That Ol' Fam Damily! Edward Jesse Hollon

Edward Jesse Hollon was my maternal great-grandfather.  Facts about the early beginnings of his life are quite varied.  The date seems to be clear enough: 6 Feb 1876.  However, some sources state he was born in Alabama; others say Texas.  Some say his father was born in Georgia; others say North Carolina.  At least one report states that Edward was christened Baptist and that his father, James Deborah Holland (note spelling variation) was a plantation owner who brought his family to Texas when Edward was about six months old. While evidence of the nationality of James Deborah Holland has not yet been found, the last name strongly suggests his heritage. It is also said that Edward's mother, Martha Kinsel, was Pennsylvania Dutch.

As a young adult, Edward may have been a sharecropper. After marrying in the fall of 1896 at age 20, it is believed Edward and his nearly 18 year-old bride, Winnie Laura Dragoo (known just as Laura to most), resided for a few years in Temple, Bell, Texas.

Their Wedding Day

16 September 1896 - Cameron, Texas

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, rice was a dependable cash crop in Louisiana and Texas. Sometime in the early 1900s, Edward left his former living of picking cotton (possibly with Laura) and earned the position of Superintendent of the Kinchelo Irrigation Company in Wharton County, Texas. There, the Colorado River splits the towns of Wharton and Glen Flora, both of which are among birthplaces listed for a number of the children. Edward and his young family traveled from Texas to Louisiana sometime between March 1900 and June 1902, but only stayed for a short period before returning to Texas again.

Edward was Superintendent of the Kinchelo Irrigation Company
in Wharton County, Texas around the early 1900s.
There, the Colorado River splits the towns of Wharton and Glen Flora.

Winnie Laura Dragoo Hollon and Edward Jesse Hollon,
still very much in love.
They look to be in their mid- to late-30s.

While in Louisiana, the third child born to Edward and Laura was Bonnie Melvina (named after Laura's mother, Melvina). All eight of the other nine children were born in Texas. As Elba Hollon Hunter humorously recalls, in social circles, Bonnie often proudly revealed her uniqueness in being born in Crowley, Louisiana. (Apparently, Crowley, Louisiana was a booming area during this period. In fact, Dragoo and Tobey family lines are tied to Crowley along with the Hollon line.)

All Nine Hollon Children

Olma Inez (1898–1992)

J.D., or "Bud" (1900–1931)

Bonnie Melvina (1902–1985)

MayDell Jesse (1904–1990)

Lois Laura (1907–1957) -
MY GRANDMOTHER

Helen Lucille (1909–2003)

Edward A.C., or "Tooter" (1911–1995)

Elba Genevieve (1915 – )

Redell Pierce (1917–1993)

In addition to the areas lived in as noted by the children's birthplaces, Helen Hollon Andrews states that the family lived and schooled in Velasco, Texas while her father worked as Superintendent of the Freeport sulfur mines. (Edward's son, J.D., also worked at the mines during this period.) Considered part of the middle class at the time, the family rented a two-story, eleven-room home and is said to have purchased one of the first line of Ford cars built.

Referencing the period before Edward Jesse Hollon's death, daughter Helen states that her father was one day pumping water from the well near the family's house when the handle flew up and hit him in the lip.  Elba thought that the accident with the pump handle actually happened in one of the Kinchelo fields.  Whichever the true story, the lip did not heal, which prompted Edward to pursue medical advice and attention from a nearby doctor. He was sent to Marlin, Texas to seek relief for the injury through hot mineral bath treatments at the Majestic Bath House Sanatorium and Hot Well Pavilion. Unfortunately, the treatments were taken to no avail.

While at the Sanatorium, Edward wrote the following to Laura in a letter:

Marlin, Texas

January 3, 1917

Well my dear darling wife will drop you a few lines this morning to let you know how I am. I thought I would have got a letter from you this morning but did not get one this morning so will write you a few words and am sorry to say I am worse dear. I have to get operated on this evening. I think it is the only thing I can do. I am getting worse all the time. I can't sleep no more and am suffering death darling. I hate to write this to you but you said to tell you the truth but don't you be uneasy. I think it will be alright. When you go to bed tonight kneel down on your loving knees and ask the good Lord to help us darling. If you can pay day you had better send me a little more money for my money is getting low. Don't discourage the children. Try and show them the bright side all the time for I think I will be alright. Now darling I can't write much this morning. I feel so bad. I will try and write more next time. Maybe I will feel better then darling. Write to me often if I don't write. You don't know how proud I am to get your letter from home darling. You would not hardly know me I am so poor. I don't think I would weigh 140 pounds. I hate to look in the glass. Well I had better not tell you anything else for I know you have got enough to bother you now. Well I will have to close with a sad heart. Write soon and a long letter to your poor afflicted boy. Kiss them darling children for me and goodbye until we meet again and may God be with you all is my prayer.

