The Colorful Life of George Meacham Holaday: The Holadays, #1

By Rachelle L. Tuttle

From humble beginnings as a Quaker, to his later roles as sheriff, judge, politician, justice of the peace and even a gold rusher, squatter, bigamist and horse thief, George M. Holaday navigated intricate paths of ambition and controversy.

 

A Quaker by birth, George seemed destined to follow the Friends' faith, but the Quaker life did not suit his restless spirit. When he was disowned from the Friend's Church, he and his wife left to start new lives in Iowa Territory in 1840.

In Iowa, the land was wide open for bold spirits like George, but Iowa wasn't enough to contain him. His insatiable wanderlust drove him west. His life was a saga of land purchases, saloons and chasing golden dreams that exacted a heavy toll on the family he left behind.

George left a lasting legacy in Iowa, Arizona, and California through his influential roles and positions of power, but at a steep price. No one understood the agonizing toll of his choices more than his wife and children. Their story is inextricably linked with his.

George M. Holaday was nearly the first, if not the first Holaday in Iowa Territory. The same can be said for Ezekiel Hollingsworth, his wife's father, of the Hollingsworth surname. Between them, there are thousands of descendants.

 

This book contains more than eighty images and illustrations, as well as a listing of three generations of descendants. Paper and hardcover editions will be released in early July 2024.

This is the first of two in the series, "The Holadays." The second in the series, "Echoes of Ambition," is the biography of George's granddaughter Elizabeth Murray Shepherd and her equally enthralling life. Release date is expected to be late 2024.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tallgrass Prairie Books
• Release date: Jun 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798990560536

Book preview

Dedication

In loving memory of my beautiful mother, who not only gave me life, but ignited in me a passion for reading and genealogy, profoundly enriching that life. Mom, I think it all started when you read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to me. I don’t think you ever knew how much I loved snuggling with you as you read aloud.

Until we meet again, my dearest mother.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Background

Contrary to Discipline

The New Lands– Iowa Territory

California Gold Rush

Adair County, Iowa

Winterset, Madison County, Iowa

Pike’s Peak Gold Rush

La Paz, Arizona

Prescott, Arizona

California

Death of a Pioneer

Lydia Hollingsworth Holaday

George & Lydia’s Children

Mini Biographies of Note

Descendants of George M. Holaday

References

About The Author

Preface

In the chronicles of American frontier history, few lives are as paradoxical and compelling as that of George Meacham Holaday. A man of stark contradictions, George began his life in the Quaker faith but soon ventured down a tumultuous path that led him to become a horse thief, squatter, gold rusher and bigamist. His story is one of daring exploits and audacious gambles, a narrative almost lost to the passage of time.

George Meacham Holaday's legacy is as varied as it is extraordinary. He embodied the restless spirit of the West, engaging in diverse enterprises from owning hotels and saloons to fervently trading land. His public roles were equally significant; he served as a sheriff, the first judge of Adair County, Iowa, a member of the first Arizona Territorial Legislature, a Justice of the Peace and judge in several locales. Yet, his personal life was marred by scandal—he fathered a child out of wedlock and abandoned his family to run off with his mistress.

In this book, my goal is to paint the colorful life of George Meacham Holaday, a man who left an indelible imprint on the early days of Iowa, Arizona and California.

George's story is a window into the complexities and contradictions of the American frontier, a testament to the rugged individualism that shaped a nation. This book will explore the heights of his achievements, as well as the depths of his transgressions.

George Meacham Holaday was nearly the first, if not the first Holaday in Iowa Territory. The same can be said for Ezekiel Hollingsworth of the Hollingsworth surname. Between them, there are thousands of descendants.

Chapter 1

Background

Quakers

To fully appreciate George Meacham Holaday and his wife, it's essential to begin with a brief overview of Quakers — their unique belief system and the structure of their meetings. Both George and his wife Lydia descended from long lines of Quaker heritage, deeply influencing their lives.

The Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quaker Movement, was founded in England in the 17th century by George Fox. Early Quakers, or as they often refer to themselves, Friends, were persecuted for their beliefs. Among those beliefs were equality of all persons, pacifism and the rejection of religious ceremonies. They believe(d) that God exists in every person, and each individual has a direct connection to God. They rejected social hierarchies and titles, including those associated with traditional forms of religious authority. They refused to pay the mandatory tithe to support the clergy of the Anglican Church. All of this was a massive affront to the Church of England and seen as radical.

