Bird Holland
Secretary of State of Texas
In office
March 16, 1861 – November 7, 1861
GovernorEdward Clark
Preceded byE. W. Cave
Succeeded byCharles S. West
Personal details
Born(1815-03-23)March 23, 1815
DiedApril 9, 1864(1864-04-09) (aged 49)
Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, U.S.

Bird Holland (March 23, 1815[1] - April 9, 1864) was a soldier, legislator, and civil servant in Texas.[1] He served as Texas Secretary of State from March 16, 1861 to November 1861.[2] He immigrated to the Republic of Texas in 1837, and by 1840 was living in Travis County.[3][4]

Career

In 1846, at the beginning of the Mexican War, Holland was named Captain of the 17th Ranger Company of the 2nd Regiment of Texas Mounted Volunteers.[5] He only served briefly due to disability from illness at Matamoros.[4]

He was elected Assistant Secretary of the Senate during the Third Texas Legislature in 1850 and was a member of the House during the Fifth Texas Legislature, representing the counties of Jefferson and Orange. He was on the Finance, Enrolled Bills, and Education committees. His dates of service were November 7, 1853 to November 5, 1855.[1]

He became Secretary of State after Texas seceded from the Union in 1861. One of his duties was to certify the results of the Texas Secession Convention.[6] His predecessor, E. W. Cave, was opposed to secession and resigned.[7]

During the Civil War, Holland served as adjutant in Col. Richard B. Hubbard's 22nd Texas Infantry Regiment.[3] He was killed in action at the Battle of Pleasant Hill in Louisiana, April 8, 1864.[8]

Personal life

Bird Holland is believed to be the father of Medal of Honor recipient Milton M. Holland, Texas legislator William H. Holland, and possibly up to five additional children through his relationship with an African-American slave named Matilda who was owned by his brother, plantation owner Spearman Holland. In the 1850s he purchased the freedom of William, Milton, and another brother, and sent them to a school in Ohio run by abolitionists, the Albany Manual Labor Academy.[3][9][10][11] A few years later, he married Matilda Rust, daughter of William Rust. She died in 1858. They were married less than a year. They had one child, who died as an infant.[12][13]

About a year after his death, his body was returned to Austin, where he was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.[4][8] His son William and William's mother Matilda are buried in a different part of the same cemetery.[8]

Very little is known about Bird Holland outside of official records. The Rust family had possession of some of Holland's personal papers after his death but did not preserve them. A daughter, Eliza, and a son, John, siblings of William and Milton, were included in his will.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bird Holland". Texas Legislators: Past & Present. Texas Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  2. ↑ Alvarez, Elizabeth Cruce (2004–2005). Texas Almanac. Dallas, Texas. p. 428. Retrieved 28 August 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 3 Bill Harvey. Texas Cemeteries: The Resting Places of Famous, Infamous, and Just Plain Interesting Texans. University of Texas Press; 1 January 2010 [Retrieved 27 August 2017]. ISBN 978-0-292-77934-1. p. 42–44.
  4. 1 2 3 Cutrer, Thomas W. "Holland, Bird". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  5. ↑ The Texas Magazine. Charles A. Newning; 1913 [Retrieved 27 August 2017]. p. 451–453.
  6. ↑ The Laws of Texas, 1822-1909. Gammel Book Company; 1898 [Retrieved 27 August 2017]. p. 1538.
  7. ↑ Hudson, Linda Sybert. "Cave, Eber Worthington". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Texas Cemeteries
  9. ↑ Perdreau, Connie. "A Biographical Sketch of Master Sergeant Milton Holland". Gen. Charles H. Grosvenor Civil War Round Table. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  10. ↑ Ronald S. Coddington. African American Faces of the Civil War: An Album. JHU Press; 20 August 2012 [Retrieved 27 August 2017]. ISBN 978-1-4214-0625-1. p. 155–156.
  11. ↑ Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. Oxford University Press; 2005 [Retrieved 27 August 2017]. ISBN 978-0-19-517055-9. p. 223.
  12. 1 2 Ratcliffe, R. G. (10 April 2014). "Bird Holland". The Sons of Bird Holland. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  13. ↑ Hollow Hill
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