got back to normal. The rains stopped and the next year was dry. They were able to make enough money over time to meet their payments. Aaron left home for a while to work but was forced to return home to help their mother and Joe gather the crops when Lawrence left home. Lawrence eventually returned home and they bought more farm land, a barn, and firewood. By 1908, they held 205 acres and had most of it paid off.

In 1909, their cousin Edwin Welch died in Denver, Colorado so Lawrence’s brother Aaron quit his job and left for Denver. When he arrived, he found his aunt Hattie Welch (mother of Edwin and sister of their mother Amanda) very sick so Aaron decided to leave his family behind in Texas to stay in Colorado and take care of aunt Hattie. She had saved their lives back in 1893 and now it was his turn to help her.

Aaron must have come back home to gather his belongings because on May 9, 1910, the census enumerator found him living with Lawrence, Joe, and their mother in Justice Precinct 8 of Harris County, Texas. Their mother was the head of the household. All three boys were still single and everyone in the house were farmers. Lawrence was able to read and write.

Lawrence married Thula Williford Maybin, daughter of Matthew Martin Maybin and Martha Jane Gordon, on December 23, 1911 in Harris County, Texas. Together they had nine children—Hattie Leeoma Holland, Eulalia Lynn Holland (twin), Launa Estelle Holland (twin), Margie Myrtle Holland, Leroy Thomas Holland, Arnold Sears Holland, Luetta Amanda Holland, Bessie Mae Holland, and Elnora Lou Bell Holland. Thula had previously been married to Walter Robert Stephenson and had a son named Walter Robert Stephenson Jr.

Lawrence, Thula, and four of their children

Lawrence and Thula were married just under three years when they welcomed their first daughter Hattie in October 1914. They lived at 7118 Brownville Street in Houston. The joy of a new child was shattered two months later, however, when Lawrence’s mother died in Houston at the age of 70 on December 20, 1914. Amanda was buried on Christmas Eve beside her brother Peak at Italy Cemetery in Italy, Ellis County, Texas. Her tombstone includes the names of her husband, L. T. Holland, and three sons—Lawrence, Joe, and Aaron. I’m sure Lawrence was devastated by the death of his mother—they had been through a lot together. But things would get worse before they got better. You know they always say deaths come in threes—well that would prove to be true in this case when Lawrence’s brother Elijah died in Dalton on March 4, 1915. He was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery with Lawrence’s grandfather Leroy Holland. Fourteen days after Elijah’s death, his brother Andrew died in Washington, DC on March 18, 1915. Andrew was buried at Congressional Cemetery in DC. I wonder how this effected Lawrence. After all, it had been 20 years since he left Georgia for Texas. Had he ever made the trip back east? Had his brothers ever visited him in Texas? Did they write to each other? Just wondering.

Happy times were just around the corner though when March 1916 saw the birth of twin daughters Eulalia and Launa. They brought their baby girls home to the Brownville Street house in Houston. Daughter Margie was born in February 1918.

I don’t find evidence that he served, but Lawrence registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918 in Harris County, Texas. He stated that he lived in Alief and was a farmer. Lawrence listed Thula as his nearest relative. He was of medium height, stout build, had blue eyes, and dark hair. As is turned out, World War I ended on November 11, 1918 and I’m sure Lawrence and Thula breathed a sigh of relief.

Lawrence and Thula’s first son was born on November 25, 1919 in Humble, Harris County, Texas, just in time for Thanksgiving. They honored Lawrence’s father by naming this child Leroy Thomas Holland.

The 1920s saw more changes to the family. On January 25, 1920, Lawrence, Thula, her son from a previous marriage Walter Stephenson, their daughters Hattie, Eulalia, Launa, and Margie, and Leroy lived on Houston Road in Justice Precinct 4 of Harris County, Texas. The census enumerator listed Leroy as “Baby no name” and recorded him as one month old although he was actually two months old. Lawrence was a farmer. A month later, Lawrence’s brother Joseph died in Alief on February 26, 1920 at the age of 31 and was buried at Alief Cemetery. That must have been a shock to Lawrence. This left him alone in Texas now that his mother and Joe were gone and Aaron lived in Colorado. But Lawrence was surrounded by his own family which continued to grow—they added Arnold in September 1921, Luetta in 1923, Bessie in 1928, and Elnora in 1929 with the family back at the Brownville Street house in 1929. I wonder if they really ever left that house.