They refused to participate in war, violence or oaths, instead advocating for peaceful conflict resolution. They refused to bow or curtsey and did not remove their hats.  They were plain in language and dress, lived simply, rejecting ostentatious displays of wealth and materialism. They did not gamble, drink alcohol or dance. Various acts were passed that led to persecution and even imprisonment of Quakers in England. Some Quakers fled England for Ireland, where they established themselves in 1654. In 1675, full scale migration to America began. By 1750, the Society of Friends was the third largest denomination in Britain’s American colonies.

In America, Quakers would become pioneers in various social justice movements, including abolitionism, women’s rights and prison reform. They often helped in the Underground Railroad.

They were meticulous record keepers, maintaining detailed records of their religious and community lives. Among these records were minutes of birth, marriage and death, membership, discipline, financial reports and correspondence.  They placed great importance on keeping comprehensive records, which today, are a valuable historical and genealogical resource.

Quakers attended various types of meetings for worship and business. Worship meetings consisted of coming together in silence and waiting on the presence of God within each person. There were no set rituals or clergy led services. If an individual felt moved to speak, they did so.

Business meetings attended to the administrative and organizational affairs of the community. These were typically separate from worship meetings and involved discussions and decision-making regarding matters such as finances, property management, membership and community concerns. Overall, Quaker meetings served as vital centers of spiritual worship and community engagement. They provided opportunities for Quakers to come together in worshipful silence, to conduct the business of the community, and to nurture their shared faith and values.

The Indulged Meeting was the lowest in the church organization. This Meeting was organized by the Monthly Meeting at the request of Friends in a new community. It was for worship only. The next was the Preparative Meeting. This Meeting conducted its own business relative to local affairs and kept records. Above that was the Monthly Meeting, which was often composed of a number of Indulged and Preparative Meetings. To and through this Meeting, all business affecting the community came. It could receive and disown members. Above the Monthly Meeting was the Quarterly Meeting. This meeting received cases of appeal, set up new Monthly Meetings and attended to the business of the church on a larger scale, as reports came to it from the several Monthly Meetings under its direction. Annually, Friends came from all parts of a given section of country to consider and act upon matters which concerned the work of the whole church in their particular section, and these were termed Yearly Meetings. The Yearly Meeting held final jurisdiction among its members in all cases regarding church organization.

George Meacham Holaday

George was about 5’8 inches tall with fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He was the son of Quakers Samuel and Dolly (Meacham) Holaday. Samuel’s grandfather, Quaker Henry Holaday, Sr., born in 1725 in Pennsylvania, was a Revolutionary War patriot whose family line came from Ireland circa 1713. This author’s mother became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution through this line.

Quakers, being pacifists, were staunchly against the bearing of arms. Their participation in the Revolutionary War was largely in non-combat roles, if at all. Most remained neutral, but a fair number of Quakers did participate. They dealt with repercussions, such as disownment, as a result. Henry’s role was that he provided material aid, in providing a horse for the Americans. Henry died in Orange County, North Carolina on September 9, 1800.

The Holaday name is often spelled or misspelled as Holiday, Holliday, and even Holladay. For purposes of conformity, the Holaday spelling will be used in this book.

The Quakers of the Carolinas were facing increasing persecution due to their disapproval of slavery. Quakers believed all were equal in the eyes of God. They were among the first to denounce slavery and played a major role in the abolitionist movement. They were the first organization to take a collective stand against both slavery and the slave trade. North Carolina state laws, however, prohibited Quakers from legally freeing their slaves without paying an exorbitant fee. From 1772 forward, the North Carolina Yearly Meeting advised members that they were not allowed to be involved in the buying and selling of slaves, but they did allow it exclusively between Quakers.  The reasoning was that Quaker owners would ensure kind treatment and not split up families. Quakers fed, clothed, housed and treated their slaves with kindness and care, unlike far too many slave owners of the time. In 1781, the North Carolina Yearly Meeting made slavery a disownable offense.

Quakers were fleeing slave states heading to points west. Johnathon Lindley, a Quaker abolitionist, land speculator and former legislator, led a group of about thirty North Carolina Quakers and freed former slaves from central North Carolina to Indiana in 1811. In Indiana, Johnathon Lindley founded a settlement near Lick Creek, which become known as the Lick Creek Settlement. This was near modern day Paoli, Indiana in Orange County and about fifty miles northwest of Louisville, Kentucky. The settlement welcomed the freed former slaves and provided refuge to escaping enslaved people.

Some of those in the group were former slaves whose freedom had been purchased by the Quakers. Others were free citizens seeking to flee the racial persecution in the South. Traveling with the Quakers afforded them a degree of protection, as well as the promise of good neighbors once they arrived at their destination.  

Samuel’s father, William, (George’s grandfather), and some family members may have been with this group. A William Holaday, presumably George’s grandfather, was granted land on December 24, 1812 in Orange Township (changed to Paoli in 1817). Samuel’s uncle, Robert Holaday, with wife Edith (Davis) Holaday, likely made the journey with William. Robert also was granted land in Paoli on March 17, 1812.

