Holdsworths in Wilkes-Barre

Chris and I made a trip to Wilkes-Barre, PA to see what we could find out about the Holdsworth family roots. We visited the county courthouse, the local library, and the historical society. Here are the highlights of what we found.

James C. Holdsworth, skating champ

James Charles Holdsworth (my grandfather) must have been well known in Wilkes-Barre as a roller skating champion. You might say he was a professional. Uncle Wally sent us the picture on the right. In the photo, James C. is wearing roller skates and four medals. The obituary of his first wife, published in the Wilkes-Barre paper in 1898, four years after they moved to Baltimore, reads "A great many people of this city remember both Mr. Holdsworth and his wife. He was the first of the roller skaters to win a championship in this city at the old Metropolitan rink on South Main Street."

Records at the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society tell us that roller skating was a new and popular sport in the 1880s. In a compilation of sporting results from that era, the name "Holdsworth" appears in the roller skating and bicycling listings. Notice the duration of the races. Imagine skating 350 miles in a 36-hour race at a roller rink. That's equivalent to roller skating from Chicago to Des Moines, IA, in 36 hours! Remember these skates didn't have polyurethane wheels.

Roller Skating

1885/5/28 -- A thirty-six hour race at Keystone Rink was won by Thomas Crooks by one mile and four laps with Holdsworth in second place. Crooks make 351 miles and 9 laps.
1885/6/13 --A week contest at Keystone Rink ended. ... The contestants finished in the following order: McMahon, Holdsworth, Rice, Bachman, Irwin, Johnes; The winners' share of the proceeds were: McMahon $105, Holdsworth $75, Rice $60, ... The money was shared according to the distance made by each.
1885/8/14 -- In a 24 hour race which ended at 9 p.m., the final score was Holdsworth 248.02, Crooks 259.03. A special purse of $250 was wagered that Crooks would win. "It is expected that the winner will receive $800 to $1,000."
1885/9/7 -- At the Columbian Rink (Nanticoke) with Dan Hart as announcer, a ten mile race between Holdsworth, Schriver and Dougherty. Results: Holdsworth, Dougherty, Schriver. Amount each got: Holdsworth $32.40, Dougherty $24.30 and Schriver $16.20.
1885/11/26 -- At Adelphi Rink in Plymouth there was a one hour race. Score was Emory 14,3 Holdsworth 14:1 and Dougherty 14. "The largest crowd the building ever held."
1886/1/9 -- At the Keystone Rink, John S. Prince the bicyclist and Charles Holdsworth, roller skater, contested in a five mile race. Prince won by five yards in 18 minutes 30 seconds.
1886/1/14 -- At the Keystone Rink, the same two engaged in a ten mile contest. Prince won this by 2½ laps in 39 minutes 38 seconds.
1886/1/15 -- The same two contested in a fifteen mile race which Prince won by eight yards.
1886/1/29 -- A 24 hour race began at 10 p.m. Prizes were 40, 30 and 20% of the net proceeds. ... Admission was 20¢ and the prizes amounted to $80, 60, and 40. Contestants were Charles Myers, Charles Holdsworth, Archie Irwin, Russell Emory, H.H. Tinker, M.W. Weiss, James Kane and Thomas J. Lewis. Winners: First, Holdsworth, 241 miles 5 laps, second Tinker 240 miles 12 laps; third Emory 225 miles 2 laps.

Bicycling

1891/11/30 RECORD: "Rice won the 50 hour bicycle race at the Armory and will receive an award of $25. Myers was second and Holdsworth third." ... Rice, 477 mi. 2 laps; Myers 454 mi. 0 laps; Holdsworth 422 miles, 12 laps; ... Prizes: $25 & 50% receipts; $15 and 30% receipts; $10 and 20% of receipts.

I can't be sure that the Holdsworth in the bicycle race is James C., but it seems possible. The race occurred five months after the death of his son (below). Myers could be an old roller skating competitor.

James C. Holdsworth, tailor

Wilkes-Barre city directories indicate that James C. was a tailor from 1884 through 1893, before he entered medical school. The first name varies: "Charles C." (1884-86), "J.C." (1886, 87, 88, 91), "James C." (1889), "Charles J." (1890), "J.Charles" (1892, 93).

At first, I wasn't sure this was my grandfather, but the entry in the 1894 directory convinced me. It reads, "Holdsworth, J. Charles, rem'd to Baltimore." From that point on, we don't see him. Looking back at the 1884-86 directory "Charles C." lives at the same address as "Holdsworth, Elizabeth, widow John," presumably his mother.

James doesn't appear in the business listings. So, I would assume he worked in someone else's shop.

The first Mrs. James C. Holdsworth and son

We are able to shed some light on James C. Holdsworth's first wife and child. We found a newspaper obituary and cemetery records for each. I was under the impression they died at the same time. His wife died seven years after their son. Even though we were given the location in the cemetery, we couldn't find any headstones. ( Click here to see the cemetery records.)