I’ve struggled with the year 1930—spending a good deal of time searching for Lawrence in census records to no avail. I did, however, find three children on April 12, 1930 living at the Austin State School on Camp Mabry Road in Austin, Travis County, Texas. The school is a state run facility for individuals with developmental disabilities. All three children—Estell Holland (age 14), Margia Holland (age 12), and Leroy Holland (age 10)—were listed as “inmate” in the census record. The names and ages match three of Lawrence’s children. The father for all three children was born in South Carolina which would be correct. The mother was born in North Carolina vs. Texas as Thula was but I still feel like they belong to Lawrence. I’d love to find Lawrence and Thula in this census record to see which children are living in the home with them that year. I’ll keep looking.

Is this three of the Holland children in the 1930 Austin, Travis County, Texas census

Lawrence died of an acute heart attack in Alief on August 17, 1934 at the age of 51. He was buried at the Alief Cemetery where his brother Joe was buried. Lawrence’s wife Thula was the informant on his death certificate. She didn’t know the name of Lawrence’s father (Leroy) and inaccurately listed Leroy’s birthplace as Georgia.

Lawrence experienced many hardships during his lifetime. I hope the good times outweighed the bad times for him.

52 Ancestors – News Articles from 1893 and 1900 Corroborate 1964 Aaron Hall Holland Letter (86-2016)

House in Galveston on Avenue N, October 15, 1900*

On March 7, 2015, I blogged about Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall Holland, second wife of my second great-grandfather Leroy Thomas Holland. The blog post included personal memories written by Amanda’s son, Aaron Hall Holland, in a 1964 letter to my grandfather recording Hall/Holland family history, including his description of how they survived the historic 1900 Galveston hurricane and a fire that happened several years earlier on their farm in Whitfield County, Georgia.

Last weekend while researching the historical newspapers housed on the Library of Congress website, I found an Anderson Intelligencer article where they shared a paragraph from a letter written by Amanda Hall Holland to the newspaper describing her experience during the hurricane. In her own words … I find it fascinating.

The Anderson Intelligencer, September 19, 1900
Sad Letter from Texas.
We take the liberty of publishing the following paragraph from a private letter written to us from Alief, Harrison County, Texas, under date of the 14th inst., by Mrs. Amanda Holland, widow of the late Lee Holland, who moved to the far West from this County about fifteen years ago: “Last Saturday we had a terrible storm of wind, rain and hail, tearing up everything as it came and leaving us nothing, not even a change of clothing. What we are to do, God only knows. The water was knee deep at our door, and when we had to get out of the house to keep from being killed by it falling on us, I was blown down into the water and would have been killed or drowned, as I could not get up, had not one of the boys pulled me out. We are now camped in an old ‘shack,’ with eight props around it, and cooking in an old pot resting on two bricks. The people who are able to get away are leaving, for there is nothing any one can do here to make a living. All the crops are in mud and ruined. Where we expected to make twenty-five bales of cotton we will not get one-half of a bale. You have no doubt seen in the papers where so many lives were lost. I do not see how any of us escaped alive. Our stables were torn to pieces and mules, cattle and hogs killed. The big sills of the buildings were blown a distance of fifty yards or more. I noticed seven plank blown into the ground so deep and fast that you could not shake them. Oh, you can’t realize what a terrible night we experienced. We had no shelter to get under, and we had to take it all. The wind had been blowing for three days, and on Saturday the rain commenced falling. As night came on the rain increased and continued through the night. We have had a very wet summer, having had only six clear days during August.” Mrs. Holland is a daughter of the late Aaron Hall, who, prior to his death, lived near Flat Rock Church, in this County, and she has many friends and relatives in this section who will regret to hear of her terrible misfortune.

This was not the first time Amanda had been faced with adversity. I found a second article from 1893 where she lost important farming supplies to a fire.

