Valentine Hollingsworth

Gitampo Pinaagi Ni

Rai Cammack

Valentine Hollingsworth (August 15, 1632 – October 13, 1710) was one of the earliest settlers of Brandywine Hundred in northern New Castle County, Delaware and a founder of the Hollingsworth family in America. He was descended from the Hollingworth family of Hollingworth, England.

Hollingsworth was born to Henry and Catherine Hollingsworth, who had moved to County Armagh, Ireland from England and was a member of the Hollingworth family of Hollingworth Hall, in what was Northern Cheshire. He married first in 1655 to Anne Rea (1628-1671), by whom he had four children, then in 1672 to Anne Calvert, by whom he had four more children.

Hollingsworth became a Quaker while in Ireland and suffered religious persecution. In 1682 he and his family sailed for the New World, many on the ship "Antelope". He settled on a plantation of nearly one thousand acres near Shellpot Creek, about five miles northeast of what is now the city of Wilmington, Delaware.

Hollingsworth was a member of the First Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania. He served as a justice of the peace. He was one of the signers of William Penn's Great Charter.

He died on October 13, 1710 in Delaware. A large monument (normally abhorred by Quakers) now marks the Newark Union Burial Ground, land which he donated.

General Notes:

Valentine's birthdate and place are verified in Quaker Records. His birthplace is also spelled Belleniskcrannel. He became a Quaker around 1660, a few years after George Fox visited Ireland. He was immediately fined by the government for not attending regular services of the Church of Ireland. They often times, simply took what they wanted from his supplies, prompting his move to Pennsylvania in 1682.

Valentine purchased land and the mining rights to it including the Townland, Village, Hamlet & Circuit called Ballyvickcrannell on Aug. 22, 1664. This was apparently the same land originally given to his father in 1632, but he did not claim it until 1664. For reasons unknown, he again claimed right to his father's land in Ballyvickcrannell, County Armagh, Ireland in 1675. Valentine's claim was upheld with his submission of his father's deed dated 1632, a few months before Valentine's birth. Starting in 1675, he is in multiple documents claiming rights to his father's land that are reproduced in Farmer's "In America since 1607." His claim was recognized and a fair agreement between the Blackers and Valentine Hollingsworth was established. (C-956)

He married twice. He married Ann REE in Lurgan, Armagh, Ireland, June 7, 1655. Ann was born 1628 in Tandgree, Kilmore, Ireland. Ann was the daughter of Nicholas REE and Ann REE. Ann died April 1, 1671 at 42 years of age. Rea? Buried in Friends Burial Ground in Moyraverty and about 2 miles northeast of the farm at Ballyvickcrannell. A popular place for the Friends. Marriage certificate on record at Lurgan Ireland Book of Records.

There is no proof that his first wife was Katherine Cornish but the families certainly knew each other. The Quaker records of Lurgan say that he married Ann. Married in April?

He married Ann CALVERT in Lurgan, Armagh Co. Ireland (drumgor ), June 12, 1672. Ann was born November 1650 in Kilwarling, Down, Ireland. Ann was the daughter of Thomas CALVERT and Jane GLASFORD. Ann died October 17, 1697 in Shellpot Creek, New Castle, De, at 46 years of age. Buried in Old Burial Grounds, Newark. Her Grandfather, John Calvert, came from Moresome in the parish of Skelton-in-Cleveland, North Riding, Yorkshire to Ireland before 1620 and was a member of the Ulster Plantation. They were related to Lord Baltimore. Married April?

The first known fact of the Hollingsworth family history is that an ancestor was an Anglo-Saxon who came to Britain during the invasion of the sixth and seventh centuries and eventually settled in what is now the village of Mottram Cheshire County England on approximately 1,000 acres. It was located on the east side of town on the high ground. According to a very ancient pedigree, the family has been seated at Hollynworthe Hall since 1022 and became part of the nobility under King James 1. (Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland dated 1858). Since the title was hereditary, the ancestry would have been unbroken. The name Hollyworthe was derived from two words, "Holly" for holly trees and "Worthe" for land. It became the family surname in the 13th century. The present spelling gradually evolved as the English language changed.

The huge hall and its accompanying church were made of native stone. Although several centuries old, both buildings were still standing in 1884 owned by a Mr. Taylor. The estate, then 625 acres, was valued at 20,000 Pounds, or approximately $100,000 (1972). The last owner as an ancestral representative was Robert Hollingsworth, Esq. who died in 1865. (Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth Sr. by J.A. Stewart). Today the hall is gone but the church has been rebuilt and still contains the family coat of arms. It is a stained glass window in the rectory. [ It truly is a beautiful building. Down the street is a much newer church called the Hollingsworth Church. It was a delightful experience and the people were very friendly. In my research I have discovered that Valentine was not listed in the passenger list of the Welcome. It states that no list was formally drawn up and it was possible that some were not accounted for. Tom Hollingsworth 1996] (. The father of Valentine went to Ireland to work the plantation. During the Reformation Period, the Hollingsworth family were severely persecuted by King Charles 1 because they were Protestants. Many fled to Ireland . One Richard Hollingsworth (1607-1656), an ordained Presbyterian Minister with a Ph.D. Degree and a noted Controversialist, wrote four tracts in defense of the church. His last and greatest, entitled "A Modest Plea for the Church of England" was published in 1655. (The Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England by James Savage."

Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. (1632-1711) Was born in Ireland and sailed from Belfast to America in 1682 with his wife and children on the good ship * [ Welcome with William Penn.] He settled on approximately 1,000 acres in Brandywine Hundred near what is now the city of Wilmington, Delaware. At that time it was an area of Pennsylvania. He was a devout Quaker (Society of Friends) and many of his descendants still adhere to that faith. From 1686 to 1710 he was Superintendent of the Quaker Monthly Meetings and established several in the Province of Pennsylvania in 1683. He also served in 1687, 1695, and 1700. He was a signer of William Penn's Great Charter and a member of the Pro-Provincial Council in 1695.

He died in 1711 and was buried in a burial ground he had presented to the society of Friends in 1687 and named New Ark from which the City Of Newark, Delaware got its name. He was survived by (five ?) sons and one daughter at age 79. His descendants were noted for their enterprise and industry. Many were engaged in the manufacture of flour and owned mills on branches of the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland and New Castle County, Delaware. One Levi Hollingsworth, member of a distinguished Maryland ship building company, built a copper rolling mill on the Gunpowder River near Baltimore in 1809. His copper was used to cover the dome of the Capitol Building. This was acquired by Paul Revere and is now the Copper and Brass Co. (History of Revere Copper and Brass Co.). This Levi is not Eli's father.

Between 1766 and 1770 several Hollingsworth families along With many Quaker families migrated to the Carolina's, which proved to be a mistake. The farmland was not suitable and being anti-slavery, they were in a poor competitive position. This caused most of the Quakers to migrate again, this time to Ohio and the Indiana Territory. In 1805 seven Hollingsworth families left in one group. They split at the Ohio River, three going to Ohio and four to the Indiana Territory. Quaker records reveal that many who went into Ohio soon came on into the Indiana Territory, which was then the frontier and good land could be obtained by Federal Grant. (In reality they migrated because they were told of a great war pending by a Quaker, Zachariah Dicks ) Notes................ Was in the Irish Rebellion 1641 when a child. * In error They sailed on the " Antelope " (From Cyrus Hollingsworth and Paul Hollingsworth research dated 1972) Sailed from Belfast Ireland Was accompanied by his indentured servant, John Musgrave and son-in-law Thomas Connaway (Mary's Husband). Probably became a Quaker early in the 1660,S

> Here are some directions: > > Junction of 202 (Concord Pike) and Del 261(Foulk Road) > > Co out Foulk Rd to Shipley, right on Shipley to Baynard Blvd, and left to > > Newark Union Public Rd. (Look real close as there is a Del.State Historical > > Marker at the corner of the road, edge of someone's property. > > The meeting house and cemetery is up that road just a short way. > > Even with directions we got turned around in June. > > But worth the drive and also makes you say gee this was the land where our > > ancestors walked and lived.

VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH, SR.

The original immigrant ancestor of the American family of Hollingsworth was a member of the Society of Friends, and many of his descendants adhere to that faith. He was the son of Henry Hollingsworth of Belleniskcrannel, Parish of Legoe, County Armagh, Ireland, and of Catherine, his wife, was born at Belleniskcrannel "about the year 1632," and was married April 7, 1655, to Ann Ree, daughter of Nicholas Ree of Tanderagee, County Armagh. She was born about 1628, at Tanderagee, and died February 1, 1671. He then married, April 12, 1672, Ann Calvert, daughter of Thomas Calvert, of Dromgora, Parish of Segoe, County Armagh, and of Jane, his wife. In 1682, Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr., and his family, accom panied by his son-in-law, Thomas Connaway, and by John Musgrave, an indented servant, sailed from Belfast for the Delaware River, arriv ing a few months after William Penn's arrival in the good ship "Wel come." He settled on a large plantation of nearly a thousand acres on Shelpot Creek in Brandy wine Hundred, New Castle (now Del.) Co., about five miles northeast of the present city of Wilmington, and not far from Port Christian, or Christiana of the Swedes. Not long there after a monthly meeting was established, the sessions being mainly held at Hollingsworth's House. In 1687 he granted "unto friends for a burying place half an acre of land for ye purpose, there being already friends buried in the spot." The section in question soon became known as the "New Worke" or "New Ark," now the thriving town of Newark, Del. That Valentine Hollingsworth was a man of extra ordinary ability and influence is demonstrated from the fact that almost immediately after his arrival in the New World, he was called upon to hold office and participate in public affairs. He was a member of the first Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania, shortly after William Penn's advent, that of 1682-3; also of the Grand Inquest empaneled October 25, 1683, to consider the famous case of Charles Pickering and others charged with counterfeiting. He served in several subsequent sessions of the Assembly, those of 1687, '88, '95 and 1700, from New Castle County, and was a justice of the Peace from the same county. He was also a Signer of Penn's Great Charter and a member of the Pro Provincial Council. He died about 1711. His second wife, Ann Cal vert, died August 17, 1697. Both were buried in the old burial ground at Newark, Del., which he had presented to the Friends in 1687.

Research Notes:

Valentine Hollingsworth's family came to Philadelphia, in 1682 on the ship "Welcome", (which arrived Dec. 10, 1682 on the Delaware River, Edward Cooke, master, from Belfast) settling on a 965 acre grant called New Worke, in what is now New Castle Co, Del. granted by William Penn in Brandywine Hundred on Shelpot Crk. (Warrant Oct. 10, 1681-Survey Dec. 27, 1682) He was founder of the Hollingsworth family in America.

He was founder of the Newark Monthly Meeting and an elder from 1686 to 1710. In 1687 he gave a half acre for a meeting house and burial ground. He was a member of the first Pennsylvania Assembly in 1683, and signed William Penn's Great Charter. He was an Assembly member again in 1687, 1688, 1689, 1695, and 1700. Valentine was a Justice of the Peace in New Castle Co., from 1694-1688. He was also a member of the Grand Inquest empaneled Oct. 24, 1683, to consider the famous case of Charles Pickering, etal, charged with counterfeiting

Valentine Hollingsworth & wife Ann Calvert are both buried @ Newark MM, Delaware.

The following is the Marriage Certificate of Valentine and his second wife Anne Calvert:

"This is to certifie the truth to all people that Valentine Hollenworth in ye psh of Sego in ye county of Armagh, and Anne Calvert of the same psh having intentions of marriage according to the ordinance of God, and Gods joining, Did lay it before mens meeting before whom theire marriage being propounded, then ye meeting desired them to wait some time, wch they did, so the meeting makeing inquiry between the times whether ye man be free from all other women, and the woman free from all other men, and so the second time they comeing before the mens meeting, all things being found clear, so they being left to theire freedome. A meeting of the people of god being appointed and assembled together at the house of Marke Wright, in the psh of Shankell the twelfth day of the fourth month in ye yeare 1672 whene they tooke one another in marriage in the presence of god and of his people according to ye law of god, & we are witnesses of the same whose names are hereunto subscribed ye day and yeare aforesaid.

VAL: HOLENGWORTH

ANNE HOLENGWORTH

1672 Witnesses:

ffrancis Robson

William Williams

Jo: Calvert

Chris: Hillery

Hugh Stamper

George hidgshon

Jam: Harison

dorothy Hillery

Roger Webb

Will pearson

Nic: Harison

Elis: Gnus

Robert Hoope

Marke Wright

John Wright

Alice Williams

Michael Staise

Timo: kirk

James Bradshaw

An. Bradshaw

Tho. Wederall

Rob Chambers

Tho: Calvert

debora Kirk

Will dixon

Antho: Dixon

fergus Softly

Alice Wright

dina Kirke

Mary Walker

(NOTE: Valentine and Ann Calvert Hollingsworth later attended and witnessed another marriage in the home of Marke Wright in 1676. At this time, Marke was still living in Shankill, County Armagh, Ireland.)

Valentine married Ann Rea, daughter of Nicolas Rea and Ann De Tanbdergee, on 7 Apr 1655 in Tanderagee, Armagh, Ireland. (Ann Rea was born in 1628 in Tanderagee, County of Armagh, Ireland and died on 1 Apr 1671 in Ireland.)

Valentine next married Ann Calvert on 12 Apr 1672. (Ann Calvert was born in Nov 1650 in Ireland and died on 17 Oct 1697 in Newark MM, New Castle, Delaware.)

Marriage Notes:

"This is to certify the truth to all people that Valentine Holl- enworth in ye psh of Sego in ye county of Armagh, and Anne Calvert of the same psh having intentions of marriage according to the ordinances of God, and Gods joining, Did lay it before mons meeting before them their marriage being propounded, then ye meeting desired them to wait some time, wch they did, so the meeting makeing inquiry between the time whether ye man be free from all other women, and the woman free from all other man, and so the second time they comeing before the mens meeting, all things being clear, so they being left to their freedome. A meeting of the people of god being appointed and assembled together at the house of Marke? Wright, in the psh of Shankell the twelfth day of the fourth month in ye yeare 1672 whene they tooke one another in marriage in the presence of god and of his people according to ye law of god, we are witnesses of the same whose names are hereunto subscribed ye day and yeare aforesaid Val: Holengworth. Anne Holengworth. ffrancis Robson William Williams Jo' Calvert Chris Hillery Hugh Stamper George Hodgshon Jam. Harison dorothy Hillery Roger Webb Will pearson Nic' Harison Elis' Gaus Robert Hoope Marke Wright John Wright Alice Williams Michael Staise Timo' kirk James Bradshaw An. Bradshaw Tho. Wederall Rob Chambers Tho. Calvert deborn Kirk Will dixon Antho. Dixon fergus Softly Alice Wright dinc Kirke Mary Walker No Hollingsworths signed the certificate as witnesses, which leads me to believe that there were no other Quaker Hollingsworths in the area. Although non-Quakers could have been present and witnessed the ceremony, it is unlikely, at that early date, to have had non-Quakers in attendance. The Friends were a persecuted group, and to associate with them would probably have caused them to be suspect. Ann's father, Thomas, and her brother, John, were there and signed the certificate as witnesses.

Valentine Hollingsworth (b. August 15, 1632, d. October 13, 1710)

Valentine Hollingsworth (son of Henry Hollingsworth) was born August 15, 1632 in Armagh, Ireland, and died October 13, 1710 in New Castle, Delaware. He married (1) Ann Ree on April 07, 1655. He married (2) Ann Calvert on April 20, 1672.

Notes for Valentine Hollingsworth:

Chester County Ships Listing for The Antelope

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Here are the passengers listed as being aboard this ship.

Date of Arrival: 10th month, 9, 1682 Master:

James Atkinson with his servant Jonathan Ashbrook

Valentine Hollingsworth and family

VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH, the founding immigrant Valentine was born in August 1632 in Balleniskcrannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland. He was the son of Henry Hollingsworth and Catherine _____. Valentine's family was originally English and was probably among those who immigrated to Ireland as "adventurers", looking for opportunity to become landowners when the Ulster Plantation was established in Northern Ireland. Valentine became a Quaker while still in Ireland, and suffered true persecution for his faith.

