Robert Anderson Sr (abt. 1641 - bef. 1712)

Born about 1641 in New Kent County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 21 Jun 1712 before about age 71 in New Kent County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

Robert Anderson Sr was a Virginia colonist.

History

Robert Anderson I is the first Anderson of this line born in Colonial Virginia. His father immigrated around 1635 and settled near the mouth of the York River, when very few English were in Virginia and survival was very much an uncertainty. Robert is considered the founding father of the entire line of New Kent County and Hanover County, VA Andersons, whose descendants undoubtedly number in the thousands today. He was among the earliest settlers of York County, VA, and was considered part of the "gentry" or wealthy and ruling class of English in Virginia. He and his children played a significant role in Colonial Virginia events. They served on the Vestry of St. Paul's Parish, held leadership roles in the militia, participated in major events leading up to the Revolution, and were major land holders. They were also major holders of enslaved persons, and their wills reflect the brutal practice of splitting Black families up among the children and grandchildren of the holder. The timeline below provides details of his history.

Today, the role of YDNA has drastically changed our ability to construct lines of descent back to Robert Anderson. YDNA testing in particular has confirmed a growing number of males today with the Anderson last name whose MRCA (most recent common ancestor) is either Robert or one of his seven sons. That DNA family is certain to grow as more descendants submit YDNA for testing at FamilyTreeDNA or other sites.

Parentage

The identity of the father of Robert Anderson I, and thus the original immigrant Anderson, is a matter of debate and still highly uncertain. This Wikitree page for Robert I identifies his father as Richard Anderson. As the summary below demonstrates, however, the identity of Robert's father should be considered unknown until further proof becomes available.

The attribution to Richard Anderson as the father of Robert, and the further line to another Richard Anderson, is based on information given in Edward L. Anderson and W.P. Anderson's books. The Andersons of Goldmine, Hanover County VA., Edward L. Anderson, published 1913[1]; Anderson Family Records, by W.P. Anderson, W.F. Schaeffer & Co., 1936[2] Those sources, however, provide no historical evidence that Robert was the son of this Richard. Those authors note simply that two Richard Andersons, one age 50 and one age 17, immigrated to Virginia in 1635 on two separate ships. Edward L. Anderson assumes that these two Richards are father and son (could be true). But then Edward L. also assumes that the younger Richard must be Robert's father based on (1) Richard being of the right age and location; and (2) the name Richard appearing in subsequent generations. Edward Anderson apparently could not identify any other Andersons who immigrated to Virginia in the right time frame and thus defaulted to these Richards as the father and grandfather of Robert. He also did not report any actual family record tying the Andersons to Richard.

As Pat Anderson has correctly analyzed, however, it is highly unlikely that either Richard is Robert's father. See Everett Anderson Memorial Collection of Colonial Virginia Anderson Families, York River, Descendants of Robert Anderson[3] If Robert's father is a Richard, then a 1657 record of a "Robert Andersin" serving on a New Kent County jury becomes quite mysterious. This Robert, given the lack of any other Andersons in Virginia at this time, would have to be the son of that Richard, i.e., Robert I. York County Wills & Deeds, Book 3, Dec. 3, 1657, p. 10[4] But the son Robert I could not serve on a jury until he turned 21 (and unlikely even then), placing the only possible birth year for this Robert as 1636. Richard the father would have had to arrive in Virginia in 1635 and then marry almost immediately to produce a son Robert no later than 1636. That places considerable pressure on an unlikely series of events. In addition, no family historian has attributed Robert's birth year any earlier than 1640.

The Richard Andersons who appear in the York County records in the 1640s (Rev. Richard Anderson and his son Richard) moved north of the York River into what became Gloucester County, and thereafter they have nothing to do with, geographically or otherwise, the Andersons of New Kent and Hanover Counties. Everett Anderson Memorial Collection of Colonial Virginia Anderson Families, York River, Descendants of Richard Anderson[5] Again, it seems highly unlikely that these Richards, if they are in fact the originators of the York/New Kent/Hanover County Andersons, would have gone off in a totally different direction.

A more likely candidate for the original immigrant and father of Robert Anderson I is one Robert Anderson who also immigrated in 1635, on the Ann & Elizabeth. Pat Anderson provides an analysis that could easily point to this Robert as the father of Robert I.[6] The older Robert was 22 when he immigrated, see Hotten's The Original List of Persons .... Who Went from Great Britain to America, published by London: Hotten, 1874[7], and thus would have been a more likely age for marriage and children in 1640 (the most likely earliest birth year for Robert I) than the younger Richard (who was only 17 on immigration, very young to marry or father a child immediately). Robert the immigrant also would have been of a proper age to serve on a jury in New Kent County in 1657 (age 44). The problem with this theory is that the immigrant Robert Anderson came over to Barbados - not Virginia (see the Hotten's reference). He could, of course, have traveled from Barbados to Virginia thereafter in time to marry and father Robert I, but there is no record of his coming to Virginia. Pat Anderson contends that the 1657 juror "Robert Andersin" has to be an older individual than Robert I, who would likely not even have been an adult yet by 1657. If so, there is clearly an older Robert Anderson right there in New Kent County to possibly be the father of Robert Anderson I.

Both theories are speculative as there is no known record identifying the father of Robert Anderson I and no conclusive way to tie him to either line. The hope is that YDNA testing will at some point pin down the correct father. This Wikitree site will continue to list the Richard Anderson line for now, to preserve that information, but researchers should consider that line highly uncertain at best.

Birth

Robert Anderson's birth date of 1642 is estimated, as there is no known record of his actual date of birth. According to Pat Anderson's analysis, Robert I first appears in the New Kent County records in a 1666 land record. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666, Nell Marion Nugent, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1983; Everett Anderson Colonial Virginia Andersons website[8]. Thus, he would have to be born no later than 1645 to be 21 in 1666 and to patent his own land. His first son Robert II was likely born in 1663, which points to an earlier birth date for Robert I (i.e., 1640-1642) unless he became a father before he turned 20 (unlikely). Most sources identify his birth date as between 1640 and 1645.

Marriage

Robert Anderson's wife is unknown. Some sources (e.g., W.P. Anderson and Edward L. Anderson) identified his wife as Cecilia Massey but there is no known record of her being Robert Anderson's wife. Pat Anderson believes confusion arose at some point with the wife of Robert's son Matthew, who married a Cecilia who was likely a Massey. See Everett Anderson Colonial Virginia Andersons page[9]

Robert's wife died between 1684, the date of birth of her youngest son Thomas, and 1712, when her husband died and no longer appears in the St. Paul Vestry. If she had outlived him, she would have appeared in the precessioning records as his widow. Instead, their son Robert II takes over the precessioning after 1712.

Children

This list of children and the birth order is taken from Pat Anderson's site and analysis, coupled with W.P. Anderson's book - see the references above. For an analysis of the birth order and birth years of the eight known children of Robert I, see

Robert I did not leave a known will, and there is no written record of who his children were. The St. Paul Vestry processioning records, however, record all of these male Andersons very close to Robert Anderson I, and thus it is likely they are his sons. Several of them also served serially on the vestry, indicating they are brothers who took each other's spot on the vestry as they came of age or died. There may have been other daughters.

1. Robert Anderson II b. about 1663 in New Kent County, Colonial Virginia. Edward L. Anderson states that Robert was about 53 at his death in 1712, which would place his birth year as 1663. ^[1] This statement is repeated in W.P. Anderson's book and in Bessie Calvert's Climbing the Family Tree. None of these sources provide a basis for Robert's age at death and thus his birth year is uncertain.
2. David Anderson b. 1665 in New Kent County, Virginia
3. Richard Anderson b.1673 in New Kent Co., Virginia
4. John Anderson b. 1675 in New Kent County, Virginia
5. Captain William Anderson b. 1678 in New Kent County, Virginia
6. Mary Anderson b.1682 in New Kent County, Virginia
7. Matthew Anderson b. 1684 in New Kent County Virginia
8. Thomas Anderson , born 1685 in New Kent County.
9. Uncertain - Some sources list a Cecelia Anderson as a daughter of Robert I but those sources are full of other errors and this link is likely incorrect. There is no such Cecilia in the early St. Paul records such as the processioning reports, only Cecilia the widow of Matthew.

There is, however, a gap between David and Richard where other female offspring would fit, if any are identified in future research.

