John James Anderson; 1873-1925; Ashton Under Lyne, England; Biddeford, Maine

John was the son of Alexander McKee Anderson and his wife Esther Ann Pollard. He was born 18 Oct 1873 in Ashton Under Lyne, County Lancashire, England. He grew up in Ashton Under Lyne. You can find him on the 1881, 1891, and 1901 English censuses.

While living in England, John marries Annie Ellen Doran in the winter of 1897.  Annie was born in September of 1871 in Birkenhead, County Cheshire, England, the daughter of Patrick Doran and Mary May.

In 1904, John came to the USA, joining his family in Maine. You can find him as a passenger on the Canada, arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in March 1904. John's mother and brother (Joseph Anderson) had already moved to the Biddeford, York County, Maine area in the early 1890's. Many members of the Anderson family work in Maine's cotton mills.

During the course of their marriage John and Annie have ten children (according to census info). However, only two of their children seem to survive to adulthood: Edward Michael G. Anderson (b. Dec 1901) and Norman F. Anderson (b. 1906). Currently, I have information on four of the ten children only. Two additional children (James and Agnes), twins born in Jan 1912 die within a few days of each other in Feb 1912. When Annie comes to the U.S.A. following John about a year later, she brings only one child with her...Edward.

By the 1910 census, the family is together, living in Saco, York County, Maine. In 1912, a naturalization record shows the family living at 74 James Street, Saco, Maine. According to the 1920 census, John becomes a citizen in 1914. As a citizen, John registers for World War I. I haven't sent for his records to find out if he actually served.

John's naturalization records should be in the court district of Maine with an action date of 4 Mar 1912 in Volume IV Number 92. If anyone reading this blog has the ability to look this up, I would appreciate a copy of the document.

For several years the family is settled in at 15 Fall Street, Biddeford, Maine. John is working as a machinist for SLM Company. You can find the family at this address in the 1920 census and a 1923 city directory. Also noted in the 1923 city directory is son Edward's move to Worcester, Massachusetts. Edward lives and works in the Hampden County area of Massachusetts for the majority of his life.

By the time of the 1930 census, John is no longer with the family. In the 1930 census, Annie and Norman have joined Edward in Massachusetts. The family is living at 783 Liberty, Springfield, Massachusetts. Back tracking through the Biddeford and Saco City Directory, I was able to isolate a probable death date for John between 1923 and 1926.

As it so happens, Google News Archive includes copies of the Biddeford Weekly Journal, which is one of the newspapers that covers the Biddeford area. I searched for Anderson in that newspaper from 1923 to 1926 and found the following entry:

Biddeford Weekly Journal, Biddeford, Maine 18 Dec 1925, Page 7

Norman Anderson, a senior, was relieved of his school duties because of the death of his father, John J. Anderson. The senior class sent a beautiful floral piece and also extends sympathy to the family.

The newspaper had a weekly column that reported high school news on a weekly basis. My summation is that John died the week of 18 Dec 1925.

The following year (18 Jun 1926) the same column in the Biddeford Weekly Journal lists Norman as one of 52 high school graduates. He graduates with honors.

My next task is to see if I can locate an obituary for John, mostly because I'd like to find out where he is buried. I suspect he is in Woodlawn Cemetery, Biddeford, York County, Maine. However, I have to have more than a guess before I add a memorial and request a grave site photograph from a Find A Grave volunteer. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the obit from the Biddeford library. They've been kind and helpful before and I hope I haven't worn out my welcome.

John's wife Annie lives out her life in the Hampden County, Massachusetts area. Using city directories, I can track her up to 1946 when she moves in with her son Edward at his home (26 Maynard, Springfield, Massachusetts). So I know she died after 1946. Another researcher states that she died in Chicopee, Hampden County, Massachusetts. I haven't proved or disproved the location; however, I am continuing to research.

Edward marries Elsie M. Beane (13 Sep 1925 in Biddeford) and they have four children that I know of. Elsie dies 5 May 1969 in Springfield (FAG memorial 74316732) and her obituary notes that Edward preceded her. With four surviving children, I perhaps have an opportunity to write to these distant cousins and have them fill in lots of blanks for me. We'll see.

Norman marries Madeline Unknown. My informaton on him is limited. He seems to stay in the Hampden County area of Massachusetts. I am continuing to research.

Please contact me if you have an interest in this family.