According to the 1860 Census, James C Holt (4 years old) was born in 1856 in North Carolina. His father, John Calvin Holt, was a 22-year-old farm laborer born in Georgia. His mother, Caroline Stratton, was 24 and had also been born in North Carolina. At this time, the household also contained Margaret M who was 2 years old and born in North Carolina and Lora J who was one and born in Alabama. The family had no real estate and had a net worth of $100. It was July 4, 1860 and they lived in the Georgia Militia District 972, in Murray County, Georgia (post office: Rock Creek).
In 1870, James C is 15 (born 1855 in North Carolina). His father is not on the 1870 Census as he died from smallpox in 1862 while fighting for the Confederacy in Virginia. His mother, Caroline (from North Carolina) is now 35 and keeping house. James C and his sisters; Margaret (14, born in North Carolina), Laura J (12, born in Alabama) and Nancy A (10, born in Georgia) are all farm laborer’s. Mary E, age 7 and born in Georgia, is at home. The family is located in Militia District 825 in Murray County, Georgia, the closest post office is Spring Place.
According to Vergil Henry, the younger’s, account, James Crawford Holt married Elizer Stroud who had one son name Joe Stroud already and lived at home with her parents. She was 27 in 1874, a bit older than James Crawford Holt was.
James, at 25, has his own family in the 1880 census and is working on the farm. His wife, Eliza A, is 38 and keeping house. They have 3 children, Murphy is 4, Lillie is 2 and William is 10 months old. It says that everyone was born in Georgia, including their parents. They are living in Oostanaula, Gordon County, Georgia Militia District 1064, 109th Enumeration District.
James C and his son John Murphy worked for years as timber cutters for the railroad. They cut the timber for cross ties located between Cartersville, GA and Tennessee.
According to the 1900 census, James C (Feb 1855 in North Carolina) is in Gordon County, Georgia, Militia District 1054, Sugar Valley, enumeration District 0056. It states that he and Eliza (May 1842 in North Carolina) have been married 25 years (in 1875). She had 9 children and 6 are still living. All four of their parents were born in North Carolina. Also in the household are Mary C (June 1881, born in Georgia) and James D (April 1885, born in Georgia). James C is listed as a farmer, renting his home and James D is listed as a farm laborer.
In 1910, James C (55) and Eliza (67) are living on Rock Creek Rd, Oostanaula District 1064, Gordon County, Georgia where he is listed as a general farmer.
James Crawford Holt’s wife Eliza died on Nov 22, 1919 in Sugar Valley, GA and was buried in the Sugar Valley Methodist Cemetery on Nov 23. In 1920, a large portion of the family moved to the Chula, GA area where John Murphy Holt (James Crawford & Eliza’s oldest son) had accepted a position to care, prune and graft a large field of peaches for an affluent man. James Crawford either went with them or joined them later.
According to the death certificate dated Aug 8, 1926 from Militia District 1346 in Worth County (Sumner, GA), J. Holt was born on Feb 9, 1854 in North Carolina. It says his father’s name was J.C. Holt from North Carolina and the informant J.M. Holt (assuming this is John Murphy Holt) did not know the name or birth location of J. Holt’s mother. This makes him 72 years, 5 months and 29 days old. He is listed as a widowed farmer that died of colitis complicated with gastritis after being attended by Dr. W.W. Sessions of Sumner, GA for 5 days. The family believes he died of the fever. Buried at Sumner Cemetery, Calvin & Aline Henry’s stillborn baby was buried in the same cemetery 3 weeks later (J.M. Holt was the informant of this also). Vergil Henry, the younger, states the cemetery is just south of Highway 82, west of Sycamore, GA in an almost forgotten graveyard which he visited with his mother, Annie Lillian King Holt, and showed her the area of their unmarked graves (would have been before 1983).
Chance Objects 