The Anderson Intelligencer, December 20, 1893
An Appeal to the Charitable. Beaverdale, Whitefield [sic] Co., GA.
Editors Anderson Intelligencer: Mrs. Amanda Holland had the misfortune to get her corn, fodder and a lot of roughness, together with a splendid wagon, burnt up Sunday morning between 3 and 4 o’clock. It must have been the work of an incendiary, as there was no chance otherwise.

It left her without a bit of bread or feed for stock, and as she was from your County, we thought it right to ask through your paper for help, many of you knowing her from childhood. The fire also burnt up about $100 worth of property for Mr. Jas. Roach, consuming two cribs, three stables and two other small buildings for Mr. George P. Brownlee.

Anything will be thankfully received for Mrs. Holland. Mrs. Hattie Welch will deliver anything that is placed in her care for her sister, or send to her (Mrs. Holland) at the above named Postoffice.

Very respectfully,
W. H. Bryant, Justice of Peace.
E. Creekmore,
George Warnock,
T. R. Hipp.

These articles are important to me because they corroborate the stories told by Aaron in his letter. Although he recalled the fire taking place in December 1894, it appears it actually happened in December 1893 but the rest of both stories match up.

Thank you to the Library of Congress for sharing these historical newspapers. We all know the importance of documenting your research and both of these articles do just that.

*Photo credit: By Griffith & Griffith - Library of Congress[1], Public Domain

52 Ancestors – William Charles Holland – (week 40 – 2015)

William Charles Holland

William Charles Holland, son of Leroy Thomas Holland and Amanda Elizabeth Scott, was born September 27, 1877 in South Carolina, most likely Anderson County. Charles was the youngest child of 11 born to Leroy and Amanda—Eliza Ann Holland, Marion Scott Holland, John Newton Holland, Thomas N. Holland, William Harrison Holland, John Louis Holland, Brown Lee Holland, Maggie Idora Holland, Elijah Jeffers Holland, Andrew Turner Holland, and William Charles Holland. Four of his siblings died before he was born. Throughout the years, I see his name listed as William Charles, Charles William, W.C., W. Charles, and sometimes just Charles. But he went by Charlie.

Charlie never knew his mother. He had less than three months to spend with her before her death on December 18, 1877. She was buried at Neal’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Anderson along with four children who died before her. Amanda, who was just 38 years old, had given birth to 11 children in 23 years. I don’t know what caused her death at such a young age but perhaps her body was just worn out. Charlie’s father Leroy didn’t stay a widower long—why would he with seven children to raise alone. On August 3, 1879, Leroy married Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall, daughter of Aaron Hall and Clementina Norris Hall, at the old home place in Anderson County, South Carolina. Leroy and Amanda would add three additional children to the family—Aaron Hall Holland, Lawrence Lafayette Holland, and Joseph Norris Holland.

On June 1, 1880, Charlie, his father, stepmother, and brothers Harrison, Brown, Elijah, and Andrew lived in Broadway, Anderson County, South Carolina. He was enumerated as Charles Holland that year. Charlie lost a sister in the fall of 1883 when Eliza Ann Holland died on September 10. She was buried at Neal’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.

The spring of 1890 brought death again twice to the Holland family. On March 26, 1890, Charlie’s brother William Harrison Holland died at the home of Jap Vandiver. Another brother, Brown Lee Holland, died on April 5. Both died in Broadway, Anderson County. The Anderson Intelligencer published the following article on April 10, 1890—Last week we chronicled the death of Mr. Harrison Holland, which occurred on the 25th ult., and now it is our sad duty to note the death of his younger brother, Mr. Brown Holland, who died last Saturday afternoon at the home of Mr. A. A. Carpenter, in Broadway Township. He had attended the bedside of his brother very closely during his illness, and on Sunday after the latter was laid away in the grave, he was stricken down with pneumonia, which gradually grew worse until death came. Mr. Holland was about 21 years of age, and was an upright, worthy young man, whose death is deeply regretted by a wide circle of friends. His remains were laid to rest by the side of his brother in the Neal’s Creek Churchyard on Sunday afternoon, Rev. C. B. Smith, of this city, conducting the funeral services.

