LIFUS HOLT
The year 1856 marked the arrival of Lifus Holt in Iowa, for it was in that year that he located in Clarke county, becoming an early pioneer of this section of the state. He was born in Martin county, Indiana, December 29, 1846, and when ten years old emigrated overland with his parents by ox team to seek the broader opportunities of the yet undeveloped west. His parents were John and Ava (Kilgore) Holt, natives of Indiana, who were born in 1824 and 1827, respectively. During life the father followed agricultural pursuits and, conquering pioneer conditions and overcoming hardships and obstacles, succeeded in establishing a profitable farming enterprise, passing away on January 2, 1864, after a useful life of only about forty years. The mother survived only a few months, her death occurring in Lucas county in November of the same year. In their family were the following children: Lifus, of this review; Mrs. Allie Ferguson, of Sac county, Iowa; Kellogg, of Fremont county; Nelson, deceased; H. C., residing in Warren county; Mrs. Sarah Ann Felton, of New Virginia; Sterling H., of Clarke county; and Mrs. Catherine Pennington, of Otter Creek township. The older children were born in Indiana and the younger ones in Iowa.
Reared
amid pioneer conditions, Lifus Holt received such educational
advantages as the neighborhood afforded and early acquainted
himself with agricultural labors by assisting his father with
the work of the farm. He
steeled his spirit by hard work on the unbroken prairie and in
wresting from the wilderness a verdant and fertile farm. No railroads were
there at the time of his arrival and such conditions as
surrounded him were of the most primitive kind. Indians were still
plentiful and wild game often furnished the meat for the
table. However,
this hard school of experience formed a character which makes
Lifus Holt respected and esteemed by all who know him and
which was the foundation of his success. Today he owns
eighty acres of choice land on section 31, Otter Creek
township, with a well appointed residence and substantial
outbuildings, the appearance of his farm indicating the
prosperity which has been his.
In
1873 Mr. Holt was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Holt, who
was born in Indiana, November 16, 1856, and in that state she
grew to womanhood. Her
father, Henry Holt, was born in Pennsylvania in 1830 and died
in Indiana at the ripe old age of seventy-eight, in1909. Her mother, Vina
(Ritchey) Holt, was born in the latter state in 1835 and there
died on April 9, 1913, having reached the same age as her
husband. Mrs.
Lifus Holt has one half-brother, Henry Nichols, who resides in
Indiana. Her
other brothers and sisters were: Jacob, of Indiana; Mrs. Catherine
Armstrong, deceased; Christopher, also of Indiana; Emma,
deceased; Rowena, who has also passed away; Mrs. Alma
Blackamore, of Indiana; Doswell, also a resident of that
state; Mrs. Margaret Hall, of Mississippi; Mrs. Luella Cables,
of New York; James of Indiana; and George, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Lifus
Holt have five children:
Mrs. Rowena Manley, born December 21, 1874, of Otter
Creek township; Henry, born May 1, 1876, of Lucas; John, whose
birth occurred January 21, 1878, and who is also a resident of
Lucas; Seymour, born on Christmas day, 1884, who assists his
father in the work of the farm; and Mrs. Georgia A. Evans,
born June 19, 1888, who resides in Jackson township. All of these
children were born and reared in Otter Creek township and are
common school graduates.
In his political affiliations Mr. Holt is a democrat and staunchly supports his party’s candidates at the polls. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian Union church of Clarke county. He still is active in the operation of his eighty acre tract of valuable land on section 31, Otter Creek township, devoting his labors to its cultivation and contributing by his work to the agricultural advancement of the county.