Any American who has taken a U.S. History course has heard of Daniel Boone, and how he blazed a path through the wilderness. This is absolutely correct, and Boone's bravery continues to astound me the more I learn about the man vs. the myth. Boone, however, was not a lone pioneer braving the woods and the wilds on his own. During the eighteenth century, there were many European settlers who determined to make a way for themselves on the frontier of colonial America. Before the American Revolution, there was no territory of Kentucky or of Tennessee. These lands were understood to belong to either Virginia, North Carolina, or the Cherokee people.
One such pioneer was John Anderson, alternately known as Captain or Colonel John Anderson (due to boundary disputes, he was at one point a Captain in the Virginia militia, as well as a Colonel in the North Carolina militia). Anderson was the son of William and Elizabeth Anderson, possibly Ulster Presbyterians, but almost certainly Scots-Irish (Scottish ancestry but immigrated from Ireland). Anderson was born in Augusta County, Virginia, (near Staunton) where his father was a successful farmer.
John Anderson did not stay in Staunton. Instead, he served in the short-lived Dunsmore's War as an ensign under a Captain Looney. Following his participation in Revolutionary War battles, and a promotion to Lieutenant, Virginia Governor Patrick Henry commissioned Anderson as Captain of the Washington County Militia, as well as Justice of that county (Sons of the American Revolution Membership Application). Anderson married Rebecca Maxwell in 1775, before joining the Overmountain Men in the crucial North Carolina campaign of the Revolution.
With his new bride by his side, Anderson set out to form a homestead for his family. He decided on a patch of land just on the border of the Virginia colony territory, s
ometimes called North Holston due to its proximity to the Holston River. Because of the location, Anderson faced constant attacks from the Shawnee and Cherokee, so he began construction of a blockhouse, a type of fort that has a second level overhanging the first level (see picture for replica). The blockhouse quickly became a point of refuge for settlers in the area, as well as a starting point along the Wilderness Trail to Kentucky.
During his lifetime, his home changed territories at least five times. He first lived in Virginia, until a boundary issue redesigned the land as North Carolina territory. It was eventually changed back to Virginia land. It was while he was considered in North Carolina territory that Anderson earned the commission of Colonel. Anderson was also a supporter of the short-lived State of Franklin, an attempt at statehood by several counties in what is now northeastern Tennessee. The attempt failed, but the supporters were successful in eventually earning their own state: Tennessee. In the final years of his life, Anderson was active in both Scott County, Virginia, and Sullivan and Hawkins counties of Tennessee.
Anderson is buried in Morristown Chapel Cemetery in Kingsport, Tennessee. He died in 1817 "while trying to bring cool water from a distant spring to his ill wife" (Anderson). He left quite a legacy. Although the blockhouse burned in 1876, a replica stands in Natural Tunnel State Park. One of Anderson's grandsons, Joseph Anderson, helped to form Bristol, Tennessee. And one of his 6th great-granddaughters is the author of this blog. :)
Lyman Draper's manuscript #72 notes:
"All records show Captain Anderson to have been a man of much prominence and influence, intensely patriotic, and always at the front in defense of his country."
For anyone interested in more information, I highly suggest reading the article at the link below. Written by another direct descendent of John Anderson, it also lists the book written on the blockhouse.
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Anderson, W., John Anderson, Blockhouse Proprietor and Early Frontier Leader, in Appalachian Quarterly 9:57-67 (Dec. 2004).
"Colonel John Anderson, Builder of the Blockhouse." Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association, https://danielboonetrail.com/history-perspectives/colonel-john-anderson-builder-of-the-blockhouse/
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