After losing their land in the early 1890s, Leroy decided to give the family a new start and moved everyone to Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia. He contacted a friend named George Brownlee there and made a deal to buy a tract of land from him. Leroy purchased an additional 80 acres adjoining the Brownlee land. Around January 1891, the Holland family took a train from Anderson County to Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. They spent the night in Atlanta and left the next morning for Dalton where they met Brownlee. Brownlee was kind enough to let the whole family stay at his home in Deep Springs for two weeks after their household goods were held up in transit from South Carolina. Once they moved into their new home, they settled in and went about the business of farming the land. Charlie’s brother Andrew was unhappy in Georgia and returned to South Carolina a short time after the move. He eventually moved to Washington, DC where he worked as a government clerk.

Leroy worked hard—cutting trees and clearing land—and the crops did well that first year. That was short-lived though when in late spring 1892, Leroy came down with pneumonia and died on May 4 in Beaverdale, Whitfield County, Georgia. He was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Dalton.

In January 1895, Charlie’s stepmother Amanda and his stepbrothers Aaron, Lawrence, and Joe moved to Alief, Harris County, Texas. They had come on hard times in Georgia after Leroy’s death and her brother Lawrence Peak Hall offered to furnish all of their food, free of charge, as well as a house and half of what they produced if they moved to Texas.

By the summer of 1900, Charlie had moved to the 10th District of Murray County, Georgia. On June 5, 1900 he was living in the home of Samuel and Mary Wheat as a lodger and working as a farm laborer. That year he was enumerated as Charles Holland. Samuel and Mary Wheat were the parents of Charlie’s future bride—Sarah Elizabeth Wheat. Both Charlie and Sarah (she went by Sallie) were single. Charlie and Sallie were married about 1901. Together they had two children—Thomas Glenn Holland in 1902 and Mary E. Holland in 1905.

On April 19, 1910, Charlie, Sallie, and their children lived with her widowed father Samuel Wheat in the 10th District of Murray County. Charlie and Sallie had been married for nine years according to the census enumerator. He was enumerated as William C. Holland that year and was a farm laborer.

On December 20, 1914, Charlie’s stepmother Amanda died in Houston, Harris County, Texas. She was buried at Italy Cemetery in Italy, Ellis County, Texas. Two months later, his brother Elijah died in Dalton on March 4, 1915. Elijah was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. Two weeks after Elijah’s death, his brother Andrew died in Washington, DC on March 18, 1915. He was buried in an unmarked grave beside his infant daughter at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Charlie registered for the World War I draft as Charles William Holland on September 12, 1918. He listed Sarah Elizabeth Holland as his nearest relative. Both lived in Crandall, Murray County, Georgia. Charlie was a self-employed farmer. He was tall and slender; he had blue eyes and brown hair.

On January 10, 1920, Charlie and his family lived on Dalton Road in the 10th District of Murray County. His 54 year old sister-in-law Susie Wheat lived with them. Charlie was a farmer on a general farm. He was enumerated as Charles that year. His son Thomas was working as a farm laborer on a home farm, probably helping his father. Charlie’s stepbrother Joseph Norris Holland died in Alief on February 26, 1920. He was buried at Alief Cemetery. His brother Marion Scott Holland died in Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina on February 5, 1928. He was buried at Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery in Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina.

Charlie’s father Leroy served in Company L, Second South Carolina Rifles, Jenkins Brigade, C.S.A. during the Civil War and I’m sure Charlie heard many war stories before Leroy’s death in 1892. Charlie apparently wanted to honor his father’s military service and submitted an application to the War Department on July 20, 1929 for a headstone to mark his grave at Deep Springs Cemetery. It was shipped a year later and still marks his grave.

On April 15, 1930, Charlie and Sallie lived on Beaverdale Road in the 10th District of Murray County. He was enumerated as William C. Holland that year. His son Thomas, daughter-in-law Kathleen, their 25 year old daughter Mary, and Charlie’s sister-in-law Susie were all living with Charlie and Sallie. Both Charlie and Thomas were farmers.

Charlie’s stepbrother Lawrence Lafayette Holland died in Alief on August 17, 1934. It’s believed he was buried at Alief Cemetery.

Headstone photo taken by Kari; shared by CADprofessor, Dalton, Georgia.

