Ezekiel, Indian Boy

According to an article written by Ruth Anderson Walker of the Northern Indiana Center for History for an unnamed newspaper May 7, 1995, a Native American boy 12 winters old witnessed the death of his family and the death of most of his village in what would become Lawrence County, Illinois.  Ezekiel Cole, the Indian boy who was spared in the raid, was taken to South Carolina by a white man with the last name of Anderson. There Ezekiel took the last name of Anderson himself and spent his growing up years.

Ezekiel served in the Indian War under General Jackson (War of 1812) and was at the battle of the Horseshoe (1814 Mississippi territory) as well as several others.  He was enrolled under the name of Ezekiel Cole, his full name being Ezekiel Cole Anderson.  After his military experiences were over, Ezekiel met and married a young woman of mixed ancestry named Winnie Ann Goins/Gowan; they were married April 22, 1815, in Logan County Ky.

Ezekiel and his new bride returned to the place of his birth. He was listed on the 1818 census of Crawford County Illinois Census (the southern part which would become Lawrence County in 1821) with three other individuals living in his household. In 1820 for Crawford County Illinois, he had five other people living in his household. 

By the 1830 census, Ezekiel and 3 males under 10, 1 male 10-24, 1 male 35-55, 3 females under 10, 2 females 10-24, and 1 female 35-65, were living in Lawrence County Illinois. By 1840, those listed under his name were 1 male under 10, 3 males 10-24, 1 male 35-55. 3 females under 10, 3 females 10-24, 1 female 24-36, 1 female 36-55.  All in all, Ezekiel and Winnie had five sons and five daughters who survived. They all enjoyed the stories told by their father about his military experiences. He was known in the community of people of color as a great storyteller.

Researching Lawrence County records, a declaration by Ezekiel was found filed on September 8, 1836, stating that he “had never in his life known anything wrong or amiss about Rhoda Anderson, daughter of Caleb Anderson, but on the contrary believed her to be a chaste and virtuous person, and everyway respectable, and if he had said anything derogatory about her character it was said in the heat of passion and untrue.”  The purpose or cause of this document is unknown. 

Ezekiel and his family moved to Porter Twp, Cass County, Michigan, about 1845. The History of Cass County from 1825-1875 (page 210) says free people of color of this township numbered about one thousand, with Ezekiel C Anderson being one of the early settlers about 1845.

In 1851, at age 63, after a life of adventure and storytelling, Ezekiel Cole Anderson died and was buried in Cass County’s Mount Zion Cemetery.