Born 134 years ago today – October 24, 1890
Valeria Helon Holder entered the world on October 24, 1890, in a small framed house about six miles from Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina on Rock Wuarry Road in the Ebenezer Methodist Church Community. She would come to be known throughout her life as Vallie; a quiet, steady woman whose strength was forged in heartbreak, sacrifice, and devotion. Today would be her 134th birthday, and this is her story.
She was the third of seven daughters born to Thomas Quincy “Quint” Holder (38 at the time of her birth) and Geneva Elizabeth “Ginnie” Martin (just 22 when Vallie was born). The family lived in St. Mary’s Township in Wake County, an area now part of downtown Raleigh. Money was scarce, but family was tight.
Early Loss
Tragedy entered Vallie’s life early—so early she likely never remembered it. When she was just two years old, her mother gave birth to another little girl, Wanda Lee Holder. Baby Wanda only lived a few hours. It would be the first of many losses Vallie would endure.
A Simple Courtship
Years later, as a teenager, Vallie met Arthur Hodge, the man who would become her husband. Their love story wasn't made of grand gestures—it was made of quiet walks to church. My great-aunt Chloe Belle Hodge, Vallie’s youngest daughter, wrote a book about her own life, and in it she shares family history and stories passed down by her mother. According to Chloe, Arthur and Vallie’s entire “courtship” consisted of walking together to church. They never kissed or even held hands before marriage.
But despite their gentle romance, Vallie once shared her most embarrassing moment. In the early 1900s it was customary for women to wear long dresses with white cotton bloomers tht rested below the knee, and one or more long petticoats which were gathered for fullness at the waistband and held together with a button. During one of those walks down a dusty country road, the button on her skirt popped off, sending it straight to her ankles. Mortified, Vallie scooped up her skirt and dashed behind a bush to pin it back together using the safety pin every woman carried “just in case.”
An Elopement Against Her Parents’ Wishes
When Arthur asked Vallie to marry him, she said yes—but her parents refused their blessing. Quint and Ginnie didn’t approve of Arthur because he drank on weekends. But I believe there was another, even deeper reason they disliked him—one I will share when I tell Arthur’s story later.
Rather than fight it out at home, the young couple made a plan. Sixteen-year-old Vallie (who stated she was 18 on the marriage license) began secretly moving her clothes piece by piece to her best friend’s house. When everything she owned was hidden away, she told her parents she was going to spend the night with that friend—instead, she and 22-year-old Arthur slipped into Raleigh and eloped on June 30, 1907.
Building a Family
Their first child, Jasper Hodge, was born on June 7, 1908. Vallie stayed home to care for him while Arthur worked as a farmhand. Soon came Thomas A. Hodge, born August 29, 1912, then a little girl—Flonnie Clay Hodge—on October 11, 1914. Flonnie would become my great-grandmother. Their family was completed with the birth of Chloe Belle Hodge on July 30, 1916. The family lived in an unpainted frame house about six miles east of Raleigh down a dirt country road that connects Poole Road and Rock Quarry Road when Chloe was born. This house was torn down not long after they moved.
The Hodges moved between Poole Road and Hodge Road in Wake County, sometimes near Vallie’s family, sometimes near Arthur’s. In 1916, Arthur’s parents died within months of each other, and with his inheritance he invested in part ownership of a local sawmill. Life was finally beginning to look stable—except for one problem that never went away: Arthur’s drinking.
Unimaginable Loss
On June 16, 1923, Vallie’s world shattered. Her two sons, Jasper and Thomas, were hauling lumber with a mule-drawn wagon. As they crossed the railroad tracks—something they did every day—they didn’t see the oncoming train. They tried desperately to save the mules, fearing their father’s anger if they lost them. They never made it off the tracks. Thomas was killed instantly. A mortally wounded Jasper died shortly after.
Vallie was at home putting the finishing touches on Jack’s orange layered birthday cake when she got the news. She never made another orange cake after this day. The tragedy nearly destroyed Vallie. She entered a year of mourning, with only two mourning dresses to wear. At a time when rural families didn’t lock their doors, thieves broke into the Hodge home while the family was away and stole what little they had—including one of Vallie’s mourning dresses. As if grief wasn’t enough, humiliation and violation were added to her pain.
But even in heartbreak, God moved. Arthur swore off alcohol after losing his sons. And though he slipped a few times over the years, he never returned to his old ways. Eventually, he even won the respect of Vallie’s parents—the same ones who once stood against him.
A Wife, A Nurse, A Fighter
Not long after, Arthur suffered a devastating accident at the sawmill—his leg was nearly cut off. He nearly died, developed blood poisoning, and spent 6 months recovering, but it would take a full 5 years before he was completely healed. For this time period he was extremely blessed to have survived this. With Arthur unable to work, Vallie became the provider.
She began helping local women deliver babies and soon became so trusted that the doctor in town offered her a job. Without any formal training, Vallie became a nursing assistant and midwife, this being the only job she ever had. Through strength, prayer, and grit, she held her family together.
Faith and Tragedy Return
In time, Mormon missionaries visited the family, and Vallie and Arthur converted from Baptist faith to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their daughter Chloe became especially active in the church and traveled on missions across the United States.
But tragedy had not finished with Vallie.
On December 9, 1949, Chloe was home visiting her parents, proudly showing off her new car. As evening settled over Poole Road, Vallie walked across the street to check the mail. She waited for one car to pass, then stepped back onto the road. She never saw the second car.
The impact killed her instantly.
The young driver was terrified and devastated. His headlights had gone out, and in an effort to keep his date safe, he was following another car closely just to see the road. He never saw Vallie. Chloe later wrote that when she reached her mother’s side in the road, she felt an overwhelming God-given urge to forgive him on the spot.
And she did.
Valaria “Vallie” Helon Holder Hodge lived a life marked by pain, struggle, hard work, and faith. She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother of four, a midwife, a healer, and a woman who rose every time life tried to break her.
She was not famous. She did not leave behind riches or monuments. But she left something greater—a legacy of strength.
Happy birthday, Grandma Vallie. You are not forgotten.
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