Tombstone Tuesday~Elizabeth Rivers Holifield

In the 1850 Census¹ for Chesterfield County, SC, Elizabeth is listed as a 5 year old female (daughter) in the household of Luke and Selina Rivers.

A few years earlier, her Aunt Emily Holifield and Uncle Mark Rivers had migrated to Jones County, Mississippi.^{2 3}

It almost certain that Emily and Mark were encouraging their brother Luke to move his young family to Mississippi. 

Sometime in the mid-1850’s, Luke, Selina and the children, Clarilla, Elizabeth, Catherine and John C. Rivers made the move to Mississippi.

We know that Luke was in Mississippi prior to 1859 because he was a witness at his brother’s Mark divorce proceeding against his wife Irena Catherine Hancock Rivers.⁴
In 1860, Luke and his family has settled down in Jones County and daughter Elizabeth was married to Moses Holyfield, Jr. ⁵

Moses Holifield, Jr. was the son of Moses Holifield, Sr. and his wife Emily Rivers, the sister of Luke Rivers. So Elizabeth Rivers and Moses Holifield, Jr were first cousins. Over the next ten (10) years, Moses and Elizabeth had 5 children, 2 sons and 3 daughters. Tragedy struck the family in Aug 1870 and their Father and provider was stricken and died of Hepatitis.⁶

The young Mother, Elizabeth then married John J. Holifield  about 1873. To this union, 4 sons and a daughter was born.⁷

Elizabeth Rivers Holified had fourteen (14) children with two husbands. She died on 26 March 1913. She was was 67 years old. The birth date on her tombstone is recorded as 6 June 1836. This date is wrong. Elizabeth was a mere 5 year old in the 1850 Census. She was either born in 1845 or 1846. In 1900, the Census taker was told that she was born in 1845 and the mother of 14 children with 9 living. Elizabeth is buried in Springhill Cemetery, Laurel, Jones County, Mississippi.⁸

Elizabeth’s father Luke and his siblings, Emily and Mark were the children of Mark Rivers and Annie Parker of Chesterfield, South Carolina.

Elizabeth Rivers Holifield

b. 6 June 1845*

d. 26 March 1913

Photo Courtesy of William Tatum, Jr.

Note: Variant Spelling - Holifield, Holyfield, Hollifield
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[1] 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 168A, Line 6, Family #1065, Dwelling #1065, Household of Luke Rivers; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2000); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.
[2] 1850 Census, Jones County, Mississippi, population schedule, Jones County, Mississippi, Page 128A; Line 1, Dwelling 186, Family 186, Household of Moses HOLYFIELD; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2009); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 374.
[3] 1850 Census, Jones County, Mississippi, population schedule, Jones County, Mississippi, Page 129B, Line 13, Dwelling 3194, Family #194, Household of Mark RIVERS; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 374.
[4] Jones County, Mississippi, Volume 1 page 31-35 , Mark Rivers vs. Catherine Rivers, Divorce Case, April Term, 1858; Circuit Court Chancery, Ellisville, Jones County, Mississippi.
[6] 1860 U. S. Census, Jones County, Mississippi, population schedule, Ellisville, Jones County, Mississippi, Page 705, Line 7, Dwelling #303, Family #303, Household of Luke RIVERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2000); citing National Archives Microfilm M653 Roll 584.
[6] 1870 U. S. Census, Jones County, Mississippi, mortality schedule, Jones County, Mississippi, Moses Holyfield; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 21 January 2012); citing National Archives Microfilm.
[7] 1880, Jones County, Mississippi, population schedule, Pinelville, Jones County, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) 126, Page: 313D (stamped); Line 41, Dwelling 98, Family 98, Household of J. J. HOLIFIELD; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 11 January 2013); citing NARA publication T9, Roll: 651.
[8] Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, digital image, (http://www.findagrave.com : Accessed on 18 November 2013); Headstone for Elizabeth Holifield; (6 June 1836*-Mar. 26, 1913); Records of the Springhill Cemetery; Laurel, Jones County, Mississippi, USA.
*Note: Birth year on tombstone is not correct. Elizabeth was born in 1845 based on 1850 and 1900 census listings.
Special thanks to William Tatum, Jr. for supplying the tombstone photo for Elizabeth’s burial in Springhill Cemetery.