On April 8, 1940, Charlie and Sallie lived with their son Tom and daughter-in-law Kathleen in the 10th District of Murray County. He was enumerated as William Charles Holland that year. He was unemployed. The highest grade he had completed was the 6th. Just two months after this census was taken, Charlie died at his home near Beaverdale on June 16, 1940. He was buried at Sumach Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery in Crandall, Murray County.

Out of 14 children born to Leroy Holland, most died young. Only three lived past the age of 60—Charlie, Marion, and Aaron.

52 Ancestors - #26: Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall – survivor of historic 1900 Galveston hurricane (week 10)

*Seeking valuables in the wreckage, Galveston, Texas

Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall, daughter of Aaron Hall and Clementine Ann Norris, was born June 30, 1844 in Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina. She was the seventh child of nine—Alvin Newton, Florilla A., John Joseph, Andrew Norris, Permelia Ann Harriett (Hattie), Postel Cator, Cindarilla Darliska Amanda, Thadus Lafayette, and Lawrence Peak Hall.

Much of the information in this blog entry was taken from a letter written by Aaron Hall Holland in 1964 detailing his Hall/Holland family history. Aaron was 84 years old at the time he wrote the letter.

On September 3, 1850, Amanda and her family lived in the Western Division of Anderson County, South Carolina. Amanda’s father was a farmer with real estate valued at $2,500. Amanda’s grandfather Joseph Hall lived next door.

On July 23, 1860, Amanda lived at home in the 4th District of Anderson County. She was enumerated as Cinderilla Hall.

On June 14, 1870, Amanda lived with her family in the Varennes Township of Anderson County. She was enumerated as C. D. A. Hall, age 23, keeping house.

At age 35, Amanda married Leroy Thomas Holland (my second great-grandfather) on August 3, 1879 in Anderson County. The marriage notice ran in The Anderson Intelligencer on August 7, 1879—“Married, August 3d, 1879, by Rev. W. P. Martin, at the residence of the bride’s father, Mr. Leroy T. Holland and Miss C. Amanda Hall, youngest daughter of Mr. Aaron Hall.” (Note: I incorrectly listed the year as 1878 in my blogpost for Leroy Thomas Holland. I re-read the news article to check the date and it was 1879. I’ve corrected that on Leroy’s blogpost so I’m not publishing incorrect information. I apologize for that error.) It was the second marriage for Leroy and first for Amanda. Upon marriage, Amanda became the stepmother of Eliza Ann, Marion Scott, William Harrison, Brown Lee, Elijah Jeffers, Andrew Turner, and William Charles Holland. Amanda and Leroy had three children of their own—Aaron Hall, Lawrence Lafayette, and Joe Norris Holland.

The Anderson Intelligencer, August 7, 1879

On June 1, 1880, Amanda and Leroy lived in the Broadway Township of Anderson County. Five step-sons lived in the home—Harrison, Brown, Elijah, Andrew, and Charles. Amanda was keeping house.

Amanda’s father, Aaron Hall, died in South Carolina on February 5, 1883. He was buried at Flat Rock Baptist Church Cemetery in Anderson.

Leroy and his first wife, Amanda Elizabeth Scott, had 11 children, many of which did not survive childhood or early adulthood. On September 10, 1883, Leroy’s oldest child, Eliza Ann Holland, died at the age of 27. She was buried at Neal’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Anderson. On March 26, 1890, William Harrison Holland (age 24) died. His brother, Brown Lee Holland (age 21), died on April 5, 1890. Both died in Broadway, Anderson County. The Anderson Intelligencer published an article on April 10, 1890 stating that Harrison had been ill and was closely tended by Brown. Harrison died and shortly after his death, Brown was stricken with pneumonia and died. Both were buried at Neal’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Anderson.

In the early 1890s, Amanda and Leroy moved to Whitfield County, Georgia seeking a better life for the family. Leroy bought a tract of land with the agreement of making payments. He also paid cash for 80 acres of adjoining land owned by his friend George Brownlee. Leroy’s son Andrew was unhappy in Georgia and returned to South Carolina shortly after the move—one less mouth to feed, but also one less son to help farm the land.

The Holland’s did well the first year in Dalton. Leroy wanted to clear more land and would cut the finest trees, even though they had plenty of good farming land already in cultivation. Leroy came down with pneumonia and after only 14 years of marriage, died on May 4, 1892 in Beaverdale, Whitfield County, Georgia. He was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Whitfield County. His son Aaron felt that Leroy had worked himself to death.

