Hiram Holland

Hiram Holland was born to George Holland and Sarah (Sallie) Gammill of Franklin County, Mississippi. This was in the vicinity of Bude, Roxie, and Meadville. Also added to this family were two brothers who became Pentecostal ministers. Wiley was an older brother and Matt was a younger. He had a sister, Ida, who became a Pentecostal minister after she married Byrd Clark. It is fitting to state at this point that Byrd and Ida had a daughter, Agnes Clark, who married Arlie O. Holmes. They had a son, Joel Holmes, who now pastors First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1918, when Hiram was about 18 years of age, he was working as a clerk at the O’Zion Baptist Church near Meadville, Mississippi, and a preacher, Reverend Jake Smith, came to the Baptist Church and was invited to preach. His message was about the saving power of Jesus Christ, and after the message, the invitation was given to anyone who wanted to receive the Holy Ghost. The first one in Hiram’s family was his wife, Sallie. At first, Hiram resisted the message, but the meeting in the Baptist Church continued with Reverend Smith. Some of the members of the Baptist Church remarked that this was different from what they had been taught, others embraced the Gospel as a great revival broke out in that Baptist Church inasmuch as those who did not accept the Gospel message moved on and O’Zion Baptist became a Holiness Church. Four preachers came out of this revival, a sister, Ida, and three brothers Wiley, Matt, and Hiram Holland.

Much could be said about the ministry of Matt and Wiley as their ministries were also very successful in Mississippi. One story goes like this. “One day he [Wiley] was impressed by the Holy Ghost to go to Brookhaven, Mississippi, and preach on the streets that Saturday. This was about 27 miles away. He didn’t mind walking: he was used to that, but this time he was on a fast. He was also used to fasting. I’ve known him to fast for 10 days in the hot summer time and saw logs every day.

As he walked to Brookhaven that morning, he became so weak that he lay down on the side of the road to rest. While he was lying there, the Lord spoke to him to break the fast. He said, “Lord, I don't have anything to eat”. He got up and continued on his journey. When he had walked a little way, he found stalks of sugar cane lying in the road. He picked one up, peeled it, and began chewing it, enjoying the juice. Some time that morning someone had been hauling cane to the syrup mill and had lost some along the way. The cane juice gave him strength to make the journey.

As he preached on the street that day, two brothers were convicted. God saved them and called them both to preach. They were Brother Jimmy Miller and Brother Buford Miller. For years, Brother Jimmy pastored a Pentecostal Church in Hodge, Louisiana, and Brother Buford pastored the Pentecostal Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Both they and Brother Wiley have gone on to be with the Lord.” (from: Oceans of Blessings by Sister Agnes Holmes; page 15-16)

Brother Hiram evangelized for many years, and in 1934, he pastored Mount Herman in Louisiana. In 1941, he followed Brother Johnny Magee as pastor of Powell’s Grove Pentecostal Church of Jayess, Mississippi, until 1943. During his time as pastor at Powell’s Grove, he founded the Oak Grove Pentecostal Church in Lawrence County. In 1944, he pastored the Bethel Pentecostal Church (before New Bethel began) until 1945. God called him to Biloxi to take over the work that Arlie Holmes had begun there which is now the Pentecostals of the Gulf Coast. In 1948, he pastored in Summit, Mississippi, until God sent him to Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1949.

A great tragedy occurred on December 28, 1953, as he and his family were en route to see his relatives in Bude, Mississippi.

“Obit from McComb Enterprise Journal:

A Vicksburg minister, his wife and their 10-year-old son were killed Monday afternoon on Highway 51 about 7 miles north of Brookhaven. The three were identified by Mississippi Highway Patrolman John Campbell as:

Reverend and Mrs. Hiram S. Holland, 53 and 50 years of age respectively; Shannon (Sonny Boy) Holland, 10.

Injured were the two daughters of the Hollands, Sylvia Jean 16, and Jewell 12. Sylvia suffered lacerations of her face and body and Jewell was treated for lacerations and a broken arm at the King Daughters Hospital in Brookhaven.

Patrolman Campbell gave this account of the Accident:

Reverend Holland, a Pentecostal Minister, was driving his 1953 Pontiac south on Highway 51, behind two cars. The first slowed to turn off the road and the second slowed to allow the turn.

Holland, to avoid hitting the second car, pulled into the east lane and plowed into a trailer truck, driven by Lonnie Hill, 30, of Clarksdale, and owner of Ritchey Bottling Works. Hill was uninjured.

Car Demolished:

The three who were killed were on the left side of the car, which was demolished. Mrs. Holland was in the middle of the front seat; Shannon (Sonny Boy) was on the left in the back seat. Sylvia was in the front seat on the right, and Jewell was in the right back seat.

One of the girls told Patrolman Campbell that they were on their way to her grandmother’s home in Bude,”

Note: Reverend Hiram Holland was pastor of the First Pentecostal Church in Vicksburg, Mississippi (1949-1953) at the time of the accident. This is the same church where W.E. Gamblin served as interim pastor (1947-1948) prior to Reverend Holland’s tenure, which is also the same church that former District Superintendent G.R. Travis pastored 1971-1989.