The Anderson Family of the Lost Creek Settlement

The Lost Creek Settlement in Vigo County, Indiana is a settlement of mixed Native American, African American, and European American families who in part descend from Granville County. I recently assisted a woman whose family descends from the Andersons of the Lost Creek settlement make the connection back to the Andersons of Granville County. While doing this research I found many family trees on Ancestry that seemed to be having difficulty making the correct Anderson connection from the Lost Creek settlement to Granville County. So in this blog post I will properly outline and document that connection.

---

The Lost Creek Settlement, A Native American Descendants Association

James Shepard is the the webmaster and a descendant of the Lost Creek Settlement. Here is some background information:

Lost Creek Community Grove
Welcome

The Lost Creek Settlement was a community established prior to 1860, by “free people of color” from the southeastern American states. The largest migration from North Carolina to Indiana occurred between the late 1820’s thru 1840. Those pioneers settled within the Vigo County, Indiana townships of Lost Creek, Otter Creek, Nevins, and Linton. The Linton community became known as the Underwood Settlement. Almost all of these pioneers were an admixture of European and Native American. Others were an admixture of European and African, and some were a mixture of all three. Descendants of these settlers, who have verified their Native American ancestry via DNA testing, are the families of: Allen, Anderson, Bass, Batton, Cooper, Harris, Manuel, Norton, Russell, Shepard, Tyler, and Underwood.

Source: http://lost-creek.org/genealogy/index.php

Shaded in yellow is Vigo County, Indiana which is located on the state’s western border with Illinois. Lost Creek is immediately adjacent to county seat Terra Haute. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigo_County,_Indiana

---

From Norfolk, VA to Granville Co, NC

A map showing the movement of the Anderson family who later resettled in the Lost Creek Settlement in Vigo Co, IN. This branch of the Andersons moved from Norfolk, VA to Northampton Co, NC to Granville Co, then back to Northampton Co, then to Richmond/Montgomery Co, NC and finally off to Indiana. © Kianga Lucas

I previously blogged about the origins of Anderson family here and it is a worthwhile read to learn more about the early origins of the family. The Lost Creek branch of the Anderson family begins with an earliest known ancestor named George Anderson (1696-1771). In 1712, George Anderson and his Anderson family were freed as ordered by the will of John Fulcher, their deceased slave owner. Fulcher lived in Norfolk Co, VA and was a neighbor to and had land transactions with the Nansemond Bass family. The freed Andersons and the Basses subsequently intermarried.

Map of the Elizabeth River in what was then Lower Norfolk County, VA. Shown are approximate locations of Captain John Sibsey’s land holdings including “Manor Plantation” which his grandson John Fulcher inherited. Also shown is the land that John Fulcher granted to the freed Anderson family. Edward Bass‘ land purchase from John Fulcher is also shown. Source: Sir Robert Barrie Papers, Rubenstein Library, Duke University

The wife of George Anderson (1696-1771) was a woman named Mary but her maiden name is unknown. Years ago, I had posited that George Anderson’s wife may have been Mary Bass (b. 1722), daughter of John Bass (1673-1732). But I now know for certain that Mary Bass (b. 1722) was the wife of Benjamin Bass (1722-1800). So if your family tree shows that George Anderson’s wife was Mary Bass, please note that is not correct. 

In 1745, George Anderson sold his Northampton Co, NC land and settled in Granville Co, NC by 1746. From the Granville Co tax lists and from George Anderson’s will we know the names of his children. Jeremiah Anderson (1740-1793) was identified as George’s son in the 1751, 1752, 1753, 1754, and 1755 tax lists. In 1762, Jeremiah Anderson purchased 200 acres of land from his father George Anderson in Granville Co. And in George Anderson’s 1771 will, Jeremiah Anderson inherited only 1 shilling from his father.

The 1771 will of George Anderson (1696-1771) which names his surviving children including Jeremiah Anderson (1740-1793).

