Starting with what I know (based on death and marriage certificates etc) my Hollingsworth ancestry is: Mary Kathryn Hollingsworth Tilstra (Roger R) b. 21 January 1950 Watseka, IL Erle Howard Hollingsworth b. 19 December 1917 near Onarga, IL d. 14 November 1993 Kankakee, IL m. 28 March 1948 to Blanche Elaine Lindsay Victor Earl Hollingsworth b. 21 Dec 1892 near Onarga, IL d. 22 May 1971 at Watseka, IL m. 11 October 1915 to Mildred Lyon William Harvey (aka Harve) Hollingsworth b. 2 August 1864 near Onarga, IL d. 19 Feb 1950 Onarga, IL m. 27 Feb 1889 to Katherine Emma Doyle William Hollingsworth b. 29 April 1817 near Hamilton, Butler Co, OH d. 28 April 1894 at Onarga, IL m. 26 March 1857 to Sarah Meeks The next generation is where my proofs start to lag. William Hollingsworth states in his portrait in Portrait and Biographical Record of Iroquois County, Illinois 1894 that: "his father, Joseph Hollingsworth was a native of South Caroline and married Hannah Hawkins." Census records from Illinois and Indiana seem to bear this out. "his death, (Joseph's) occurred about 1852" in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. This again is entirely possible but I can't prove it. I believe that this Joseph was one of the founders of the Quaker Meeting at Farmer's Institute. The Farmer's Institute MM minutes (partial) that I was able to find stated that in 1844 William, Joseph, John, Amos, Mary & Hannah, were Original Mbrs. However, these minutes cover the time period from 1844 to 1867 and there is no mention of Joseph's death in 1852. Again, census records seem to indicate that he did die between 1850 and 1860. Joseph (age 74) appears on the rolls of Wayne Twp, Tippecanoe Co, IN in 1850 with spouse Hannah (aged 56) and children James (20), Joseph (27), Sarah (12), William (33). By the 1860 census Joseph's wife Hannah (age 67) is living in Wayne Twp but with William (41) and his wife Sarah (26) and their son, Joseph (2) as well as William's brother Joseph (38). Hannah Hawkins Hollingsworth's death occurred in 1866 in Illinois. The Farmer's Institute MM minutes state that on 7-20-1867 Hannah gct Onarga MM, IL - she dec before it was rec there" So I'm assuming this date is close to actuality. She is supposed to be buried at Ash Grove, Illinois but I could not locate the grave there. I corresponded with Harry Hollingsworth in December 1976 and he said that Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr by J Adger Stewart (page 75) shows this Joseph Hollingsworth to go back to Valentine through Joseph (Margaret Wright Hammer), George, Abraham, Thomas, Valentine. However, that is really the only place I found anything that stated specifically that Joseph (m. Hannah Hawkins) was the son of Joseph (m. Margaret Wright Hammer) and I understand that there are known errors in this book. William stated in the above mentioned portrait that he was one of seven children. The other named are Amos (d. 1872), Martha (d. 1892), Benjamin (resident of California or Quaker Minister residing in Indiana according to obituary), Joseph (engaged in farming near Wichita, Kansas), Seth (resident farm of Arkansas) and James (retired farmer who now makes his home in Kansas City). Just wondered if there were other ancestors of Joseph and Hannah Hawkins Hollingsworth who had run across more definitive proof linking this Joseph to Joseph and Margaret Wright Hammer Hollingsworth.