The author tracks the Anderson family, starting with the patriarch, Richard Clough Anderson, through the next two generations. This was made easier by two things – there is a lot of correspondence between the family members, and a few other individuals, that is still extant, and this family was acquainted with, or was distantly related to, a number of more prominent figures in American history. The subtitle of the book is, A Family, a Fortune, and the Making of American Capitalism. Richard Sr. served in the American Revolution, and several of his sons and grandsons participated in the Civil War, so the book covers the period of the 1770’s through the late 1880’s.
Like many other Americans, before and since, the Anderson family was drawn to own property, in some cases, as much as possible. They bought land not just to live on, but in order to, ideally, sell it again at a profit. Richard was appointed to the position of surveyor general of the Virginia Military District. This made finding good land very easy for him. He settled in Kentucky, but he and his descendants purchased land in other territories and states as well. However, problems arose when there were downturns in the market. There were times when they needed to sell some of their land, but could not get as good a price as they needed. Much of the correspondence quoted in the book has to do with buying or selling various pieces of property. Also, both Richard Sr. and the father-in-law of one brother had complicated estates when they died, and the family spent years dealing with those issues.
Through the letters and diaries of various family members, the author is able to trace the various paths that family members took. Births and the all-too-frequent deaths are chronicled. The eldest brother, after the death of their father, felt it his place to dole out advice to his younger siblings, which seems to have been ignored at least as much as it was followed. While the siblings always maintained their connections, even though they moved to different areas, they did not all follow the same paths. One brother, and at least one grandson, became career soldiers, and a couple served in elected or appointed office. One converted to Catholicism, which caused consternation with his siblings, and a breach with one son.
If this was your family, how would you research them? One thing we as genealogists need to remember as we track the various branches of a family, is that they may not grow in the same directions. While all of the Anderson clan sided with the Union, even though they were from Kentucky, there was still a wide variance in opinion about the Civil War and its aftermath. The author was fortunate in having so many letters and other documents to refer to for this family. While the author talked a lot about the land purchases, he did not go into detail, and if you have ever read a deed from this time frame, you will understand why. Land records can usually be found at Family Search, looking at the specific county in question. I just watched a very informative webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars, https://familytreewebinars.com/, called Metes & Bounds Land Plats Solve Genealogical Problems, by Jerry Smith, CG. You would probably need a membership to view it, but it is good value for your money.