 

---

 

Jeremiah Anderson (1740-1793) Moves Back to Northampton County

In 1764 Jeremiah Anderson was a tithable in Granville Co and his wife was listed as Margaret. It’s possible she was from the Mitchell family because David Mitchell (1744-1784) was listed a tithable in Jeremiah’s household. By 1780, Jeremiah Anderson left Granville Co and returned to Northampton Co,NC where his father George Anderson had previously lived. This was an unusual move because most of the Andersons who came to Granville stayed in Granville or left for land further west. In the 1786 North Carolina State Census, Jeremiah Anderson (1740-1793) was counted as the head of household of 5 “black persons” in Northampton County. Interestingly, his neighbors included members of the FPOC Newsom, Allen, Demery/Demory and Sweat families.  And he was enumerated in the 1790 U.S. Federal Census in Northampton County, NC as the head of household of 7 FPOC. That same year he purchased 100 acres of land in Northampton. By the end of his life, Jeremiah Anderson had remarried a woman named Milla Stewart (he was the executor and was called Milla’s husband in the 1794 Northampton County will of Milla’s mother Margaret Roberts). Jeremiah Anderson was deceased by January 1794 when his widow Milla Anderson and son George Anderson sold his 100 acres of Northampton Co, NC land.

So from the 1794 land transaction we know that Jeremiah Anderson had a son named George Anderson (b. 1770). For reasons not known to me, George Anderson left Northampton Co, NC and relocated to Richmond Co, NC. In the 1820 census he is the head of a large household of 10 “free colored” people in Richmond Co, NC. The age and gender breakdown shows that George Anderson was married and had 5 sons and 3 daughters living in his household. This household information is generally consistent with what is known and documented for George Anderson’s offspring.  In the 1830 census George Anderson was enumerated as the head of a household of 10 “free colored” people in neighboring Montgomery Co, NC. It’s also important to point out that George Anderson’s son Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) was enumerated in the 1830 census in Richmond Co, NC as the head of household of 6 FPOC. This again shows that the Anderson family before relocating to Vigo County, IN, lived in Richmond/Montgomery Co, NC. 

I haven’t been able to locate a marriage record for George Anderson (b. 1770). However according to the 14 March 1882 Vigo Co, IN marriage record of George Anderson’s son John Anderson (b. 1815), George Anderson’s wife was Morning Taborn. This certainly makes sense because the Taborn family are a large Native American/”free colored” family that lived in Northampton Co, NC and intermarried with other families such as the Allens, Manleys, Birds, and Haithcocks. (Recall that in the 1786 North Carolina state census, George Anderson lived next to the FPOC Allen family in Northampton Co). William Taborn (1758-1835) moved from Northampton Co, NC to Granville Co in the 1770s and is the main progenitor of the Taborns of Granville’s Native American community. I haven’t been able to verify Morning Taborn’s parents yet, but she is most likely closely related to William Taborn’s brothers who remained in Northampton Co: Nathan Taborn (1760-1833), Allen Taborn (b. 1763), Isaac Taborn (b. 1768), and Wyatt Taborn (b. 1775).

John Anderson’s second marriage to Margaret Riley on 14 Mar 1882, lists his parent’s names as George Anderson and Morning Taborn. Source: FamilySearch

---

George Anderson (b. 1770) and his son Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) vs George Anderson (b. 1776) and his son Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875)

I have noticed that a number of family trees on Ancestry have confused this George Anderson (b. 1770) of Richmond/Montgomery Co, NC who is the father of the Andersons who relocated to the Lost Creek settlement in Vigo County, Indiana for a different George Anderson (b. 1776) of Granville Co, NC. Both men had sons named Jeremiah Anderson which has likely further added to the confusion. When researching the Anderson family, it is imperative to be aware of repeated and common first names within the family, in order to avoid confusion. Therefore I will review and compare the records for both George Andersons, to make it clear they are two separate men.

George Anderson (b. 1776) of Granville Co, NC was the son of Lewis Anderson and Winnie Bass (named in their wills) and married Sarah Evans (b. 1774) on 14 October 1800 in Granville. He was enumerated in the 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 censuses for Granville County. He was also consistently found in the tax lists in Granville over the years as well as the court minutes. The road work orders in the court minutes show that he owned land adjoining his eldest son Jeremiah “Jerry” Anderson (1794-1875). Another son named Dennis Anderson (b. 1807) appears in the Granville tax lists next to him. George Anderson’s (b. 1776) household information in the census shows that he had a small family. There were two people (no gender or age breakdown) in his household in 1800, four people (no gender or age breakdown) in 1810, five people (George Anderson, wife, two sons, one daughter) in 1820, three people (George Anderson, wife, and son or grandson) in 1830, and three people (George Anderson, wife, and son or grandson) in 1840. And finally in the 1850 census when the entire household was enumerated for the first time, George Anderson was the head of a household that only consisted of himself and wife Sarah “Sally” Evans. I have not been able to locate a will or estate records for George Anderson (b. 1776) or his wife Sarah Evans (b. 1774), so I’m unable to give a precise death date. They were both last enumerated in the 1850 census, they likely died between 1850 and 1860.

