(Valdosta Mayor 1872-1873; 76-77) Henry Burroughs (H.B.) Holliday

Henry Burroughs (H.B.) Holliday

Henry Burroughs Holliday, Born March 11, 1819 in Laurens County, S.C., was the son of Robert Alexander Holliday and Rebecca Burroughs. He was a veteran of the Indian War, the Mexican War, and the Civil War. He married Alice Jane McKey and was first clerk of court in Spalding County, Georgia and operated a drug store in Griffin. He is the father of two children, Martha Eleanora (died in infancy) and Dr. John Henry “Doc” Holliday. His second wife was Rachel Martin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William D. Martin of Valdosta. His obituary states that he served “term after term” as mayor, but there are no records extant to verify dates other than the two terms cited here. He was secretary of the Lowndes County Agricultural Society, a civilian representative for Freedmen’s Bureau of Lowndes County, and served as census taker and city election superintendent. Engaged in farming, he also operated a nursery in Valdosta and sycamore trees planted on the courthouse square in 1881 came from his nursery. Mr. Holliday was also responsible for introducing the pecan industry to this area of Georgia. He settled in the Bemiss area in 1864, later moving to Valdosta where his family lived on East Savannah Avenue. He died on February 22, 1893 and was buried at Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta.