BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JOHN NELSON HOLLOWAY

Written for the Kansas Historical Society by his grandson, George Whittier Johnston, of Carancahua, Texas.

John Nelson Holloway's grandfather, Joseph Holloway, was an Englishman, who first settled in Worcester county, Maryland, but afterwards moved to Delaware. He was a Quaker. He married a Miss Rebecca Holloway and as a result of this union there were nine children, five boys and four girls. The boys were Joseph, Ebenezer, Kendal, Henry and Joshua; the girls, Hannah, Martha, Fanny and Nancy. Joseph Holloway himself and his wife and children were physically very large and strong.

Joseph Holloway, sr., died when his son Joseph was twelve years old, and left an estate of $20,000, part of which consisted of slaves. Of this estate Joseph, jr., received on $260, and was bound out to one of his brothers-in-law, who, he soon learned, was charging him with his board and lodging which he was in reality earning. He therefore determined to run away, and, accompanied by another brother-in-law, finally arrived at Ross county, Ohio. Here, at the age of twenty-one, he met and married Miss Sallie Witherly Timons. Miss Timons' mother was of Irish descent, and her father English. Her parents had come from Maryland to Ohio. Joseph, jr., and his wife had eleven children, four boys and seven girls. The names of the boys were John Nelson, Orson, Volatine and Joseph H.; the girls' names were Elizabeth, Rebecca, Mariah, Samantha, Sarah Ann, Mary and Hannah. Rebecca, the oldest of the children, never married. Elizabeth married Spencer Haigh. Mariah married David Archibald. Orson, a youth of brilliant mental abilities, died of consumption at the age of twenty, while in his senior year at Asbury College (now De Pauw University), Greencastle, Ind. Samantha married John Johnston. Sarah Ann married Charley Brooke, a minister. Joseph H. graduated in law at Asbury College and settled at Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he acquired a splendid practice. He went to war, however, after seeing service at Norfolk, Va., died of camp diarrhea. Mary married George Green. hannah married Daniel Tyndall. Volantine, having lost his hearing after a spell of sickness, attended the Indianapolis Deaf and Dumb Institute, where he made such progress that he was appointed one of the instructors. Before he could take up his duties, however, he died of consumption.

At the time of his marriage with Miss Timons, Joseph Holloway owned about sixty acres of land in Ohio. Many of his friends having gone to Indiana, he determined to follow their example, and accordingly in 1832 moved there with his family. He went direct to Lafayette, Ind., and after prospecting around a bit bought one hundred and sixty acres of land for $2.50 an acre. The land was located about thirteen miles from Lafayette, in what is now Tippecanoe county. There was a small village about two miles away, in Warren county, call Milford. Milford is now known as Green Hill. Four years after his first purchase he bought the adjoining hundred and sixty acres of land, and later eighty acres more.

It was here on this farm that John Nelson Holloway was born, on March 9, 1839. Of his boyhood little is known, and the first definite account we have of him is found in his diary, which states that he spent two years at Thornton Academy preparing himself for the sophomore class at Asbury College (De Pauw University).

After entering Asbury, in 1859, he found himself much discontented because he compared so unfavorably with others of his age in the classroom, and because of a lack of congenial friends. Although he studied constantly during the day and far into the night, he could not, he says, compete with the geniuses there who froliced half the night, and then after a cursory glance at their books the next morning went to class and made a better recitation than he. To add to his discomfort, his uncouth manners made him very ill at ease in society, so that altogether he was not much impressed with the advantages that Asbury had to offer him.

After the first year, however, he began to make friends and feel more at ease. The second year he taught a common school at New Richmond, Ind., returning about four weeks before the close of the session at Asbury to prepare himself for the examinations covering the year's work. It was while he was teaching at New Richmond that he first took out license to "exhort," as he expresses it. He had expected to spend the summer at Asbury, but about this time the war fever broke out, and in company with some other students from Asbury, he went to Indianapolis, Ind., to volunteer. He found, however, that few volunteers were being accepted, so rather than disappoint some of the others who wished very badly to go, he did not volunteer.

The following summer he spent at home. He made two attempts to join the army that summer, but always found too many ahead of him, so he at last concluded that he was destined never to serve as a soldier. He was right in this conclusion, for, although he made two other attempts later on, he was always rejected, or something came up to prevent his acceptance.