On or about December 5, 1894, Brownlee ordered the Holland family off his land so they moved to the 80 acres purchased earlier by Leroy. They had just spent the night there when they were awakened and informed that the barn on the Brownlee place had burned to the ground. Amanda and the boys lost all of their corn, cotton seed, and fodder, leaving them with nothing. It was only with the help of Amanda’s sister, Permelia Ann Harriett (Hattie) Hall Welch, Hattie’s son Edwin Parker Welch, and good neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Patterson that they survived. Amanda would not give up and they made a very good crop on the 80 acres. She and the boys were encouraged by everyone, especially her brother Lawrence Peak Hall of Italy, Ellis County, Texas. Peak wrote to Amanda and told her if they moved to Texas he would furnish all of their food, free of charge, as well as a house and half of what they produced. This was a deal Amanda couldn’t refuse so she took Peak up on the offer. Amanda sold everything the family had for cash, except the 80 acres of land. She sold the land for $100 on credit, although in Aaron’s 1964 letter he stated that he thought all they ever received was $80.

Amanda’s brother John Hall took Amanda, Aaron, Lawrence, and Joe to the station for the trip to Texas. They arrived on January 8, 1895 with $45 in cash and practically nothing else. They lived a week or two with Peak’s family and then moved into a nice little four room house and began their Texas career of farming. Peak rented 30 acres of land for Amanda. They worked hard and made a very good crop of which they gave Peak half. Aaron, the oldest, had to work every day he was not needed to work on their crop. He repaired fences, cut wood, and helped his cousin Britain Hall build a barn. For three years—1895, 1896, and 1897—Aaron said he was never offered a cent for his work.

Amanda’s mother died in Anderson on October 1, 1897. Her obituary stated that she was a “gentle and faithful mother.” Clementine was buried at Flat Rock Baptist Church Cemetery in Anderson. Hattie had lived with her mother for several years so she could take care of her. After Clementine’s death, Amanda’s brother, Postel Cator (Dock) Hall, settled the estate with each heir receiving around $650. In the final settlement, Hattie demanded that Amanda be paid an extra $150 for helping to care for her parents before she was married. Aaron and Clementine Hall had been through a lot—robbed by Civil War soldiers, the death of son Andrew, and the death of son-in-law Berry Arnold who was killed in the war, leaving their daughter Florilla alone with four children. Amanda stayed home and took care of all of them the best she could. Peak blew his top when he found out that Amanda had received $150 more than he had. He tried to force her to buy two old mules, some farming tools, and rent more land on a third and fourth basis. He wanted too much for these items so Amanda refused and moved off Peak’s land to Jonny Couch’s land in the Hard Neck neighborhood on January 8, 1898.

Amanda and the boys made a fine crop of corn and cotton, but were unable to pick the cotton for lack of help. Because of this, they lost a lot of money—the price of cotton was about 4 cents a pound and corn 18 cents a bushel. Mr. Couch refused to rent the land to them the next year since they were unable to gather all of the crops. Land there was rented in the middle of the summer for the next year so they began to look for land for 1899. Peak, considered one of the wealthiest in the Flat Rock School neighborhood, wanted more land so he contacted Daugherty and Schmitz of Houston, Texas. Peak made a deal to buy 80 acres at $25 an acre. At the time, the country was unsettled. There were no roads and the land had no house or fences. It was nothing but grass and level as a floor. There was plenty of water and mosquitoes however. The land was one mile south of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad, on a flag stop at Dairy Station in Alief, Harris County, Texas, and 15 miles west of Houston. At that time, Houston had a population of about 45,000. The deal didn’t suit Peak, so he turned it over to Amanda and her boys. Since they needed a house and fences, they got busy so they could move. Peak arranged for his son Britain and Aaron to each take a wagon and drive to the land, 250 miles each way with no roads, down along the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. Britain attempted to plow the ground but it was so dry and hard he was only able to break 10 acres. While Britain plowed the land, Aaron worked with a carpenter named Daniel Davis to build a 10 by 20 feet square, one and a half story house. Once they finished, they headed back to Italy to harvest the crops. The corn was harvested and one third paid to Mr. Couch. They picked cotton, doing the best they could for a widow woman and three children, the oldest only 18 years old.

