Untangling the Anderson Connection: Was John Anderson the Son of Rev. James Anderson?
Genealogical research is rarely a straight path—it often circles back on itself as new evidence or unexpected DNA results emerge. Lately, a few intriguing Maxwell DNA matches have pulled me back into the tangled web of Crawford, Anderson, and Maxwell families that intersect in early Kentucky. What began as a search for the source of those matches has led me to reexamine one long-standing assumption found in the Maxwell History and Genealogy: that Rev. James Anderson of Donegal, Pennsylvania, was the father of John Anderson of Madison County, Kentucky. Modern researchers—and genetic evidence—suggest that this connection may not hold up under closer scrutiny.
Following the DNA Trail
Like many genealogists, I sometimes revisit older research when a DNA result raises new questions. In this case, my Maxwell DNA connections stood out because I have no known Maxwell ancestors. Since Rebecca Anderson, wife of James Crawford, was reportedly married to a Maxwell before her marriage to James, I initially assumed the connection might come through her. A Crawford DNA link would make sense—but a Maxwell one does not.
This mystery sent me retracing my earlier CRAWFORD FAN Club (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors) work. I began looking again at Rebecca Anderson and her children, including her son John Anderson, to see whether the Maxwell surname appeared anywhere in their records.
The Maxwell History and Genealogy
That review led me back to the Maxwell History and Genealogy, a book that devotes several pages to Rev. James Anderson and his descendants. The author identifies John Anderson of Madison County, Kentucky, as one of Rev. James’s sons, placing him within a well-documented clerical and Presbyterian lineage that originated in Scotland and Pennsylvania.
However, other researchers—both on FamilySearch and WikiTree—disagree. They note that Rev. James Anderson’s son John reportedly died young, long before the Virginia and Kentucky migrations began. If correct, that would mean the John Anderson who later settled along Silver Creek in Madison County could not be the same individual described in the book.
A Deed That Raises New Questions
Fortunately, WikiTree pointed me toward an important document linking some of John Anderson’s children in Kentucky to land once owned by a James Anderson in Augusta County, Virginia. This discovery provided the first clear written connection between the Kentucky Andersons and their Virginia roots.
[Madison County Kentucky
Deeds“Madison, Kentucky, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3MJ-JS9T-7?view=explore : Nov 12, 2025), image 96 of 812; . Image Group Number: 008452466
Film 8452466
Know all men by these presents that we James Anderson
Isaac Anderson William Anderson John Anderson Samuel
Campbell & Mary his wife late Mary Anderson William M
Morrison and Elizabeth his wife late Elizabeth Anderson of
the County of Madison and State of Kentucky and John
Gass ( representative of Ann his wife late Ann Anderson decd
of the County of Bourbon and State aforesaid do hereby constitute and appoint Chapman Johnson Esqr of the County of
Augusta and State of Virginia our attorney at Law forms
to ask demand and receive all the Estate we hold in two
hundred acres of Land which lies in the said County of Augusta on
the long glade as Heir at Law to our grand father James
Anderson decd late of the said County of Augusta and also
to bring suit or suits in Law and equity and prosecute the
same as our Attorney at law in all and every manner for
the purpose of recovering the same and all things lawful
-ly done by our said attorney we will and do hereby168
ratify and confirm . In Testimony whereof we have
hereunto Set our hands and Seals this 12th day of June 1811
Teste James Barnett
John Wallace
William BOttesworth
Thomas ClarkJames Anderson
Isaac Anderson
William Anderson
John Anderson
Saml Campbell
Mary Campbell
John Gass
Wm M Morrison
Betsey MorrisonState of Kentucky
Madison County
I do hereby Certify that this
Power of attorney was produced to me as Clerk of the Court
for the County aforesaid on the 7th day of August 1811
which was acknowledged by James Anderson Isaac
Anderson William Anderson John Anderson , Samuel
Campbell . Mary Campbell John Gass William M.
Morrison and Betsey Morrison to be their act and deed
and the same has been duly Recorded in my official ~In Testimony whereof I William Irvin
Clerk of the Court for the County aforesd
have hereunto subscribed my name and
affixed the Seal of said County this 8th day
of August 1811
Will Irvine
This deed identifies James Anderson as the grandfather of several of John’s children, but it does not specify which James Anderson it refers to. Was it Rev. James Anderson of Donegal, Pennsylvania? Or was it another James Anderson—perhaps a Virginian contemporary—whose records have yet to be fully explored?
Where the Evidence Stands
At this point, the evidence remains mixed. The Maxwell History and Genealogy preserves a valuable early tradition linking the Madison County family to Rev. James Anderson, but other records—and the silence of FamilySearch and WikiTree on that connection—suggest a need for caution. The Madison County deed provides an exciting clue, but it stops short of naming the correct James Anderson.
Further research—particularly a close study of Augusta County land and probate records, combined with DNA evidence from verified Anderson descendants—may eventually reveal which James Anderson fathered John Anderson of Madison County, Kentucky.
Closing Thoughts
For now, I’m leaving the question open. As so often happens in genealogy, new information may shift long-accepted conclusions. Whether or not Rev. James Anderson proves to be John Anderson’s father, exploring this tangled web of families has already deepened my understanding of the connections between the Andersons, Crawfords, and Maxwells—and how a few DNA matches can reopen centuries-old questions.