On June 7, 1655, Valentine married Ann REE, daughter of Ann and Nicolas REE, in Lurgan Monthly Meeting, County Armagh, Ireland. The transcript of their Marriage Certificateis given below. With Ann, Valentine had 5 children:

MARY, b. Mar, 25, 1656 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. (1) June 28, 1682 to Thomas Connaway/Conway in the home of Francis Robson, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, (2) April 1693 to Randal Malin in Upper Providence Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, d. 1746 in New Castle County, Delaware

HENRY, b. Nov. 7, 1658 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. Aug. 22, 1688 to Lydia ATKINSON in the home of John Robson, Tamnaficarbet, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, d. Feb. 1720/21 probably in Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland

THOMAS, b. May 1, 1661 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. (1) in 1684 to Margaret CALVERT in Salem, New Jersey, (2) Mar. 31, 1692 to Grace COOK in Concord, Chester County, Pennsylvania, d. April 2, 1727 in Christiana Hundred, New Castle County (Newark Monthly Meeting), Delaware

CATHERINE, b. July 1663 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. Jan. 2, 1687/88 to George ROBINSON, d. August 29, 1746 in Newark, New Castle County, Delaware (see CATHERINE HOLLINGSWORTH bio for further information)

MARY, b. 1668 in New Castle County, Delaware, d. 1693

Valentine's first wife, Ann REE, died before Valentine came to the Colonies. Still in Ireland, on June 12, 1672, at the Friends Meeting House in Lurgan, County, Armagh, he married Anne CALVERT, daughter of Thomas CALVERT and Jane GLASSFORD. With Anne, he had 7 children:

SAMUEL, b. Mar. 27, 1673 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. June 8, 1701 to Hannah HARLAN in Kennet Monthly Meeting, New Castle County, Maryland, d. September 1748 in Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and buried in Friends Burying Ground, Kennett, Chester County, PA.

ENOCH, b. Aug. 7, 1675 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, d. oct. 24, 1687 at age 12 in Shellpot Creek, New Castle County, Delaware and buried in Newark Burial Grounds.

VALENTINE, JR., b. Jan. 12, 1676/77 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. may 2, 1713 to Elizabeth HEALD in Ireland, d. bef. March 25, 1757 in Kennett Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania

ANN, b. Dec. 28, 1680 in Belleniskerannell, Segoe Parish, County Armagh, Ireland, m. Sept. 30, 1700 to James THOMPSON at the family home, Rockland Manor, in New Castle County, Delaware, Newark Monthly Meeting, d. aft. Oct. 26, 1712, Salem, Salem County, New Jersey.

JOHN, b. April 19, 1684 in Shellpot Creek, New Castle County, Delaware, m. April 1, 1706 to Catherine TYLER in Salem County, New Jersey, d. April 22, 1722 in Chester County, Pennsylvania

JOSEPH, b. July 10, 1686 in Shellpot Creek, New Castle County, Delaware, m. abt. 1709 to Elizabeth _______, d. abt 1732 in Opeckan, Orange County, Virginia (now Frederick County, VA)

ENOCH, b. May 10, 1690, in Shellpot Creek, New Castle County, Delaware, d. Mov. 26, 1690 in infancy in Shellpot Creek. He had been named in honor of his older brother who had died two years earlier.

Valentine lived a long and productive life and is the progenitor of a large and honored family, with descendants numbering in the many thousands and found all over America. The items below are just a few of the many recorded notes about Valentine, and are referenced with their sources:

"The records of this family in Ireland are from the registers of Lurgan Meeting, County Armagh. There is, of course, no foundation for the tradition that Valentine Hollingsworth married Catharine, daughter of Henry Cornish, High Sheriff of London, who was executed in 1685. It is probable that the Hollingsworths went over from England to Ireland with other planters early in the seventeenth century, but there is no proof to show that they came from Cheshire, as stated by some historians of the family. For an extended record of descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth see HOLLINGSWORTH GENEALOGICAL MEMORANDA, by William B. Hollingsworth (Baltimore, 1884); also see McFARLAN-STERN GENEALOGY, 6-11, 56-60, HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, p. 605."

