Introduction

Biography

When Hol­man was 16 years old, he joined the Clear Creek Bap­tist church.

For his life-work he di­rect­ed his at­ten­tion to the bar in New­cas­tle. For a while, he read law in the Lex­ing­ton of­fice of Hen­ry Clay. On ac­count of his op­po­si­tion to sla­ve­ry, he crossed the Ohio river in 1810, and made his home in In­di­ana, on a bluff to which he gave the name Ver­ae­stau, and where he lived the rest of his life.

It ap­pears he came in­to a con­sid­er­able es­tate soon af­ter he turned 21. Five years lat­er, he brought his slaves to In­di­ana for the sole pur­pose of free­ing them.

He was named Pro­se­cut­or of Dear­born Coun­ty, In­di­ana, in 1811. In 1814, he was elect­ed a mem­ber of the ter­ri­to­ri­al leg­is­la­ture, and near the close of the same year was made pre­sid­ing judge for his dis­trict.

Under the state gov­ern­ment, in 1816, he was ap­point­ed a judge of the su­preme court, a po­si­tion which he filled 14 years. In 1831, he was a can­di­date for Unit­ed States sen­at­or, los­ing to John Tip­ton by a sin­gle vote. Four years lat­er, he was ap­point­ed Unit­ed States dis­trict judge for In­di­ana, and an of­fice he held un­til his death.

Holman took a deep interest in mis­sions, Sun­day schools, Bi­ble and tem­per­ance work. In 1834, he was or­dained, and on his circuits he fre­quent­ly ad­dressed large au­die­nc­es up­on to­pics con­nect­ed with these en­ter­pris­es.

For ma­ny years he was a vice-pre­si­dent of the Am­eri­can Sun­day-school Un­ion. He was al­so pre­si­dent of the West­ern Bap­tist Pub­li­ca­tion and Sunday-school So­ci­ety.

For five years he was pre­si­dent of the In­di­ana Bap­tist Con­ven­tion. He was also, from its or­ga­ni­za­tion, a mem­ber of the In­di­ana Bap­tist Edu­ca­tion So­ci­ety.

Works

• The Pri­son­ers of the Ni­aga­ra, or Er­rors of Edu­ca­tion. A New No­vel, Found­ed on Fact (Frank­fort, Ken­tuc­ky: 1810)