The son of John Stewart Anderson (1846-1918),[1][2] and Rebecca Irene Anderson (1835-1915), née Oswald, née Tyrer,[3][4] James Anderson was born at Sandford, near Casterton, Victoria on 17 November 1869.[5]
He married Phoebe Faull Rodda (1871-1955) on 30 September 1896.[6][7]
Football
Essendon (VFA)
Recruited from Scotch College, Melbourne,[8] then situated in East Melbourne, Anderson, a defender, played in three successive premiership teams in 1892-1894 during his time with Essendon in the VFA.
In his debut match, playing against North Melbourne in the first home-and-away match for the 1892 season, at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, on 7 May 1892, it was noted that "Anderson, a Scotch College follower, played remarkably well",[9] and that he was "a very promising follower" (especially significant given that the experienced follower, Fred Ball, in the second of his six seasons with Essendon, was unable to play in that match due to illness).[10]
In 1903 and for part of 1904, he was club captain, and he twice represented Victoria at interstate football.
He played a total of 201 VFA and VFL games over 14 seasons,[12] becoming the first Essendon player to play 200 games, with his games total being the club record until it was broken by Dick Reynolds in Round 8, 1945.
