Victim ID: VA1869050301
Victim Name: Joseph R. Holmes
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 31
Job: Shoemaker
Method of Death: Shot
Accusation: Trying to lodge a complaint against a white man
Date: 1869-05-03
City: Charlotte Court House
Mob Composition: Four white men

Summary: Joseph R. Holmes, a 31 year old African American man and member of the 1867 Virginia Constitutional Convention, was killed outside of Charlotte County Courthouse on May 3^rd, 1869. Holmes was trying to lodge a complaint against John Marshall, who had threatened to kill him, when during a scuffle Marshall and a small group of white men shot and killed Holmes.

On the morning of May 3^rd, 1869, John Marshall and some of his friends, all white, had allegedly pursued and shot a black man, even boasting that they had killed him; several witnesses heard John Marshall saying “I’ve killed one negro and I’ll have Joe Holmes blood before night” (Indiana Weekly Messenger). Joseph Holmes, probably a former slave of John Marshall’s father and grandfather, was active in Republican politics and had been elected as a representative of Charlotte and Halifax Counties at the 1867 Virginia Constitutional Convention. Upon hearing about Marshall and his threats to him and other black men, Holmes went to Charlotte County courthouse to get an arrest warrant for John Marshall. According to the Indiana Weekly Messenger, Holmes was outside of the courthouse when “John Marshall, his brother Griffin, one Boyd, a cousin of Marshall and Mackey Morris came up to him.” A scuffle ensued and John Marshall “drew his revolver, advanced, and struck Holmes on the head […], pointed [the revolver] at [Holmes’] heart, within three feet of him, and fired” (Indiana Weekly Messenger). As Holmes tried to reach the courthouse, the whole party started firing on him; when Holmes was able to enter the courthouse, he fell dead. While there are different newspaper accounts about who exactly fired and shot Holmes, there are no doubts that Holmes was killed by a group of white men because of his involvement in politics and for having the audacity to try to get an arrest warrant for John Marshall.

After the killing, Marshall and his party escaped, except for Mackey Morris who was arrested and held on a $500 bond. He was later acquitted of all charges. An arrest warrant was issued for Marshall and Boyd, but they were never apprehended or tried, let alone convicted for the lynching of Joseph Holmes. The coroner’s jury found that Holmes “came to his death by a pistol shot in the hands of some person unknown to the jury” (Daily Dispatch).

In October 2021, an historical marker was unveiled in Charlotte Court House to commemorate his life. The marker reads: “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.”

Additional information about Joseph Holmes is available here, here, and here.

News Coverage: Daily Dispatch; Daily Standard; Native Virginian; Indiana Weekly Messenger

Article Link (from The Daily Dispatch published on 1869-05-05)
Article Link (from The Daily Dispatch published on 1869-05-10)
Article Link (from The Daily Dispatch published on 1869-05-11)
Article Link (from The Native Virginian published on 1869-05-21)