During this prelude to the actual 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence we are looking at some of our local people who put their possessions and lives on the line for freedom for America. These are Patriots of the United States. Today, we recognize Quartermaster Thomas Anderson.
Thomas Anderson of Newton, New Jersey, was a prominent patriot and public servant during the Revolutionary War. His life and service are deeply woven into Sussex County’s early civic and military fabric.
Anderson was born around 1743 in Mercer County and moved to Newton in 1765, opening a law practice and purchasing property that faced upon Newton Green. He was the Justice of the Peace beginning in 1773.
As the Revolutionary War approached, Anderson helped with the organization of local support for independence. He served on the County Committee of Safety and was also a member of the Committee of Correspondence. These members included the Sussex County persons who were active for the cause of freedom. He also served as a Minuteman in the Sussex County Militia.
Anderson was appointed Assistant Deputy Quartermaster General, responsible for securing provisions for Continental troops who were stationed in Trenton and Morristown. It is also said that this responsibility also included the cantonment at New Windsor, NY; which is near the Washington’s headquarters in Newburgh along the Hudson River. These provisions included goods such as flour, chopped feed, hemp, and iron which were vital to the troops. He also was responsible for the caring of cavalry horses and the management of logistics that were critical to winter cantonments.
General George Washington is believed to have dined at Anderson’s home during visits to Newton in November 1780 and July 1782, while the general was enroute to New Windsor and Newburgh.
The original Anderson House which once faced the Newton Green was relocated in 1869 and now serves as the office of Christ Episcopal Church at 62 Main Street.
Anderson was very active in the affairs of the town and county. He was among the first to be involved in the incorporation of Christ Church in 1769.
Anderson later served as a Freeholder, as Acting Clerk, and later as the first Sussex County Surrogate. He was a Mason and was a founding member of Harmony Lodge #8 AF&AM and served as its first Master. He was a founding member and trustee of the Newton Academy. He died on May 29, 1805, aged 62, and is buried in the Old Newton Burial Ground, alongside other Revolutionary War veterans.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com He is the author of “Last Signer of the Declaration of Independence: Lewis Morris III”