An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, pages 363-364

ALEXANDER J. ANDERSON resides three miles west from The Dalles, where he owns a
choice farm with his brother. It is especially adapted to the culture of fruit
and he is one of the leading orchardists and general farmers in this part of the
country. His place is known far and wide as a land mark near the Columbia river
and personally he is respected and esteemed.      

He was born in Delaware county, New York, on September 19, 1836, the son of John
and Margaret (Sims) Anderson, natives of Scotland.. They both died in Illinois,
the father in, 1896 aged eighty-two, the mother was aged eighty. They had come
to the United States when children and were married in Delaware county, New
York. The father followed farming and did millwright work. He was a prominent
citizen and for thirty years was justice of the peace in Illinois, holding that
office until the time of his death. They had moved to that state in 1845, our
subject being then nine years of age and had settled about one hundred miles
west from where Chicago now stands. Alexander remained with his parents until
twenty-four years of age and then enlisted in 1861 in the first United States
Regiment, Mechanics and Fusileers, and served three months. Being mustered out,
he reenlisted in the cavalry but was not sent to the front. Then he offered his
services on the gunboat but was not accepted on account of no more men being
needed. In 1864, he came to Idaho then visited the Boise Basin in Idaho and the
next year landed in Eugene, Oregon. Three years were spent there in carpentering
then we find Mr. Anderson in Portland in the sash and door factory. Two years
later, he took up cabinet work and followed the same until 1879, when he came to
The Dalles and took charge of the furniture store for J.F. Rowers. In the year
of 1884, he sold out and our subject and his brother purchased three hundred and
twenty acres of land on the river below The Dalles. Part of it is devoted to
pasture and eighty acres of it are especially adapted to fruit. He has a very
large orchard and produces some of the most excellent fruit in the valley. In
addition to this, Mr. Anderson raises a great deal of Wyandotte poultry and
other fowls, as peacocks, turkeys, geese and so forth. He produces abundance of
vegetables each year and handles some stock.      

In 1867, at Eugene, Mr. Anderson and Miss Sarah J. Powers, a native of Illinois
anti the daughter of Benjamin Powers, born in Vermont and descended from an old
and prominent colonial family. In 1852, Mr. Powers started across the plains and
while en route, his wife was taken away by death. Mr. Anderson has three
brothers, George, James and John and three sisters, Jane Monroe, Nettie Pierce
and Margaret Gibbs. Mrs. Anderson has four brothers, Benjamin F., John, William
and Albert. Three children came to bless the home of Mt. Anderson, Minnie, the
wife of Henry L. Kuck, a harness manufacturer of The Dalles, Nellie, a music
teacher in Portland, and Albert who died.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.