A comparison of the life events of George Anderson (b. 1776) detailed above and the George Anderson (b. 1770) who was the father of the Lost Creek Andersons, shows that they were different men. George Anderson (b. 1776) and his wife Sarah Evans (b. 1774) never left Granville County. His small household reflected in the census, is completely inconsistent with George Anderson (b. 1770) who was the father of at least six known Anderson sons (discussed in the following section). Furthermore, John Anderson’s (b. 1815) marriage record in Vigo County, IN identifies his parents as George Anderson and Morning Taborn, not George Anderson and Sarah Evans. So according to John Anderson (b 1815) himself, his mother was Morning Taborn, not Sarah Evans. This is documentation which corroborates that it was George Anderson (b. 1770) and wife Morning Taborn who were the parents of the Lost Creek Andersons.

When we compare the records attributed to their respective sons, Jeremiah “Jerry” Anderson (1794-1875)  and Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805), the confusion becomes even more apparent. Jeremiah “Jerry” Anderson (1794-1875) who was the son of George Anderson (b. 1776) and Sarah Evans (b. 1774) was a well known and respected person in the Granville community. He was enumerated in the 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses in Granville County. On 26 October 1820 he married Sallie House in Granville. She was included in Jeremiah Anderson’s household in all censuses where the entire household was enumerated by name (1850, 1860, and 1870) so we know they are the same family. Jeremiah Anderson served in the War of 1812 under Captain Leslie Gilliam. His widow Sallie (House) Anderson later filed a widow’s pension for Jeremiah Anderson’s service in the War of 1812 and it includes a lot of helpful information. You can access the full pension application on the fold3.com website here.  What made Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875) held in high esteem in the community is that on 29 April 1868, he and his sons Samuel “Sandy” Anderson and Alfred Anderson, donated land to for a school to educate children of color. Jeremiah Anderson’s death was reported in the 12 October 1875 issue of The Torchlight newspaper. His body had been found in a river new Richmond, VA. His widow Sallie (House) Anderson’s pension application, indicates that Jeremiah Anderson died on 24 September 1875 in Richmond, VA, so it is consistent with the newspaper obituary. The men in the Granville community were mostly farmers and travelled to Richmond to sell their goods and crops. Jeremiah Anderson’s death resonated with me quite a bit because my great-great grandfather who was a resident of Granville, also died while he was in Richmond selling crops. The obituary goes on to describe Jeremiah Anderson as a man of “good character” and that he was known for vending cakes and melons outside of the Oxford (capital of Granville County) courthouse.

Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) who was the son of George Anderson (b. 1770) and Morning Taborn had life events that are completely divergent of Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875). In 1830, Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) was first enumerated in Richmond Co, NC, while Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875) was enumerated in Granville. In fact, I have seen family trees incorrectly attribute the 1820 Granville census record for Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875) to Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805). In 1820, Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) was a minor and definitely not the head of a household. Furthermore, the 1820 census shows that Jeremiah Anderson was between 26-44 years old, so there is just absolutely no way that could be Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805). In 1832, Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) first appeared in Vigo County, Indiana where he patented 40 acres of land. On the other hand, Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875) and his father George Anderson (b. 1776) were tithables in the Oxford district of Granville County in 1831, 1832, 1833, etc. So when Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) was purchasing land in Vigo Co, IN, Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875) and his parents George Anderson (b. 1776) and Sarah Evans (b. 1774) were tithables in Granville County where they owned land (Jeremiah owned 130 acres and George owned 75 acres).

A land grant from 31 December 1832, shows that Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805), son of George Anderson (b. 1770) and Morning Taborn, purchased 40 acres of land in Vigo County, Indiana (The Lost Creek Settlement). This means Jeremiah Anderson moved from Richmond Co, NC to Vigo County, IN

From 1840 through 1880, Jeremiah Anderson (b. 1805) was enumerated in Vigo County, Indiana. On the other hand, Jeremiah Anderson 1794-1875) was enumerated in the Granville censuses all the way up through 1870.  Finally it should be pointed out that in the 1850 census for Granville County, George Anderson (b. 1776) and his wife Sarah Evans (b. 1774) were enumerated two households away of Jeremiah “Jerry” Anderson (1794-1875) and his Sallie House and their children.

