Moses Hollingsworth ~ Builder

Moses W. Hollingsworth of Springboro was an architect and builder. He was the son of Joseph and Rhoda Whitacre Hollingsworth, born 5th mo. 17th day 1823. His father was a miller by trade and established with his brothers-in-law Whitacre Mills where Todd’s Fork enters the Little Miami River in 1832. The family was associated with Hopewell Preparative Meeting in Rochester (near Morrow, Ohio). Around 1850 the family moved to Harveysburg. The Quaker meetings in both Rochester and Harveysburg were preparative meetings of Miami Monthly Meeting in Waynesville. After the death of his father in 1853, Moses and his mother moved to Springboro. His sister Ruthanna lived with them after the death of her husband, Nathan Hunt. Moses never married.

Moses was a member of Miami Monthly Meeting in Waynesville and transferred his membership to Springboro Monthly Meeting on 11th mo. 20th day 1867. Since he was on the building committee for Miami Valley Institute, it is possible that he was the architect and contractor who built the main brick building and other buildings. There is no conclusive evidence for this, however. Moses Hollingsworth was an active Friend and served on many Quaker committees. In 1903 he was appointed a Director of The Farmer’s Bank of Springboro ( See, 1904 Blanche A. Riley Diary, Clearcreek Township, Warren County, Ohio (Lebanon, Ohio: Printed by the Warren County Genealogical Society, 1999), p. 73.)

Obituary:

HOLLINGSWORTH.~At the home of Lydia Wood, in Springboro, Ohio, Sixth month 16th, 1911, Moses W. Hollingsworth, in his 89th year. He was born near Rochester, Ohio, but had lived since 1857 in Springboro. He was a life-long and consistent member of the Society of Friends (Friends’ Intelligencer, Seventh month 1, 1911, p. 415).

A short death announcement was published in the Miami-Gazette on June 21, 1911. The funeral was held at the Springboro Monthly Meeting and he was buried in Rochester Preparative Meeting graveyard, near Morrow, Ohio. This old cemetery lies on the north side of Rt. 22/3 behind the old Quaker Meetinghouse in Rochester (Cemetery Vol. VI Warren County, Ohio Old Cemeteries from Eight Townships (Warren County Genealogical Society, 1987, p. 385). The meetinghouse is now a private residence.

Edward Furnas, Elihu Underwood and wife, Edwin Chandler, A. B. Chandler, Miss Belle Chandler of Dayton, attended the funeral at Springboro (Miami-Gazette, June 21, 1911).

Also see, Warren County, Ohio and Beyond by Dallas R. Bogan (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1997), pp. 271-273,

Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society, and,

Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Socie... (Photograph taken of their gathering at The Mary L. Cook Public Library.)