Notes |
- John fought in several major battles during the Civil War under
General Lee. He and his brother, Jasper, were both wounded at
Gettysburg. Jasper was captured and later died in New York. While
John was away serving in the war, Millie and the three young children
planted and harvested the crops and paid off the farm debt. While
hauling cane to the sorghum mill, the horse ran away and she received
a broken jaw.
After the War, John and Millie Ann moved to Davenport, Iowa for a
while and then settled in Texas near Cotton Wood Srings, south of
Whitemound, Grayson Co., in a two room log cabin with five children.
Several years later, his sisters, Hanna Lawrence and Caroline Harriet
Hayes and his mother, Nancy Jane (Carson) Hollingsworth followed him
to Texas. His mother was a cousin of Kit Carson. His brother,
Franklin and sister, Martha Jane Haley, remained in S. C. In 1872,
he bought 80 acres west of Whitemound, Grayson County, and in later
bought more land to expand to 187 acres and replaced the log cabin
with a frame house in 1880.
After his father died, his mother, Nancy Carson Hollingsworth
(1817-1902), moved from Townville, S. .C. to Texas to live with him.
She is buried at Whitmound, Tex. Issac Hollingsworth and Barnet
Woolbright were Petit Jurors in the 01 Jan 1798, list.Union Co. S.C.
John Hollingworth attested to Elizabeth Hamby being the mother of John
Henry Woolbright on application for settlement of moneys due following
his death in the Civil War, 06 June 1863. John's other siblings
included Wm.
Jasper, b. 1834, killed in Civil War & Rebecca, b. 1846-1864
Franklin HOLLINGSWORTH, b. 1843 in Anderson Co., SC, (son of Robert
HOLLINGSWORTH, b. 1813 in Greenville Dist., S. C & Nancy CARSON, b.
14 March 1814), m. Winnie Woolbright, b. c1846. (See under Winnie,
d/o Mary Woolbright). (Source: Posted on AncestryWorldTree Search)
John & Millie Woolbright Hollingsworth GRAYSON CO. TX by Alda
Hollingworth Francis,
"It was soon after the close of the Civil War, that my grandparents,
John Newton and Millie Ann Woolbright Hollingsworth came to Texas in a
covered wagon with two other families. One of these was Dr. Simmons,
father of Lee Simmons, a well known citizen of Sherman. They arrived
in Grayson Co. in 1868. John was born in Anderson Co., S. C. in the
year 1836. His wife was born in the same area in 1841. He first
purchased 80 acres in the Whitemound Community, and as he was able, he
bought 108 more adjoining the original acreage. One of the "mounds"
is on this farm
and much of the rock has been used for building. The 1st two crops my
grandfather made after he settled here, he had to freight in to
Jefferson, Texas. The cotton was carried by team and wagon as this
was the closest market. It took six weeks to make the trip, there and
back. He would bring back a year's supply of groceries, such as
barrels of flour and unrefined brown sugar. Also he bought full
bolts of calico and his favorite color was pink. Needless to say, my
aunts never liked pink after they were grown. Grandmother said that
she got one new broom a year. The rest of the time she made her own
brooms by tying broom weeks together in a bunch.
During these early years, life was rough to say the least. Land had
to be cleared of brush and stumps, crops planted, fire wood cut, water
carried from the spring for drinking, cooking, and for dripping thru
the wood ash hopper to make soap. There was many long hours before
the spinning wheel and loom to make cloth for clothing and bedding.
Farm animals needed daily attention. Deaths occurred from illness and
injuries.
At one time Whitemound was a thriving little town. Around the turn of
the century there were two grocery stores, two saloons, a blacksmith
shop, a cotton gin and Post Office. My grandfather was instrumental in
in getting one of the first schools established in Whitemound and he
bought and assembled half of the desks needed for the school. Several
of the younger children attended Grayuson College at Whitewright. He
also gave the land on the SE corner of his farm to build a Baptist
Church, and he and his wife were charter members. He also gave land
on the NW of the
farm for half of the Whitemound Cemetery. His philosophy was "A man
needs a place of learning, a place to worship and a place to be
buried."
John Newton and Millie Ann reared nine children to be grown: Emma
Morrow, Katherine Davenport, Wm. Jasper (my father), Martha Goza,
Robert E., John W., Lula Denton, Anna Blackburn, and James P. My
great grandmother, Nancy Carson Hollingsworth (a cousin to Kit Carson)
came
from Townsville, S. C. to Texas later and lived with her son, John
Newton, or Jim as he was called. She was born in 1817 and died in
1902. She is also buried at Whitemound (at this time there are five
generations buried there). Jim died in 1900 and his wife, Millie
Ann, in 1928.
My father, William Jasper, was born near Townsville, S.C. in 1862. He
took charge of the farm in 1914, after his sister, Emma Morrow and her
husband moved to a farm of their own. We lived there until his death
in 1927. My mother was Mattie May Horn of Sherman. She graduated from
Mary Nash College. They were married in 1891 and were the parents of
eight children. I have heard my father talk about his fright when
they were crossing the Indian Territory on their way to Texas. He was
lagging behind the wagon; some Indians crowded in between him and the
wagon, when he finally managed to get around them and back into the
wagon, he never let it out of his sight the rest of the way. The
Indians were civilized and were just curious, but he didn't know that.
I married Ward B. Francis, June 3, 1917. We bought the farm in 1948
and have lived here since that time. We were given a National Award in
1975 by the Family Land Heritage Program,. Texas Department of
Agriculture, as owners of land that had been in the family for over
100 years. Our
children and grandchildren love the farm. It is the next thing to
Heaven to them and we hope it will stay in the family another l00
years." (Source: I found this story in a book in our genealogy
library here in Sulphur Springs..... Lavyn Sisco
lsisco@bluebonnet.net)
|