Death

Robert Anderson's death date is taken from the St. Paul Vestry records. Robert appears as a vestry member from the beginning of St. Paul's parish (broken off from St. Peter's) starting in 1704. Robert I's last vestry meeting was September 17, 1711. In the next meeting, on June 21, 1712, he is listed as "deceased" and replaced by a new vestry member. The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, VA 1706-1786, tr. by C.G. Chamberlayne, Clearfield Publishing 1940, p. 52[10] He thus died between these two dates. No known source exists to pin his death down any more specifically than this, although some sites report a specific date.

Research Notes

Comments

Someone added the following comments to the profile above; my responses are in parentheses:

"We don't know when or where Robert Anderson was born. It is wrong to assume he was born in Virginia. We should be very cautious about his parents, siblings and/or children." Response: I agree that there is no hard evidence of the place of birth, but VA rather than England seems like a very reasonable assumption - there are no known Robert Andersons emigrating around his time frame to be him, no reason to believe he is from another part of the colonies as travel from the very few settlements elsewhere was very difficult; and there are two sets of Andersons in York County at the right time to be his parents. Happy to consider alternative evidence. His parents are indeed uncertain, the evidence is laid out above and does not offer a definitive choice. His siblings are also uncertain, but the Pat Anderson site on Rootsweb (in the sources) makes a good argument for his siblings, and I have accepted that. Robert Sr. and the children listed (except Mary) are all neighbors in the St. Paul processioning records; sibling relationship of 5 of these Andersons is confirmed by Robert Anderson Jr.'s Tobacco Letter Book (see Anderson-1606); Robert Sr. and Capt. Robert who signed as Capt. Robert also appear together repeatedly in the Vestry records. Few relationships in this time frame are ironclad, but this record strong enough to include the relationships.

"There are NO records in the St. Peter's Registry or Vestry for Robert Anderson, indicating he had not lived for very long in this area." Response: This is not correct, Robert Andrewson or Anderson appear in several St. Peter's entries between 1686 and 1704, including processioning, road building, and assisting with the transition to St. Paul's. See the entries under the Historical References above.)

"When St. Paul's Parish was formed in 1704 from St. Peter's Parish - Robert Anderson was listed as a member of the St. Paul's Vestry, the first pages are damaged so we don't know of his appointment. St. Paul's was in New Kent until 1720 when Hanover was created and included all of St. Paul's. Both Mr. Robert Anderson, Senr and Capt. Robert Anderson, Jr. were members of the 1st vestry. {Agreed)

"Mr. Robert Anderson, Sr., had not been present at the vestry held at the Glebe House, 22 Apr 1712, Capt. Robert Anderson was present. Last vestry he attended at ye lower church 17 Sep 1711." Robert Sr. died in 1712.

"St. Paul's - At a vestry held at the Lower Church ye 21st June 1712 _ Capt. Robert Anderson, Present."

Ordered that Mr Joseph Baughon be Elected a Vestry man for this parish in the room of Mr. Rob't Anderson lately deceased and that the Clerk give him notice to appear at the next meeting of this Vestry." Response: Agreed, these entries are how we place Robert Sr.'s death date between Sep. 1711 and Apr. 1712.

Chronology

1. ↑ E.L. Anderson The Andersons of Goldmine, p. 5

• Jan. 26, 1657 - A Robert Anderson was transported to Virginia Jan. 26, 1657, among 26 persons imported by James Bray. This may be a headright for Robert returning from a trip to England. Robert Anderson I would have been at most 17 in 1657; possibly went to England for school? York County Wills & Deeds, p. 10. Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Series 2, Volume 5, p. 15Abstracted by Lindsay G. Duvall, Wharton Grove, Virginia 1961[11]

• Dec. 3, 1657 - Robert "Andersin" was listed as a juror in 1657 for New Kent County. This is likely the immigrant Robert Anderson, as Robert Anderson I would have been 21 or less at this time, very young to be on a jury. York County Wills & Deeds, Book 3, Dec. 3, 1657, p. 10[12]

• 1666 – Robert Anderson patented land next to Moyses Davies near Totopottamus Creek per Virginia Land Patents. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666, Nell Marion Nugent, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1983[13]. This is probably the first historical entry for Robert I who was about 24 in 1666 and old enough to hold land. Robert the immigrant was still alive 1657 (juror), maybe 1662 (son John born). Thus, this patent could refer to the older Robert.

