Holder

HOLDER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/22/2010 at 16:25:52

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Holder Family
By Brad Holder

There are two sides of my family, the Holders and Hinkhouses that have made Woodbury County their home. I will first start with the Holder side of the family. My great-great grandparents, William and Mary Ann Holder, lived in Greenville, South Carolina. William made shoes for the Confederate Army.

My great-grandpa, Greenville Nelson Holder, was born in Greenville, South Carolina. His family moved up to Iowa in the 1870’s by covered wagon and settled in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. Greenville Holder’s family brought their black slaves with them from South Carolina. After being freed they accepted the last name of their owners (Holder) as theirs, too. Greenville had two brothers, William and Walter Napoleon ‘Poley’ Holder. Also it’s told that Greenville Nelson Holder talked to Frank James, brother to Jesse James, the outlaw, who was up in the hills. Frank James came into Sergeant Bluff; he was getting supplies at a store where Greenville was at the time.

Greenville married Jane Allen, who the first white child was born in Woodbury County, at Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. Greenville and Jane Holder had seven children. They were: a daughter, True Love, who died in infancy; my grandpa Jesse William Holder and his twin brother, Bart ‘Bertie’ born April 21, 1887 at Sergeant Bluff; Sisters, Lola (Holder) Stewert; ‘Lulu’ (Holder) married to John O’Brien. Lulu was killed in Grandview Park, Sioux City in 1919. While riding in her husband’s new car, she was struck by a target shooter’s stray bullet.; Flora Holder married John Mathers, Great Uncle to television star Jerry ‘Leave It To Beaver’ Mathers; George Holder worked as an engineer on the Great Northern Railroad.

On February 26, 1927, Mr Jesse W Holder of Kingsley, Iowa, and Mable McAdams of Pierson, Iowa, were married at Sioux City, Iowa. Witnesses were Mr & Mrs A Mathers. Minister of the gospel was A L Semans. By a former marriage, Jesse Holder had a daughter, Julia (Holder) Welch. By a former marriage Mabel McAdams had a daughter, Pauline (McAdams) Niemela, born April 19, 1917, now a resident of Sioux City. Then Jesse & Mable Holder had two boys; my uncle Jesse Glenn, born July 21, 1928; and my Dad, Roland Carl Holder, born March 5, 1930. Together the family has lived in Woodbury & Plymouth Counties renting farms. Then in early 1950’s, they bought the family farm in rural Hinton, Iowa.

Roland Carl Holder married Dolores Joan (Hook) Holder on November 24, 1953, in Hawarden, Iowa. They married at St Mary’s Catholic Church by Fr. Richard Graf. They had nine children: my older brother, Craig Richard, born May 13, 1958, and his twin, Christopher Roland, who died in infancy; (me) Bradley Joseph and my twin, Brenda Joan, born October 1, 1960; Gyle Ellen, born June 27, 1964, died in infancy; Daniel ‘Danny’ John, born July 7, 1966; dale Christopher, born July 15, 1967; Janet Gyle, born March 8, 1969; and Lee Michel born March 19, 1971.

My Dad, Roland Holder, has served his county in the Korean War; he was a Cpl in the 2nd Division; he was squad leader of fifteen men form June 1952 to 1953. He has worked for North American Manufacturing Company, since August 31, 1951, and still works at NAMCO. He has also been President of the Siouxland Amateur Ham Radio Club. Roland’s brother, Glenn, has also been President of the Radio Club – Glenn runs the farm. My Mom, Dolores, is an RN at Marion Health Center in Sioux City, Iowa, and still finds time to be a housewife and raise seven kids. Her hobbies are crafts and books. She started nursing in the early 1950’s then quit to raise her family and has since returned to work. Craig helps out on the family farm. I live in Clarkson, Nebraska for a few years, working at the Blue Bird Nursery Greenhouses as a houseplant salesman and have since returned home and present works at Biltmore Dining Room. My hobby is drawing and painting. Brenda, my twin, has moved to LaCrosse, Wisconsin and has lived there for four years. She works at Lietholds, repairing band instruments. The four younger ones, Danny –twelfth grade, Dale – eleventh grade, Janet – ninth grade, and Lee – seventh grade at Hinton Community School in Hinton, Iowa.

We all live on our family farm along with my Uncle Glenn and my grandma Mable Holder. We live a simple, but good live.