Ruth Holder née Page - Leonard's great grandmother
Ruth was the eldest daughter and third child of Selina and Eli Page. After her birth at Clifton Farm, Arlington, now Dicker, in 1841, her childhood was spent at Limden Farm, Ticehurst before her father took over Perching Manor Farm, Eburton when she was fifteen. Ruth enjoyed nature around her recognising all its beauty and interest as the handiwork of the Lord God of the Bible. She married Dan Holder, a blacksmith from Albourne, and supported him as his wife and the mother of their eight children as he ran the blacksmith business in Patcham. After the birth of her first child she suffered severe depression from which she has a wonderful testimony of God’s healing. This experience brought her closer to God, and after the death of her husband when she was just 44 years old, acknowledging her dependence on God, she ran the blacksmith business for more than twenty-five years until her youngest son Eli was able to take this over from her. She was a baptised member of Galeed Chapel, Brighton under the ministry of Mr J.K. Popham.
Selina's Legacy
Published by Xlibris in May 2020;
264 pages; size 9" x 6"
An historical novel based on Ruth's own testimony of her spiritual life, published in Gospel Standard after her death in 1921
Shortly before her death, Selina of 'Selina of Sussex 1818-1886', hands her eldest daughter Ruth the manuscript of her writings, suggesting she might like to continue the story of the Page family into the next generation. With some trepidation Ruth takes up the challenge. Her story is a worthy successor to her mother's 'autobiography'. The reader is given fresh insight into life in rural Sussex, both from a child's point of view and then from an adult's perspective, when Ruth herself marries and moves to Patcham with Dan Holder. A lively, readable story emerges from the skilful combining of historical fact with imaginary detail drawn from extensive research into nineteenth century Sussex life and from Ruth's own account of her spiritual journey, edited by her son and published in the Gospel Standard subsequent to her death. Expressing many of her personal thoughts, feelings and spiritual concerns, Ruth reveals the way God graciously led her into a firm faith in Jesus Christ, sustained her through a period of severe depression, gave her eight children and enabled her to run a blacksmith's business during more than thirty years of widowhood. The author, Leonard Holder, is Ruth's great grandson.