They were on their own and owed $700 on the 80 acres so it was up to them to get busy or else. They went to work and proceeded to move, loading two mules, two cows, about 200 bushels of shelled corn, some baled oats, and what furniture they had. They put Aaron in the box car to watch the stock on the trip, while Amanda, Joe, and Lawrence took the passenger train for Dairy Station, arriving on January 8, 1899. They stored the corn and baled oats in one end of the small house, cooked and ate in the other end, and slept upstairs where there was only one entrance and no windows. They managed to gather enough old lumber to build a small barn to protect the mules and cows from the cold rains, which at that time was about 72 to 80 inches. They planted cotton on the 10 acres Britain plowed, some land they rented from Mr. Briles, and on 10 acres from Mr. Penrod. They made a very good crop the first year, making enough to meet the payments.

The census enumerator found Amanda, Aaron, Lawrence, and Joe in Justice Precinct 8 of Harris County, Texas on June 15, 1900. Amanda was head of the household, a farmer, and able to read and write. She owned her home, classified as a farm, free and clear.

Then life took a serious turn. It started raining and rained for months, until the first week in September 1900. During this time, it was so wet they couldn’t farm—they just sat around and watched it rain. The boys contracted malaria, with Lawrence being the most sick. The night of September 8, 1900, Amanda and the boys were eating supper when the wind grew harder from the north. The house eased off the foundation and a plank came loose, flapping against the wall. They sat in the house wondering if the wind would stop. It finally did at 11:30 p.m., changing to the East and then dropped to the Southeast at an increased speed. Their house began to rise up and drop down. They were frightened, fearing the house would collapse any minute. The house had two doors—one on the East end that faced the wind and one on the South end. They thought the storm was nearing the end and felt lucky the house was still standing. Not knowing what to do, they thought they might as well get outside. Aaron was the strongest so took Joe by the hand. Lawrence took Amanda’s hand and they made a run for it. The run didn’t amount to much because as soon as Aaron hit the South door, the wind was so strong it tore him loose from Joe and sucked him in the back. The same thing happened to Joe and Lawrence. As Amanda came out, the wind had such force that it blew her past the boys behind the wall into the water, which was a foot deep by that time. Thankfully, the house stood. If it had gone down, they would have been buried in the water underneath the house.

It turns out that Amanda and the boys had just survived the historical 1900 Galveston hurricane that killed thousands of people. Hundreds of houses were blown down. Fortunately, their house was not damaged much. Lots of help came in. They were given beans and pork for food. When that was gone, they applied for more but were refused by the committee. It was their good luck that there was a man, George Baseman, standing by and heard the refusal. So this good man said to Amanda “Mrs. Holland, give me the sack you have and I will see that you get help.” True to his word, George helped Amanda and the boys. Amanda’s brother Peak sent them $5 and offered to let them come help gather his crop. Amanda’s sister Hattie and her son Edwin helped out. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson sent clothing. Tom Dunn, a good friend of Amanda’s, came by. He gave her $50 after seeing the condition they were in. Tom Amos, who worked in a sugar mill at Sugar Land, Texas, helped them as much as he was able. It was through his kindness that they were able to buy a much needed mule from a man on credit without Amanda having to make a down payment. This helped them greatly as one of their mules had a large sore on its shoulder.

Things settled down and finally got back to normal. Unfortunately, the next year was very dry. They were, however, able to make enough money to pay for the mule, but were unable to meet the payment due on the 80 acres. Mr. Schmidt wanted his money but agreed to carry them for another year. Things started looking up for the family. They got over malaria, had good crops, and were finally able to pay off the 80 acres. Aaron worked at Sugar Hill, then on a rice farm, and then at the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad. From there he left for Sterrett, Texas to work as a telegraph operator on the Missouri Kansas and Texas Railway with his cousin Aaron Carl Hall. Lawrence left home and Aaron was forced to return home to help Amanda and Joe gather the crops. Within a week, they harvested five bales of cotton. With that and the money saved by Aaron, they bought lumber and built a square top house in Alief, Texas. When the hurricane blew through town, it had blown George Baseman’s gin down, scattering the tin it was constructed out of a mile or so up the railroad. Everyone else moved away so George gave Amanda the right to gather the tin and use it if they could. It was no use to anyone unless they straightened it out which Aaron was able to do. They built a badly needed barn from the tin, rejected lumber saved from repairing guards, the cotton platform from working on the railroad, and the goodness of Mr. Bowers, who sold them small pine trees.

Once again, life was improving. Lawrence returned home and needed more land so they bought 80 acres at $25 an acre from John Dockel. They also bought 35 acres at $35 an acre across the road from the square top house and built a barn on it, making a total of 195 acres. They needed firewood so they bought another 10 acres on Buffalo Bayou for $20 an acre making their holdings 205 acres by 1908. They had just about paid for all of the land.

The country around Alief began to improve as well. The land was level and had no drainage so land owners began to push the state legislature to pass laws allowing districts to be organized to issue bonds for the purpose of draining their land. Legislation was passed and 80,000 were incorporated under the name of Harris County Drainage District. Bonds in the amount of $60,000 were issued. F. H. Liestman, John Cook, and Aaron Holland were elected drainage commissioners and given the right to hire a surveyor to lay out the drainage ditches and let the contractors proceed with digging the ditches. The dredge was built near Clodine station at the head of Brays Bayou and work began in the spring of 1909.

Aaron was working for the district and started to do the work for the dredging company as a blacksmith, when they received a telegram stating that Edwin Welch had passed away on November 16, 1909. Aaron quit his job and contacted Aaron Carl Hall of Teague, Texas hoping to get details of Ed’s death. But no one seemed to care. So Aaron boarded the train and arrived in Denver, Colorado on November 25, 1909. When he arrived, he found that his Aunt Hattie was very sick. A second cousin, Linda (Nauldin) Tatum, from Locksburg, Arkansas, had arrived before Aaron. She stayed two days and then said she had to go home. When she left she told Aaron that she would not be coming back to take care of Hattie. So what could Aaron do? Amanda, Joe, and Lawrence were in Texas. He had two jobs and a farm to help run there but his Aunt Hattie had saved their lives and now it was their turn to help her. So he threw up his interest in Texas and stayed in Colorado, leaving his family behind in Texas.

Although Aaron stated in his 1964 letter that he arrived in Denver in November 1909 and stayed to help his Aunt Hattie, census records show that he lived with his mother and brothers in Justice Precinct 8 of Harris County, Texas on May 9, 1910. Amanda was the head of the household. All three sons were still single. Amanda was a farmer on a general farm. Her three sons were listed as farmers on a home farm. It could be that he stayed in Colorado long enough to stabilize Hattie back in November and then went back to Texas to make arrangements for his move to Colorado.

Amanda died on December 20, 1914 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. She was buried at Italy Cemetery in Italy, Ellis County, Texas. Her death was reported in The Anderson Intelligencer on January 3, 1915: Former Resident Dies In Texas—Mrs. Amanda Hall Holland, wife of the late Leeroy T. Holland of Belton township, died at St. Joseph’s infirmary, Houston, Texas, of tumor. She was born June 30, 1844, near Flat Rock church and was the youngest daughter of Aaron Hall. She moved from South Carolina to Georgia and from there to Italy, Ellis County, Texas. She leaves one sister, Mrs. Harriette P. Welch, 1101 Bannock street, Denver, Colo.; one brother Mr. P. C. Hall of Varennes Township; three sons and four step-sons to cherish her memory. The remains were laid to rest beside her brother, Mr. L. P. Hall, at Italy, Texas, Christmas Eve.

Amanda’s tombstone in Italy, Texas records her as the wife of L. T. Holland. The names of her three boys—Lawrence Lafayette, Joe Norris, and Aaron Hall Holland—are also on the stone.

I wish all of my ancestors had taken the time to write their story to share with family members as Aaron did. I'm thankful he did this for his family.


P.S., I’m halfway to 52!!!!!

*Seeking valuables in the wreckage, Galveston, Texas, LC-USZ62-120389; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seeking_valuables_in_the_wreckage,_Galveston,_Texas.jpg# (public domain).