Samuel’s second great uncle, Robert Holaday, along with his wife Hannah, two sons and five daughters, arrived in October of 1815, possibly traveling with Samuel and Dolly. The latter had married on March 28, 1814 in Orange County, North Carolina and left to go to Lick Creek/Paoli soon after. Samuel appears on a list of voters in Paoli in November 1816.

Even freed slaves had compelling reasons to leave North Carolina, as the black codes stripped them of rights. They also faced the constant threat of being kidnapped and sold back into slavery. When Indiana became a state in 1816, the constitution of the state prohibited slavery, but it did not grant blacks the right to vote, testify in court against whites, join the militia or educate their children in public schools. What they could do, however, was buy land – and they did. They banded together, often with Quaker neighbors, to survive raids, kidnappings and hostilities from white settlers.

In 1813 the Quakers built a meeting house at Lick Creek and established the Lick Creek Monthly Meeting. Some researchers believe Lick Creek was involved in the Underground Railroad and have found evidence to indicate so. By the nature of the Underground Railroad, however – secrecy – records and information are hard to obtain and verify. A log home built by a descendant of Johnathon Lindley had a small spit with a secret trap door in front of the chimney, believed to be used to hide slaves.

Samuel and Dolly’s first child, William, was born on December 14, 1816 in Paoli, Indiana. George was the next born child of seven total children, also born in Paoli, on October 8, 1818.

At the height of Lick Creek’s population in the mid-1800’s, the settlement had about 200 families. It is unknown exactly why, but an exodus from the area of the black families began about 1862. Some of the remaining population bought the land and continued farming until the Great Depression hit, and they couldn’t pay their taxes. The federal government then bought many tax delinquent and abandoned farms and created the Hoosier National Forest. There is almost nothing left of the settlement, save some headstones in the Thomas and Roberts Family Cemetery, also known as the Little Africa Cemetery, deep in the heart of the Hoosier National Forest.

When George was ten years old in 1828, Samuel, Dolly and family moved west again. They were received on certificate from Lick Creek Monthly Meeting to the Vermilion Monthly Meeting on March 1, 1828. They may have actually lived on the Indiana side. George’s father Samuel was appointed an overseer on July 5, 1828. This was a person appointed to look after the wellbeing of those in a Quaker Meeting. Such people were said to be particularly skilled in sensing the needs of others and in knowing how to respond. Samuel died sometime after his July 5, 1828 appointment and before 1837. I suspect he likely died about 1829. Dolly became active in the Church, but Samuel is not listed after 1828.

Dolly in the Vermilion Monthly Meeting records:

October 2, 1830: Dolly appointed to visit MacKanaw and Elwood meeting.

May 7, 1831: Dolly to attend Quarterly Meeting

August 1, 1835: Dolly appointed overseer Hopewell

August 6, 1835: Dolly appointed overseer

George’s mother Dolly was born in Chatham, North Carolina to Quakers George (1765-1819) and Mary (Durham) Meacham (1769-1823). (Hence the Meacham middle name of both George and his first-born son Samuel.) George Meacham's father William (1725-1808) was a Revolutionary War patriot. Mary Durham’s father, Matthew Durham Sr., (1731-1795) was also a Revolution War patriot, as well as was her brother, Matthew Durham Jr. (1760-1834). Dolly's parents are buried in the Meacham Graves in Paoli, Orange County, Indiana.  The Lost River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution posted the following concerning the graves of Dolly’s parents:

Meacham Graves - From the Cemetery Records compiled by the Lost River Chapter DAR, Paoli Township Sec. 34-T. 2N.-R.1W. Obliterated. In a field, just west of Newberry Cemetery, are the graves of George Meacham and his wife, early settlers from North Carolina. The family lived about three miles north of Newberry, and at the time of George Meacham's death, there was a plan to open a public burying ground at this place. Only the two Meachams were buried here and it is probable that the plan was abandoned with the opening of the Friend's cemetery, a few years later. For many years the little burial plot was kept fenced by descendants, but has now been plowed over. Isaac Meacham, a son, and Ruth McVey, a daughter, are buried in the old Paoli Cemetery. The graves had markers of field stones, no inscriptions.

Lydia Hollingsworth Holaday

Lydia Hollingsworth Holaday. Photo courtesy of Jill Foster Livingston, third great granddaughter of George & Lydia Holaday.

Figure 1: Lydia Hollingsworth Holaday. Photo courtesy of Jill Foster Livingston, third great granddaughter of George & Lydia Holaday.

George’s wife Lydia was born