(from "IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, of Chester County, Pa., and New Castle County, Delaware, Established in 1686", p. 312, as accessed at the web site of Ancestry Hometown)

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About 1682 [about one month before William Penn arrived], several Friends with their families arrived and settled near each other on the east side of Brandywine Creek, in New Castle County [Delaware]. Among these were Valentine Hollingsworth, from Parish of Segoe, County Armagh, justice of the peace and for many years a representative to the Provincial Assembly; his son-in-law, Thomas Conway, or Connaway, from Lisburn, County Antrim; William Stockdale, justice of the peace, probably from County Tyrone, Ireland; Adam Sharply, possibly related to Ralph Sharply [a dissenter and disruptive element among the Friends], of Belfast; John Musgrave, from north of Ireland, later a settler in Lancaster County and a representative to the Provincial Assembly; Morgan Drewett, who came from London to Burlington, New Jersey, in 1677; and Cornelius Empson. They held meetings for worship at the houses of VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH and Cornelius Empson. VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH lived on a large plantation of nearly a thousand acres on Shelpot Creek, in Brandywine Hundred, about five miles north-east of the present City of Wilmington, Delaware, and in 1687, he gave "unto ffriends for A burying place half an Acre of [his] land for yt purpose there being Some already buried there in ye Spot. ffriends have referred fencing of it." A meeting-house was afterward built on this plot and the meeting known as Newark, from the name of the plantation, which in the original survey of 1684 was called "New Worke", doubtless a corruption of Newark. A meeting was continued here until 1754, when the Friends "being suited with a better conveniency, it was laid down." (Quoted in its entirety from IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, PLACES OF SETTLEMENT, pp. 119-120, as accessed at the website of Ancestry Hometown.)

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Newark Monthly Meeting, since 1760 known as Kennett Monthly Meeting, held its first sessions, according to the minutes, in 1686, at the house of the widow Welsh in New Castle, and continued there until 6 Mo. 28, 1687, when it was decided "yt it may be more Convenient * * * * * for ye present, that it be kept twice over ye other Side of Brandywine ye third . . . to be kept at Newcastle." The Montly Meeting was held mostly at VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH's after 1689, but circulated to various houses up to 3 Mo. 6, 1704, when "This meeting Orders that our next Monthly Meeting be held at ye Center wch is supposed to be George Harlans ould house." It was held last at Newark in 1707, but after Center Meeting House was built it was usually held at the latter place for some years. At length it became settled at Kennett, and on that account dropped the old name of Newark. (Quoted in its entirety from IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, Places of Settlement, p. 126, as accessed at the web site of Ancestry Hometown.)

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Of the forty-three persons taxed in Kennett, in 1715, there were nine Irish Friends, as follows: Gayen Miller, 8s. 6d.; Michael Harlan, 5s. 6d.; Ezekiel Harlan, 12s. 6d.; Aaron Harlan, 5s. 6d.; Moses Harlan, 4s. 2d.; VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH, 2s. 9d.; James Harlan, 2s. 6d.; Joshua Harlan, 2s. 6d.; John Gregg, 3s. 4d. (from IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, Places of Settlement, p. 130, as accessed at the web site of Ancestry Hometown.)

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Valentine immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682. He is buried in "the old burying ground" in New Castle County, Pennsylvania. (World Family Tree, Volume 8, Tree No. 1829)

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"In 1682, VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH and his family, accompanied by his son-in-law, Thomas Connaway, and by John Musgrave, an indented servant, sailed from Belfast [Ireland] for the Delaware, and, as we have already stated, settled on a large plantation of nearly a thousand acres on Shelpot Creek in Brandywine Hundred, New Castle County, about five miles northeast of the present city of Wilmington. He was prominently identified with the affairs of Friends, the early meetings being held at his house. In 1687, he gave "unto ffriends for a burying place half an Acre of land for yt purpose." A meeting-house was afterward built on this plot and the meeting known as Newark, from the name of the plantation, which in the orignal Survey was called "New Worke." Valentine Hollingsworth was appointed a Justice of the Peace for New Castle County, in 1685, and represented the county in the Assembly in 1682-3, 1687, 1688, 1689, 1695, and 1700. He died subsequent to 1710, and his wife Ann died 8 Mo. 17, 1697. They were interred in Friends' ground at Newark." (quoted in its entirety from IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, of Chester County..., p. 120, as accessed at the web site of Ancestry Hometown.)

