Category: Henson

2018 Genealogy Research Recap

12/14/2018

(Graphic designed by Freepik)

Christmas is almost here (yet again), and as usual I reflect on what progress I have made in my genealogy research over the past year. This is not always an easy task; I really should keep a better research log! But I do have a ton of emails to fall back on as well as my digital genealogy trees and my DNA research accounts and notes to review.

At the start of 2018 I resurrected my enthusiasm for blogging, and decided to at least start on another 52 week challenge to write one family history story each week. It involved gathering information I already knew about individuals or groups of deceased relatives (in both Terry's and my trees), doing further research to fill in some of the gaps, and writing it in a way that is hopefully more interesting for living relative who are not genealogists. I did pour a lot of effort into this for the first 4 months, producing 17 blog articles (to the exclusion of almost everything else). See these 2018 posts which involve the surnames BOORMAN, HENSON, RICHARDSON, ANDREW, COMPTON, SEELEY, and JOHNSTON.

The topics covered in this year's blog postings:

The discovery of the local grave of Terry's Aunt and Uncle Audrey and Don KING, and many other BOORMAN relatives in the Royal Oak Cemetery (2 postings).
Terry's grandfather Harry E BOORMAN served in Vancouver BC during WWII as head of the 68th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, which focused on recruitment and training.
Used the England Tithe Survey records to explore BOORMAN land usage in Kent in the 1800s.
Amelia Alice BOORMAN Terry's maiden great-aunt, was an early school teacher in the Victoria BC public school system specializing in needlework for girls.
Used Vancouver BC Fire Insurance plot maps to learn more about the locations of Terry's JOHNSTON and KERFOOT families (the Irish side), but mysteries remain.
Explored the life and descendants of Terry's relative Louisa (BOORMAN) Seeley because descendants are DNA matches.
Reviewed the 1790 will of William BOORMAN.
Life of Ernest Frederick COMPTON who immigrated to New Zealand and Australia.
Reviewed the life of Eliza Pring COMPTON, my great-great-grandmother.
My ANDREW Aunt Eleanor JONES hand-crafted a stain glass sun catcher for my mother
Celebrating my ANDREW mother's 100th Valentines birthday with cards and photos (2 postings).
Explored one branch of my early maternal RICHARDSON roots in Sussex England.
I finally found my father Claude HENSON in the 1921 Canada census. Reviewed his life, including photos of family and his WWII kit bag and hat.
"Strawberry" HENSON had a unique nickname and a huge family in Arkansas.
My memories and photos of our ANDREW family reunion in 1959.

But it seems it's either feast or famine with my blogging, as the year is now ending with only one additional posting that summarizes my 32 third-great-grandparents. Starting in May I needed to devote more time to my volunteer work with our local Victoria Genealogical Society where I am now a Director, which encompasses my continuing duties as their Webmaster and co-organizer for their DNA Special Interest Group. There were other VGS projects that needed attention, some still ongoing. So even my own research took a back burner for a while, except when I got welcome emails for others that drew me back into my research for brief periods. Thanks to those who contact me or add comments to my blog posts. Always welcome.

My website is gradually growing, with a new Grigg and Cornish page added this week. And I added more photos to my Andrew page. But the main growth is in the blog (in spite of not doing the full 52 postings this year). My "tree" reports have not been updated this year (based on the information I am editing all year in my family tree software), so that is something to focus on early in the new year.

On the DNA research front, I am trying to encourage close relatives to test, as it makes it much easier to identify what the connections are with other matches, and it broadens the number of new relatives you can find. So I was very happy when my maternal first cousin Mary recently decided to test at AncestryDNA (where I tested a year ago). Her results are now in, and she is one of my top two matches at that company. So now I am on a mission to review and contact all our shared matches, most of whom are 4th to distant cousins. I am currently corresponding with some newly found ANDREW and COMPTON cousins, and this gives me great pleasure:) My list of contacts is happily growing. Last year my maternal cousin Lorelei (also a cousin of Mary) tested Family Tree DNA (where I originally tested late in 2015), so this provides a 3rd set of results from the same grandparents on my mother's side. I also have a first cousin Sherrill on my father's side who has tested. Thank you all! Terry' sister has also tested, as well as our older son. It's fascinating to compare both the variances and similarities between related matches, and through their results get access to even more new cousins.

