Captain John Anderson
From: Goshen Trails, Vol. 2; #3, p. 3 (1969)
by William Frank Alden

Captain John Anderson married Mourning Maulding (daughter of Colonel Ambrose Maulding) and they had five sons, and two daughters.  Mr. Harry Ward (one of his descendants) has already written treatise to the family lineages from three of this early Hamilton County, Illinois pioneers sons; namely: Edmond, Thomas and Warner.

The treatise continues with the following.  Captain John Anderson had a son, Orion; who died in infancy and was buried near the spot where the City Lake Reservoir Spillway at McLeansboro, Illinois is today.

Captain John Anderson had a daughter named Martha, who died at age 5 years and is buried in the Rathbone Family cemetery located on the Clark farm about 3 miles south of McLeansboro on the Fairgrounds Road. 

Captain John Anderson had a son named Carmi Anderson.  The City of Carmi, Illinois is named after him, being first called "Carmi Point"..by Dr. Lorenzo Rathbone; whose exploring party turned west from the Little Wabash River at that place, and were guided into Hamilton County by young Anderson.  Carmi Anderson never married, and therefore, has no descendants, but another incident relating to his death gives us the interesting account of the FIRST hunting fatality in the State of Illinois.  The story is here told in brief exactly as it was related by an eyewitness to the tragedy.

Carmi Anderson was visiting in the home of Dr. Rathbone one day and looking out over the field to the south of his house, he spied a huge catamount creeping through some blackberry bushes toward a sheep pen. Excitedly he seized Dr. Rathbone's gun from behind the door and ran after the beast.  The catamount, seeing Anderson running toward it with the gun in his hand, turned tail and ran to a nearby corn crib to hide.  Anderson ran to the corn crib, which was about 10 feet high, and as he climbed up the outside rails, to get a shot at the big cat inside, the frightened animal sought to escape by clambering up the rails of the opposite wall from where Carmi Anderson was approaching.  In his haste to get a shot at the beast before it got away, Anderson made a final lunge to the top of the crib, holding the gun by the barrel.  As he raised the gun to firing position at his shoulder, he accidentally bumped the locks of the ancient firearm against the top rail of the corn crib, discharging it with a might roar.  The full load struck him in the stomach, and he fell to the ground mortally wounded.  In spite of all the effort, and skill of the learned Dr. Rathbone to save the life of Carmi Anderson, he died within the hour from loss of blood.  Dr. Rathbone buried his body on the hill back of his homestead in a plat of ground which he later used to bury his family and their slaves.  It became the Rathbone Family cemetery and can be seen today with a quarter of a mile due east of the present residence of "Jockey" Clark.

The above was related to this compiler about 50 years ago by his aged Great Aunt Ellen Rathbone, who was an eyewitness to the incident when she was a little girl.  Her father was the Dr. Rathbone in the story.

Permelia Anderson married the first physician in Hamilton County.  His name was Dr. Lorenzo Rathbone.  Permelia (Anderson) Rathbone bore the famous doctor a large family of fourteen children.  Most of the descendants of Captain John Anderson who are living today trace their lineage to him through his daughter Permelia.  Her family Bible is in the possession of John Warren Alden of East St. Louis today and it lists the children of Dr. and Permelia Rathbone as follows:  Celia Jane Rathbone, b. 1825; Edward Douglas Rathbone, b. 1827; Mary Elizabeth Rathbone, b. 1829; John Rathbone, b. 1832; Eliza Angeline Rathbone, b. 1833; Elsa Rathbone, b. 1835; Sarah Catherine Rathbone, b. 1837; Minerva Jane Rathbone, b. 1839; Melissa Rathbone, b. 1841; Richard Valentine Rathbone, b. 1843; George Franklin Rathbone, b. 1845; Caroline Rathbone, b. 1846, Ellen Rathbone, b. 1848 and Julianna Rathone, b. 1850.

Numerous families living in Hamilton County today can trace their origin back to Permelia Anderson Rathbone.  Among them we find family names such as Alden, Benson, Burton, Campbell, Crawford, Eliott, Foote, Hall, Harper, Hood, Hyatt, Laswell, Morris, Sharpe, Tevis, Threlkeld, Tobey, Towle, Van Horn, and Weldin and many others of a newer generation which this compiler is unaware of.  All these names are emblazoned on the pages of Hamilton County history, and have contributed largely in the shaping of our wonderful country to what it is today.

The youngest child of Dr. and Permelia (Anderson) Rathbone was named Juliana Rathbone.  She married Warren Franklin Alden.  Their second son was named William Alden.  William Alden is still living in McLeansboro (1966) aged 86 years.  He is my father.

Respectfully submitted by the compiler.

*Reprinted by permission