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"The first of the Irish Friends to settle in what is now Lancaster County were John Musgrave and his son, Moses Musgrave, who as early as 1713 had taken up land in the almost uninhabited region on Octoraro Creek within the present limits of Sadsbury Meeting, the father purchasing 600 acres and the son 300 acres. John Musgrave, as we have stated before, came over from the North of Ireland in 1682, as an indented servant to VALENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH, and served his time with his master in New Castle County. He was an active participant in the local affairs of his neighborhood, and in 1730 and 1731 represented Lancaster County in the Provincial Assembly." (quoted from IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, Places of Settlement, p. 160, as accessed at the web site of Ancestry Hometown)

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The following is the Marriage Certificate of Valentine and his second wife Anne Calvert:

VAL: HOLENGWORTH

ANNE HOLENGWORTH

1672

William Stockdale gives the following account of Hollingsworth's persecutions for tithes:

"1671, County Armagh, "Valentine Hollingsworth had taken from him for Tithe, by Thomas Ashbrook Tithmonger twenty nine stooks of Barly, and three stooks and a half of oats, all worth one pound one shilling." 1672, "Valentine Hollingsworth for Tithe by Edward O'Maghan, 26 stooks wheat, 3 car-loads Hey, 26 stooks of oats, 26 stooks of Barley, value 2 pounds 8 shillings"; 1673, corn and hay, valued at 2 pounds; 1674, wheat, hay, oats, barley, valued at 3 pounds, 4 shillings."

The above is from the deposition of Samuel, son of Valentine Hollingsworth, made before the Mayor of Philadelphia, June 4, 1735 (printed in McFarlan-Stern Genealogy, pp. 58-59, and quoted in IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, accessed at the web site of Ancestry Hometown) In this deposition, Samuel stated further that they "cam into Penn in the latter part of 1682 and was at Chester Penn the day William Penn arrived."

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"An indenture made August 22, 1664, between Michael Harrison of Magherlean County, Ireland Antrim Esquire and VALLENTINE HOLLINGSWORTH of Ballyvickcrannil Co., Armagh. Yeoman where by the said Michael for the sum of ten and one-half pounds sold to the said Valentine and his heirs forever all the Townland Village Hamlet and Circuit of land called BALLYVICKCRANNEL laying in Clanbasell, and in the Manor of Corabracke, 120 acres more or less, enrolled the 20th of May, 1665." The farm of Ballyvickcrannel was sold to Henry Jenny Clark, August 7, 1688. Henry Jenny was a clergyman of the Church of Ireland. Valentine's son, Henry Hollingsworth, acted in his father's behalf. Valentine was in America at the time the land was sold. Henry had been in America but went back to Ireland and married Lydia Atkinson. Henry and Lydia came back to America soon after their marriage.

Valentine's grandfather was an Englishman, but his father was born and raised in Ireland. Thus the following excerpt from IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA (p. 187) is especially interesting:

"Although the majority of these Friends [Quakers] were of English stock, yet those families that had been in Ireland for a generation or more had become modified by their Irish environment and by contact with their restless and aggressive Celtic- and Scotch-Irish neighbors, developing habits and characteristics that distinguished them from the English Friends of the Province.

"These characteristics crop out in the old meeting records, which show that the younger Irish Friends especially were impulsive and full of spirit, chafing under the restraint of the strict and repressive discipline of the Society as enforced in those days; and it is quite common, as we shall see, to find them "marrying out by ye priest" and otherwise breaking the rules. In this connection it is also worthy of note that in those meetings in which the Irish element was strong there was a tendency to be more liberal in belief and less stringent in the administration of some of the rules of discipline.

"In those neighborhoods where the clan spirit was strong, and where most of the marriages occurred among their own number, these Friends preserved much of their Irish identity for generations; but by the early years of the nineteenth century they had lost much of this peculiarity and were becoming rapidly absorbed in the new composite American race."

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Being a Quaker in Catholic Ireland was not an easy path. The Hollingsworths probably suffered at least some of the difficulties that are mentioned in the following article. They most certainly were acquainted with the subject of the article, Robert Turner.