E. J. H.

 
Edward also sought medical attention from the reputed Scott and White hospital in Temple, Texas. There, he learned that the freak accident with the pump was the unfortunate beginning of melanoma cancer of the face. Within the next ten months or so, cancer spread from his lip and ate much of his face, including his eyes, cheeks, and nose. Only his jawbone remained substantive. 

Laura cared for him constantly.  As Edward loved his children and wished to visit with them, Laura carefully worked to make him presentable by placing cotton in the cavities of his face.

Finally, at the age of 41, Edward died.  The date was 2 November 1917.  Twenty-one days later, Laura gave birth to their last son, Redell Pierce Hollon. 

Laura and her two youngest children, Elba and Tooter, traveled by train to attend Edward's funeral. Inez tried to make it in time, but weather and/or a washed-out bridge prevented her attendance. (Inez, age 19, was still newly wed to Pierce Barrow at the time of her father's death.)  It appears that not all of the children were able to make the trip, most likely because of the difficulty and expense of travel in those days.

Edward is buried in South Elm Cemetery near Buckholts, Texas, just west of C.R. 116 on 166A. The gravestones of James Deborah Holland and Edward Jesse Hollon stand tall at the front of the cemetery like sentinels. Edward's white gravestone is a "Woodsman of the World" marker and looks like a tree.

Postscript:  Back in 2001, I made a family history trek through Texas and Oklahoma that lasted about two weeks.  On a particular Friday, I spent an enormous amount of time researching the area where the Tobey homestead and cemetery are located.  As a result, I lost some much needed time to travel some 1.5 hours to the Cameron, Texas Courthouse to obtain copies of several old records and to identify the locations of grave markers that I needed, including the one pictured here belonging to EJ Hollon.  As this was a government-run business, if I didn't get these needed items by 5:00 pm, I would have to stay the entire weekend until opening time on Monday, or go without the desired records.

I arrived at the courthouse counter at 4:45pm.

After stating what I was looking for, and after not-so-patiently, but earnestly acknowledging that "Yes, I realize that you are closing at 5:00.  That is why I am in need of your assistance."--I was led to the records room.  I was told that most of the records I was looking for had burned in a massive courthouse fire.  I was deflated.  Some records remained, however, and so I was pointed to the journals for these.  Of particular interest, I scoured for any journal entry that showed evidence of the marriage of Edward Jesse Hollon and Winnie Laura Dragoo. 

It is not an easy process to find these old records.  The lady who had led me to the room kept asking me questions from the room next to mine, all the while as I was trying to concentrate on the task at hand.  "What was the groom's name?" and "What date did you say?" and "Did you say Dragoo was the bride's name?"  and  "Did you say you were a great-great granddaughter?" 

I thought, Criminy!  I only have 15 minutes, lady!  And I still need to get the cemetery locations!

And then I hear, "Ahhhhh . . . here it is!"  And she comes towards me.  I continue to look desperately for that blasted illegible journal entry, but she interrupts anyway.  She starts telling me that back in those early days, when couples were married, they either didn't have the luxury of time on their side to be able to wait for legal documents to be completed, or they simply didn't want to wait.  So, they would start their life adventure together, seldom returning to the county seats again for their marriage certificates due to the expense and harsh conditions of travel by wagon and horses.  Besides, in those times, other people took your word for it that you were married.  No one asked for legal proof.

"So," she said, handing me a piece of paper, "here is the original marriage certificate belonging to Laura and Edward.  They never returned to pick it up.  And, as you are a direct descendant, you are allowed to have it."

I was speechless and floored.  My eyes filled to the brims with tears.  I did not hug her, but I should have.  I was just too overcome with the enormity of the emotion of it all to even begin to know how to take it all in.  But every time--and I mean EVERY time--that I recall the fullness of the scene, my eyes fill with tears again, and my throat swells like it is doing now, and my heart expands beyond its previous bounds, finding room yet again for the gratitude that I felt then and now for the mercy and love of the Lord for each of us.

Truly, this work--this moving and redeeming Spirit of Elijah, has an indescribable way of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and that of the children to the fathers--even when we have never met!  I've felt it.  I know it happens.  It is real.  It is unconquerable, because all that would try to conquer it has already been overcome by the Savior of us all, even Jesus Christ.  It's just really quite amazing to consider when you take a few serious moments to reflect and remember.