My Genealogy Hound

JOHN W. HOLT was born February 22, 1855, in Bedford County, Tenn.; son of B. D. and Lucretia (Hart) Holt, natives also of this county. The father is one of the prominent farmers of the county. The mother died in 1863. Our subject was educated at the Wartrace High School, and lived with and assisted his father on the farm until he was about seventeen years of age. He then took a course in the telegraphing department of the Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tenn. In 1875 he took charge of the telegraph office at McEwen, Tenn., and remained there seven months. He was then assigned the office at Johnsonville, which he declined, and in 1877 took charge of the office at Christiana and remained there three years. He then took charge of the agency of the railroad and telegraph office at McMinnville, where he remained but a short time. He then went to Nashville and entered the general book-keeping office, where he remained eight months. He then took charge of the Western Union telegraph office at Bowling Green, Ky.; in five months he left, and in 1880 took charge of the ticket, telegraph and Southern Express office at Wartrace, where he now resides. In 1882 he married Miss Blanch Halbach, a native of Virginia, and this union was blessed by two children: Cecil R. and Herbert F. Our subject is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.