Family history is my passion and I consider it my personal treasure hunt. That's because each of our families is important and very special, and learning their stories truly does help you better understand your roots. So here's wishing all of you and your special families a wonderful Christmas, and happy and healthy times in 2019.

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Claudia's 32 Third Great Grandparents

8/28/2018

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A challenge has been made to identify all 32 of our third-great-grandparents (3GGPs).  Pass it on!

That’s a lot of names to find!  As we push our pedigree chart of direct ancestors back to earlier times, the number of our grandparents doubles with each generation: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, then 16 great-greats (2GGPs), and 32 great-great-great-grandparents (3GGPs), etc. 16 are on our father’s side (ancestral numbers 32 to 47), and 16 on our mother’s side (ancestral numbers 48 to 63).

After many years of family research I now know at least a bit about most of them, although there are still gaps and uncertainties. And one of my maternal couples is duplicated due to intermarriage (making them my ancestors in 2 different positions in my pedigree). My 32 ancestors in this generation were  born in the late 1700s or early 1800s, when record coverage is more limited. It’s one of the reasons why most of us have gaps in our trees in these earlier generations, or at least some uncertainties due to a limited amount of substantiating records.

Summarized below are my 3GGP ancestor names that I already know, divided into 4 groups associated with each of my 4 grandparents. This list will come in handy for my DNA research when trying to identify possible common ancestors for my DNA matches who are estimated to be my 4th cousins.

CLAUDIA'S 32 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS (3GGPs)

HENSON LINE 3GGPs
(Paternal Grandfather)

32 - William H "Billy" HENSON
1803 Wilkes NC - 1887 Washington AR
33 - Lavina OSBURN
1805 Knox KY - 1895 Washington AR
34 - Reuben FRALEY
1783 Russell VA - >1870
35 - Mary Polly FLANNERY (FLANARY)
1792 VA - <1840
36 - William ORRICK
1783 NC - c1859 Pike AR
37 - Celia Ola STRICKLAND
1787 NC - 1862 Pike AR
38 - Benjamin DYER
1798 Wilkes NC - 1835 Crawford AR
39 - Martha Patsy POGUE
1806 NC - 1882 Crawford AR

HUNT LINE 3GGPs
(Paternal Grandmother)

40 - John Thomas? HUNT
1798 NC - 1884 Crittenden KY
41 - Elizabeth ALLEN
1795 VA - 1865 Lawrence MO
42 - Joseph POLAND
1817 TN - 1879 Caroll AR
43 - America CALENDER
? ? - 1855 KY
44 - William CROW
c1790 VA or OH - 1853 Warren IL
45 - Catherine SNOOK
1791 USA - 1889 Knox IL
46 - ? PATTERSON <unknown>
? NC - ? ?
47 - Margaret ? <unknown>
1788 SC - ? ?

ANDREW LINE 3GGPs
(Maternal Grandfather)

48 - William ANDREW
c1782 Cornwall/Devon England - 1833 Cornwall
49 - Honour GRIGG
1784 Cornwall - 1861 Cornwall
50 - William HOPGOOD
<unknown, probably bef 1800 Cornwall>
51 - <unknown>

52 - Thomas Compton COMPTON
c1789 Hampshire England - 1850 PEI Canada
53 - Hannah JEFFERY
1790 IofW England - 1871 PEI Canada
54 - James COATES
1790 Suffolk England - 1862 Suffolk England
55 - Sarah ROBINSON
1795 Suffolk England - 1862 Essex England

RICHARDSON LINE 3GGPs
(Maternal Grandmother)

