As found in the books by Murtie June Clark1 and Bobby Gilmer Moss2 regarding the Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War, Captain John Anderson is probably the father of Violet who married William Dorris.
My research seems to support this but John Anderson is such a common name that proving this may be extremely difficult especially since Loyalist records are few and scattered among numerous countries and localities.
According to Moss, Captain John Anderson arrived in America from Ireland about 1767. Moss states that he lived on Reedy Branch of Thicketty Creek in Ninety Six District.
There is a 1783 record for 247 acres of forfeited land owned by a John Anderson on "Gochers Creek of Thickety Creek in Ninety Six District".3 This is likely Gouchers Creek in present day Cherokee County near Cowpens and Gaffney.
Interestingly, during the American Revolution, there was a fort near the confluence of Gouchers Creek and Thicketty Creek that when built was named Fort Anderson. The fort was later renamed to Fort Thicketty and it was the site of an embarrassing surrender in 1780 by Loyalist forces commanded by Colonel Patrick Moore. The log structure has recently been restored.
Fort Thicketty/Fort Anderson (front view)
There are also 2 records of land forfeited of a John Anderson in 1785. This land was noted to be on the north side of the Broad River near Turkey Creek. It is not known if this is the same John Anderson but Turkey Creek joins the Broad River near present day Lockhart SC and this is about 9 miles from Thicketty Creek where our Captain John Anderson owned land.
Moss' comment about Captain John Anderson immigrating to America in 1767 provides a start point to search among the passenger lists but he does not appear to have immigrated to South Carolina - he may have arrived from another state.
Confusing matters a bit, there is also a John Anderson that settled near Hard Labor Creek, close to William Dorris in 1767. This John Anderson appears to have immigrated from Belfast aboard the Earl of Donegal in 17674; However, the age of this John Anderson is shown on the ship manifest to be 28 - not old enough to be the father of Violet, but he could be her brother. An Elizabeth Anderson (age 28) is listed below John's name on the manifest and it is presumed that she is his wife.
This John Anderson"s land bounty was for 150 acres issued in December 1767 on Hard Labor Creek, Granville County. The plat has no adjoining neighbors but it does show a road just to the NW described as "The great road leading from Hall (Whitehall?) or Hard Labor Creek to Charleston". This road appears to be the old Indian path/road leading to Orangeburg which passed near Whitehall before it terminated at Fort Charlotte. I believe this land was in or adjoining the Londonborough Township which was between Hard Labor Creek and Stevens Creek (now Cuffeetown Creek).
(SC Archives)
(FamilySearch.org;Church of Later Day Saints)
Fort Charlotte is now under the waters of the Savannah River near the Georgia communities of Graball and Lisbon. Whitehall (General Andrew Williamson) was located just to the north of present day Bradley SC near Highway 221. The "great road" must be the road depicted on the map below - it nearly bisects the Londonborough Township. This of course places this John Anderson's land near the Dorris land. Note that in Orangeburg, this road joins the road leading from Ninety Six and together they formed the route that the Loyalists and refugees traveled to Charleston following the siege of Fort Ninety Six.
Great Road To Charleston(Internet sourced; Author unknown)
(Bing Maps)
(Author photo, 2019)
There are several historic references to Captain John Anderson which place him as one of the leaders of the Loyalists in South Carolina. According to Moss, John was a Patriot under Colonel Benjamin Roebuck in the Spartan Militia. He later joined the British and he is noted as being a Captain in the New Acquisition District Regiment as well as the Long Cane Militia. He and his wife died near Charleston following the escape from Ninety Six.
Two of his sons were noted to have been soldiers as well: George and William. They all evacuated Fort Ninety Six. George was apparently nearly shot by Patriot soldiers while he was sick at home with smallpox but his mother intervened and saved him. It appears that he evacuated Charleston for Bellisle Bay, New Brunswick 5 where he remained until his death. Son William served in the Ninety Six Militia (probably Ninety Six District Loyalist Militia) and he was captured at Ferguson's Defeat (Kings Mountain).
John, George and William are all listed in Moss' book The Loyalists In The Siege of Fort Ninety Six. John is listed in Moss' roster of Patriot Soldiers at the Battles of Ninety Six (1775 & 1881). Note that he was probably a Patriot under then Major (later General) Andrew Williamson in 1775 but in 1881 he was a Loyalist. Son George may be the Captain George Anderson that Moss lists in his roster. Known battles: Kings Mountain, Siege of Savage's Fields, Ninety Six.
