Ford County IL Archives Biographies.....Holderman, Landy November 8, 1859 - 
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Norma Hass http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00013.html#0003021 March 6, 2017, 6:56 pm

Source: History of Ford County, Illinois: from its earliest settlement to 1908, volume 2, pages 682-688
Author: Gardner, Ernest Arthur

The student of history cannot carry his investigations far into the annals of 
this section of the state without learning of the important part which the 
Holderman family has played. Prior to the Black Hawk war they became residents 
of Illinois and since that time the Holdermans, grandfather, father and son, 
have been important factors in promoting public progress. The grandfather, as 
a pioneer, aided in laying the foundation for the future development of the 
county and the father carried on the work which he instituted. The son, L. S. 
Holderman, stands also as a representative of a progressive public spirit and 
as the years have passed the family have enjoyed the well merited fruits of 
labor, so that the subject of this review in possession of a handsome 
competence is today living retired, deriving his income from his extensive 
landed interests and other investments.

L. S. Holderman was born in Grundy county, Illinois, November 8, 1859, a son 
of Abram and Mary E. (Hoge) Holderman. The former was a son of Abram 
Holderman, Sr., a Pennsylvania Dutchman, who married Miss Charlotte O'Neal, of 
Irish parentage. When eighteen years of age he removed to Ross county, Ohio, 
of which place his wife was a native. They reared a family of seven sons and 
seven daughters. Abram Holderman, Sr., engaged extensively in farming and 
stock-raising in the Buckeye state and drove large herds of cattle to the 
Philadelphia and Baltimore markets prior to the period of railroad 
transportation. In July, 1831, becoming imbued with a desire to establish his 
home on the western frontier, he made his way to Illinois on a prospecting 
tour. There were no white settlers in this portion of the state at that time 
and upon reaching Door Prairie he hired an Indian to pilot him through. He had 
no definite idea where he wished to go but traveled for seventy miles through 
the Indian country before stopping. They rode on across the trackless 
prairies, sleeping wrapped in their blankets where night overtook them, with 
their saddles for pillows. On the morning of the third day a lovely grove in 
the midst of broad prairies appeared before them and Mr. Holderman was so well 
pleased that he drove his stakes there and made his claim, selecting eighty 
acres of land which included the grove. He then returned to Ohio, gathered his 
earthly possessions consisting of one four horse Pennsylvania wagon, a common 
two horse wagon and a wagon drawn by oxen and with his household goods started 
for Illinois, accompanied by his wife and nine children. He also took with him 
eleven head of horses, nineteen head of blooded cattle and three yoke of oxen, 
forming quite a cavalcade. Such a journey was a great undertaking in those 
days, when there were no roads or bridges. They had to ford and sometimes swim 
the streams and flounder through sloughs, in which they were frequently mired. 
They traveled along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, having Chicago in 
view as a place where they might replenish their food supplies. The night 
before reaching the future metropolis of the west their provisions had become 
exhausted so that the family and the stock went to bed without an evening 
meal. They were in buoyant spirits, however, fully expecting to get plenty 
when they reached the fort by the lake. Morning dawned and they were twelve 
miles away with no breakfast. At length they reached the fort and imagine 
their surprise when four bushels of oats at four dollars per bushel and one 
loaf of bread was all that money could purchase. Twelve miles farther through 
mud and swamps brought them to Widow Berry's Point, where they secured 
supplies, obtained a meal and rested until the following day. Their bill for 
entertainment was forty-seven dollars — such was the exorbitant prices charged 
at that time. At this time they were only fifty miles from their destination 
and the next day they traveled to Plainfield, a distance of thirty miles. They 
reached the end of their journey in October, 1831, and another eighty acres of 
choice timber land was added to the original claim, which Mr. Holderman had 
staked out. Thus was established the Holderman family in Illinois and thus was 
laid the foundation for the family's fortune, while at the same time it was a 
momentous day for the section in which they located, as they planted the seeds 
of civilization there and were the vanguard in the work of development, 
improvement and progress.

During the spring of 1832 the family lived for six weeks on a poor quality of 
pounded corn, so poor that the horses refused to eat it. During that spring 
Mr. Holderman went to St. Louis and invested four hundred dollars in supplies. 
He also purchased a keelboat and in that way took his provisions to Ottawa. On 
the 17th of May, the day after he had reached home, he was informed by a 
friendly Indian named Peppers that a band of eighty Mohawks were on the 
warpath and had murdered a family close by. The report of the murder, however, 
proved to be false, as the man of the house was away from home and the family 
had in some way received word in time and hid in the brush. Not long before 
this five families had settled near Mr. Holderman and when the news came of 
the uprising of the red men they all collected at the Holderman home. It was 
dark, however, when they arrived there, so that they could make no move before 
morning. When the dawn came Mr. Holderman and two or three other men went out 
to reconnoiter. They found the Indians at the home of the family who were 
supposed to be murdered. One was acting as sentry on top of the house and at 
the approach of the whites he jumped off and the whole party took to the brush 
but fired on the whites, who necessarily had to make a hasty retreat with the 
entire number of Indians following. Seeing that the Indians would pursue them 
to where their families were gathered the men resorted to a ruse to check 
them, Mr. Holderman pulling off his hat and waving it as if there were others 
in reserve. The Indians fearing a trap or ambuscade beat a hasty retreat and 
the white settlers reached home in safety. Everything was now in readiness for 
the retreat to Ottawa. The children, some of whom were asleep, were put in 
wagons, as well as the women. The women drove, and the men, mounted and on 
foot, kept guard until Ottawa was reached and there they remained for some 
time. The Indians, however, visited the homes of the settlers and destroyed 
everything they did not carry off and thus Mr. Holderman lost the supplies 
which he had brought from St. Louis at such great expense and hardship. 
However, the disturbance quieted down and the families returned to their 
homes. As the country developed and there sprang up a market for the produce, 
Mr. Holderman, who had a, rich tract of land, made much money from his farming 
and stock-raising operations, becoming one of the prosperous residents of the 
community. He well deserved the success that came to him, for it was gained 
through hardships and difficulties in early days and through persistent, 
earnest and indefatigable labor. Moreover, his name is inseparably associated 
with the ubbuilding of this part of the state. Being the first settler to 
locate here, from the beginning he was actively associated with the growth and 
development and aided in shaping the policy of the county during its formative 
period.

Abram Holderman, Sr., resided with his father until twenty-three years of age, 
at which time the father gave him a plow and harness and all the land he could 
use, rent free, saying "earn your own money and you will know how to prize 
it." With resolute spirit he set to work and was soon on the high road to 
prosperity. At the age of twenty-five years he married Miss Mary Hoge, a 
daughter of William Hoge, who, coming from Virginia, had reached this portion 
of the country two weeks before the Holdermans. Immediately after their 
marriage, which took place May 6, 1847, the young couple settled at 
Holderman's Grove, in one of the houses owned by his father, who at that time 
purchased most of his neighbors land. There they lived for two years and then 
removed to a quarter section of land which Mr. Holderman had purchased near 
Seneca for three dollars per acre. This was his first investment in property. 
Before his death his land extended along the canal and the Rock Island 
Railroad for seven miles east and west. From time to time he made judicious 
investments and during his later years he was the owner of seven thousand 
acres of choice land in the Illinois river valley. His family numbered eight 
children, seven sons and one daughter, of whom three sons died in childhood.

L. S. Holderman, whose name introduces this record, was reared on his father's 
farm and there remained to his twenty-sixth year. He received his education in 
the country schools and five years after attaining his majority he left home 
and in 1883 took up his abode upon a farm in Ford county, which he purchased. 
He only remained there for a year, however, when he removed to Paxton, where 
he engaged in trading and dealing in horses. He also gave considerable time to 
the raising of blooded stock, including both the raising of stock and heavy 
draft horses. This business he conducted in connection with the supervision of 
his farming interests until a few years ago, when he disposed of his stock. He 
was also connected with merchandising in Paxton for two years, dealing 
principally in farm implements. In all of his business affairs he has 
displayed an aptitude for successful management and in bringing to successful 
completion whatever he has undertaken.

In 1888 was celebrated the marriage of L. S. Holderman and Miss Laura J. 
Smith, a daughter of John and Adeline (Morehead) Smith, who were natives of 
England. Removing to the west, they settled in Vermilion county at the town of 
Potomac, being among the early residents of that locality. Mr. Smith was a 
farmer and stockman and was well known in business circles there. His family 
numbered four children: Martha J., the wife of William Kuykendall, of 
Armstrong, Illinois; Alvin G. and Robert H., also of Armstrong; and Mrs. 
Holderman.

Unto our subject and his wife have been born five children, John A., Jennie 
A., Lillian M., Edward S. and Mary L. Mr. Holderman and his family are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Holderman belongs to Paxton Lodge, A. 
F. & A. M., and to the Knight Templar commandery. He is also connected with 
Paxton Lodge of Odd Fellows. He has filled several city offices, including 
that of alderman and has ever exercised his official prerogatives in support 
of progressive public movements. He is a thoroughgoing man, enterprising and 
energetic, reliable in business and a worthy representative of an honored 
pioneer family.

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