56 - Henry Proctor RICHARDSON
c1789 Sussex England - 1850 Sussex England
57 - Ann PACKHAM
1799 Kent England - 1838 Sussex England
58 - James HARRIS
1799 Gloucester England - 1877 Gloucester
59 - Lucy RANDALL
1797 Oxfordshire England - 1875 Gloucester
60 - William Spencer COMPTON
c1799 ? - 1847 PEI Canada
61 - Harriet Clarissa HASZARD
1798 PEI Canada - 1841 PEI Canada
62 - Thomas Compton COMPTON <same as 52>

63 - Hannah JEFFERY <same as 53>

As you can see, my father's ancestors lived in the USA and moved often, following the frontier where records weren't always kept. My mother's ancestors came from south England and PEI Canada - a small island where I have multiple connections to the COMPTON family. I have a brick wall in my maternal HOPGOOD line and in my paternal PATTERSON line. And there is some uncertainty in some of the other lines as well. More research is always needed!

I have already written stories about some of these ancestors (only 4 so far in this generation), and I have included links above where appropriate. It seems I also have lots more stories still to write!

The next generation back contains 64 direct ancestors (4GGPs). Oh no, that IS intimidating! I have many more gaps in that generation.

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Claude Angus HENSON (1919-1954) in the Census - #5 (52 ancestors)

2/2/2018

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Theme: In the Census

Claude Angus HENSON as a boy, c1927

Today I finally found my father in the 1921 Canada census! As mentioned in my last blog post, Claude Angus HENSON wasn't born until 1919, so this was the first and only applicable Canada census where he should be recorded.

Claude's parents were married in the USA in August 1910, just after the US census that year, where each were listed as single in different households. After starting a family, they emigrated to Canada in about 1914, so missed being recording in the 1911 Canada census. The family fortunately shows up in the 1916 Canada "prairie" census along with their first three young children Pearl, Wayne and Ethel. It was too early for Claude, though. Later census in Canada are not yet accessible by the public, so this was my only opportunity to find Claude in our federal census.

Finding this ancestral family in 1921 records is cause for great celebration, as they had been hiding in the census indexes for some time. It turns out that this was yet another example of hard-to-read handwriting (in part due to the use of a thick black pen), and poor deciphering skills by the indexers. The wrong names were indexed. Unable to guess the actual spelling variant used in the indexes, I turned to the census images on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) site (whose indexes produced no correct results either using the surname Henson). I checked the notes provided by LAC for known issues with this census. They warned that in some areas, the names had been cut off and not shown in the film images. That did not sound promising.

Knowing that my Hensons lived near Boyle in rural northern Alberta, I then accessed the district and subdistrict lists on the LAC site to determine the best search parameters for that location (thankfully made easier with details provided by the 1916 census). There I learned that the the census images for that area DID exist. Limiting the search to district and subdistrict numbers but no names, the list of results was very long. But I got lucky. On the very first page I recognized the first name Wayne who was the right age to be Claude's older brother. So I accessed that image, and - Voila! - there they all were with names included!

HENSON family as entered (in part) in the 1921 Canada census in
"Cartier", Dist 5, Sub-Dist 41, Section 28, Tp 64, Range 19, West of 4th meridian ~~~ (click above image to enlarge)

To access full LAC file: http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1921&op=img&id=e002857969

Want to guess what the associated index said for this family?

Claude Henson was listed as "Clark Hannas" - really! Of course, the others in this family were also listed as "Hannas". While I admit that Bessie's name is hard to read, I would never have read her name as "Burt". All the other first names were fortunately correct, except for poor Pearl whose name had been corrupted to "Paresh". I spent some time submitting correction notes to LAC. Checking ancestry.com for the name Hannas, I found them there as well with the exact same errors. So I sent them correction notices too.

The only mystery remaining here is the location of "Cartier" Alberta, as it doesn't exist on modern maps. Although there is a Cartier Creek Campground in Alberta, it's hundreds of miles to the southwest. Cartier must be in the Boyle area, though, because the district and subdistrict numbers are the same. I checked on the 1929 township map of the western provinces, but even Boyle wasn't shown. So I've marked up a clipping from that map (below) to show the Henson's location in 1921.

