Andertons first show up in the Maryland colony in 1659, which was founded as a refuge for Catholics who didn't agree with the church of the day in England. It appears that the Andertons of Lancashire, England, had the same beliefs

John Anderton was awarded 300 acres for transporting himself, his wife Gertrude Smith, and a servant to Maryland. Gertrude's father, Thomas Smith, had been executed for his part in Claiborne's Rebellion, which involved Virginians attempting to seize Maryland lands. Gertrude's mother, Jane, was married twice, both to men executed for political reasons.

Land records show that this John Anderton received 600 acres called "Anderton" on Tred Haven Creek at Anderton's Point in Dorchester County, Maryland, August 15, 1659. He also owned "The Reserve", 800 acres surveyed for him on the west side of the Nanticoke River in that county April 16, 1665. This land was later absorbed into the Nanticoke Indian Reservation, and his lands always seem to have adjoined Indian lands.