William Henry Anderson was born in Londonderry, NH, near the Windham border, on January 12, 1836. His parents were Francis D Anderson and Jane Davidson Anderson, who was born in Windham. He spent his childhood on his father's farm and certainly was associated with some of the townspeople of West Windham. Anderson went on to study at Kimball's Union Academy in Meriden, NH. He then went on to study at Philips Academy in Andover, MA before going on to study at Yale College. He graduated from Yale in 1859 and moved to Natchez, Mississippi where he became a private tutor. In 1860, after a very brief stay in New Orleans, Anderson moved back to the North due to illness. Anderson went to Lowell, MA where he studied law in the office of Isaac S Morse and George Stevens. In December of 1862 Anderson was admitted to the bar. As the firm he had studied under was no longer in business, Anderson went on to form a partnership with one of its former partners, George Stevens, on January 1, 1863.
Illustration of William H Anderson from newspaper obituary
This partnership lasted until April of 1875 when Stevens was elected as a district attorney for Middlesex County. The two partners occupied an office at Barristers hall, where he practiced law for more than 39 years, until the time of his death. In 1868 Anderson served in the common council of Lowell, after his election to the position from Ward 4. The next year he was re-elected and selected to serve as president of the body. He was also a member of the Lowell school board for several years. Anderson served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1871 and 1872. He did not hold any public office after 1872, and instead, "devoted himself entirely to his profession". Anderson was known as being, "cool and deliberate, thoughtful and dignified, patient and thorough, he possessed the admirable qualities so essential in a successful practitioner, and because of these qualities he enjoyed an extensive and enviable practice and was ranked among the foremost at the bar of Middlesex county."
William H Anderson is recorded as having been one the most prominent trial lawyers in the state of Massachusetts. The Erie Telephone and Telegraph Company, which was formed by a syndicate of telephone and telegraph investors in Lowell, MA in 1883, was Anderson's largest client. Anderson was also involved in a number of other court cases, one of which included a "Nesmith", although it is not known if the Nesmith was of any relation to the Windham branch of the family.
William H Anderson is recorded as having been one the most prominent trial lawyers in the state of Massachusetts. The Erie Telephone and Telegraph Company, which was formed by a syndicate of telephone and telegraph investors in Lowell, MA in 1883, was Anderson's largest client. Anderson was also involved in a number of other court cases, one of which included a "Nesmith", although it is not known if the Nesmith was of any relation to the Windham branch of the family.
Home near Windham border that was once the residence of William H Anderson
William Anderson married Mary A Hine of Springfield on October 1, 1868. The couple only had one child, Frances W, who was born on December 20, 1877. Anderson's connection to Windham and its people is noted by Leonard A Morrison who remarked that Anderson retained an, "[intimate association] with its people, and in them and the town has always felt the liveliest interest". His interests in Windham included the mill at Beaver Brook and other local issues such as the railroad. William H Anderson died in 1902 in his home on Andover Street in Lowell, MA following a long, painful illness.
1902 memorial book for William H Anderson and John Davis (no known connection between the two men)