In the fall of 1860 he began to cast about for a situation as a teacher, for after his first year at Asbury his father decided that he had had enough schooling, and refused to send him any longer. FInally he secured a position as teacher at Wesley Academy, in Montgomery county, Indiana, near Waynestown. Here he confesses that he had an easy time of it, studying all his spare time, and having to teach but six hours a day. He also preached nearly every Sunda, lectured to the school every month, and occasionally made a patriotic speech in behalf of his country. He went to Asbury after the school closed and passed the examinations there with ease.

In 1861 he again secured a position at Wesley Academy. in the spring of 1862 he became engaged to one of his pupils at Wesley, a Miss Henrietta Hall, who, however, was a year older than he. On June 26, 1862, he graduated from Asbury College, and on July 1 married Miss Henrietta Hall. He taught, as principal of Wesley Academy, from 1862 to 1863, and in the fall of 1863 entered the Northwest Indiana Methodist conference. In 1864 he traveled the West Lebanon circuit of this conference, and in 1865 the Laporte circuit. For some time prior to this Mr. Holloway had been quite convinced that his mission in life was to spread the gospel, and he worked very hard to succeed as a minister. But when at the close of his year on the Laporte circuit the presiding elder informed him that his services would not be required another year, and when his salary was not forthcoming by nearly a hundred dollars, his zeal for the profession considerably lessened, and he began for the first time to doubt his fitness for the ministry. At length he decided to quit it for good and all. In September, 1865, therefore, he accepted a position as teacher at the Northern Indiana College, at South Bend, Ind. The principal of this school being very high-handed in his dealings with the teachers, and allowing them absolutely no voice in the government of the school, Mr. Holloway at length asked to be released from his contract to teach. This was done, whereupon Mr. Holloway immediately set up a private school of his own. As he was very popular with the students, he soon had a school with five times as many students as Northern Indiana College. Despite his success here, he was not satisfied, and finally yielded to a desire to go to Kansas. Accordingly, in the fall of 1866, after resigning from the Northwestern conference, he went to Kansas, stopping first at Lawrence. Failing to secure a school there, he went to Ottawa, where he was engaged to teach.

Mrs. Holloway joined him at Ottawa, and he built a little house on a lot he had purchased there. But their stay was destined to be a brief one, for in 1867, shortly after the school at Ottawa closed, Mr. Holloway determined to write a history of Kansas, and as he saw that in gathering the material he would have to spend much of his time in Topeka, he decided to move there with his family.

The story of how Mr. Holloway conceived the idea of writing a history of Kansas, of his prosecution of that design, and the description of the difficulties he met with and overcame, are best told by him. I now quote verbatim from his diary.

"Since I last wrote in this book [the diary] my entire time and energies have been devoted to the 'History of Kansas.' I will now tell of the origin, prosecution and consummation of this design.

"While boarding at Mr. Whetstone's, at Ottawa [Kansas], one Sunday afternoon the idea entered my head. Why has not Kansas a written history? At first I thought perhaps she had; so I wrote to several leading men of the state inquiring about the matter. I learned from them that Kansas had no written history and that they would be glad to see some individual undertake the work of preparing one. I continued to nurse the idea, to examine the features of Kansas history, whether such a book would pay, and especially whether I could succeed in writing and publishing such a book. I finally decided, as my way in other directions seemed hedged up, to make the attempt—to run the risk. I stated the reasons why I came to Topeka in the previous chapter [to better enable him to gather the data for the history].

"The first great difficulty, and I may say the last and only difficulty, from beginning to end was the want of means. I had not more than $25 in money to my name. I formed the plan of borrowing $200 of father to begin with, and afterwards I hoped to pay my way selling books. I made the application of father for the money and it was granted. I wrote for the agency of Greeley's 'History of the American Conflict,' which I obtained but never did anything with. This money enabled me to begin. But it was not long before I saw that I must cast about for a livelihood, for my money would soon all be gone. I then procured a life insurance agency and went to Lexington, Mo., to operate. I was gone about five weeks and spent about $40 more than I made. But I learned much of the Missourians, and gathered items that were of assistance to me in writing. I returned home almost penniless. my case was a desperate one. I would have taught, but no school could then be obtained. I could not obtain more aid from father, and yet aid I must have. I therefore sat down and wrote to my brothers-in-law, William Nagle, D. Archibald and C. A. Brooke. From the latter I obtained a favorable response. By mortgaging my lots at Ottawa I obtained a loan of $500. This was what I wanted, and with it I went to work in earnest. I knew that it would last me until I could get the main part of the work written, and then I hoped in the fall to get a situation as teacher in the public schools here. The cost of publication was yet to be provided for.

