James W. Holley was born a slave in Sullivan County, Tennessee in 1848. Following the Civil War, Holley became a traveling preacher, and in his short narrative, The Old Faithful Servant (1924), he describes his travels to some of the 162 towns and cities where he preached, including many in Kentucky and Ohio. He asserts that he possesses the divine gifts of healing and prophecy and provides many examples to support this claim. While the narrative is primarily an account of his life as a minister, Holley does mention his reunion with his brother, who dies shortly thereafter, as well as his journey across the United States to California. Passages from the Bible are interspersed throughout the narrative, as Holley seeks to demonstrate his faith.

Monique Prince