• 1660-1677 - Robert Anderson transported to Virginia between 1670 and 1677, claimed as a headright as one of 80 persons transported by charter to George Chapman by William Berkeley, Governor. As Robert was clearly already in Virginia and established by this time, this record is either not a relevant Robert, or means that Robert I traveled to England at around age 30 and provided a headright on the return trip. Returning Virginia residents were credited with a headright for the return trip. See Everett Anderson Memorial Collection of Virginia Andersons, York River, Descendants of Robert Anderson[14]

• 1670 – Robert Anderson listed in Virginia Patents with land next to John Fleming and Thomas Glass. These land patents are much more likely to be Robert I than his father. The references to Glass and Fleming show up several times, as late as 1686, at which point older immigrant Robert would have been a very advanced age and likely not involved in processioning and road building. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666, Nell Marion Nugent, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1983[15]

• April 2, 1677 - Robert Anderson among the list of 88 Blisland Parish residents who signed a list of complaints leading to Bacon's Rebellion. This is Robert I, age 35, not his son Robert who was only 14 or so at this time. Some of the leaders of the rebellion were hanged, so Robert may have escaped that fate by cooperating with the commission appointed by the King to look into the rebellion. The "grievances" represented an effort by the crown to diffuse some of the dissent in the colonies following the rebellion. Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne, Vestry book of Blisland (Blissland) Parish, New Kent and James City Counties, Virginia, 1721-1786pages xlii - WikiTree, Category, Signers of Blisland Complaint[16] Freepages, Rootsweb, The Blisland Grievances 1677[17]

• Petition, 1682, [Charles City County, Va.], to the Virginia House of Burgesses - from Cornelius Dabney, Steven Tarleton, Robert Anderson, John Fleming, Peter Massie, and Moses Davies requesting compensation for petit jury service in the trial of James Blackwell before the Virginia General Court. Virginia State Library - Call Number = Manuscripts Mss3 C3807 a 50 (Charles City County)

Title Records, 1642-1842. Section 50. Description 1 p.: handwritten; 4 1/2 x 7 1/2 in (from Ann Baker).

• April 16, 1683 - Robert Anderson granted 727 acres of land in New Kent County for the importation of 15 persons. Source for this is E.L. Anderson, The Andersons of Goldmine, p. 5, who cites Land Office, Book 7, p. 272.[18] Some sources (e.g., W.P. Anderson) claim this land became the "Goldmine Plantation" - it did not. The Goldmine Plantation was the property of Robert Anderson III and was located in southwestern Hanover County at the junction of South Anna River and Gold Mine Creek. See Robert Anderson III (Anderson-9154) for more information.

• Nov. 25, 1686 – St. Peter’s Vestry, Robert Anderson ordered to assist in clearing road for Will Turner, along with Thomas Glass, Samuel Waddy, Will Winston, Charles Fleming. The Vestry Book and Register of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent and James City County, Virginia, 1684-1786 C.G., Chamberlayne, ed. [19] By this time, Robert I is about 44, same neighbors as patent in 1670 above; oldest son Robert II is about 23, probably too young for such an assignment.

• 1686-1704 - Robert Anderson appears in several records for St. Peter's Parish, until St. Paul's Parish was cut off from St. Peter's and Robert switched to St. Paul's. ^[2] See St. Peter's Vestry Book at pp. 45, 56, 107 [20]

• Nov. 10, 1688 – Robert Anderson listed among levies for 2721 pounds of tobacco issued by House of Burgesses, in New Kent County along with Cornelius Dabney, John Fleming, Peter Massie, Moses Davie. "Began at James City the 10th day of November, 1688. These following orders of publique charge and levy were made in New Kent County to Cornelius Daubney, Stephen Tarlton, Robt. Anderson, John Fleming, Peter Massie, and Moses Davis, Jurors, 2721 Tobacco lbs." Journal of the House of Burgesses of Va., 1659, 1660-1693, p. 180. Note the repetition of neighbors Glass, Davies and Fleming.

• May 4, 1689 – Robert Andrewson included in a very long St. Peter’s parish processioning list, along with Jno. Anderson, Samuel Waddy, William Winston, Charles Fleming, Nicholas Mills, William Turner, others. Same close neighbors as 1686 road record. Both Robert Andersons are of age by 1689, but this is likely the older one, given the important responsibility of processioning. St. Peter's Vestry Records[21]

• Oct. 23, 1690 – Robert Anderson patented 1200 acres, New Kent County, south of York River on branches of Mechumps and Crump Creeks, near James Pyron, John Langworthy, Stephen Tartan, “Fleman’s [Fleming] land.” VA patents Book 8, p. 103. This could be either of the two Roberts (I or II). The younger patenting his first land, or the elder claiming land for his sons.

