DUANE
Duane's take
Here's the story as the official marker tells it — and friend, this one's worth every word. Bailey Anderson. Born 1754 in Stafford County, Virginia.
Died 1840. And in between those two years, the man lived enough lives for a small town. At around six years old, he was already on the move — his parents, John and Sarah Anderson, born a Carney, pulled up stakes and headed to the Newberry District of South Carolina.
That was about 1760, and young Bailey had no idea what was coming for him. By the time he was twenty-one, he was in the Revolutionary army. Twenty-one years old and already standing in the fire.
Over the next eleven years, he saw service in Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas — fighting Indians and the British, scouting, patrolling. Eleven years of that. And while he was out there doing it, the war reached into his own family.
His father was killed in the conflict. Two of his brothers were killed in the conflict. Let that settle for a moment before we move on.
About 1795, Bailey Anderson picked up again and moved to Kentucky. He wasn't done contributing either — he served in the Kentucky State Legislature from 1800 to 1802. Then in 1810, he moved to Indiana.
The marker says it plainly: he wanted to try life on another frontier. The man had a gift for frontier life, or maybe frontier life had a gift for finding him. About 1818, he migrated to East Texas — land that Americans considered part of the Louisiana Purchase, though it was still in dispute.
And here's where things get complicated. In 1820, Spanish soldiers came from Mexico to evict the East Texas filibusters. Anderson and his family had to go — they pulled back to Arkansas Territory.
But they came back. About 1821, they returned as permanent settlers. Done moving.
Done. The land surrounding that marker today was part of a grant from the Republic of Texas — granted to Bailey Anderson, Jr., a soldier in the Texas War for Independence. The son carried the name, and the Republic rewarded his service with that ground.
And nearby, in the family cemetery, is the grave of Bailey Anderson himself — veteran of the American Revolution, frontier wanderer, and by any honest measure, one of the original long-haul Texans.
What the marker says
(1754-1840) A veteran of the American Revolution, Bailey Anderson was born in Stafford County, VA. About 1760, he moved with his parents John and Sarah (Carney) Anderson to the Newberry District of South Carolina. At 21, he was in the Revolutionary army and during the next 11 years saw service in Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas, fighting Indians and the British, scouting and patrolling. His father and two of his brothers were killed in the conflict. About 1795, Bailey Anderson moved to Kentucky. There he served in the State Legislature, 1800-1802. In 1810 he moved to Indiana, to try life on another frontier. He migrated to East Texas about 1818. Although it was in dispute, Americans then considered this a part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1820, when Spanish soldiers came from Mexico to evict the East Texas filibusters, Anderson and his family went to Arkansas Territory, but returned about 1821 as permanent settlers. The land surrounding this marker was in a grant from the Republic of Texas to Bailey Anderson, Jr., a soldier in the Texas War for Independence. Nearby, in the family cemetery, is the grave of Bailey Anderson, a veteran of the American Revolution.