"Robert Turner . . . a prominent Irish Quaker, and one of the wealthiest men in the Province, was the son of Robert and Mary Turner, of Royston, Hertfordshire, and was born 8 Mo., 1635 (October 1635), in Cambridge, England. We first hear of him as a Quaker in Ireland about 1657; Rutty states that about this year he was "instrumental to the convincement of a few [Friends] who lived at Grange, near Charlemont [County Armagh], in the province of Ulster. In 1658, according to Joseph Smith, he issued a book in behalf of the Friends called "Truth's Defense, etc." In the pamphlet "To the PARLIAMENT of ENGLAND . . . A NARRATIVE of the Cruel and Unjust Sufferings of the People of God of the Nation of Ireland, called Quakers," printed in London in 1659, is this entry concerning Robert Turner:

"Rob. Turner, for speaking a few words in the Steeple house at Bandon, (after the priest had done) had his hat taken away, and was beaten: And for speaking a few words in the Steeple-house at Dublin, was very much abused, and had his coat taken from him in the said place, and not restored to him again: And for asking a Question of a Priest in Dublin, was sent to Bridewell , and after kept three months in prison, was put into a Cell or Dungeon, a very noisome place, graves being over his head, and under his feet: And being in a meeting at London-Derry, was violently haled thereout, and drawn along the street by the Arms and Legs, (the Mayor of that City then present, and helped with his own hands) and put him out of the said town; and two dayes after hailed him out as before, and one with a Knif in his hand, threatened to cut off his Members, and turned him out again, and tyed him back and legs on a Horses bare back, with a haire rope, and led him about as their sport, at their pleasure.

"In 1660 and also in 1661, for attending Quaker meetings in Dublin, Robert Turner was committed to Newgate; and in 1662 for the same offense was sent to Bridewell." (IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PENNSYLVANIA, pp. 211, 212)

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"Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. (1632-1711) was born in Ireland and sailed from Belfast to America in 1682 with his wife and children on the good ship Welcome with William Penn. (NOTE: J. Richard Buckey states in his volume, THE HISTORY OF THE CALVERTS WHO WERE QUAKERS, p. 30, that it has been definitely DISPROVED that Valentine arrived on the WELCOME. He cites "WELCOME Claimants", from PENN'S COLONY, Volume II, by George E. McCracken, "which lists those proved, disproved and doubtful as to their arriving on the WELCOME with William Penn in 1682." Research done by Cyrus and Paul Hollingsworth indicates that Valentine and his family sailed on the ANTELOPE rather than on the WELCOME as is commonly thought.)

"He [Valentine] settled on approximately 1,000 acres in Brandywine Hundred near what is now the city of Wilmington, Delaware. At that time it was an area of Pennsylvania. He was a devout Quaker (Society of Friends) and many of his descendants still adhere to that faith. From 1686 to 1710 he was Superintendent of the Quaker Monthly Meetings and established several in the Province of Pennsylvania in 1683. He also served in 1687, 1695, and 1700. He was a signer of William Penn's Great Charter and a member of the Provincial Council of 1695.

"He died in 1711 and was buried in a burial ground he had presented to the Society of Friends in 1687 and named New Ark [other sources say New Work] from which the City of Newark, Delaware, got its name. He was survived by five (?) sons and one daughter at age 79.

"His descendants were noted for their enterprise and industry. Many were engaged in the manufacture of flour and owned mills on branches of the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland and New Castle County, Delaware. One Levi Hollingsworth, member of a distinguished Maryland ship building company, built a copper rolling mill on the Gunpowder River near Baltimore in 1809. His copper was used to cover the dome of the Capitol Building. This was acquired by Paul Revere and is now the Copper and Brass Company. (1) This Levi is not Eli's father.

"Between 1766 and 1770 several Hollingsworth families along with many Quaker families migrated to the Carolinas, which proved to be a mistake. The farmland was not suitable and being anti-slavery, they were in a poor competitive position. This caused most of the Quakers to migrate again, this time to Ohio and the Indiana Territory. In 1805 seven Hollingsworth families left in one group. They split at the Ohio River, three going to Ohio and four to the Indiana Territory. Quaker records reveal that many who went into Ohio soon came the Indiana Territory, which was then the frontier and good land could be obtained by Federal grant.

"It seems regretable that these colorsome and adventurous Quaker people who migrated and settled in groups, just as depicted by the cinema, have now lost their identity and became just another denomination to the Protestant Faith."