• Oct. 23, 1690 - Robert Anderson assumed his father’s abandoned patent of 727 acres in New Kent County, north of Chickahominy Swamp, Holly Bush Branch, adjacent Thomas Glass.[22] This is probably the younger Robert II (age 27), son of Robert I (age 50 or so), assuming Robert I's abandoned patent. VA Patents Book 8 p. 107. This land is not the Goldmine Plantation, as claimed by W.P. Anderson and others.

• 1704 – Rent roll for New Kent County lists Jno. Anderson, Richard Anderson, Robert Anderson, Robert Anderson, David Anderson, John Anderson. Robert I is still alive by this time, so he is included with his adult son Robert II in this record. The others are likely the sons of Robert I and brothers of Robert II. English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records, p. 163, compiled by Louis des Cognets, Jr., Clearfield Publishing 1958.[23]

• Robert Anderson I served on the vestry man of St. Paul's Parish 1704-1712. The last entry is for September 17, 1711; he died sometime between then and the next meeting of June 21, 1712. His son Robert Anderson II was also on the vestry during this time frame. He is described in the vestry records as either "Robert Anderson Jr." or "Capt. Robert Anderson" to distinguish him from the father.The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, VA, 1706-1786, pp. 1-55, tr. and ed. by C.G.Chamberlain, Clearfield Pub. 1940[24]

• 1708/09 - Robert Anderson Sr. and Captain Robert Anderson Jr. lands included in St. Paul's processioning records in the same precinct, along with familiar neighbors David Crawford, Nicholas Mills, Edward Penix, Anthony Winston Jr.The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, VA, 1706-1786, p.209, tr. and ed. by .C.G.Chamberlain, Clearfield Pub. 1940[25]

• 1711/12 - Robert Anderson Sr. and Captain Robert Anderson Jr. his son included in St. Paul's Vestry processioning in the same precinct with familiar neighbors including David Crawford, Nicholas Mills, Edward Penix. The next processioning, in 1716, includes only Captain Robert Anderson in this precinct, indicating that Robert II inherited the land of Robert I after his death in 1712, and also that Robert Anderson's I wife died before he did (no widow in the processioning). The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, VA, 1706-1786, pp. 225, 236-37, tr. and ed. by C.G.Chamberlain, Clearfield Pub. 1940[26]

Sources

These sources contain information on or references to the family of Robert Anderson I. They also contain many errors and misstatements, thus are listed here for the sake of identifying some of the historical references to this family that passed on various errors, e.g., identifying Cecilia Massey as Robert's wife, erroneous children, and possibly the wrong father. The best of these sources is the Pat Anderson Rootsweb page listed first, as it carefully analyzes the claimed links of the historical sources and reaches, for the most part, solid conclusions.

• Everett Anderson Memorial Collection of Colonial Virginia Anderson Families on Rootsweb, under York River, Robert Anderson (site created by Pat Anderson)Descendants of Robert Anderson

• St. Peter’s Vestry - The Vestry Book and Register of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent and James City County, Virginia, 1684-1786 C.G., Chamberlayne, ed., multiple entries [27];[28]

• St. Paul’s Parish - The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, VA, 1706-1786, multiple entries, tr. and ed. by C.G.Chamberlain, Clearfield Pub. 1940[29]

• The Andersons of Goldmine, Hanover County VA., Edward L. Anderson, published 1913[30];

• Anderson Family Records, by W.P. Anderson, W.F. Schaeffer & Co., 1936[31]

• Colonial Families of the United States of America 1607-1775, Anderson (by Thomas McArthur Anderson, LL.D., v. IV p. 3[32] also located in Ancestry.com under Collections, Colonial Families[33]

• A Massie family history : descendants of James R. Massie of Virginia and Kentucky and his sons William Redman Massie, at page 2[34]

• Ye Andersons of Virginia, and Some of Their Descendants, By One of Ye Family, Old Northwest Historical Quarterly , Oct. 1908 p. 231[35]

• Corkill & Sparacio, A Supplement to 'Pamunkey Neighbors of Orange County VA at p. 1 et seq.[36]

• Climbing the Family Tree by Bessie Lamar Anderson Calvert[37]