Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Bailey Anderson (also "H. Bailey Anderson" in Kentucky records) | Pension S30826; Collins' History of Kentucky |
| Born | 13 Nov 1754 | Pension deposition (Anderson's own sworn statement) |
| Birthplace | Overwharton Parish, Stafford County, Virginia | Lale (1976); DAR application |
| Died | August 1840 (age 85) | Lale (1976), citing Early History of Freestone County (1893) |
| Death Place | Harrison County, Texas | DAR application; Lale (1976) |
| Burial | Bailey Anderson Survey, near Elysian Fields, Harrison County, TX | Lale (1976); grave marked only by native rock |
| Father | John Anderson (immigrant from Isle of Skye, Scotland) | Lale (1976); DAR application |
| Mother | Sarah Carney (or Crossey); see Data Discrepancies | Lale (1976); DAR application |
| Wife | Mary (maiden name unproven; born South Carolina; m. ~1780) | DAR application; DAR comments: "MAIDEN NAME OF SPOUSE MARY IS UNPROVEN" |
| Wife's Death | ~1818, buried on the Mississippi riverbank in a cottonwood log coffin | Lale (1976), citing family history |
| DAR Patriot | A002346 | DAR GRS |
| Pension | S30826 (filed Aug 27, 1833, Natchitoches Parish, LA) | NARA Military Service Records |
| Literacy | Illiterate; signed pension with his mark | Pension deposition |
| Political Office | Kentucky House of Representatives, Warren County, 1800-1802 | Collins' History of Kentucky; confirmed by KY Historical Society (letter, Dec 18, 1974) |
Lineage to Doris Vaughan Fulghum
Bailey Anderson (1754-1840) → Lavinia Anderson (1789-1880) → Wyatt "Wiatt" Kirby (1808-1865) → John Abner Kirby (1842-1884) → Hettie Adeline Kirby (1875-1952) → Walter M. Vaughan (1873-1914) → Roy Wallace Vaughan (1901-1976) → Doris_Vaughan_Fulghum (1922-2014)
Doris proved this lineage through DAR Supplemental Application 511175 (filed May 1, 1992), adding Bailey Anderson as her second patriot ancestor alongside Jesse Kirby (A065510, her original 1965 application).
Children
Per Gillmore Carter Allied Families (1962, pp. 101-117), cited in the DAR application:
| Name | Born | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah | 1781 | |
| Bailey Jr. | 1781 or 1788 | Commanded a Texas company at the Battle of Nacogdoches (1832) and the Siege of Bexar (1835); moved to Harrison County, then McLennan County, TX; d. 1865 |
| Wyatt | 1783 | |
| Polly | 1785 | |
| Dalitha | unknown | |
| Lavinia | 4 Apr 1789 | Married Major William Kirby (~1804); through whom the Fulghum line descends |
| Priscilla | unknown | |
| William | 1793 |
The Geni profile lists additional children: Joshua Anderson, Delilah Boon (Anderson), Elvira Eliza Anderson, and others. These have not been verified against primary sources.
Biography
Bailey Anderson was born on November 13, 1754, in Overwharton Parish, Stafford County, Virginia, the oldest of twelve children born to John Anderson and Sarah Carney (or Crossey) Anderson. His father was a Scottish immigrant from the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides. Two more children were born in Virginia: Scarlett (June 10, 1756) and Sela (March 1, 1758). A fourth child, Joshua, may also have been born before the family moved.
Between 1758 and the Revolution, the family relocated to the Pacolet River in the Ninety Six district, near Spartanburg, South Carolina, where eight more children were born. Three Andersons gave their lives in the war: father John, and sons Scarlett and Joshua (both killed in 1783). Sarah Anderson, widowed, petitioned South Carolina on November 26, 1807, for reinstatement of her veteran's pension, declaring that she had "lost in the last Revolutionary War her husband, John Anderson, and two Sons who were true friends to their country."
Military Service (1775-1781)
Bailey Anderson's Revolutionary War service is documented in his sworn pension deposition of August 27, 1833, filed in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. He recalled more than two years of active service spanning at least five years of the war:
1775-1776: Cherokee Campaign on Reedy River. Volunteered while living in the Ninety Six district. Served six weeks in a militia company under Captain Thomas Gordon in a campaign against Indians on the Reedy (or Ready) River.