I am absolutely thrilled that my young father and his family have finally been found in the 1921 Canada census!

Update regarding "Cartier" and other Alberta locations - 5 Feb 2018:
Thanks to my cousin Sherrill and the information she found on the Province of Alberta Archives site (explaining the development and organizational history in what is now County of Athabasca #12 in Alberta) , I have learned that the Cartier Rural District #637 was created in 1914. It was renamed as Cartier Municipal District in 1917 (where my Henson father was enumerated in 1921), and renumbered as #103 in 1945 (same name). Then in 1947 the Cartier MD was merged with a number of other districts (105, 106, 102, 122, and Athabasca 103) to become a larger Athabasca MD 103. In 1958 it was renamed again when it amalgamated with the Athabasca School Dist #42 to form the "County of Athabasca #12".

For reference: 1 section = 1 square mile, usually divided into quarters for homestead applications. A township is 36 square miles (a square 6 miles by 6 miles). The further north you go, the larger the township number. The further west you go, the larger the range number until you hit the next meridian when the range numbers start again at one.

In the 1921 Canada census, Cartier Municipality is said to encompass townships 64 & 65, range 19. The Henson homestead was in the NE1/4 of S28, Tp64, R19, W4, so was within this municipality. We know they lived near Boyle, a village now within the County of Athabasca. On a larger scale township map of this area, Boyle is shown in NE1/4 of Sec 3, (inferred Tp 65, R 19), which would put Boyle within Cartier Municipality as well. So we're looking at different ways to describe parts of the same area.

Boyle village was named after the Hon J R Boyle, Liberal representative as well as a lawyer and judge. Boyle was part of the Warren School District. School Districts in this area that are mentioned in our Henson family history are:
School Dist #: section-township-range-meridian: date range
• Warren #3265 [Boyle]: 3-65-19-W4: 1915-?
• Flat Creek #3106: NW 28-66-19-W4: 1914-1949
• Cash Creek #3045: 18–64-20-4: 1913- ?
• Plum Lake #2815: 5-65-20-W4: 1912-1948

It would seem to me that the names used for residences must have been rather loosely applied by the people who lived there. Or else the above coordinates did not encompass all of the associated area. In looking at the homestead application by Angus HENSON in the period of 1914-1919 (homestead in NE1/4 of Sec 28, Tp 64, R 19, W4, just south of Boyle), he said he was living in Flat Creek (which is listed as Township 66 in the above list , which would place it a few miles north of Boyle). But perhaps, considering the vast expanse of land in this area, a few miles difference is close enough!

REFERENCES
Library and Archives Canada - Western Canada Land Grants (with link to map...)
Map of Western Canada Townships - data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/nmc/n0043265.pdf
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) - census pages
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) - 1921 census image and index for Claude Henson
Province of Alberta Archives (PAA) - County of Athabasca #12 - Fond PR2315
Athabasca County, Alberta website - 2016 Athabasca County Land Ownership map

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Claude Angus HENSON (1919-1954) - #4 (52 ancestors)

1/31/2018

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Theme: Invite to dinner

Claude Angus HENSON served in the Canadian Army in WWII

If such dreams really could come true, I would invite my father - Claude Angus HENSON (1919-1954) - to dinner, so I could visit and talk to him for a while. I never got that chance before, as I was only a toddler when he was tragically killed in a logging accident. I have so many questions for him, about every aspect of his shortened life. What does he remember about growing up on a homestead in rural, northern Alberta during the depression? How did he get along with his parents and six brothers and sisters? Who were his childhood friends? Did he like school? What was his favourite interest? When did he first leave home? How and when did he meet my mother? I also have some tougher questions about his war service and his first wife and the difficult time of his divorce. The questions could go on and on. No shortage of conversation anticipated. I'm not worrying about the menu here!

My mother was only able to tell me a limited amount about Claude, and I have always wished I knew more about who Claude was as a person. I still have a sense of loss, so perhaps being able to ask him even a few questions, to hear his voice and to see his mannerisms, would help ease some of that. I believe I look more like my mother, but would I recognize myself in him? I know it would be an intensely emotional meeting.

