Who is my granddaddy?

                                                                                                   TIME CHART FOR

                                                                                                ALBERT J. ANDERSON

                                                                                                         1836-1906

1836     On February 15, 1836,  Albert Jackson Anderson was born to Henry M. and Sarah Anderson in Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas.

1848    Sometime before Albert’s 12th birthday the family had moved from Arkansas to Williamson County, Texas Republic.

1850    The census shows  Albert, age 14, and parents living in Milam & Williamson, Texas.

1860    The census shows  the Anderson family living in Fort Belknap, Texas.

1860    The Young County court records show that James Anderson, Henry and Sarah’s oldest son, was arrested for stealing cattle and changing the brand.  The cattle he stole belonged to his brothers John Henry and Mitchell Anderson.   The trial ended in a hung jury.  The brothers took justice in their own hands and hung James.

1861     The court brought charges against John Henry and Mitchell Anderson for hanging their brother.   The trial was suspended due to a Indian uprising in the area.  A new trial was never held.

1861-4   The period of the Civil War.  Texas voted in favor of secession from the United States.  Henry and all of his boys, except Phillip Jefferson age 9, served either in the Confederate Army or as Texas Rangers during the war.

1864     After the Civil War the Anderson family gathered at Fort Davis, Texas.

1865     Albert married Nancy Alveria Wilson from Weatherford, Texas.  Two years later John Henry Anderson married Martha Emma Wilson, Nancy’s sister.

1867     Albert and Nancy’s first child,  William Henry Anderson, was born in Weatherford, TX, on August 28, 1867.

1870     Census shows Albert and Nancy living in Fort Griffin, Stephens Co., Texas.  These were several family forts provided to protect ranchers from Indian attacks.

1874     Records show that Albert and family had moved from Texas to Bent County, Colorado.

1880    Census shows Albert and family living in Bent County (La Junta), Colorado.  His occupation was “stock grower” and age 43.

1886    There was a gun fight in the Theatre/Saloon in  La Junta.  Henry’s son William Henry and another relative were involved.  Henry gave his son his best horse and he escaped in the middle of the night and before the sheriff  arrived.

1890    Albert’s family next move from Colorado was to Mobeetie, Texas.  Henry and Sarah’s family  (John Henry, William Walter and Elizabeth) were ranching around Mobeetie.  Albert stayed only a short time and move about 40 miles east to Red Moon, Oklahoma Territory.  Albert’s son William Henry was already ranching in the Red Moon area.

1900    Census shows Albert and Nancy living in Cheyenne Township, Oklahoma Territory.

1902    Albert and Nancy were living in Sayre, Oklahoma Territory.  Albert was not in good health, Nancy was running the local hotel.

1904    Albert was waiting for “Indian money” so they could move to Montana where their daughter Nancy Belle Woodward lived.   Letters show Albert and Nancy moving to Forsyth, Montana.

1906    Albert’s health was getting worse.  He goes back to Red Moon, O.T. where his son William Henry lives.  He knew he was about to die and he wanted a Baptist funeral and burial.

1906    On December 6, 1906 Albert passed away and was given a Baptist funeral and burial in Cheyenne, O.T.

1906-10  Nancy stayed in Montana.  Her daughter Nancy Belle’s husband passed away and she and her mother moved to Laurel, Montana.

1910-19   Nancy and her daughter operated the Yellowstone Hotel in Laurel and also operated the Lennox Hotel for several years.

1919       Nancy died on June 12, 1919 and received a Methodist funeral and burial in Laurel, Montana.

Kinsfolk,  this ends the chapter on our great – – grandparents, Albert and Nancy Anderson.   Next I will  write about Albert’s father Henry M. Anderson, who married  Sarah Collier.  If any cousins have information that I might include, it would be appreciated.

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

Jim Lee

Dear Kinfolk,

NO, I am not suggesting we are related to the Lone Ranger.   However,  the old stories of our great grandparents has brought back my childhood memories of the Wild West movies.  When I was around 9 years old, my mother Alida would ask dad, Orren, to take me with him to work on Saturday.  Also, my sister Marjorie was glad to get her obnoxious little brother out of the house in case her friends came by.

Gun loaded and ready to go meet Roy, Gene and the Lone Ranger.

When we got downtown dad would give me 25 cents and dropped me off in downtown Enid, OK.   At that time the population was around 20,000.  Downtown was built around a square, with 5 movie theaters .  So I would spend 15 cents at the Dan & Bake hamburger joint for a Pepsi and small onion burger.  Then with a dime left over, I would choose which movie theater had the best (and most) westerns and spend the rest of the afternoon watching cowboy serials.   Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Lone Ranger were all my childhood idols.

There were movies of the good guys (wearing white cowboy hats) catching a horse thief (always in black hat) and hanging him from a big oak tree.  Now, remember the true stories of our great uncles, John Henry and Mitchell Anderson,  hanging their brother James for stealing their cattle.

There were movies of the Indians raiding the white settlers and capturing  a pretty little girl and taking her back to their camp.  Now, remember how our great-uncle John Henry Anderson who was with the Military Calvary that found an Indian camp with a captured white girl, and then rescued Cynthia Ann Parker whom they had been searching for for many years. 

There were movies of the white settlers in west Texas living in Forts for protection from the Comanches.   Now, I get an e-mail from a cousin, Barbara Close of Berkley California , describing her research of  Fort Davis and our great -g-g grandfather Henry M. Anderson and family.  Recently Barbara sent me a story of one woman making a Confederate flag for Fort Davis in March of 1865.  “As the flag was presented the soldiers fired salutes and one hit and wounded Mr. Sutherlin.  The presentation was followed by dancing in the school-house all night.”

There were movies of how the Texas Rangers would come to the rescue of a rancher and family being surrounded by Cheyenne Indians.  Now remember the blogs about our great gg Uncles and Grandfather  were Texas Rangers or Confederate Soldiers during the Civil War.  Fort Davis diaries told stories of  how John Henry and Mitchell Anderson “went on an Indian hunt,  they fought them near the double mountains on the Barzos and got three Indian scalps.  John Anderson was wounded, shot through the right arm with and arrow.”

There were movies of thousands of  wild Texas longhorn cattle being rounded-up and driven up the Chisholm trail to Kansas.  There were many scenes of the Comanches raiding the cattle .  Now, we found out stories of  the Anderson brothers driving cattle through west Texas Comanche country and up the Goodnight/Loving trail.  John Henry wrote “we got through OK”, after going through the Comanche country.

I now know why I have enjoyed writing the blogs,  I have relived my childhood cowboy fantasies through our grandparents true adventures.  Its in our genes!  

Some cowboys never grow up!

ANOTHER REAL PLUS OF WRITING THE BLOGS HAS BEEN THE NEW CONTACTS OF SEVERAL LONG LOST COUSINS! 

Brendan Roe,  Portland Oregon.  His  gg grandmother was May Emiline Anderson, 1881-1968.  She would  be the daughter of Albert and Nancy Anderson.

Barbara Close, Berkley, California.  Her great-grandfather was Mitchell Anderson, born 1837 in Jacksboro, TX.  Son of Henry and Sara Anderson.

JoRetta Lewis, Texas?.  Her great grandmother was Lucinda, Anderson, born in Arkansas in 1834.  Daughter of Henry and Sara Anderson.

Archie Brewer, deceased.  Her grandfather was John Henry Anderson born in Jacksboro, TX. in 1839.  Son of Henry and  Sara Anderson.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful fall day,  if you have nothing to do, check out the western movie Lonesome Dove,  I could swear someone stole the story of our grandparents for this movie.

Jim Lee