1776-1777: Overhill Cherokee Campaign. Volunteered while living on the "Long Island" of the Holston River (claimed by Virginia, later ceded to Tennessee). Served approximately six months in a "company of spies" under Captain Thomas Price and Colonel Christian of Virginia. "Marched through the country against what was then called the Overhill Cherokees."
1779: Black Swamp / Augusta operations. Rejoined Captain Gordon's company and went "to Savannah River opposite Augusta in Georgia to what was called 'Black Swamp'" as part of General Lincoln's forces. This corresponds to Lincoln's operations against Augusta in January-February 1779, which ended in disaster at the Battle of Briar Creek (400 patriot casualties against 16 British). Anderson also described a separate tour under Captain Bridges attacking Augusta at the "first siege of Augusta," lasting about two months.
~1779: Georgia frontier under General Williamson. Drafted again under Captain Gordon, marched "to the frontier of Georgia, under General Williamson of said District of Ninety Six." Anderson recalled this as occurring "before the siege of Savannah."
August 1780: Battle of Musgrove's Mill. Volunteered under General McDowell of North Carolina. Marched "from the frontier or line of North Carolina to Musgrove's Mill on what was called Congaree River." Anderson named fellow officers including Colonel Clark of Georgia, Colonel Shelby of Holston River, and Colonel Williams of South Carolina. The Americans defeated a combined British and Tory force, killing every British officer among 63 dead and 160 wounded or captured. Two days later, word arrived of Gates' catastrophic defeat at Camden, and the Americans retreated to the North Carolina line.
November 1780: Battle of Blackstocks. Serving under General Sumter, Anderson's party captured one of Colonel Banastre Tarleton's cavalrymen and carried him to Sumter "as fast as possible." Sumter retreated overnight, but Tarleton overtook him and the Battle of Blackstocks was fought. The patriots won, inflicting ten casualties for every one they suffered. Together with King's Mountain (October 7, 1780), these victories turned the tide in the southern theater.
Spring 1781: Siege of Ninety Six (Scout for General Greene). Volunteered in Captain Farrar's company and marched to join General Greene at the Siege of Ninety Six. Greene asked Captain Farrar to select two men "in whom he reposed special confidence" for a critical reconnaissance mission. Farrar selected Anderson and a man named "King Chitty." The two scouts went out, returned, and reported that Lord Cornwallis was approaching. Greene attempted to storm the fort but could not succeed and raised the siege. British outposts in the area fell through the summer of 1781, and the British abandoned Ninety Six on July 3.
After the Siege of Ninety Six, Anderson recalled being "out on several occasions against the Indians and tories."
Post-War Life and Westward Migration
Anderson's post-war life traced the arc of the American frontier:
South Carolina (1783-~1795). Remained in the Ninety Six district after the war.
Kentucky (~1795-~1808). Moved to Kentucky, where he served in the state legislature. Collins' History of Kentucky lists "H. Bailey Anderson" as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Warren County during 1800, 1801, and 1802. Despite his illiteracy, his neighbors trusted him as their lawmaker.
Indiana (~1808-1818). Lived approximately eight years in Indiana.
East Texas (1818). The Anderson family traveled by raft down the Mississippi and by draw boat up the Red River. During the Mississippi leg, Mrs. Anderson (Mary) died and was buried on the riverbank in a cottonwood log coffin. Americans considered East Texas part of the Louisiana Purchase at the time, which is why Anderson later filed his pension in Louisiana despite living across the line in Texas.
Arkansas Territory (1820-~1821). When Spanish military forces from Mexico entered East Texas to evict American settlers, the Andersons fled to Arkansas Territory (now Oklahoma) but returned about 1821 as permanent settlers in the Ayish Bayou district.
Harrison County, Texas (1837-1840). In 1837, Bailey Anderson (then 83) and his son Bailey Jr. moved from San Augustine to Harrison County. Bailey Jr. received a land grant for his service in the Texas Revolution: 12.5 labors on the waters of the Sabine River, 93 miles north of Nacogdoches. This became the Bailey Anderson Survey, straddling Harrison and Panola Counties.
Bailey Anderson died of old age in August 1840, nearing his 86th birthday. His grave is marked only by native rock placed at the time of his death, on a tract owned by B. H. Timmins of Elysian Fields, a great-great-grandson. An official Texas Historical Commission marker was dedicated June 1, 1975, in the community of Elysian Fields, about a mile from the grave.
