Archibald Hollister, born in Connecticut, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. A son, Algernon Sydney (A.S. as he was popularly referred to), was born January 28, 1796, in Vermont. Anna Teall, born in Vermont in 1800, married A.S., an Episcopal minister.
With sons Charles ((b. 1825), Algernon, Jr. (b. 1826) and Edward T. (b. 1832), A.S. and Anna arrived in Troy, Michigan in 1835 to evangelize and educate. Here he set up a select school. In 1845, they came to Green Oak Township, settling in Section 20 on 160 acres. One source indicates the Reverend and Anna had seven children; five sons and two daughters. James (b. 1838) and Mary (b. 1839) were born in Michigan.
Rev. Hollister had begun missionary work in Hamburg in 1843. Following efforts by earlier missionaries, his work culminated in the establishment of a parish – St. Stephen Episcopal Church. He was the first rector, serving until his death January 2, 1856. His struggles, along with Methodist Episcopal preachers, are detailed in an 1847 letter. “Our greatest difficulty arises from the poverty of our people and the custom extensively prevalent in this county of the mass of people neglecting public worship and spending the Lords Day in visiting and amusements… Brighton is important for laying the foundation of the church… it is a sad discouragement at present to find no gentlemen of influence to interest themselves in promoting a church.”
Son Charles was educated in his fathers school and at the age of 20 began teaching. In 1847, he bought 80 acres in Section 19, Green Oak Township. Eliza Jane Miller married Charles June 5, 1850. Their home was southwest of the intersection of Rickett and Winans Lake Roads. In 1861, a half mile north, 120 acres in Section 17 bear his name. Charles and Eliza also had seven children. Tow of the boys, Millard and Joseph, moved to Boise, Idaho, in 1875 and 1881 respectively. In 1915, daughter Bessie is owner of the land in Section 17.
The conviction of the value of education was evident in the early settlers by the organizing of rural school districts at an early date. The Hollister School district #4, northwest corner of Winans Lake and the Ann Arbor Road intersection, was organized in 1838. The school, built that fall, was not a log cabin but built according to detailed instructions to the builder, including: a frame structure with plaster walls, a portico and ten windows. The existence of a library at the town hall in 1888 confirms the belief that education was a vital ingredient in a productive life. A c. 1947 photo shows 25 smiling pupils posing for the annual photo; not a Hollister among them. Construction of U.S. 23 in the 1960s eliminated Hollister as well as Holden School, 2.5 miles north.
With Hollister School, Hollister Post Office (Anne was the first postmaster March 22, 1858 / October 21, 1862) and a stagecoach stop, the intersection of Winans Lake and the Ann Arbor Roads was a busy one. At that time, the trail from Ann Arbor to Flint came north to Winans Lake Road, west to Rickett Road, and continued north through Brighton Village. A.S.s son, Algernon, Jr., located in the Howell area as a goldsmith by 1850 and son, Edward T., bought his parents property after his fathers death.
Compiled by Marieanna Bair from: census records; First Landowners and Settlers of Livingston County and obituaries compiled by Milton Charboneau; Hamburg Cemetery Records by James Tayler; Hamburg Memories by Joyce Terry; Green Oak 1830-1930 by Green Oak Township Historical Society; 1891 Photo and Biographic Album; From Settlement to City – Brighton by Carol McMacken. Additions, corrections requested.