The 1850 census for the Oxford district of Granville County shows George Anderson (b. 1776) and his wife Sarah “Sally” (Evans) Anderson (b. 1774) enumerated in household 111. Their son Dennis Anderson (b. 1807) and his family were enumerated in the next household. And their son Jeremiah “Jerry” Anderson (1795-1875) and his family were enumerated in the following adjoining household.

As seen in the 1850 census listed above, Dennis Anderson (b. 1807) who was another son of George Anderson (b. 1776) and Sarah Evans (b.1774) was found enumerated between the household of his parents and his brother Jeremiah Anderson (1794-1875). Dennis Anderson married Eliza House on 24 December 1828 in Granville and his father George Anderson (b. 1776) was the bondsman. Like his brother, Dennis Anderson was a well known and respected person in the community because he was a preacher. If you browse through the community’s marriage records from the mid to late 1800s, you’ll see Dennis Anderson often officiated over the marriage ceremonies. The offspring and later descendants of George Anderson (b. 1776) and Sarah Evans (b. 1774) were integral to endurance and resilience of the Granville community which is one of the reasons why it is important to me to that this genealogy is corrected.

This is the family tree chart of a branch of the Anderson family who remained in Granville County. Some researchers have confused George Anderson (b. 1776) and his son Jeremiah “Jerry” Anderson (1794-1875) who remained in Granville County for George Anderson (b. 1770) and his son Jeremiah Anderson (1805-1889) who moved to Vigo County, Indiana (The Lost Creek Settlement).

So to repeat, the George Anderson who was the father of the Andersons who relocated to the Lost Creek Settlement in Vigo Co, IN is not George Anderson (b. 1776) of Granville Co who was married to Sarah Evans (b. 1774). Please help me circulate the correct genealogy by updating your tree if needed.

---

The Andersons Arrive at the Lost Creek Settlement in Vigo Co, IN

 

We can tell from the 1820 and 1830 census records that George Anderson (b. 1770) and wife Morning Taborn had a large family. I have been able to identify a number of George Anderson’s children and they all appear to have relocated to the Lost Creek Settlement in Indiana by the 1830s. The following is a summary of George Anderson’s children:

1. Jordan Anderson (b. 1799) was married to Elizabeth Jackson. By 1830 he was the head of a household of 7 “free colored” people in Orange Co, IN and was counted in the 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses for Vigo Co, IN.

2. Jeremiah Anderson (1805-1889) was married to Rhoda Underwood. In 1830 he was the head of a household of 6 “free colored ” people in Richmond Co, NC. And from 1840 through 1880 he was counted in the Vigo Co, In censuses.

Rev Malachi Anderson (1848-1920) was the son of Jeremiah Anderson and Rhoda Underwood. He was married to Sarah Pettiford. Vigo Co, IN Source: The Lost Creek Settlement website

Oma Delany Anderson (b. 1843) was the daughter of Jeremiah Anderson and Rhoda Underwood. She was married to Primus Tyler. Vigo Co, IN Source: The Lost Creek Settlement website

3.David Anderson (1807-1868) was married to an Elizabeth with some family trees claiming her maiden name is Shad and other claiming her maiden was is Jackson. I cannot find direct evidence of either. David Anderson was enumerated in the 1840, 1850, and 1860 censuses of Vigo Co, IN.

4. Abel Anderson (b. 1808) was married to Jane Roberts in Orange Co, IN in 1832. He was counted in the 1840, 1850 and 1860  censuses in Vigo Co, IN.

5. Lewis Anderson (b. 1812) was married to Mary Green and was counted in the 1840 and 1850 censuses in Vigo Co, IN.

6. John Anderson (b. 1815) was married to Nancy Patterson in 1840 in Vigo Co, IN. He was enumerated in the 1850 and 1860 censuses in Edwards Co, IL.  In 1870 and 18880 he was enumerated back in Vigo Co, IN. He married for a second time to Margaret Riley 1882 in Vigo Co, IN. It is this marriage record that identifies George Anderson’s wife as Morning Taborn.

---