ANDERSON COUNTY (KYTX) - A survivor of the deadly ‘Slocum Massacre’ of 1910 was finally given a proper funeral service. Jack Hollie's descendants not only remembered, but celebrated, his memory.
"The Hollie family, we are known for having church,” said Clara Hollie-Wells. “We don't know anything else besides church because we love The Lord so much.”
After a lively church service, the Hollies gathered at the Oakwood Cemetery in Oakwood where ‘Slocum Massacre’ survivor Jack Hollie was buried. Hollie's grave was only marked by rocks, but the family unveiled a proper headstone Sunday afternoon.
The family says it serves as a reminder of how strong they are, and always have been.
"My kids will be able to step up and say hey if my ancestors made it, I can do it to,” said Hollie-Wells.
"He was strong and all our family is pretty strong,” said Imani Ramirez. “That's just a trait we all have. We're proud to be a Hollie.”
Even though Bo Wells is only a Hollie by marriage, he says everybody could learn a thing or two from this family.
“If the Hollie family can accept a white person in their family from what they went through, I think anybody can,” said Bo Wells. "It's not about black or white. It's not about race. He didn't create one color and another God created another color. God created all of us.”
A historical marker honoring the massacre will be erected this fall.
