James Holden

Smith County Sheriff's Office — Tyler, TX

Felonious

End of Watch September 27, 1851

Age 29

Tour of Duty 1 yrs

The Vigil Panel 1 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 7

Incident

Sheriff John N. McKinley arrested Joseph Pierce with a warrant charging Pierce with assault with intent to commit murder. Sheriff McKinley placed Pierce in the log jail house at Old Canton, in southeast Smith County. Threats were made by relatives and friends of Pierce to rescue him from the custody of the sheriff. The sheriff assembled a posse to guard the jail. During the attack on the jail a shootout and fight with knives and an axe resulted in the death of Deputy Sheriffs David Neil and James Holden. Sheriff McKinley and Posseman Thomas Brock were wounded. A bystander was killed when a bullet went though a door. Among the attackers, Robert Pierce and Isaac Moore were shot and killed, and Peter Crawford was severely wounded but escaped. Robert Pierce was reportedly the attacker who killed the two deputy sheriffs.

Peter Crawford was charged with the murder of Deputy Sheriff Neil and Joseph Pierce was charged with the assault with intent to kill Sheriff McKinley. The records also show that from 1852 to 1857, numerous unsuccessful attempts were made to locate and arrest Peter Crawford and Joseph Pierce.

James Holden was survived by his wife and three children. No cemetery records or the burial location have been located.

Survivors

James Holden was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-C3893E6A
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

175 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Holden gave the Smith County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Tyler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Smith County Sheriff's Office

Location Tyler, TX

Platform Identity scso.smith.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 27, 1851

Tour of Duty 1 yrs

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Unknown weapon

Offender Charged but not apprehended

Deputy Sheriff James Holden is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Smith County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.

Smith County Sheriff's Office

of 8 officers

62.5% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious