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H. Frank Holman. public
administrator of Randolph County, senior
partner in the Peoples
steam Laundry and vice- president of the Moberly
Chamber of Commerce is
one of the well known and progressive citizens
of Randolph County. Mr.
Holman is a native of Randolph County and a
descendant of one of the
early prominent pioneer families of this part
of the state. He was born
in Chariton township, Randolph County, Feb.
12, 1861 and is a son of
James M. and Margaret L. (Harlan) Holman.
James M. Holman was
also a native of Randolph County, born in
Chariton township, March
20, 1551. He was a son of Joseph Holman,
who was a native of
Kentucky and a pioneer of Chariton township, Ran-
dolph County, where he
settled at a very early date. James M. Holman
died Nov. 18, 1907 and
his remains are buried in Mt. Carmel cemetery.
He spent his life in this
county and was one of its successful citizens.
He was a progressive
farmer and stockman and influential in the county.
Margaret L. (Harlan)
Holman, his wife preceeded her husband in death
a number of years. She
died in 1887 and her remains are also buried in
Mt. Cannel cemetery.
They were the parents of seven children of whom
H. Frank is the only one
living. The others are Mrs. Martha J. Cobb,
Mrs. Mary Foster, George
I.. Mrs. Sarah Thomas and two died in infancy.
After the death of his first
wife James M. Holman married Mrs. Bettie
(Hurt) Powell and one son
was born to this union, Payton Y. Holman
who lives in Chariton
township.
H. Frank Holman was
reared on his father's farm and educated in the
public schools and for ten
years was engaged in farming and stock rais-
ing. In 1892 he came to
Moberly and engaged in the real estate and in-
surance business. Later he
disposed of his business and went west on
account of his wife's
health and upon his return to Moberly in 1899 he
engaged in the laundry
business which he purchased from J. C. Irvin.
This was a small concern
at that time and had been started by S. S. San-
ford who sold it to J. J.
Stephens before J. C. Irvin owned it. This was
the beginning of the
Peoples Steam Laundry which has developed to itS
present pronortions since
Mr. Holman purchased it. The laundry was
formerly operated in s
building 25x75 feet and now occupies a building
100x120 feet, located on
the corner of North Williams and Rollins streets
in what is known as the
Holman building. This is one of the best
equipped laundries in the
country and does an extensive business H.
Frank Holmans son,
James W., is a partner in the laundry business and
is the superintendent.
For the past nine years H.
Frank Holman has been engaged in road
work. He is president of
the Moberly Special Road District and has
charge of the Moberly
Road District. He is president of the North Mis-
souri Cross State Highway
from St. Louis to Kansas City via Moberly.
The work so far has been
confined largely to grading and bridge building.
Mr. Holman has made a
careful study of road improvement work and is
working out some of the
problems of this difficult question very satis-
factorily and making
splendid progress. He is now serving his third
term as public
administrator of Randolph County.
Mr. Holman has been
twice married. His first wife, Miss Linda S.
Vasse to whom he was
married in 1887, died Nov. 23, 1898. Two chil-
dren were born to this
union J, W., who is his father's partner in the
Peoples Steam Laundry
and Percey F., who was a railway brakeman and
killed in an accident at
Walsenburg, Colo Mr. Holman was married the
second time to Miss
Minnie Guy. of Moberly, Mo., in 1908, and one child
has been born to this
union, Raymond G., who is nine years of age.
Mr. Holman is a member
of the Presbyterian church and the Knights
of Pythias Lodge. He is
vice-president of the Moberly Chamber of Com-
merce. He is one of the
widely known progressive and enterprising
citizens of Randolph
County who stands ever ready to do his part to pro-
mote the betterment and
upbuilding of his native county and its institu-
tions.
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