Anthony was born about 1730 in Chester Township, BurlingtonCounty in the British colony of West Jersey (later to becomepart of New Jersey). He was one of five children born to WilliamHollinshead and Hannah Rudderow. He was a great grandson of Johnand Grace Hollinshead, Quakers who emigrated to West Jersey fromLondon, England, about 1680, seeking religious freedom. Whilehis mother was a member of the Church of England, Anthony'sfather was unalterably the product of the two generations ofQuakers that preceded him. Not surprisingly, Anthony and hiswife, Elizabeth Conrow, raised their children in the Quakerfold. New England colonists became bitter and then angry, asBritain's treatment of them grew increasingly arrogant. The likelihood of armed rebellion grew ever stronger, dividingcommunities and families. It became clear that a revolution wasinevitable. The pacifist Quakers faced their own dilemma -whether to sit by, taking no part in revolution, or to abandonthe religious convictions handed down by their grandparents andfight for their political destiny. Anthony, unlike most of hisrelatives, elected to fight for what he believed was right. Asmuch as he might have agreed with the rebels' cause, he couldnot support taking up arms against the King. Consequently, heleft the Society of Friends and joined His Majesty's forces atNew York in 1770. By now, he and Elizabeth were the parents ofsix children. When the Declaration of Independence wasproclaimed in 1776, Anthony and his family were obliged toabandon their home and belongings to seek asylum within theRoyal lines at New York. He was at this time a Lieutenant in theThird Battalion of a Brigade of New Jersey Volunteers (Loyalist)under Brigadier General Courtland Skinner. During the course ofthe war, Anthony's land, buildings, furniture, tools and stockwere seized and sold. The family was allowed to retain theirclothing, and provisions sufficient for three months. Duringthis period, their last child was born. Of Anthony's wartimeadventures: ". . . he went out secretly amongst the Rebels at the risk ofhis life and recruited men for His Majesty's Service, afterwhich he joined a Band of Loyal Refugees and erected a BlockHouse on the banks of the Hudson River, which they noblydefended against the attacks of the Rebel General Wayne who hadfive times their numbers, whom they defeated and retook thecattle the Rebel General was driving off, in which EngagementMr. Hollingshead was, and was informed he behaved verygallantly." He left the army in 1779. Although the war was effectively overin 1781, Anthony and his family remained in New York, preventedfrom returning to their homes by post war hostility. The peacetreaty signed in 1783 extinguished any hope of their remainingin New England and they, along with thousands of otherLoyalists, were evacuated by sea. After investing the hopes and the dreams, the sweat and theprayers, of four generations linked over a hundred years,Anthony and his family left New York in a refugee ship for NovaScotia with little more than the clothes on their backs. Anthonyand his family arrived in the Annapolis Basin of Nova Scotia inthe summer of 1783. They settled just south of the coastal townof Digby. In 1784, Anthony was granted three hundred acres offorest-covered land. A year or two later, he also had a dwellingon Water Street in Digby. Accounts of early Digby life refer toHollingshead Bridge and Hollingshead Brook. Like the otherLoyalist pioneers, Anthony and his family started with only thebarest of essentials to open up their new land. They fashionedtheir own clothing, furniture, soap, candles and tools. Theyhelped each other build houses and barns. The forests,originally a barrier, became a source of opportunity as thepopulation required homes, furniture and ships. The earlyHollingsheads became exceptional builders and carpenters, atradition, which has continued through generations ofblacksmiths, wheelwrights, mechanics, engineers and scientists. Through 1794 and 1795, Anthony and Elizabeth, and most of theirnow-married children, left Nova Scotia for less crowdedopportunities in the frontier area around Newmarket. WhenAnthony and Elizabeth arrived in Upper Canada, Anthonypetitioned the Crown for land as was his due as a United EmpireLoyalist. He was granted Lot 32 of Concession 1, 190 acres onthe east side of Yonge Street, near the village of Thornhill andLot 5 on Concession 4. He built a two-room house on theThornhill property and completed his settlement duties by 1801.He lived there until 1817 when he sold it to George Crookshank.In the meantime, Anthony's Digby property was transferred backto the Crown for lack of completion of settlement duties.Newmarket was by now the centre of a thriving Quaker community. In November 1815, Anthony requested to be joined in membershipwith the "Friends". In January 1816, he was received once againinto the Society of Friends. It is believed Anthony died about1818. The writer does not know the specific date and buriallocation at this time. Based on information researched and published by: Deon Smith: The Hollingshead Rollins Family, a Heritage ofStrength and Honor A. M. Stackhouse: Some Genealogical Notes of the HollinsheadFamily Morley Thomas: The Hollingsheads and Hills of Yonge Street Â…and the extensive research of Frank Johnson We are indebted to each of these caretakers and the many otherswho have thoughtfully recorded and preserved our heritage.