Hollingsworth Family and Cemetery

The day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, 23 Nov 2005, I set out to "discover" some of the area cemeteries which have been enumerated in Cemetery Census of Clay County, Missouri, Volume I. One of the things I like to do is locate different burial grounds wherever I may be. The easiest places are nearest to home.

The last cemetery I searched for on that particularly nice, yet windy day was the Hollingsworth Cemetery in Lawson, Missouri. Having golfed on the course in the same area, I wondered if it was something I had overlooked. The first thing I did was drive all the way around the area where the cemetery is situated, including the short deadend streets heading inwards hoping to see some sign of the cemetery. It had to be small with only two known burials. Nothing was immediately noticable.

Not wanting to leave without knowing something, I stopped in at the country club. The course was open due to the pleasant weather. The proprietor informed me of a small cemetery in a grove of trees and pointed it out through the windows. He then tossed me keys to a golf cart and gave me permission to go look.

With all the low branches and tall brambles, it was difficult to find a way into the cemetery. Once inside, it was like being in a different room of a house. I was aware of my surroundings; however, it was very peaceful and still within the trees. The two headstones appeared to have been moved from their original locations. As a matter of fact, it looked as if animals had done some burrowing. The ground was very uneven.

The inscriptions on the headstones are as follows:

Gideon Hollingsworth
Born Jan. 23, 1840
Died Aug. 15, 1861

Jeptha Hollingsworth
Born Apr. 20, 1846
Died Apr. 15, 1862

The reason for my curiosity about this cemetery is mainly because of Gideon. In the "cemetery" book, he was listed as having been "Mortally wounded at Wilson's Creek." Knowing that Wilson's Creek was a Civil War battlefield near Springfield, Missouri, my researcher instincts drove me to the gravesite.

After taking a few photographs and logging the coordinates with my GPS, I returned the golf cart, thanked the proprietor, and told him I may return in the near future.

Research indicates Gideon was indeed a participant in the Civil War. He was a Private in Co. A, Extra Battalion, 4th Division of the Missouri State Guard in the Confederate States of America. He was inflicted with a wound to one of his lungs on 10 Aug 1861 and died five days later. It is not known where he died, although he may not have been on the battlefield. Otherwise, he would have been "killed in action."

Gideon M. and Jeptha L. were from an extensive family. They were direct descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. (1632-1711), a Quaker who emigrated to America on the Antelope in 1682, although it is widely thought he emigrated on the Welcome with his good friend, William Penn. Valentine signed Penn's charter entitled The Frame of the Government of the Province of Pennsylvania and, Territories thereunto annexed, in America as one of the members of the assembly. This document has been published by Yale Law School at www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/pa05.htm.

The brothers Hollingsworth also had three sisters, Mary Helen (1838-?), Martha Josephine (1842-after 1918), and Susan (1854-?). There was a brother, Leander G. (1848-?) and a half-brother, Frank James (1860-?), too. The oldest six children were born to Samuel Gordon and Susan Harris (Mimms) Hollingsworth. Frank's mother was Mary (Williams) Hollingsworth. All but Susan and Frank were born in Todd County, Kentucky. Susan and Frank were born in Clay County, Missouri.

The Mimms family is extensive too. Gideon and Jeptha and their four siblings are descendants of David and Agnes (Weldy) Mimms, Sr. through their son David Mimms, Jr. with his wife Martha (Diuguid) Mimms. David and Agnes Mimms also had a son by the name of Shadrack Mimms. Interestingly enough, Shadrack is the great-grandfather of Zerelda Amanda Mimms, the first cousin of her husband Jesse James. Shadrack is also the great-great-grandfather of Jesse James. The Hollingsworths buried at the cemetery in Lawson, Missouri are third cousins to Zerelda and third cousins once removed to the Frank and Jesse James. The James farm is no more than seven miles as the crow flies from Lawson.

My personal goal is to see that the cemetery gets the attention it deserves. Work is underway to determine the legality of restoring, preserving, and maintaining the Hollingsworth Cemetery. There has already been an outpouring of moral support from several organizations including the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/3004/), Clay County Archives (www.claycountyarchives.org), the James Farm (www.jessejames.org), the Missouri State Society Daughters of American Colonists (www.geocities.com/mssdac/), and Eric James (www.ericjames.org). Readers are encouraged to support this endeavor by commenting on this blog posting.