Captain Henry Anderson Family

A while back I posted about the Henry, Jacob, Josiah, and Jesse family.

Well, ultimately, I know this should be the correct family based on the DNA circles on Ancestry.com.  Although the thrulines all show Henry Cook as the father of our siblings.

I don't think they take into account that there were other unknown siblings, or the ages of the family members.  In the photo of siblings to the left, you can see Jacob was born when Henry Cook was three, Ruth when he was only six.  It makes no sense for it to be him.  But, he does fit nicely as the oldest brother.

The Dawes application in one place states that Aunt Nancy was "Robert Marion ANDERSON's" aunt.  Which could possibly be Nancy BALLEW , sister of Henry Cook's wife.   Again, making Henry Cook a sibling.  Margaret BALLEW, his wife, was undoubtedly Cherokee.  However, the only spouse I can find for that Aunt Nancy was a Montgomery, not an Anderson.

Then there's Nancy Anderson who married Francis BALLEW.  Who would certainly be Cherokee by marriage.  And, since it is Robert's aunt, Nancy should be a sibling of Jesse.  I have found a lot of stories and information, but not a sibling Nancy.  And, Francis and Nancy were not in Missouri.  But, it would make a whole lot of sense that if Henry Cook married Margaret, his sister Nancy married Margaret's brother Francis.

Nancy, Francis, and Margaret BALLEW's grandmother on one side was Diana LIGHTSKY, and on the other Charity LIGHTSKY.  Literally, both Indian Princesses.  Daughters of Chief Leyestisky, AKA Chief George Robert Lightsky.

But here's another confusing part.  Nancy who married Francis was an Anderson, Henry who married Margaret was an Anderson.. but the information I am finding have them from two different Anderson lines.

Now, this is possible... but, seems more likely that the families were together and married.  Other trees on Ancestry are showing Nancy descended from James ANDERSON, but ours descended from Henry ANDERSON.  And, I see no place where these two lines meet.  It's going to take a lot more research because I have no proof either way, and I "lean" towards her being in our line.  But, I do have the Bilyeu line in the tree also, which is sometimes Ballew - and they are two different lines.  It can become quite confusing.

In most places, it states that Aunt Nancy was Jesse's aunt.  So, I am not 100% certain where Aunt Nancy fits, but I plan to go back through the testimonies and see if I can narrow down the facts a little better than I have.

Testimony of Andrew Smith

I do wonder if Alexander ANDERSON, could be the father of our group.  I wonder this because of the testimony given, and the way it was worded.  I've read that Henry Sr. had other children, and Andrew Smith states that he knew Alex Anderson and Nancy Anderson. 

This is the only place I've heard of Alex.  Why would he even mention Alex if it wasn't of importance to the family in the case?  Perhaps I should investigate into Andrew Smith's family and see who he was living near.

It would make sense that if he were speaking of the aunt of the children, that he would also address the name of the father.  "Yes, I knew Alex and Nancy Anderson", is how I see this.  I just can't find an Alex under Henry ... or anywhere else, YET.

Regardless of the path to get there, the line does seem to go to Captain Henry ANDERSON b. 1731 right now.  However, this is based off the combination of the DNA matches and those matches family trees.  If the matches have inaccurate information, the line is wrong. 

It does seem that some of the branches off Henry on ThruLines have more documentation, so therefore their trees are proven.  So, assuming they are proven, and DNA matches... would get around to ours 'must be' here somewhere.  For now, I 'assume' this is correct.  Which one of his son's, I am not sure of, but... much, much closer!

Connecting the Dots

Ever since the DNA results have come in, I have been working to connect all these cousins to my tree.  It has been a lot of work, and a lot of time, but VERY interesting!!

Now, Ancestry has created the new Thru Lines!  This is a great feature that has helped me connect many cousins to branches I never would've guessed from their trees.  However, users should beware ~ if someone else has an error in their tree, it can show up as a thruline.  

For example, I know from all the research I've done that Henry Cook ANDERSON is certainly not my Jesse's father.  However, EVERY other tree I find him on, has Henry Cook listed. 

Now, I would AGAIN mention that there was no way that the Henry Cook who went to Missouri was old enough to be the father of Jacob and Ruth, who we KNOW are Jesse's siblings.

The line of Josiah also has children with those names, but their spouses and families are documented, and are not the same families.  But, the idea here in this post was some of the craziness I encountered adding limbs this weekend. 

Ailey Jones Armstrong Watkins
okantee originally shared this on07 jul 2017

The craziness began looking to match up an Armstrong.  I found Ailey JONES (1st cousin 6x removed) who was first married to Royal ARMSTRONG, then second to William WATKINS (1st cousin 5x removed).

On my grandpa Anderson’s side is my 5th great-grandfather, Samuel WATKINS.  Also on my grandpa Anderson's side is my 6th great-grandfather Jacob GUM.

My 6th great-grandfather on my grandma Anderson's side is Mansfield JENKINS (b.1708).

LOL!  So.... here's where the fun is!

Samuel Watkins had sons John, Elijah, and James.  John had son's William and Isaac.  Son James, had son Lewis. 

Richard Skaggs b. 1744 had several children:  Benjamin, Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego, Henry, Rhoda, Sarah, and James.

Ailey Jones had daughters from her first marriage to Royal named Mary E., and Eliza Jane Armstrong. 

Mary E., married Nelson Watkins, son of Lewis.  And, Eliza Jane, married Isaac Watkins, son of John and uncle by marriage.  ~ lots of 'add someone already in tree'.  But, then there's more. 

