Born to Asa Holman and Myra Bowman, James’s life spanned a period of significant change in American history. His service as a messenger in the cavalry cost him twelve horses, yet he emerged unscathed. After returning from war, he settled in Powell County, Kentucky, where his skills as a blacksmith and carpenter were essential in a growing rural community.
An obituary in the Clay City Times recalls the finely crafted spring wagon he built in 1879—still admired decades later. In his personal life, James married three times, fathering nine children with his first wife, Rachel Fraley, and maintaining strong family ties throughout his long life.
His fifty years of service in Filson Lodge No. 686 earned him the respect of his peers, who remembered him as “an honest, upright Christian gentleman, a true and worthy brother.” His community mourned the passing of a man whose life bridged frontier hardship, wartime trials, and the rebuilding of Kentucky’s hills.
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