An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL. 1893

GILDEROY HOLDERMAN, deceased, was one of the pioneers of Columbia county,
Washington, and did a noble part in advancing her interests and forwarding her
development. He was a native of the State of Ohio, born in Wyandotte county,
January 24, 1833, a son of Jacob and Caroline (Loveland) Holderman; they were
also natives of the Buckeye State, and the Holderman family were among the early
settlers of Ohio. When Gilderoy Holderman was a youth of fifteen years the
family removed to Knoxville, Illinois, and there he grew to man's estate. In
1858 he went to Linn county, Kansas, and in 1881 he came to the Pacific coast,
locating in Washington; he settled on 160 acres of land in Bundy Hollow,
Columbia county, having made a purchase of the tract in 1879. He was united in
marriage, in Bates county, Missouri, May 5, 1859, to Miss Sarah J. Francis, who
was born in Will county, Illinois, a daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Hageman)
Francis. Thomas Francis was a native of Ireland, but was brought to America in
his childhood and grew to maturity in Ohio. His wife was born in Indiana, and
was reared near Crawfordsville, Montgomery county. He was one of the pioneers of
Will county, Illinois, settling there as early as 1832; he returned to Indiana
in 1835, was married and returned with his bride to their home on the frontier.
They removed to Missouri in 1856, and there Mr. Francis died August 8, 1858; the
wife survived until August 5, 1881. Mrs. Holderman is the only one of their
children who settled in Washington, excepting Mrs. Hannah Louise Newton, wife of
John H. Newton, of Stevens county. Mr. and Mrs. Holderman had ten children, four
of whom are living: Louisa, wife of John Danielson; Adah; Nettle; and Arthur;
Frank died at the age of twenty-one years; Hettie was fourteen, and Charles was
the same age when he died; three children died in childhood. Mr. Holderman
departed this life Oct. 28, 1883. He was a veteran of the war of the Rebellion,
having enlisted in Kansas, August 17, 1861; he was a member of Company D, Sixth
Kansas Cavalry, Colonel Judson, and participated in some important engagements
and many skirmishes of the war. He was severely wounded July 17, 1863, in the
Choctaw Nation, and was disabled quite a while at Tahlequah. He was also
confined to the hospital at Fort Smith and Fort Gibson, and during this time
acted as hospital steward. He never fully recovered from the injuries received,
and his death finally resulted. He was honorably discharged in 1865. He adhered
to the principles of the Republican party, but he was not an active politician.
He was a man of many excellent traits and had the respect of all with whom he
mingled. Mrs. Holderman superintends the cultivation of the ranch, which has
grown from 150 acres to 480 acres; with the exception of eighty acres of natural
timber the place is under cultivation, and is one of the best improved and most
desirable farms in the county. She is a woman of rare force of character, is
progressive in her ideas, and with her family takes an active interest in the
welfare of the county and the development of the many resources of the State.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in January 2004 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.