Ailey Jones is the daughter of Lydia Gum and John Jones.  Lydia is the daughter of Jacob Gum, and her first husband was Shadrack SKAGGS. 

Jacob Gum's other daughter Sarah had a daughter also named Lydia, who married Elijah Watkins, Samuel's son.  Sarah’s first husband was Meshack SKAGGS.

Nancy HALE (Sarah Hale's sister - wife of our Jesse Anderson) was married to James SKAGGS.

Then while adding information, I saw there was a Silas JENKINS on one of Robert Armstrong's censuses (Robert is the son of Ailey). Hmmm..... Robert married Lucinda Jenkins.  Lucinda Jenkins is a cousin through Mansfield JENKINS.  Mansfield-Jesse-Joel-John-Lucinda.  Ancestry does not have all these connections updated yet, so I am not sure of the new ranks.

A couple other bits that I have not gotten into yet:

1.  Samuel Watkins mother was Mary Jones.  Any relation to John Jones, Lydia Gum's husband??  Probably, but I haven't found it yet.

2.  William Watkins daughter Nancy Watkins BELL passed away without any children. 
Her estate was taken care of by Royal Watkins, her first cousin.  There is an entire list of heirs - many names I have not seen in trees yet.  Looks like the adventure of a lifetime trying to connect all those dots!

I now have a ridiculous tree of over 15,000.  Way too many, but I'm afraid to split it up, especially after days like the one I just had.  I would be afraid that I would miss a connection.  

It is interesting to me that these families have been connected for so many generations, and nobody probably even knew it.  How could anyone know that these connections that began with someone born in 1708 would trickle down and mix on both sides into the children of Robert E. Anderson, and Pearl E. Coke 200 years later.  

How cool is that??!!!

So, if you're interested.... I've added a little tree section below.  It also includes the Bells, but I have not yet figured in all the Jones family....

Note2:  Simpson Montgomery m. Sally Skaggs m. Sarah Gum dau. Lydia Montgomery

Getting Closer ~ Jesse J. Anderson

Ok. After more research - some interesting finds in the search for Jesse J.'s father.

"Also during 1817, James Ballew, William Gillapsy, and Henry Anderson, of North Carolina, accompanied by their families, settled on the Gasconade River about twelve miles southwest of the site of Waynesville, near the Laclede County line. Josiah Turpin, of Kentucky, also located there the same year. Soon after, Elijah and Elisha Christeson settled on the land in the vicinity of the site where Waynesville is now located. Cyrus Colley, settled in a "hollow", which was later named after him. Later that year, Jeptha West, Jesse A. Rayl, Sr. and Thomas Starke settled near the Christesons. "

In the fall of 1828 my father and mother, mother's parents, John and Bethia Hillhouse, and my uncle, Josiah M. Hillhouse moved from Lawrence county, Tennessee, and on the 19th of November pitched their tent on the Osage Fork of Gasconade river, about fifteen miles east of where Lebanon now stands, just above where Farris' mill was afterwards built.....Just across the river from our cabin, in calling distance lived Jacob Anderson and his young wife, whose maiden name was Duff, and his two sisters, Levisa and Polly, and a younger brother, Jesse J. Anderson, not yet grown......the Andersons were the great-uncles and aunts, on mother's side, of Rev. E. J. Stanley, of Montana. Just up the river a mile or two lived James Campbell and his wife, Ruth. She was an Anderson. They were both Methodists, and the grandparents of Brother Stanley.....I remember being often at these two houses, and that I had an exalted opinion of "Aunt Ruth's" piety which was confirmed after I had grown to man's estate. I suppose Mr. Campbell was not very demonstrative; I only remember that he was very tall, fair-skinned and redheaded; that he kept a blacksmith shop and acted as deputy sheriff.....The society consisted of Jacob Anderson and Peggy, his wife, Josiah M. Hillhouse and Peggy, his wife, James Campbell and Ruth, his wife, and his brother, Moses Campbell; I think he had been a member before and had license to preach or exhort, but was in a backslidden state and was restored; he afterwards preached occasionally. Also, Levisa Anderson, Polly Anderson, Jesse J. Anderson and Patsy and Nancy Hillhouse, and possibly some others."



Looking at this map, you can see that where Henry Cook Anderson settled in 1817 is the same location where Jacob, and his family (including Jesse J.) were living in 1828. Which leads me to believe they are family.

Now, the birthdates don't seem to line up with Henry being old enough to be the father of Jacob and Ruth, but perhaps a brother. ???? Does anybody have information on who are the parents of Henry Cook Anderson or Ruth Anderson Campbell? This would help a great deal! Ruth is said to be the grandparent of - and the other Anderson's Great aunts and uncles - so the others are family.

Now, we already know they came from North Carolina, to Tennessee, then Missouri - and we know that in their Dawes application they mention "Alex Anderson and Nancy Anderson" and also "William and Nancy Anderson".

The book says that Henry Cook went there in 1817, it is also listed on different family trees that I've seen, that Ruth Anderson and James Campbell were married in Missouri in 1819. So, it would make sense that Ruth and the other siblings were with Henry's party.

There is an eleven year span between the time of Henry's arrival and the time that we have documented that the Anderson siblings are there. SO, did their parents pass away and the other children go to stay with their older sibling? Ruth and her husband moved down the road? But, Henry is not mentioned in the 1828 story.

If anyone knows any information about this, please let me know. I will keep hunting!






Sources:
(may be included)
"Missouri Marriages Before 1840", compiled by Susan Ormesher, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. (1982)
"Kansas Pioneers", by Topeka Genealogical Society, Topeka, KS (1976)
& supported by various websites.