Talk:William T. Anderson

Needs references
This article has no sources, unref tag added. --FloNight 23:04, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

One of the listed sources is T. J. Stiles which is just a red-link. This could be either "Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War" ISBN 978-0375405839 or "Civil War Commanders" ISBN 0399519092. Is anyone in a position to verify and add the correct source? Franamax 23:03, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Certainly, this sentence, "It is also inaccurate in that he was not a zombie, though it is believed he hated debate teams." is a joke. I laughed out loud when I read it. As this is not one of the pages I work on, I'll leave it to one of you to change. HornColumbia (talk) 01:29, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Biography assessment rating comment
The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article.-- Jreferee 22:43, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Is William T. Anderson the prototype of Black John Ambrose in Daniel Woodrell's novel "Woe to Live On"? K.K., Estonia —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.233.71.57 (talk) 18:07, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Source and references
Find a Grave is not acceptable as a source or reference. It fails;
 * 1)-WP:SOURCES; Articles should be based on reliable, third-party, published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy.
 * 2)- WP:NOTRELIABLE; Questionable sources are those with a poor reputation for checking the facts, or with no editorial oversight.
 * 3)- WP:SELFPUBLISH; Find a Grave is user edited and uses anonymous or pseudonymous editors.
 * 4)- WP:SPS; This includes any website whose content is largely user-generated, including the Internet Movie Database, Cracked.com, CBDB.com, and so forth, with the exception of material on such sites that is labeled as originating from credentialed members of the sites' editorial staff, rather than users. Find a Grave is not currently specifically named as is IMBd but falls under "and so forth". Rational dictates that Find a Grave, while not listed by name in WP:SPS, certainly falls under the criteria.
 * For rationale and consensus (aside from the policies and guidelines listed) please read WP:Find-A-Grave famous people#When creating articles which states, Remember that all articles must satisfy Wikipedia core policies of notability (WP:NOTABILITY), verifiability (WP:VERIFIABILITY) and reliable sources (WP:RELIABLE SOURCES). Find-A-Grave is not considered a reliable source., and further, For any articles you create because of this project, you can add the entry's Find-A-Grave link to the External links sections of the article.. While this deals with articles being created it also certainly applies to any articles already created. Otr500 (talk) 07:55, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

To do
Add sfnm, note beginning of Civil War, add names of Jesse James & Anderson's films. Mark Arsten (talk) 19:53, 12 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Explain context of Grant's remark re: Mississippi. Mark Arsten (talk) 21:13, 12 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Culpability of Rocheport fire. Mark Arsten (talk) 22:11, 12 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Where did they meet price (aftermath). Mark Arsten (talk) 22:13, 12 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Mention alleged rape. Mark Arsten (talk) 22:18, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

A comment
I took the liberty of creating a category for him at the Commons (see here) and I also uploaded another (good) photo of him that might be useful (see ). --Lecen (talk) 18:28, 7 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Hey, thanks for doing that Lecen. That is a good picture, I'll try to get that into the article. For some reason, I seem to have the most issues with images during reviews. Mark Arsten (talk) 18:44, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

Northern United States
I decapitalized the "N" in northern since this wasn't linked in the article. To have it capitalized would indicate that this was a separate nation, but I suppose if Northern United States was wikilinked in the article, then capitalizing the "N" would make sense. Proper wording should probably be from the northern region(s) of the United States.--MONGO 02:35, 25 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Good catch, I think you're right. Our Northern United States article tripped me up, I think. Mark Arsten (talk) 02:45, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

1868 primary source
A thrilling record: : founded on facts and observations obtained during ten days' experience with Colonel William T. Anderson (the notorious guerrilla chieftain) (1868).

-- Green  C  02:14, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

Recent edits by User:BBAhistorian
This evening new user BBAhistorian has inserted several unsourced statements. I've warned the user on talk, and suggested strongly the editor discuss these edits here. I have no opinion about the assertions themselved; I merely contend they must be sourced on mature pagespace like a FA class page. I'll expect that editor to defend the statements with sourcing before reinserting. BusterD (talk) 04:14, 14 November 2015 (UTC)
 * Concur with what Buster's said. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 05:27, 14 November 2015 (UTC)

I apologize for my ignorance of the proper procedures. The marriage of William T. Anderson and Bush Smith is listed on the LDS website at https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AAnderson%20%2Bmarriage_place%3A%22grayson%20county%20texas%22%20%2Bmarriage_year%3A1864-1864~

An image of the marriage license of Lieut. William T. Anderson and Miss Bush Smith is found at http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/5c32da37-1a1b-466f-b8c8-381d2b4fe05a/72258479/48257080290?_phsrc=Sna783&usePUBJs=true I will provide a jpg image of the marriage license if the image on the Ancestry.com webpage listed above cannot be accessed.

Information from original sources is discouraged by Wikipedia. Surely authors rely on original sources for the most accurate information.

