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Archiver > MOLAWREN > 2003-05 > 1052659013


From: "Robert Strong" <>
Subject: Re: [MOLAWREN-L] Richard ANDERSON family
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 06:16:53 -0700
References: <20030510233022.81130.qmail@web20106.mail.yahoo.com>


Deb,

Richard Anderson is my great great grandfather. I am descended from his
youngest son, Zacharia Taylor Anderson. I have spent considerable time
researching this family. While I don't have all the answers, what I do have
can be viewed at my website: http://azstrong.tripod.com/jd_letha (there is
an _ between jd and letha).

Unfortunately, you will not find anything there regarding possible Indian
ancestry in the Anderson family. No such evidence has come to my attention;
indeed, you are the first Anderson descendant I've met to even have a family
story about Indian ancestry. I suspect this belief probably originated in
the fact that many in this family moved from Lawrence Co., MO to Indian
Territory and became assimilated into the Choctaw Nation. You may want to
contact the descendant of Sarah (Anderson) Shipman noted on my website, who
I believe will confirm that regardless of the photograph you've seen, she
was not of Indian descent. I have also seen photographs of Green Berry
Anderson and he does not appear to be of Indian descent.

As you will see at my website, Richard's parents were Philip Anderson and
Polly McNatt. You are correct that the Anderson and McNatt families moved
together from Bedford/Lincoln Co., TN to Barry/Lawrence Co., MO. I've long
suspected the Shipmans moved about the same time. There is no evidence that
I am aware of that shows they first went to the Choctaw Nation -- the
Choctaws themselves were just beginning the Trail of Tears from Mississippi.
While I've seen the name McNatt rendered McNutt in some transcriptions of
records, I have never seen just the Nutt version.

Hopefully we can be of help to each other in other ways. Did you know that
there was yet another Anderson daughter who married a Shipman? Sophia
married Isaac. I do not have much information about your Anderson ancestor
and her family. I would appreciate a list of children with accompanying
detail. I will be glad to add you as a contact person for this line to my
website if you will provide me with the necessary contact information.

I'm sorry not to be of any help in your quest to find Indian ancestry. My
grandmother, Tilitha Anderson, married John DeWitt Bowers in Indian
Territory. Our family story has always been that his mother, Polly Majors,
was half Cherokee. I have been fortunate to have found some supporting
evidence. Her mother was a member of the Leffew family of Grainger Co., TN
and Rockland Co., NC before that. After the death of the partriarch of the
family about 1800, the children started being enumerated as "free other" in
the censuses. While there are other possible explanations for this
classification, it is at least consistent with our family stories and the
family stories of collateral Leffew lines.

You are to be congratulated for attempting to prove a family story and I
expect you will continue the quest. I ask only that you remain open to the
possibility it is just a story.

Robert Strong
Scottsdale, AZ


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