Pension Application
On August 27, 1833, at age 78, Anderson appeared before Frederick Williams, a Justice of the Peace in Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, to file for a pension under the Act of Congress of June 7, 1832. The justice noted that Anderson's memory had been impaired by age but that "to the best of his recollection, he served not less than the periods mentioned in his Declaration ... in the grade of private soldier and no other grade or rank and that for more than two years."
Supporting witnesses: I.B. Blane (a clergyman) and Henry Leavenworth, both of Natchitoches Parish, testified to Anderson's identity and their belief that he was 79 years old. Samuel Thompson, who had known Anderson since 1786 or 1787, testified that Anderson had been a member of the Kentucky legislature and that "this deponent believes his statement entitled to entire confidence & belief."
The pension file is cataloged as S30826 at NARA. The file has not yet been obtained for this research project.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| DAR Supplemental Application 511175 (A002346) | Membership application, filed 5/1/1992 | Obtained; transcribed |
| Pension file S30826 | NARA pension/military service records | Not yet obtained (priority acquisition) |
| Lale, "Bailey Anderson: Revolutionary War Veteran" (1976) | Published article, East Texas Historical Journal 14:2 | Located; user has text |
| Gillmore Carter Allied Families (1962), pp. 101-117 | Published genealogy | Referenced in DAR application; not directly consulted |
| Boddie, Historical Southern Families, Vol. 8 | Published genealogy (Folger compilation) | Referenced in Lale; not directly consulted |
| Sarah Anderson's SC pension petition (Nov 26, 1807) | State government record | Referenced in Lale; not directly consulted |
| Texas Historical Commission marker file | State historical marker (dedicated June 1, 1975) | Not consulted |
| B. H. Timmins family records, Elysian Fields, TX | Private family collection | Referenced in Lale; not consulted |
| Robert Bruce Blake Research Collection, Vol. 35, pp. 396-402 | University archive, Stephen F. Austin State University | Referenced in Lale (Boon Anderson letters); not consulted |
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother's maiden name | Sarah Carney (Lale 1976, citing Boddie/Historical Southern Families) | Sarah Crossey (DAR supplemental application 511175) | Unresolved. Different source chains; both may derive from handwritten records where "Carney" and "Crossey" could be misread. The pension file (S30826) may clarify. |
| Father's birthplace | Isle of Skye, Scotland (Lale 1976, citing family records/Boddie) | Pennsylvania (DAR application 511175) | Partially reconciled. Both agree on Scottish heritage. The DAR traces back to Rev. James Anderson (1678, Scotland) who emigrated to Donegal, Pennsylvania. John may have been born in PA to Scottish parents, while family tradition remembered the Skye origin. Lale states John was "a native of Skye and an immigrant to the American colonies," which could conflate grandfather and father. |
| Father's death | Date unknown; died during Revolution (Lale 1976) | 18 Oct 1781 (DAR application) | DAR gives a specific date, possibly from family records not available to Lale. Not contradictory; Lale simply lacked the date. |
| Birth year | 1754 (Anderson's own sworn deposition, 1833) | 1753 (Boddie, Historical Southern Families) | 1754 accepted. Lale and this project follow Anderson's own sworn testimony. |
| Daughter's name | Lavinia Anderson (DAR application 511175) | Lucina Anderson (DAR GRS online listing) | Lavinia accepted. "Lucina" appears to be a GRS transcription error. The application itself reads Lavinia. |
| Wife's maiden name | Mary (first name only; DAR application) | "Mary Anderson" (Geni) | DAR explicitly states: "PATRIOT DID NOT MARRY A WOMAN NAMED D ANDERSON" and "MAIDEN NAME OF SPOUSE MARY IS UNPROVEN." First name Mary is agreed; maiden name remains unknown. |
| DAR verification status | Application verified and accepted (1992) | GRS shows: "PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED WITH AT LEAST ONE PREVIOUSLY VERIFIED PAPER" | Unresolved. The nature of the problem is unknown. Could relate to wife's maiden name (given the DAR's explicit disclaimers) or to another descendant's paper, not necessarily Doris's. |
| Bailey Jr. birth year | 1781 (Gillmore Carter Allied Families, DAR app) | 1788 (Lale 1976, stating "born in South Carolina in 1788") | Unresolved. If Sarah was born 1781 and Bailey Jr. was also born 1781, one date is likely wrong. 1788 (making him 44 at the Battle of Nacogdoches in 1832) is plausible. |