Captain John and his wife had eight children: William & George (noted above), Elizabeth, John, James, David, Jane, Susan. Following the war, 5 of their children returned to South Carolina. George, as noted above, appears to have remained in Canada.
Moss notes that on September 2nd 1775, Captain John Anderson debated Rev. William Tennent III. This is interesting because Rev. Tennent was a highly educated (Princeton and Harvard) Presbyterian pastor and a significant cog of the main Patriot movement in South Carolina. He was a member of the South Carolina General Assembly (Provincial Congress) that served as the Patriot's government. He was sent by the Council of Safety (from Charleston) along with William Henry Drayton to Ninety Six to rally Patriot support and suppress Loyalist support in the area around Ninety Six (See Fort Charlotte road sign above). William Tennent III is the grandson of William Tennent the famous early American minister who is said to have started Log College which later became Princeton University. Moss' most likely found the reference in Rev. Tennent's Journal which is now available online via the Caroliniana library.
|
Saturday 2d September - Studied a Sermon in the morning & went 5
miles to Bull Town Meeting House which is about 15 miles from the Indian
Line. The assembly was the most
crowded that I have seen. Preached
extempore with more ease & freedom than common. The People though mostly opposed appeared
very affectionate. Finding them
willing to hear, I gave them a Discourse upon the American Dispute of near 3
hours, I think I was more animated & demonstrative than usual. Its Effect was very visible, the people holding
a profound Silence for more than a minute after I was done. A certain Justice Anderson who formerly was
a friend to American freedom but receiving the magic touch from the other
side the River, suddenly changed his note & by every artful method had
since disaffected his Acquaintance, this man arose & in a smooth &
plausible way objected to the Association.
I answered him with as much clearness as I was able. The people seemed satisfied & many of
those who had signed Fletchalls Association now subscribed ours. |
Note that the Bull Town Meeting House Tennent refers to was located on Rocky River. This is now the Rocky River Presbyterian Church which is located on Jacobs Chapel Road. It is not known if the church today sits on the same spot as it did in 1775 but an 1825 map indicates a R. River M.H. on a road named Davis Bridge near Gill's Creek in the same general area. Tennent notes that after the Bull Town meeting, he travels "10 miles distant" to lodge at Patrick Calhoun's. Patrick Calhoun lived near Highway 823 where it crosses White Creek, which is approx. 8 miles from the present day Rocky River Presbyterian Church.
(Author photo, 2019)
Patrick Calhoun Gravesite
(Internet Photo; No copyright)
The University of South Carolina Caroliniana Library has Rev. William Tennent III's journal and papers online for viewing. One of the maps in this file shows his route passing Thicketty Creek.
If it is true that Captain John Anderson is the "Justice Anderson" that debated Rev. William Tennent III, he too must have been educated as well. This would make it likely that he owned land near Ninety Six which he may have lived on - The Thicketty Creek land that is known about is approximately 60 miles from Fort Ninety Six. One has to wonder how his life (and his descendants) would have turned out had he survived the war.
Note that Major (later Colonel) James Mayson is my ancestor as well. Mayson and his 3rd wife are buried on the grounds of the Ninety Six Battlefield.
Links for more research:
- Londonborough Township Map and history
- Anderson's Fort (Fort Thicketty) Downloadable PDF about King's Mountain Battle - see page 54
- Captain John Anderson Downloadable PDF about King's Mountain officers - see page 16
- Siege of Savage's Old Fields Captain John Anderson led the New Acquisition District Regiment
- Battle of Ninety Six
- Fort Thicketty/Fort Anderson
- Fort Thicketty/Fort Anderson
- Rev. William Tennent III - Index to his journal and album of papers from the SC Caroliniana Library
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1. Clark, Murtie June, Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War (Genealogical Publishing, 1981). Available on Ancestry.com
2. Moss, Bobby Gilmer, The Loyalists In The Siege of Fort Ninety Six (Scotia-Hibernia Press, 1999).
3. Genealogytrails.com, Plat of Forfeited Estates 1782-1783 South Carolina, SC Archives. The plat does not appear to be available online.
4.See Janie Revill's Original Lists of Protestant Immigrants to South Carolina and also the land bounties listed in the SC Archives for the name, date and acreage. Compare John Anderson's plat with the plats issued at the same time to other Earl of Donegal passengers.
5. Note that Bellisle Bay is only a short distance from Shelburne, Nova Scotia which is where the Dorris & Merck families lived when they too evacuated Charleston.
(This page was updated on 7/21/2021)