Howard-Grant County IN Archives Biographies.....Holliday, John 1860 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com April 21, 2006, 7:47 am

Author: Jackson Morrow

JOHN HOLLIDAY.

    In writing a work of so great a magnitude as is here intended. it is but
fair to note the life and character of a man who has been brought up without a
mother's care, having been compelled to hew his own way through trials and
difficulties and obstacles of various kinds, which the subject has done
admirably well, as we shall see, for he has demonstrated beyond a doubt what one
can do who has a well defined purpose, energy, persistency and who does not
admit the word fail to his category.

    John Holliday first saw the light of this world in the adjoining county of
Grant, the date of his birth occurring on July 25, 1860. On the day of his birth
his mother died and he was given to Jesse Ware, who took him as his own to rear,
he coming to Howard county in 1842 and entered a piece of timbered land in Union
township, where he erected a cabin and began to clear the land which he
converted into a productive farm. Here it was that John Holliday was reared and
when he became of sufficient age looked to his duties on the farm during the
summer months and in the winter attended the district schools until he had
received a fairly good common school education. When he arrived at the age of
twenty-one Mr. Ware gave him forty acres of land.

    The domestic life of Mr. Holliday dates from 1881, when he was united in
marriage with Josie Willits, a native of Howard county, and a daughter of a
highly respected and influential family. Our subject and wife moved upon the
farm, and for five years Mr. Holliday gave his entire attention to farming,
making a decided success of this work. When natural gas was obtained in the
vicinity of Greentown he left his farm and moved there, believing that greater
opportunities awaited him in another field. He entered the hardware business
which was the first store of its kind in that town. He followed this line of
business with much success until 1893, when he disposed of his stock and
accepted a position as salesman for the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company.
While thus engaged his political friends nominated him for trustee of Liberty
township, and in the following November he was elected, filling this office of
trust with entire satisfaction to his constituents and even-one concerned for a
period of six years. He then retired from the office and was a private citizen
until he was elected a member of the county council, which position he now holds
in 1908, exercising great influence as a result of his position. When Mr.
Holliday resigned his position with the McCormick company he entered the buggy
business in which he remained with the usual success attending his efforts until
1898, at which time he entered the grain business in which he is still engaged.
In 1908 he rebuilt a substantial and mammoth plant in the eastern part of
Greentown, where he is conducting a large business. This furnishes a home market
to all that the neighboring farmers produce.

    Three children have been born to the subject and wife, one son, Glen, who is
twenty-five years old, is married and has one daughter. He is a partner in the
elevator business with his father and is a young man of much business ability.
Besides this business our subject has a fine farm of eighty acres in Liberty
township which he manages and keeps well improved.

    Fraternally Mr. Holliday is allied with the Masonic order, the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men and
the Eagles. He has passed the chairs of the Odd Fellows and the Knights of
Pythias. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

    Mr. Holliday has a wide acquaintance and hosts of friends as a result of his
jovial disposition, his kindness, honesty and uprightness and his unquestioned
business ability, being one of the most highly respected citizens of Howard
county where he has spent the major portion of his useful and busy life.


Additional Comments:
From:

HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY INDIANA
BY
JACKSON MORROW, B. A.
ILLUSTRATED
VOL. II
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

(circa 1909)

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