For what it is worth: DAILY TIMES [LEAVENWORTH, KS], January 24, 1865, p. 3, c. 2 Misses Mattie and Mollie E. Anderson, sisters of the notorious murderer, Bill Anderson, were, a few days ago, sent South beyond the Federal lines via Gaines' Landing, Ark. It is a pity a few more of these she rebels could not be carried from our sister State. Anderson Family Group, based on 1840 census of Marion County, Missouri; 1850 census of Randolph County, Missouri, and 1860 census of Breckenridge County, Kansas. Parents: William C. Anderson, born about 1820 in Kentucky Martha Jane Thomasson, born about 1825 in Kentucky Children: William T. (Bloody Bill), born about 1839 in Kentucky or Missouri Ellis Anderson, born about 1841 in Missouri James Monroe Anderson, born about 1843 in Missouri Mary Ellen “Mollie” Anderson, born 1 January 1845 in Missouri Susan Josephine Anderson, born about 1848 in Missouri Martha Jane “Mattie” Anderson, born about January 1850 in Missouri Charles Anderson, born about 1859 in Kansas (Charles does not appear on the 1850 census.  Perhaps Castel and Goodrich did not locate the 1860 Breckenridge County, KS, census)

Note "a" Wood speculates that the middle name of William T. Anderson was Thomas, his grandfather's name. William T. Anderson's maternal grandparents were William Thomasson and Mahala Baker, who was living in the household of William C. and Martha Anderson in the 1850 of Randolph County, Missouri. Incorrectly indexed as W. Lamason and Mahala Lamason. Both William C. Anderson and William Thomason were heads of household in Marion County, Missouri, in the 1840 census. William Thomasson and Mahala Baker were married 21 July 1818 in Hopkins County, Kentucky. (http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2089&h=134850&ssrc=pt&tid=72258479&pid=48519590361&usePUB=true) Grayson County Marriages (listed on LDS website; images available from Grayson County courthouse): Lieut. William T. Anderson and Miss Bush Smith, 3 March 1864 A. V. Doak and Mollie E. Anderson, 23 June 1865 (Alexander V. Doak and Mary Ellen Anderson) E. G. Douglass and Mattie G. Anderson, 20 February 1867 (Elbridge Geary Douglass and Martha Jane Anderson) James Anderson and Mary Erwin, 21 October 1868  (James Monroe Anderson and Mary Lucy Erwin) Bush Smith is not listed in the 1850 or 1860 Texas census. There was a Smith family in Grayson County in 1860. Burrell P. Smith, the first mayor of Sherman, died 3 September 1859. (Obit reprinted in the Clarksville Standard, 3 September 1859.) The petition of his widow, Sarah H. Smith, named their four children; Malinda A. Smith, B. P. (Burrell Perry) Smith Jr., Paulina Smith, and Virginia H. Smith. (Grayson County petition, August 1859.) This Smith family is in Red River County, Texas, in the 1850 census. B. P. Smith was 26; Sarah Smith was 19, and Malinda Smith was 10 months old when the census was recorded 16 December 1850 (1850 Texas Census, Red River County, microfilm page223, line 14.). Jim Anderson was killed in 1871. His widow, Mary Erwin Anderson married Burrell Perry Smith Jr. 17 December 1873. (Grayson County Marriage records.) They named their first child, Bush Virginia Smith. (Texas Death Certificate #24344). Burrell P. Smith Jr. had a cousin named Bush Smith (1870 – 1896), buried in West Hill Cemetery in Sherman, daughter of Robert Meek Smith. (FAG Memorial# 81619627) Bush was a feminine name in this Smith family. Finally, Grayson County marriage records typically listed the surname of the widow’s deceased husband rather than the widow’s maiden name on the marriage license. If Malinda Bush were the widow of William T. Anderson, her name would appear in the marriage record as Malinda Anderson. Deaths: Bill Anderson was killed 26 October 1864 (O R 52) Ellis Anderson reportedly was killed in a gunfight in Iowa. (Hearsay, no proof.) Jim Anderson was killed in the spring of 1871. (Family Bible of his sister-in-law, Mattie Erwin Maxwell, has a death date of 5 May 1871; Administrator of J. M. Anderson’s estate, B. F. Christian, provided a different death date, 14 April 1871, Grayson County Courthouse record.) Mary Ellen “Mollie” Anderson Doak and her husband, Alexander V. Doak were in Refugio County, Texas (1870 census); Denison, Grayson County, Texas (1880 census); Dallas, Texas (1891-1893, Dallas City Directory); Ardmore, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory (1900 census). Mollie died 7 November 1903 and is buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Carter County, Oklahoma. (Find A Grave Memorial# 19413992). Mollie and A. V. Doak were the parents of 3 children; Edith, William, and Claude. Josephine was killed 14 August 1863 in the collapse of the temporary Union jail in Kansas City. Maratha Jane “Mattie” Anderson and her husband, Elbridge Geary Douglass were in Refugio County, Texas (1870 census); Sherman, Grayson County, Texas (1880 census); Fort Bend County, Texas (1900 census). After her husband died, Mattie was in Murray County, Oklahoma (1910 census). Elbridge Geary Douglass was Chief of Police of Sherman, Texas; Sheriff of Grayson County; State Senator from Cooke and Grayson Counties; Superintendent of the Texas State Prison at Rusk; Manager of the State Penal Farm at Harlem, and the Gatesville Reformatory. (Obit) Mattie and E. G. Douglass were the parents of 5 children:  William M. Douglass, Ida L. Douglass, Elbridge H. Douglass, Lulu M. Douglass, and Edith Marion Douglass. Charles Anderson reportedly died of a heat stroke about 1861. (Hearsay, no proof.)
 * (J. M. Anderson and Malinda Anderson), 22 August 1866
 * (J. M. Anderson and Malinda Anderson) This MIGHT POSSIBLY have been the marriage of Jim Anderson and Bill Anderson’s widow reported by various authors.  J. M. Anderson could have been James Monroe “Jim” Anderson.  Malinda Anderson could have been Bush Smith IF these pieces of the puzzle fit together:

