Chesley Holder arrived near Ooltewah before the Indian removal and was postmaster at Long Savannah in 1837. Many of the Holders later lived in the section that became James County.
Hinton H. Holder, who was apparently a son of Chesley Holder, was born in North Carolina about 1822. He and his wife, Elizabeth P., had a large family at Snow Hill. Elizabeth died in the 1870s, but Hinton H. was still living at the time of the 1880 census. Hinton was a shoemaker. The children included Catherine who married Samuel S. Porter, Jesse M., John, Hinton Harrison “Harrison,” Narcissa, Andrew J., Susan E., Merida G., William R. and Samuel H.
Jesse M. was 18 in 1861 when he enlisted on April 26, 1862, at Ooltewah for the Confederate cause. He was in Co. K of the 43rd Tennessee Infantry. Jesse is listed as deserting on Nov. 19, 1862. When Jesse died in 1926 near Tyner, he was listed as a pioneer settler. He had been born near Harrison on March 8, 1843, and was a Baptist. His six daughters were Mrs. James Leiker, Mrs. William Reed, Mrs. James Beard, Mrs. W.H. Grant, Mrs. E.D. Grant and Sarah. William Arthur Holder, son of Jesse, married Marguerite De Tavernier, whose father was a soldier of fortune who had come to the United States and fought for the Union. Marguerite had been one of the eight children selected in 1891 to drive the last spikes into the Walnut Street Bridge. Her father, Col. Frederick De Tavernier, had married Sue Carey, daughter of Judge William Carey of Campbell County, Tenn.
The W.A. Holders lived for almost half a century on Hickory Valley Road, but they were forced to move in 1941 due to the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant project. Their sons were Herman, W.A. Jr., Charles B., Fred A., Carey Samuel and Eugene F. The daughters were Kittie Melvina who died in 1899 when she was two, Cecil who married Wayne K. Slaughter, Lida who married Martin A. Jackson, Marguerite who married Charles Felmon Pettis and Sue who married Fred Gill Jr. and Tom Price.
Harrison Holder operated a grocery store at the Crossroads six miles northwest of Ooltewah. Near Holder's Store was his large farm. Harrison was postmaster at Snow Hill in 1896 and he later was trustee of James County. He married Marietta T. Isom, daughter of Fulton and Mary Reed Isom. Harrison Holder was listed as a pioneer of James County when he died in 1918. He left several of his children $100 each to buy a horse. His children included Thomas Jefferson, James, Albert A., William Lattimore “Lat,” Mary Elizabeth who married Elbert Roddy, Earl P., Charles L. and Myrtle M. who married Virgil Kerr.
Thomas J. had a sawmill and farmed at Snow Hill and he was in the grocery business for 25 years. He married Alice Smith, daughter of James and Savannah Davis Smith. The children were James Grady who married Myrtle Gamble, Jack who married Eunice Bettis, Herbert who married Eva Cofer and then Mildred Mullins, Frank who married Norma DeFriese, Newton Harrison “Newt” who married Mary Rockholt and then Frankie Simms, Glenn who married Janie Hickman and then Peggy Varner, Mae who married John Wardlaw, Kathryn who married Frank Clements, Pauline who married Bob Stanley, Blanche who married Jim Bailey, and Betty who married Wendell Bryan. Jim worked for Crane Enamel and for the Chattanooga Fire Department, while Jack worked for Crane and farmed. Herbert was a sawmiller and farmer and had a grocery on Dolly Pond Road. Frank worked for Cumberland Case and the county highway department, while Newt had a dairy farm. Glenn, who was in the Marines in World War II, also farmed. The children of Thomas J. gathered for a reunion in 1977 at McDonald, Tenn., at the home of Myrtle Holder Kerr. There were 125 in attendance, including four generations.
James (son of Harrison) went to Texas. Albert was a Chattanooga policeman and jailer. He married Nola Roy. Charles L. was a parole officer. His children were Marion and Lenora. Earl worked for Cumberland Case. He married Pearl Hall. Their sons were Winford H. who married Thelma Blasingame, William Earl who married Louise Carson, Gordon and Austin. Lat was circuit court clerk for James County. He married Nellie Taliaferro. Their children were Edward, Eva who married Carl Davis, Ruby who married Arthur Eugene Reno, and Willie who married Jess Lee.
ANOTHER GROUP OF HOLDERS here came from Franklin County, Tenn. These Holders were initially from South Carolina. Ransom Holder was born there about 1803. One of his sons was Dennis, who married Lucinda J. Byrom at Franklin County in 1853. One of Dennis' sons was Monroe “Roe,” who was born at the settlement of Elora in Franklin County.
Roe Holder married Ella Renegar at Elora, then they moved to Gadsden, Ala., then on to Hamilton County. Roe operated a grocery store in the 5500 block of St. Elmo Avenue and also had a restaurant on Broad Street at one time. His children were James Franklin, Sarah Ethel who married Richard Kines, Boyd Arthur and Charles Golie. James F. married Lottie Maude Smith. Their sons were James, Charles and the twins Darwin and Lamar. Charles was a prisoner of war in World War II. James worked to an advanced age as an officer of the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department, where he was known as “Smokey.” Boyd married Daisy Baker. Their children were Jack, Boyd “Bud,” Donald and Linda who married Gene Morgan.
Golie was a Chattanooga policeman and fireman. He married Nancy Grayson. Golie was named for a Jewish grocer named Golieburg that the family knew in Gadsden. His sons are Golie Eugene “Gene” and Elmer Thomas “Tommy.” Gene, a sales agent for the Athens Paper Company, was on the Quarterly Court for two terms from District 5 and was on the last court prior to the County Commission. He was also chairman of the county Republican Party. Tommy worked as an electrician.