Ally lived about 50 years after losing Hezekiah, dying sometime between 1870 and 1880. She was in Screven County throughout except for in 1850, when she headed a household in Effingham County that included her widowed daughter, Caroline, and Caroline's 5-year-old son. They were living next door to Frances and James Burns, Ally's daughter and son-in-law. In 1860, Ally was back in Screven County in the household of Paul B. Anderson; she had Caroline's son with her so it's possible Caroline had passed away or remarried in the interim (or maybe her grandson was just visiting).
Additional research is needed to determine more about Hezekiah and Ally, whether they were born and married in Georgia, or came from one of the Carolinas, who their parents were, etc. No marriage record has yet been found for them. The unusual middle name, Bell, that they gave to their son Ignatius suggests the possibility that this was the maiden name of either Ally or Hezekiah's own mother, and there were certainly a good many Bells living in that geographic area at the time.
At least one researcher suggests that Ally was born Ally Mary Tate, which may be accurate; however, the claim that she and Hezekiah were the parents of Paul B. Anderson (with whom Ally was living in 1860) doesn't fit as Paul was born 7 years after Hezekiah died. More likely, Paul is Ally's great-nephew. There was a Joseph Anderson living in Screven in 1820 and 1830; he was 40-50 in 1830 and had likely died by the next census, when a 30-40 year old Hezekiah Anderson showed up as head of household for the first time. I think that this Hezekiah was the son of Joseph, returning to claim his inherited property in Screven, and that it's this Hezekiah who is Paul's father. I haven't yet found Hezekiah/Paul in 1850 Screven or elsewhere to either prove or disprove this theory (they were probably still in Screven but just got missed, as always seems to happen when you least need it to).
There was also a James Anderson living in 1820 Screven, but he was the sole occupant in his home and not there in the next census. These three Anderson heads of household - Hezekiah, Joseph and James - were all in the 26-45 age range and may well have been brothers.
- Gordian Anderson, b. ca 1808; m. John L. Dowdy
- Eliza E. Anderson, b. ca 1810; m. Lion (Sion?) L. Boykin
- Mary Anderson, b. ca 1812; m. James Lee
- William F. Anderson, b. 1810-1815; m. Sarah Ann Dowdy
- Jane J. Anderson, b. 1815-1820
- Ignatius Bell Anderson, b. 11 June 1819; m. Rebecca Sharber
- Caroline M. Anderson, b. ca 1822; m. Unknown Canady
- Frances Delia Anderson, b. ca 1823; m. James T. Burns
- Hezekiah Anna Anderson, b. ca 1825; m. William W. Lee
I was unable to find any further information on Jane Anderson so she must have married and lived outside Screven County. Anna died sometime around 1856 (possibly in childbirth), and William remarried 29 Mar 1858 to Sarah Ann Louther.
Three of Hezekiah's sons-in-law drew land in the 1827 Land Lottery; John Dowdy and Lion Boykin in Lee County and James Lee in Carroll County. John and Gordian Dowdy apparently sold or traded for land in Telfair County, as that's where they were from 1840 on. James and Mary Lee remained in Screven, probably using the claim proceeds to more firmly establish themselves where they were.
In 1840, the widowed Ally was living in the household of her son, William, who had married in 1833 and had two sons under the age of 5 (in one of those hide-and-seek games that seem to delight census takers, his wife Sarah is nowhere to be seen, though she's visible enough on later censuses). Ally still had three unmarried daughters at home, but they weren't in William's household. It may be they were staying with their older sister, Mary, and her husband James Lee, whose household profile includes 2 males 20-30, 1 female 20-30 (Mary), 2 females 15-20 (Caroline and Frances) and 1 female 10-15 (Anna). The other male is of an age to be William W. Lee, whom Anna would marry in 1841.
