Pulaski S. Holt Outlived Them All

What started out as a research task that *should* have been completed in an hour, ended (after several hours) with five pages of hand-written notes and a promise made to myself to revisit the old family often to see how much more I can learn.

If you wander around Rose Hill Cemetery often enough, as I believe I have, you'll notice certain surnames are more plentiful than others.  Holt is one of those names.  Here is the family plot purchased by Col. Pulaski S. Holt in 1854.

There are at least six individuals buried in this lot, in addition to Pulaski S. Holt, Sr.  They are three of his sons, his second wife, a daughter, and a niece.

Col. Holt was married once prior to his union with the wife buried here.  That wife, as well as two additional children, are buried elsewhere.  Furthermore, I believe there is yet another daughter who died at a very young age.  Pulaski outlived them all.

Pulaski S. Holt, son of Thaddeus Holt and Martha Goode, married first Lavinia Richardson October 1824 in Hancock County, Georgia.  They had four children:  Jane, Pulaski S. Jr., Thaddeus G., and Peyton C. Holt.

Lavinia Richardson Holt died 11 August 1836 per Milledgeville's Southern Recorder -

DIED – At their residence near Eatonton, on the 11th inst. Mrs. LAVINIA HOLT, wife of Col. Pulaski S. Holt, in the 32d year of her age.

I believe Jane, born about 1825, was the first child of Lavinia and Pulaski Holt.  A memorial was placed for her, her brother, and her mother in Union Church Cemetery at Eatonton, Putnam County.  Jane died at Sparta, Hancock County in 1827.  She was just two years old.

Thaddeus G. Holt, born about 1831, passed away six years after his sister -

Here lie the remains of Thaddeus G. Holt son of P. S. & L. Holt who departed this life in June 1833 in the 2nd year of his age.

Peyton C. and Pulaski S. Jr. died in consecutive years.  Peyton in 1857 at age 24, and Pulaski in 1858 at age 29.  Both rest in the family plot at Rose Hill.

Pulaski Holt, Sr. married again in May 1838 to Charity N. Grimes, daughter of Thomas Grimes of Greene County.  This union produced, I believe, two daughters and one son.

For the 1840 Putnam County Federal census, there is a female under the age of five noted along with Pulaski, Sr., Charity, Pulaski, Jr., and Peyton.  Of course, this daughter could belong to either Lavinia or Charity.  I have no other information other than a digital family group sheet that does list a daughter born 1839 and died 1843.  I actually thought it an error initially, but the census changed my mind.  Admittedly, I am still skeptical of the listed name – Valerie Catherine Holt.

Charity Grimes Holt died 4 April 1880 in her 67th year.  Daughter Julia died 1857, a few months before her 16th birthday.

The last of the children of Pulaski and Charity Holt was a young son, Grimes.  He passed away two months before his 14th birthday.

If all the "1857s" didn't leap out at you, here's the article I found that was the initiator for this post. From the 23 May 1857 Columbus Tri-Weekly Enquirer (Georgia):

DEATH'S DOINGS – The whole community profoundly sympathizes with the family of our friend and fellow-citizen, Col. Pulaski Holt, on account of the afflictive bereavement which has just befallen them.  On Monday the 11th, Miss Julia A. Holt, an only daughter, was buried.  On yesterday, a son, Peyton C. Holt, aged 22, was consigned to the tomb.  And to-day another son, Grimes Holt, who died yesterday noon is to be buried.  And we also learn that Mrs. H. is now lying very ill! Truly this is a sad record of Death's doings in one family, within ten days! – Daily Georgia Citizen

Col. Pulaski S. Holt, Sr. lived 28 more years after burying his last child, and 6 more years after burying his second wife, before succumbing to "feeble" health 11 July 1886.

Macon Telegraph (Georgia) – 12 July 1886 – pg. 3 [via GenealogyBank]

Death of Col. Holt
Col. Pulaski S. Holt died at his late residence, 129 Orange street, at half-past three o'clock yesterday afternoon.

Col. Holt was born in Hancock county in April, 1797, and was consequently eighty-nine years old.  He was the oldest lawyer in the State, he and the late John P. King, of Augusta, having held the two oldest licenses.  His life was an interesting one.  With his father he lived in Fort Wilkinson, in Baldwin county, long before Fort Hawkins was built.  For thirty-seven years he was a resident of Macon.

He had been in feeble health for the past year, and was confined to his bed six weeks prior to his death.

Macon Telegraph (Georgia) – 13 July 1886 – pg. 7

Funeral of Col. Holt
The funeral of the late Col. Pulaski S. Holt occurred yesterday from his late residence on Orange street, and his remains were followed to Rose Hill by a large number of friends, among them the oldest citizens of the city.

Col. Holt was the oldest living graduate of the University of Georgia, having as his class-mate and room-mate Major John Park, the father of our fellow-citizen, Capt. R. E. Park.  They graduated in 1820.

…Col. Holt was very successful as a lawyer and planter, and, before the war, was a very wealthy citizen.  He was distinguished for his rare courtesy and polish of manner and his genial disposition.  No man in Georgia, except the late Judge E. Y. Hill, ever equaled him in politeness and geniality.

For over thirty years he had been a citizen of Macon, having moved here from Eatonton.  He leaves two grandsons, having survived all of his children…