July 9, 2001

Hollingsworths Descend on Cecil County - Build Link Between Past and Present

By Michael L. Dixon (appeared originally in the Cecil Whig, July 9, 2001)

Elkton, June 29-July 1: It was one of those oppressively hot and humid summer weekends in Cecil County when summer dishes out its worst. Of course, with the area cloaked in blistering temperatures, sticky humidity, and triple-digit heat indexes, many people went off in search of relief. Some headed for nearby beaches, many sought the protection of cool air conditioning, and more than a few were seen at area ice cream stands. Then again, as commercial thermometers flashed away, providing ample evidence (if any where needed), that the heat wave was living up to forecasts, a group of over 60 visitors descended on Cecil County. Undeterred by the uncomfortable Maryland mugginess, many of them traveled great distances, from states such as Washington, Texas, Florida, and nearly a dozen others.

Friday evening, they gathered at the Fair Hill Inn for a group dinner. The next morning, standing under the blazing July sun, they stood in the Elkton Cemetery, at graves of citizens who confronted the British during the American Revolution. Later, they were at Elk Landing, walking land that more than once felt measured footsteps of soldiers and heard the cry, “the Redcoats are coming.” In between, they were inside the cool comfort of the Eva M. Muse Library at the Historical Society of Cecil County, the Howard Hotel in Elkton, and other meeting places.

Who was this group of hardy souls and what had them on the go on these trying summer days? The people that had converged on Elkton, operating practically under their own steam, were descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr., a Quaker who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682. As Europeans penetrated the unsettled forests and fields of the Atlantic coast, Valentine’s descendants spread across the growing territory and one of his children, Henry, moved to Cecil County to raise a family. They were here building a link between this past and the present, according to the president of the family history group, Joan Woosnam. As relatives from 9 months to 84 years old, gathered for the reunion, members of the society celebrated their history, catching up with seldom-seen relatives, exchanging genealogical information, trading photographs, honoring the past, and enjoying Cecil County, Woosnam said.

About 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon, as descendants congregated at Elk Landing, the home of Zebulon Hollingsworth, one could hear distant rumbles of thunder and see approaching dark clouds. Zebulon Hollingsworth, clutching his walking stick and doing quite well for his accumulated age, paced excitedly about his plantation, now a living history center, as he greeted these contemporary visitors to his 18th century plantation. The actor playing Zebulon, Gordy Johnson, is actually the general manager of ERA Mason Dixon Realty and a director of the Historic Elk Landing Foundation, the organization that is restoring the long dormant property. Whatever the case, the 266 year-old-man in the tricorn hat would let nothing detract him from his performance. He took no notice of the approaching storm nor the automobiles the guests arrived in. After all, it was the 1700s to Zebulon and it would be so until his guests departed.

As if the heat were not enough to deal with, an intense thunderstorm rumbled across the top of the Elk River just as members of the group, standing in the old mansion house built by one of their forebears, started their program. 

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed around the 42-acre park, as Jo and Henry Hollingsworth and Susan Aggarwal, on behalf of the Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. donated a rare 1782 family Bible to Elk Landing. A few weeks ago, according to the planner of this year’s reunion, Jo Hollingsworth, they purchased the rare Bible on eBay from Ed de Cindis, an antiquarian book dealer in Miami, Florida. The Bible belonged to Zebulon ’s son, Thomas and the family history group felt Elk Landing was its appropriate home. Speaking of the value of the Bible, Jo said: “The records included in it are invaluable. There are several pages of births, marriages and deaths and all this helps integrate this family in Maryland history for a period of over 100 years.” Elk Landing’s Director of Collections, Doug Howe, said the foundation was thrilled to add this valuable historical artifact to its collection.

As they said their goodbyes on Sunday, one descendant said she was so moved by the visit to Elk Landing, that she could feel the presence of ancestors at the plantation. As for the weather, guest preparing to return home to Ohio, Indiana, and New York, heard forecasters say a cold front would pass through, producing unseasonable cool temperatures overnight.