a revisit…2 Henry Andersons of Edgecombe…
The elder one born abt 1774 perhaps… the younger one born abt 1805.
Anderson Hen 1805
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Try as we might (I say we meaning: David Gammon, Traci the Librarian and myself)… we cannot bring ourselves to say that the younger was a son of the older. Those pesky Census records prevent it and loudly proclaim it Not So. After much fretting, hand wringing, and (heavy indulgencies to spiritous liquors on my part) we are left with nothing to show for our quest as to his parents… a completely meatless and well gnawed bare bone heavily chewed on.
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I suppose a minor mention of another Henry who left a will in 1801 is in order…ignore him. He lived near the Pitt County border and is of similar unknown parentage… I have dirt on him if you are interested but he is not in this mix. This discussion is the Walnut Creek boys.
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A compelling argument can be made that the elder Henry (wife Lovey Staton) simply threw down his hoe one day, packed up the wagon and left the old homestead in Edgecombe and sought out greener pastures… you can search up that dirt (on this site) if you are so persuaded.
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Note that in 1840 the younger Henry sold 40 acres that he had just purchased from William Griffin…he sold it to an Elizabeth Anderson. And again we have no idea really who SHE is.
Is this her?
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Now as I reread the article I wrote , I have to consider that I must have been under the influence when I wrote it. Now (years later) I have no basis at all to have concluded that MY ancestor George begat this woman. Again I am left trying to explain my ignorance of facts and tendency to jump on theories… But truth be told there were quite a few instances of unexplained children being begatted… and the name Anderson seemed pretty damn popular.
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All of which brings up my buddy David who just popped up with a humorous comment yesterday- he threw out a question to Traci the Librarian wanting to know if our ‘target of the day’ might have been a “woods colt”? To which I spewed a mouthful of Old Fashioned back in my glass and demanded to know what “that” was? To which he explained it was “Edgecombe Speak” for illegit child.
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So now I ask- was Henry b.1805 a “woods colt”? And what was his reason for passing that 40 acres on to whoever that Elizabeth was in 1840?
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This map is just an approximation… but it generally shows where all this begatting was taking place in the 1820s-1850 or so…
wc1840ish
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Prior Posts on the Henry born 1774ish…
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