"I therefore spent the summer in gathering material and in writing. I traveled over a good part of the state, visited many of the early settlers and principal actors in the scenes described, secured files of old papers, official documents, etc. The writing was a tedious and laborious task. I generally wrote from ten to fifteen pages per day of original matter. I began writing about the first of June, and finished the first of October, though I spent some of the interval in gathering material. At the proper time I made my application to the board of directors for a situation as principal of the public schools in this city [Topeka]. An examination of the applicants was held, but on account of the partiality and injustice of the examiners I failed to secure a proper certificate. The partial course pursued by the examiners was too flagrant to pass unnoticed, so the directors ordered a new examination before a new committee of examiners. Before these I and one other man made our appearance. I passed examination in all the studies, but my competitor only passed in the lower branches. Notwithstanding this he was elected by voting for himself, he being one of the directors. So i failed to get the position.

"I determined then to publish my history at once if possible. But how could I do such a thing without money, and money I had not. I wrote to publishers, got their terms, and ascertained the cost. It became evident to my mind that if I ever published the book at all it would be by the assistance of others, and that I could probably never more easily secure that than at that time. I concluded to made a final and earnest appeal for help. I wrote to father a most feeling letter, entreating aid for the last time. He replied that he did not know if he could raise the money desired, but would see about it. The reply I felt to be favorable though not decisive. I felt that I could succeed. I therefore at once set out for Indiana with my little daughter May.

"On arriving at home I met father on the road this side of the house. He seemed glad to see me, and at once said he had written to Archibald for some money, and had spoken to Brooke, who had promised $300. I felt that all was safe.

"But home comes Vol [his brother Volantine] that night from Brooke, with a letter opposing father's assisting me. I heard Vol reading it from my bedroom. I heard them conversing about the matter. I determined that before the letter should have much effect upon their minds and decide their plan, I would see them and remove the effects the letter was calculated to produce. With the comforters wrapped around me, I arose and went into the other room where my parents were. I then explained matters; told them I had no desire to run them into debt; that I felt confident of meeting all my obligations, and stated plainly my financial condition. It was a critical time, and I felt that all might yet be lost. Father, however, said, "Go to bed, and the assistance shall be given." This was decisive, and I felt again that all was safe.

"The next day we went to Lafayette [Indiana], I with the purpose of going to Cincinnati to put my book in press. While in Lafayette, having a few spare moments, I called in the Journal office [the Lafayette Morning Journal, a newspaper still in existance there] and ascertained their prices. Knowing Cincinnati prices, I found that at Lafayette I could get the work done some $300 cheaper and on more favorable terms than at Cincinnati. So I made a contract with them. Having a ticket to Cincinnati, and desiring to see their engravings, I went on to that place. After visiting a number of artists, among them Mr. Jones who engraves for the Repository, and also the chief book establishments, I returned to Lafayette. On arriving at the latter place I found that the Journal company were unable to fill their contract for want of the means of stereotyping. For a time it seemed that the whole project must fail; the Journal company unable to fill their contract; I unable to comply with the terms of the publishing houses elsewhere, who wanted all cash. My prospect grew gloomy, indeed. I felt that there was but one course left, and that was to change the contract with the Journal company so that they could fill it, and at the same time gain some advantage for so changing. This I did, and obtained the contract with less cash and upon longer time. Thus things were fixed, and type for my first book began to be set up.

"For several weeks everything lingered—paper was delayed and new type had to be procured, hands would leave, and this thing and that thing prevented a vigorous prosecution of the work. it was to have been out by the first of December, but did not get out until the middle of that month. I boarded at home most of the time, riding in to town and back again every day. About the middle of December, the last page having been printed, I started home. Upon the next page will be found a summary of the expenses attending the preparation of the "History of Kansas":

"After the book was published came the selling. I put it in market under the most adverse circumstances. Times grew tight, money was scarce, and people here were busy about paying their taxes. It was in the winter time, when few were making much money.

"I first put notices of the publication in the leading papers of the state, calling for agents, etc. Agents in several of the principal towns were easily secured. The legislature met, and I sold books to the members, while agents did the same. In this way I gathered in about fifty dollars a week. After the legislature adjourned I purchased a horse and buggy and started out to sell books and establish agencies. I have been out driving the past three weeks and sold over two hundred dollars' worth, and established a number of agencies. People look with surprise upon me as I tell them or they learn from others that I am the author. I learn many things that will be of advantage to me in preparing my second edition by traveling and mingling among the masses.

