My Grandfather Thomas Benton Anderson was the son of John Henry Anderson and Elizabeth Wright Anderson. Thomas was born the nintenth of Febrary 1859 in Stone County Missouri and died the fifth of April 1933. Thomas married Rachel Virgina Hood 25 Sept. 1887. They had four children James Adam ,John Franklin, Robert Grant and Carrie Ethel. I am the daughter of James Adam Anderson.

Thomas Benton was a very short man. He was a good natured person or so I’ve been told. He was a farmer and had pretty horses and buggy. Him and grandma built the beautiful house that they lived in for years and after grandpa died my Grand mother lived there until she moved to Crane to live with her daughter in Crane. Grandfather was still Judge when the new court house was built in Galena the county seat of Stone County. I’m sure grandfather must of raised a good garden for I know Grandmother did after he died. I really would have like to have got to know him, but he died when I was a month old. He had been to the doctor had Crane and the dr. told him he wasn't going to live long when he came home from the dr. he came out to see Dad and Mom and all his grandchildern. Grandfather went back across the field to his house and had a heart attack and died that night. In those days people went and sat up with the dead out of respect. My cousin J.W.Anderson and his dad Ernest went and spent the night They laid Thomas on oak boards which were laid on chairs on a quilt until they could get his coffin made. They put quarters on his eyes to keep them closed. His funeral was helt at home and they carried his coffin to the graveyard where he is buried on the Old Anderson Homestead where he was born and lived all his life.