Zephaniah H. B. Anthony, at 17, served as a Private in Captain William Smith's Company, Colonel Archer Cheatham's 2nd Regiment, West Tennessee Militia during the War of 1812. His duty spanned 3 months and 21 days in the spring of 1814. He fought the Creek Indians under the command of Major General Andrew Jackson, in a regiment that was part of the reserves at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (March 27, 1814). Anthony was honorably discharged after this service.

He married Mary "Polly" C. McNees June 19, 1817, in Davidson Co., Tennessee. In 1820, they were enumerated on the census in nearby Rutherford Co., with two young children and one slave. By 1830, in the same place, their family had grown to six children. Frances Anthony, aged 50-60, probably Zephaniah's widowed mother, was listed two lines below him. She held 11 slaves. In 1840, Zephaniah had moved to Switzerland Co., Indiana, with ten children in his household that year. He had already purchased land in Bartholomew Co, Indiana in 1839, so was evidently planning to move his family again.

The Bartholomew Co. property lay on the west side of the Driftwood River, just north of the modern-day Lowell Bridge. There were several different milling operations there, hence the community name, "Lowell Mills," and the Anthonys had a custom flouring operation on their side of the river. He was a member of the Christian Church, and highly regarded by those who knew him. He subsequently bought more land nearby, then in the late fall of 1844, sold or mortgaged most of his holdings.

Anthony died the following September, and was buried near the river on his own land. He was survived by his widow and eleven children, most of whom were minors at the time. Mary (McNees) Anthony outlived her husband by many years. She was last noted on the census in 1870, not found after that. She is likely buried at his side, although there is no verification for this assumption.

Their children were:
Frances B. (Anthony) McClaran
Thomas B. Anthony
James Anthony
John Anthony
Zephaniah Hart Benton Anthony, Jr.
Joseph Anthony
Mary Ellen (Anthony) Stone
William Benton Anthony
Sarah (Anthony) Cummings Reed
Jonathan Anthony
Tennessee Indiana Ohio Anthony

(Excerpted from material compiled by Kim Ray, 2018.)