"I am now making every effort to pay my debts, and I hope to succeed, though I do not sell so fast as I expected in consequence of the exceedingly hard times. I am involved now about $2500, and am resolved to pay out."

"Bourbon, Ill., Jan. 11, 1869

"Again I take up my pen to record the chain of events that marks my life's experience thus far.

"I spent the past summer in selling my book. I bought me a horse and buggy, in which I traveled from town to town in different parts of the state where I would spend a few days, sell all the books I could, appoint a local agent, and then pass on. In this way I visited almost all the towns in Kansas. At night I would camp out, do my own cooking and sleep in my buggy. During the day, while traveling, I would shoot game sufficient for my meat. The grass on the prairie furnished nice grazing for my horse. I would lariat him out and let him enjoy it. In one of those expeditions Etta [his wife] and the children accompanied me. They enjoyed it finely.

"I shall never forget my rambles as a book peddler. Though a hard life, I found much enjoyment in it. I succeeded in selling quite a number of books, but by no means succeeded as I hoped. Money was too scarce. I have succeeded, however, in paying off about $1000 of debt.

"After having traversed Kansas all over, I concluded to go east to sell books. So we sold off all our household goods, put my business ins as good a shape as possible, and then started for Indiana. My family stopped at my father-in-law's while I went on to Lafayette. Here I tried to sell books in Lafayette, but could not effect much. The Journal company was very anxious for some money on binding, but I determined not to pay them anything, as they had done the work so poorly. I am confident that the poorness of the binding damaged the sale of the books far more than the coast of the same. Archibald was insultingly urgent for the payment of what I owed him. Being pressed on all sides mostly, I determined to retire to Illinois, partly out of disgust and partly to await developments. If the Journal company sued I intended to offset their claim by damages. On going east I felt that the company would not likely send me more books without payment for same. After looking around for a week I obtained a school at Bourbon. I found it was late to look for a school and difficult to get one, I being a stranger."

The school at Bourbon paid Mr. Holloway $75 a mont. When this school closed he went to Normal, Ill., to study the methods of teaching that obtained there, taking his wife with him. After renting a house he was ready to pursue his studies. But his money was nearly all gone, and it became necessary to devise some means of obtaining enough to live on. At length he hit upon the novel scheme of selling little bottles of cement for mending furniture and glassware. He made the cement himself, according to a formula found in that celebrated work and old-time favorite, "Dr. Chase's Recipes." He managed by this means to get along very comfortably, selling from $2 to $3 worth of cement an afternoon after school hours, and when he had a whole day at his disposal making from $5 to $6. Indeed so successful was he in his sales that he canvassed other towns in the state, such as Peoria, Decatur, Galesburg, et.

In July, 1870, Mr. Holloway started out to look for a position as a teacher. In his search he visited many towns, and at length received word that he had been engaged at Pana, Ill., at a salary of $1200 a year. He was to be principal of this school, and, as it was his first graded school, he entered upon his work with "fear and trembling." The value of his study of the methods used at Normal, and the advantage he had taken of the large collection of books on education in the library there, were now of inestimable benefit to him, and he handled his seven assistant teachers and 350 pupils with little difficulty. Although very popular with the student body at Pana, the directors took a dislike to him, and seeing that there was not chance of securing the school again, he obtained the principalship of a school at Centralia, Ill.

At this time in his life we find Mr. Holloway telling us in his diary that he feel himself greatly changed mentally. In order to understand and appreciate this change it is necessary to remember that in his youth (as his diary tells us) he was very ambitious, the he was fully convinced that his true mission in life was to be a servant of the Lord, and that in trying to lead what he imaged a true Christian life he puritanically reproached himself for the most insignificant lapses of conduct. Now, at the age of thirty-one, his ideas have, as he tells us, greatly change. He confesses that he no longer thinks about his future success, but is now content to remain an unknown man; and that, being no longer so solicitous for distinction, he has determined to "adjust himself to circumstances and live along as pleasantly as my be." As for religion, he questions some of his former beliefs, and says: "I once was settled and established in the orthodox faith, but now I am somewhat unsettled. I once thought that I enjoyed religion, but I am quite sure that I do not now, and am disposed to doubt the religion I once had. I feel that I am drifting in opinion toward deism. It does seem to me that if any one wanted to be a good Christian in word and deed it was I in my earlier years. Yet I know of none who have made so great a failure. I am not now trying to live conscientiously, and I believe I have succeeded in living more nearly correctly than I used to."

