Cynthia (Holford) Officer

Cynthia Holford, the sixth child of John and Sarah Holford, was born 1 January 1819.

She married William Alexander Officer on 11 February 1836. William was born 22 February 1812, the son of Alexander and Henrietta (Lancaster) Officer.

William and Cynthia had the following children, all born at Sinking Cane in Overton County:

1. William Alexander, Jr., born 1 February 1837. He served as a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army and died 20 May 1862 in Columbus, Mississippi.
2. Henrietta Jane, born 11 August 1838. She married A. F. Capps on 18 March 1856.
3. Sarah Anne, born 10 April 1841. She married John Henry Ray on 18 April 1859.
4. Margaret C., born 7 May 1843 and died 18 January 1848.
5. John Holford, born 7 July 1843. He served as a Private in the Confederate Army. He married Rebecca Chowning on 5 May 1870. He died 10 March 1912.
6. Frances Marchbanks, born 29 March 1853. She married Samuel J. Johnson on 30 August 1867.
7. James Lancaster, born 24 May 1853. He married Priscilla Emeline Hampton on 28 November 1878.
8. Leanne, born 6 March 1857 and died 19 February 1862.

William was a farmer and had land valued at $3000 in the 1850 Census. William and Cynthia had seven slaves in 1850.

In 1860, the Officer land was valued at $8000 and William's personal property at $21,765. A substatial part of this personal wealth may have been invested in his 16 slaves.

Cynthia was wounded severely by Union soldiers during a raid on her farmhouse. She was shot in the shoulder. Six Confederate soldiers were killed in cold blood, though John Holford Officer, who was home on leave, escaped, thanks to the quick thinking of Abraham "Uncle Abe", one of the Officer slaves. An extended account of this incident are available. This incident is the subject of on-going historical research, the results of which will eventually appear on this website.

In the meantime, photos of the house in its current state and the graves of the William, Cynthia, and the soldiers are available here.

The Officers' wealth had diminished by the 1870 Census. The land was worth $7000 and the personal property on $3700.

Cynthia died 22 September 1877. William died 8 September 1886.

 

 
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