Hugh Holdaway

Hugh B. Holdaway (~1822 – Oct. 15, 1864) was a Union soldier from Scott County who died during the Civil War.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

Born about 1822, Hugh B. Holdaway was the son of John Holdaway (born about 1780) and Rebekah Cross (born about 1783). His parents were married in North Carolina in 1805.

There are some indications that his mother died in 1849. However, she appears in the 1850 census in Morgan County, living with John and Mary Hicks.

Hugh served in the Mexican War in the 1840s. He enlisted at Kingston on Sept. 30, 1847 and was assigned to the 4th Infantry.

Hugh married Rebecca Newport (1828-1900), the daughter of James W. Newport (1807-1880) and Elizabeth O’Daniel (1806-1896). They had a daughter, Julia Ann Holdaway, born in 1845. When the 1850 census was taken, Rebecca Holdaway was living with her parents in Scott County. Hugh was living with Abraham Cross and Frances White in Scott County when that census was taken. Abraham was Rebekah’s brother (Hugh’s uncle). Their parents were Ancil Cross and Temperance Deadman, who also moved to Scott County. The census records give the appearance that Hugh and Rebecca were separated by 1850.

By the time the 1860 census was taken, Rebecca had married John Gosnell. Julia Ann was listed as Julia A. Newport Gosnell. Two other children were listed as Loucinda Newport Gosnell (age 6) and James Newport Gosnell (age 4). There were also several other children living in the home: Nancy Gosnell (age 13), Rebecca Gosnell (11), Sarrah Gosnell (8), Patsy Gosnell (5) and Mirey Gosnell (1). Many of those children may have been John’s children with an earlier wife, Eadie Sadie Dyer, who died in 1855.

There are reports in family records that Rebecca divorced Hugh while he was away for the Mexican War in 1847. Those same reports indicate that Rebecca married Sterling B. McDonald, and that Lucinda and James were Sterling’s children. No marriage record exists to confirm this report.

It’s not clear where Hugh was living in 1860, but it was no longer with his uncle’s family.

Civil War

Holdaway enlisted in the Union army on March 5, 1862. He was assigned to Co. G, 2nd Tennessee Infantry as a corporal.

On Nov. 6, 1863, Holdaway and the rest of the 2nd Tennessee were overpowered by Confederate forces at the Battle of Rogersville in Hawkins County, Tenn. All of them were taken prisoner, including many from Scott County. Holdaway was first confined at Belle Isle in Richmond, Va., and was later transferred to Andersonville, Ga. There, he was admitted to the hospital with scurvy on Sept. 17, 1864, and died on Oct. 15, 1864.

Aftermath

Holdaway was buried in Grave No. 10956 at the Andersonville National Cemetery.

Julia Ann, Hugh’s daughter, married David York (1842-1922). She had 12 children: Pheby, Lucinda, Sallie, Rebecca, Fealin, Calvin, Frank, Martha, Elmira, Sarah, Andrew and Peggy. Julia Ann died on Sept. 17, 1921, at the age of 76, and was buried at York Cemetery near Bull Creek.

Rebecca was living with Julia Ann when she died around 1900. It’s not known where she was buried, but thought to be in an unmarked grave in the York Cemetery.