In 1869 Mr. Holloway joined the Masons, and became so greatly interested in the order that he passed through nearly all the degrees.

Mr. Holloway held his position in Centralia for two years, and for the first time since he published his "History of Kansas" found himself out of debt. His history cost him three years of unproductive labor. After teaching two years at Centralia he secured a school at Chester, Ill., at a salary of $1400 for himself and his wife, who assisted in the teaching. This was in the fall of 1872. By this time Mr. Holloway was growing very tired of roving from one place to another in search of schools. Consequently, when, in the summer of 1873, J. Perry Johnson, a lawyer who enjoyed a fine practice in Chester offered to take him in as a partner in consideration of $700, he accepted. On July 1, 1874, the contract of partnership, which was to last for five years, was signed. Although Mr. Holloway had, of course, no license as yet to practice law, still he made about as much money as if he had had one, since all the business of the firm was transacted in Mr. Johnson's name. Mr. Holloway had reason to congratulate himself upon his venture, for he found the law financially successful, and not nearly so confining as teaching had been, nor so monotonous.

In January, 1875, Mr. Holloway went to Springfield, Ill., where he passed the examination for entrance to the bar before the supreme court of Illinois, and received his license to practice law. He was now making about $1500 a year. But about this time his partner, Mr. Johnson, decided to dissolve the partnership, and, this having been done, it became necessary for Mr. Holloway to decide whether he would locate in Chester permanently or go elsewhere. He desired, he says, to locate somewhere and spend the remainder of his days in building up a good practice.

Meanwhile Mr. Holloway's father, Joseph Holloway, had died in 1874, and left by his will a life estate in his farm of 320 acres to his wife, or so much thereof as she should require for her support, with remainder to his son, John Nelson.

After the dissolution of the partnership Mr. Holloway moved to Danville, Ill., where he practiced law very successfully for five years. His mother, urged by her daughters, who had received only $500 each from the estate of their father, now began to complain of the provisions of the will. At length she instituted suit for partition of her third of the land, but Mr. Holloway finally effected a compromise with her, and that suit was withdrawn. He agreed to pay her an annuity of $500 during her life in consideration of her relinquishing her life estate in the land to him. When this arrangement had been made, he concluded that it would be best to give up his practice in Danville and move on his farm in Indiana. He made the change in the year 1880, and remained there until his death, in 1887. He prospered at farming, but it was not as lucrative, perhaps, as his practice in Danville would have been. He practiced law in Indiana to some extent, but did not make a business of it.

John Nelson Holloway was shot by one Isaac Downs on April 12, and died of his wounds just a week later, April 19, 1887. The Incidents leading up to the shooting were as follows:

For some years this Isaac Downs had farmed forty acres of land, to which, as he well knew, he had no title. The title to the land lay in a number of heirs, who were scattered all over the country and whose names and addresses were almost totally unknown to the people living near Milford. Mr. Holloway, believing that he could secure this land at a bargain if he could ascertain the names of all the heirs, decided to make an attempt to hunt them up. His wife and daughter made every effort to prevent him from carrying out this plan, pointing out that Downs would be sure to make trouble. Their fears were certainly justified, for Downs had a reputation throughout the country of being a bad-tempered bully, who was always in a fight, and of whom his family stood in mortal fear. Mr. Holloway, however, laughed these warnings aside, and managed, after a year's correspondence, to locate all the heirs and secure a deed from each one of them. Most of the heirs had known nothing of their right to the land, and were very glad to received the amount Mr. Holloway offered them for their shares; it was like finding it. So, at small cost but considerable trouble, Mr. Holloway at length became the owner of this forty acres of land. When his title to the land was fully perfected he informed Downs of his purchase; but Downs said he didn't care who had title; he had always farmed that land and always expected to, and would shoot any one who attempted to prevent him.

Now thirty-seven acres of the forty were located across the road from Mr. Holloway's land, while the remaining three acres formed a triangular plot of ground immediately joining that of Mr. Holloway. A few days after his conversation with Downs, Mr. Holloway and his son Joseph went to the triangular piece of ground to plow. Downs appeared shortly afterwards and told Mr. Hollow that he could not farm the land. Mr. Holloway replied that he owned it, and certainly expected to farm it whenever he please; whereupon Downs said that if Mr. Holloway was in the field when he came back from dinner he would shoot him with a gun he intended to bring along. Mr. Holloway continued plowing until dinner time. Leaving the plow in the field, he went to the house for dinner. He mentioned Downs' threat, and his wife and daughter entreated him not to go back to the field again. But they could not persuade him; he was convinced, he said, that Downs was merely bluffing, and was too cowardly to shoot.

When he had finished his dinner, Mr. Holloway, accompanied by his son, set out for the three-acre field. He took a shotgun with him, but left it outside of the fence that enclosed the field. They had not plowed long before Downs appeared, accompanied by his three sons. Downs ordered Mr. Holloway off the field. Upon his refusal to go, Downs began cursing him and said that unless he went within a minute or two he would kill him where stood. Mr. Holloway now, for the first time, began to realize that Downs was in earnest, and knew that he intended to shoot. He called to his son Joe to run and get the gun, which was still on the other side of the fence where he had first placed it. The distance to the fence where the gun was was about thirty years. Just as Joe reached the fence he heard a shot and saw his father stagger. He now had the gun in his hands, and fired it. Apparently he aimed at no one. He did not realize that he had shot. Probably in the excitement he fired it without knowing what he did. Mr. Holloway was shot in the breast, Downs being but a short distance away.

Mr. Holloway died just a week after being shot, April 19, 1887. Only his wonderful physique enabled him to live that long. Although unconscious part of the time, his mind remained clear until the last. He realized from the first that he could not live, and quietly directed what should be done.

He was buried at Armstrong cemetery, in Warren county, Indiana, four miles from his farm and two miles from Green Hill.

Isaac Downs was disowned by his family after the shooting. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to the penitentiary. He died recently in the poorhouse.

A few words as to Mr. Holloways' personal appearance, his traits of character, and his wife and children, will not, I presume, be amiss.

Mr. Holloway was a little over six feet two inches tall, and in his younger days quite slender. As he grew older he broadened out and became heavier, though he was never very fleshy. After his marriage he grew a beard, which was very black and which he wore the remainder of his life. He had black hair and gray eyes. He was possessed of remarkable strength, of which, however, he appeared unconscious. By this I mean that he did not seem to realize that he was stronger than other men. Indeed, he measured everybody's physical capacities by his own, and expected them to be able to do as much as he could. His son Joseph says he once saw his father carry a fair-sized hog, which was struggling fiercely, to the house, nearly a male away, without once stopping. Physicians who examined him at his death state that he was the most superb specimen of manhood they had ever seen.

Mr. Holloway was of a very energetic nature, and took great delight in accomplishing things through his "own exertions." When he first moved to his farm he built a smokehouse, chimney and all, which was somewhat one-sided on account of its being his first attempt at that sort of work, but which he always regarded with pride because he had made it by his "own exertions." In fact, he was continually engaging in projects of this kind: He papered his house he bricked up a well, and knew nothing about doing either; but the less he knew about doing a thing the more eager he was to do it, and he stayed with it until he had won out. He was in all things a very rapid worker, and having once made up his mind lost no time in carrying out his plans.

He had a fine sense of humor, was of a very sociable nature, and loved to play jokes upon people and get them into embarrassing predicaments. Nothing pleased him better than to pounce upon some bashful youth of the neighborhood who had come to see his daughter, and pretending that he believed he was the object of the visit, seat the unlucky young man in a corner and talk the entire evening to him. He was quiet, good-natured, took things easily, and was slow to anger; but once arouse, was terrible in his wrath.

Mr. Holloway sent his daughter Etta May, who had developed considerable talent in music, to a conservatory of music in Cincinnati, where she graduated. He sent his son Joseph to Purdue University, at Lafayette, Ind., but Joseph never graduated there, much to the disappointment of his father, who had great hopes of his proving to be a scholar. Had Mr. Holloway live, his son John would also, no doubt, have been given a chance to acquire a college education.

Mr. Holloway's wife, Mrs. Henrietta Holloway, lived with her daughter until within a year of her death, when she went to her son John at Darlington, Ind. She died of paralysis April 13, 1914.

Three of Mr. Holloway's children are living now. John C., the younger son, lives at Darlington, Ind., is married but has no children. Joseph H. lives at Lafayette, Ind., is married and has three children—John Nelson, Charley Marshall, and Madge. The daughter, Etta May, married David H. Johnston in 1886, and has one son, George Whittier Johnston, the writer of this sketch. David Johnston died in 1894. About five years ago Mrs. Etta May Johnston married Dr. James A. Gray, of Lafayette, Ind. Shortly afterwards they moved to Texas, where they now reside.

Source: "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, Volume 13" ⁹⁹³⁰