A History of James Anderson

James Anderson ... he is a great-great-great-grandfather to the Westra Grandchildren, following the maternal line (Margie's great-great-grandfather, he died 20 years before she arrived on the scene). 

Born October 3 in 1842 in Scotland, James was the ninth of 10 children, five who died in infancy.  The family was converted to the church when James was young, and he was baptized when he was eight years old. Archibald Anderson (James's father) was a miner, and Agnes (James's mother) kept a small notions store. At the age of 10, James joined his father in the mines, earning 46¢ a day. Archibald left for America in 1855, and Agnes and the three boys followed in 1856 (the two girls were older, married, and stayed in Scotland) . 

After arriving in the U.S., Agnes and the boys took a train to Iowa City, then traveled the 1000 miles to Utah by handcart. The four arrived in Utah on September 27, 1856 and reunited with Archibald.  They moved around a bit, from Union Fort, to Spanish Fork then settled in Fairview in 1860. The family worked and farmed, but it was a struggle for the first few years.

It was 1864 when James met a pretty young girl named Hannah Matilda Cheney who had recently moved into the area. James was 21, she was just 15. They courted for two years, and were  married on January 1, 1866. They were re-married/sealed in the Endowment House in 1868, since temples were not available in Utah before that time. James attended the dedication of the Manti temple in 1888, and he and Matilda went to the dedication of the Salt Lake temple in 1893.

James had many adventures dealing with the Indians. Hostilities started around 1865 and lasted for several years. He served as a private in the Utah Territorial Military Cavalry during the Blackhawk War (1865-1867).  

In 1868, James was called to go meet emigrants coming across the plains, and help them on to the valley. The Incident at Green River is showcased in its own, separate blog post.  We are grateful the James survived this -  as our ancestor (Hannah, his second child) wasn't born until a year after this tragic event. 

James freighted supplies to Pioche, a mining town in Nevada. He spent a year grading road for the Union Pacific Railroad company. With these jobs, he made enough money to purchase a 30 acre farm just outside Fairview. In 1882, James and his brother John went into the sheep business. James took an active part in all the civic activities of the town. He owned shares in the Roller Mill and owned stock in the Fairview Co-op Store, of which he was president for many years. He was also president of the North Creamery, although the South Creamery forced them to close shop. The Anderson Brothers were involved in many of the affairs of Fairview.

James accumulated a considerable means, but the most important of all, as he frequently remarked, was the family born to him and Matilda. They were the parents of nine children, all but one lived to maturity. Hannah Alzada (our ancestor) was their second child, the first daughter.

Four of their children ended up having twins!

 Here's a picture of James and Matilda with the four sets of twin grandchildren. 

James loved fine horses and took pride in his animals, harnesses and equipment as well as his wagons, sleigh and buggy. He and his son Loren purchased a car to make travel easier (Matilda loved to travel), but James never learned to drive an automobile. He loved to read, but he never learned to write.

In his later years, James contracted rheumatism and his physical activity was curtailed. He was further plagued with asthma and a bad heart. In January 1916, James and Matilda celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. More than one hundred and fifty people (descendants, relatives, friends and neighbors) were in attendance.  James lived to be almost 80. He passed away January 27, 1922.

Read more about James Anderson at FamilySearch.Org