Chapter 2

                    ANDERSON’s MOVE TO CADDO GAP, ARKANSAS

 In 1828, not long after Henry M. and Sarah Lowry Anderson were married, they moved from Amite County, Louisiana Territory, to Caddo Cap, Arkansas Territory.  Amite County was in Louisiana Territory and later became part of Mississippi.

 Henry and Sarah followed the Indian trails west, moving from Choctaw Indian Territory in Mississippi to Caddo Indian Nation Territory in Arkansas.  The Caddo Nation was a confederacy of several southeast Native American Tribes.  An internet story stated that Sarah Lowry was half blood Native American Indian (have not found her name on the Indian Rolls).

 After Henry and Sarah’s move to Arkansas Territory, the state achieved statehood in 1836.  This would be when Congress began the removal of the Five Civilized Tribes (Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw and Seminole’s) from Arkansas to Oklahoma Territory.  Today, the Caddo Nation resides in Binger, Oklahoma.  The removal of the eastern Native American Indians from their home land, to Oklahoma Territory, was one of many broken promises by Congress to the Indians that they could remain in their native eastern home.

 In 1812, Kentuckians Martin and Mary Collier were the first recorded white settlers in Arkansas.  Their daughter Sarah “Sally”Collier has been posted on the internet as the wife of Henry M. Anderson.  However, no records of this marriage in Arkansas have been found?  In Amite County, Mississippi, where Henry lived, there are court house records of a marriage certificate between, Henry Anderson and Sarah Lowry, dated September 18, 1827.  Today, there are divided family camps on which “Sarah”,  he married Collier or Lowry.   When tracing ancestry,  a written copy of marriage certificates usually wins the battle.  Until further research proves otherwise, I am in the Lowry camp.

 We do not know much about the life of Henry and Sarah during their 21 years living in Caddo Gap.  Arkansas was a slave state and the 9^th to secede from the union and join the Confederate States of America.  It is possible that Henry had slave(s) while living in Arkansas.  Many years later when he lived in Hemphill Co. Texas, there was a former slave still living in his house.

 Henry Anderson was a rancher, the same occupation as his father, James Anderson. The Caddo River would have been a valuable source of water for Henry’s livestock.

                         Caddo Gap Community is located along the Caddo River.

What we do know is Sarah was kept very busy raising “11” children.  Ten were born in Arkansas and the last, Phillip Jefferson Anderson, was born in Texas.     

• James Anderson, born 1829.
• Mary Collier Anderson, born 1831, twin.
• Prudence Anderson, born 1831, twin.
• Elizabeth Anderson, born 1832.
• Lucinda Anderson, born 1834.
• Albert Jackson Anderson, born 1836.
• Mitchell Harrison Anderson, born 1837.
• John Henry Anderson, born 1839.
• Delaney Anderson, born 1841.
• William Walter Anderson, born 1844.
• Phillip Jefferson Anderson, born 1852.

 We are not sure of Henry and Sarah’s political affiliation, but do find it interesting the middle names given their children…… Albert Jackson Anderson, Mitchell Harrison Anderson and Phillip Jefferson Anderson.