Joseph R. Holmes (ca. 1838-1869)

FR-31

Joseph R. Holmes, formerly enslaved in Charlotte County, campaigned for civil rights and education after emancipation. He served as a delegate to the Virginia Republican Party conventions in 1867 and 1869 and was elected to represent Charlotte and Halifax Counties in Virginia's Constitutional Convention of 1867-68, held as a precondition for the state’s readmission to the Union. On 3 May 1869 Holmes was shot dead here on the courthouse steps. Brothers John and Griffin S. Marshall, along with William T. Boyd and Macon C. Morris, all white, were charged with his murder. The men fled and were never tried. The murder drew international attention to the plight of freedpeople during Reconstruction.

Department of Historic Resources, 2020

See a problem? Report it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov.

DHR could use your help! We don't have a recent image of this marker. If you have one that you'd like to submit for inclusion on this site, please send it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov.

References/Bibliographic Citation:

Kathy Lee Erlandson Liston, “A Murder in Charlotte Courthouse,” The Charlotte Gazette, 11 Feb. 2020. Emily J. Salmon, “Joseph R. Holmes, ca. 1838-1869,” Encyclopedia Virginia: https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Holmes_Joseph_R_ca_1838-May_3_1869 Luther Porter Jackson, Negro Office-Holders in Virginia, 1865-1895 (Norfolk: Guide Quality Press, 1945). Indictment – Commonwealth vs. John Marshall, Wm. Boyd, M.C. Morris [& Griffin Marshall], Charlotte County, VA Criminal Judgements 1869-1871, Holmes, Joseph (flat files); Charlotte County Order Books 37A, 37B, 38, Clerk of the Court’s office, Charlotte Court House, VA. Brisbane Courier [Australia], 4 Aug. 1869. Richmond Daily Dispatch, 5 May 1869. New York Herald, 5 May 1869. https://scuffalong.com/2013/07/19/tragedy-at-charlotte-court-house/