| THE HOLLINGSWORTH REGISTER | VOLUME I., NUMBER 1. |
| (This man is the "Immigrant Ancestor" of the Editor. If any reader thinks he or she can shed more light upon this man or his immediate family in Ireland or America, a "Letter to the Editor" would be much appreciated!) Frederick Hollingsworth was born at a tiny townland called Ballinakill, which contained about 96 acres according to the Townland Survey, a part of the Ordnance Survey of 1841 for Ireland. Nearly all of the property was under lease to the Hollingsworths. The townland is in the Protestant (Episcopal) Parish of Ballycanew, in the Barony of Gorey, in north County Wexford, Ireland. The year of his birth was about 1802 or 1803, according to his age given in the U.S. Census enumerations of 1850 and 1860. The names of his partents are not presently known. (The Editor has been trying to get this information for over five years!) He died on Feb. 2, 1869, in Jasper County, Iowa. The location of his burial is not known. (The five year search also has included all Jasper County and surrounding county cemeteries, with no result.) He may be buried in the "Our Silent City" outside of Kellogg, in Jasper County, where his wife and one son and one grandchild are buried. But if he is laid to rest there, there are no markers or cemetery records to prove or disprove it. He married, on April 17, 1836, in LaPorte County, Indiana, Elizabeth Brown, the oldest child of Jacob Brown. She was born June 20, 1820, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and died Oct. 15, 1892, at Kellogg, Jasper County, Iowa, at the age of 72 years. She is buried in "Our Silent City," and has a headstone marked "Mother" (with the dates above) and there is a large Monument with the surname "HOLLINGSWORTH" upon it, and the emblem of the Order of Woodmen of the World. (This was erected after the death of her son Wallace in 1912, as a payment burial benefit of his membership of that Society.) There were five sons born to this couple. (See below.) The only clue to the residence of Frederick Hollingsworth before his arrival in U.S., was to be found in an old Dictionary. This was his own property, and it still is in the possession of a granddaughter. The Dictionary was published in New York in 1828. The fly-leaves in the front and back are inscribed with the "Hollingsworth Family Record" in lieu of a Family Bible. The aging leaves are stained heavilly with the yellow and the dampness of time. The first owner wrote in a rich brown ink: "Hubbard C. Stearns's Book..." Who was this man? Frederick then signed next below as second owner: "Fredk Hollingsworth's Book, F. 8th, 1835." This was in a weaker, grey-toned ink, but still quite legible. On the next fly-leaf his wife, Elizabeth, wrote in pencil many years later: "F. Hollingsworth." Below this, another has inscribed: "Wexford, Ireland." Thank God for that clue! Without it, the tracking of this man would have been hopeless! In the back of the book are carefuly written the names and dates of birth of four of the five sons, Edward, Jacob, Samuel & John Hollingsworth, written in steadily improving handwriting, by Frederick himself. The inks differ sufficiently to prove that the entries were made about the time of each birth. This, incidentally, is the most reliable kind of family record, especially since the publication date and the date of acquisition of the folume antedate the first birth entry by a number of years. Why Frederick abandoned the use of the book to record the family events sometime between 1850 and 1858, is not known. (Continued next page.) |