Harold S. Holdsworth died June 17, 1891. The newspaper entry is brief.

Harold S., infant son of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Holdsworth died 2:20 yesterday afternoon of convulsions, aged 9 months.

The first Mrs. Holdsworth is referred to as "Belle Holdsworth" in the obituary and "Bella Glaze Holdsworth" in the cemetery records. She died November 6, 1898. The entry from the Wilkes-Barre paper:

Death of Mrs. Dr. Charles Holdsworth

Mrs. Belle Holdsworth, wife of Dr. Charles Holdsworth, formerly of this city, died at her home in Baltimore on Sunday morning of typhoid fever. The remains were brought to this city yesterday at 4:20 p.m. over the C.R.R. of N.J. (Central Railroad of New Jersey) and were taken to the Hollenback Cemetery and interred in the family plot. The floral tributes from friends in Baltimore came with the remains and were handsome and embraced some large designs. Services were held at the grave and the remains were viewed by some friends who were present. Mrs. Holdsworth was a particularly active worker in Epworth League circles in Baltimore and was also interested in church work. A great many people of this city remember both Mr. Holdsworth and his wife. He was the first of the roller skaters to win a championship in this city at the old Metropolitan rink on South Main Street. He subsequently married Miss Frankie Kemball and they later left this city for Baltimore where the husband graduated to medicine and located there; he subsequently obtaining a place on the faculty. His mother recently died here.

The mention of Bella Holdsworth's maiden name caused us to look for a Kemball family in the Wilkes-Barre city directory. In the 1891 directory, we found an entry for "Kembel D. W. & Co., sewing machines" in the nearby town of Parsons. James C. Holdsworth was a tailor. Could this explain how they met?

James C. Holdsworth, on the move

I am aware of 20 addresses for James C. Holdsworth between his birth in 1865 and death in 1935. Appropriately, he seems to have resided on Malta Street longer than anywhere else.

John Holdsworth, coal miner and real estate tycoon

John Holdsworth was the father of James C. Holdsworth and my great grandfather. He probably emigrated from England between 1861 and 1865. He died July 14, 1880. According to (somewhat dubious) Census records, he would have been age 49. John was a coal miner in the Wilkes-Barre area. The 1870 Census tells us he could not read or write. His will on record at the county courthouse was signed with an 'X'. (Click here to a copy of his will.)

Despite this humble background, John did own more than one piece of real estate. The 1870 Census lists the value of his real estate as $2,000, a significant sum for the time. A property map from 1873 shows him owning a house in Plains Township, just outside Wilkes-Barre. A property map from 1882 shows him owning a brick house on Bowman Street in Wilkes-Barre. At the time of his death, he lived in Wilkes-Barre. His will states:

...I hereby request and desire that my property situate in Plains Township County of Luzerne and State of Pensylvania. viz: One house and three town lots without buildings thereon be sold for the purpose of paying all my just debts and thereafter I devise and bequeath unto my beloved wife Elizabeth all my property real personal or mixed of what nature and kind soever and wheresoever the same shall be at the time of my death and during her natural life.

The will was written on June 9, 1880 and indicates that John Holdsworth owned three lots in Plains Township, as well as his home in Wilkes-Barre at the time of this death.

How could an illiterate coal miner afford to own four pieces of property? Our visit to a coal mining museum in Scranton may hint at the answer. Within the mines, there were miners and laborers. The miner was, in effect, a middle manager. The coal company paid the miner according to the amount of coal mined. The miner then paid the laborers on his team. So maybe we can regard a miner as middle class.

I believe the house on Bowman Street in Wilkes-Barre is still standing. I took a picture. When I get it developed, I will post it on the web site. That's where James C. Holdsworth would have spent his teen years.

Elizabeth Holdsworth

Elizabeth Holdsworth, my great grandmother, survived her husband by 17 years. She died in 1897. The entries in the paper:

Deaths

HOLDSWORTH -- In Plains, Dec. 10, 1897, Elizabeth, widow of John Holdsworth, aged 73 years.

Plains

The funeral of Mrs. Holdsworth, who died Friday evening after ailing for some time of general debility took place Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock and was largely attended. Rev. J. N. Lee of the M. E. Church officiated and the choir of the church sang several appropriate hymns. The pall bearers were Thomas Vinton, Robert Martin, Stephen Lambert, Evan Morgans and Winthrop Oplinger.

Cemetery records indicate that Elizabeth was born May 13, 1824. This record casts doubt on the accuracy of the 1870 Census, which lists her age as 40.

We know Elizabeth lived in Wilkes-Barre for several years after John's death. We know she died in Plains Township. John's will instructed that his property in Plains be sold. Did she live in Plains? If so, why? Did she have a daughter there?

Bill Holdsworth,

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Last revised: December 21, 2006.