I trust that the community will make any warranted revisions. 23.116.239.4 (talk)BBAhistorian —Preceding undated comment added 00:05, 21 November 2015 (UTC)
 * I find I'm ashamed of myself. I'll confess I came here partially to scoff at the newbie. That's a crass admission, but an honest one. It's not usually my way to make fun at the expense of others. However, I find myself impressed. I'm very sorry, BBAhistorian. Your assertion seems compelling and well sourced. That said, the threshold for reliable sources should preclude insertion of material based on the use of sources like marriage certificates and the otherwise estimable LDS genealogy website. It's a logical and not entirely unlikely assumption that the William T. Anderson mentioned in these sources is an entirely different fellow than the subject of this pagespace. On Wikipedia historical biographies we go by what professional historians have written. We DO NOT break new ground in biographies of well-documented historical figures.


 * For my part, I'm not sure BBAhistorian is even correct; I am however much impressed with the depth of the sourcing and familiarity with the genealogy BBAhistorian clearly has pursued. I'm interested in what page watchers like Ian Rose and Mark Arsten have to say. These fellows know the secondary sources better than I. BusterD (talk) 01:35, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

BusterD, thanks for the kind words. My research of William T. Anderson is primarily limited to William and his siblings in Grayson County, and following them for the rest of their lives. Genealogists use vital records (birth, marriage, death), census records, WWI draft cards, Social security death index, and cemetery records, supplemented with verified information from published books to create a paper trail of an individual's life. No source is infallible. No genealogy is complete, or without error. Please contact me at rollietaylor@sbcglobal.net if you would like jpg files of the Grayson County marriage licenses of William T. Anderson and Bush Smith; A. V. Doak and Mollie E. Anderson; and E. G. Douglass and Mattie G. Anderson, and a copy of the application for the administration of the estate of J. M. Anderson after his death in the spring of 1871, or other source records. BBAhistorian (talk)BBAhistorian —Preceding undated comment added 02:40, 21 November 2015 (UTC)


 * Thanks to BBAhistorian for doing all this research, very interesting stuff. I hid the three sentences that he had made edits about previously. I'll try to look into this more when I have time. Mark Arsten (talk) 22:51, 21 November 2015 (UTC)
 * Chiming in, I have this on my watchlist because I reviewed its MilHist A-Class and Featured Article nominations, and my concern with recent edits was, like Buster's, more about process than content as I'm not expert on the subject/sources. I look forward to further discussion between Mark and BBAhistorian re. possible changes. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 23:10, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

RE: Birth year of William T. Anderson. Bill Anderson’s birth year of 1840 is widely accepted, and is found in published information and on memorials and monuments. Two contemporary records exist that indicate his birth year was earlier. The 1850 census of Marion County, Missouri, shows that William Anderson was 11. The 1860 census of Breckenridge County, Kansas, shows that William T. Anderson was 21. 1850 and 1860 census instructions to enumerators: Under heading 4, entitled “Age,” insert in figures what was the specific age of each person at his or her last birthday previous to the 1st of June. (Commencement of the census was to begin June 1st.) William T. Anderson was born after June 1st, 1838, and before June 1st, 1839, IF the respondent provided the correct age of William T. Anderson to the enumerator, and IF the enumerator accurately recorded the information. Perhaps a more accurate source of the birth year of William T. Anderson exists. BBAhistorian (talk)BBAhistorian —Preceding undated comment added 01:01, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 10:42, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

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Reward poster deleted
I deleted File:Bloody-bill-anderson poster.jpg from this article. The caption claimed that it was "A bounty poster from September 28, 1864 signed by Edwin Stanton, the United States Secretary of War." But the text of the poster is in Arial, which was not designed until 1982. This is clearly not a Civil-War-era poster. Frankly, it looks like it was assembled from images found on the Web. The source of the image is an eBay seller,, which claims that it is a reproduction; but we will need a more reliable source than the word of a random eBay seller. —Bkell (talk) 13:18, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

T
What does the T stand for? Strange there's no mention of his full name. Does nobody know? VenomousConcept (talk) 16:23, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

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