The outline I have of Claude’s life is based on what relatives have shared with me over the years, and what little else I have uncovered in family photos and papers, local newspapers, and online.

HENSON - HUNT FAMILY, Probably in Boyle Alberta Canada, c1927-28
On left: Bessie’s parents Joseph and Mary Jane Crow.
Henson family, back row: Ethel, Wayne, Pearl, Angus and Bessie;
4 children in front: Mae, Mildred, Claude and Dick

HENSON FAMILY, minus Claude (away working?)
Mildred, Wayne, Betty, Mae, Dick, Ethel with baby Raymond and husband Joe King (sitting), Bessie and Angus Henson. Alberta Canada 1940.

Claude was born 4 May 1919 on the family homestead near Boyle, Alberta, Canada, the 5th child or seven children, and the 2nd son of Henry Angus HENSON (1887-1968, known as Angus) and Bessie Mae HUNT (1886-1968). Both the HENSONs and the HUNTs have deep roots in the USA. His father Angus was born in Crawford County Arkansas, and Bessie in Missouri, but they met and married in 1910 in Elmwood, Beaver, Oklahoma. Their two oldest children (Pearl Leila, 1911, and Earl Wayne, 1913) were born in Oklahoma before they decided to try homesteading in Canada. They emigrated about 1913 or 1914, then claimed a land grant in the area of Boyle, 163km NNE of Edmonton Alberta. Bessie’s parents - Joseph Alexander “Alec” HUNT (1860-1928) and Mary Jane CROW (1856- 1934) and sister Hettie also moved north to the same area, but her sister Tanie stayed behind with her new husband Herbert HIBBS. Hettie married Elmer JONES in Alberta in 1913 but unfortunately she and her baby died in childbirth the following year. Also in 1914, Claude’s sister Ethel was born, followed by Mildred in 1917. All this happened before Claude was born in 1919, and before the first World War ended, but set the stage for Claude's arrival. Two more children followed: Lorena Mae in 1921, and Richard Raymond “Dick” in 1924.

The above family group photo is the only one I have that shows Claude as a boy. As his Grandfather Hunt died in Sep 1928, and as his younger brother was born in Jan 1924, I am guessing it was taken in 1927 or earlier in 1928 during the warmer months.

As I’ve already described in my earlier story about his father Angus HENSON, life on the homestead was difficult for the HENSON family right from the beginning. After his father lost his right hand in a sawmill accident, the depression made it even more difficult for a man with disabilities to get a job. So as soon as they were able, the oldest three went out to work to help support the family. And everyone worked to maintain and survive on their homestead. Claude may have made it up to grade 11 in school before seeking employment.

There is one other story from this period that may have involved Claude:

“One thing though that Daddy did do, with the help of one of the boys, Claude I think, was to dig a 60 foot well in the center of Boyle. This was in 1934 and that was the village’s main water supply for the next 30 years.”

I don’t have an exact timeline for Claude after he left home. But I believe he followed his older brother Wayne north to Yellowknife where they both worked as gold miners for a time. I have some photos of him there, mostly outside in the snow with his coworkers and heavy equipment (photos not yet scanned and organized, so those will have to wait for a later post).

Both brothers also lived in Ontario for a time, which is where Claude enlisted in the military. First he signed up in the active militia on 10 Jan 1941. He was assigned to the Algonquin Regiment and attended the NPAM Training Centre for the next month. But he would have rather been in the Air Force! He is described as 6 ft 1 inch tall, with blue eyes, fair hair and complexion, 190 pounds. He claimed a public school education, and was living at the time in South Porcupine, just east of Timmins, Ontario. Two months later in nearby Matheson Ontario, Claude married Mary Hykaway.

With the war continuing, Claude re-enlisted on 25 Jun 1942 as a gunner in the No. 2 District Depot in Timmins. I am told he went overseas, and have ordered his military file but it has not yet arrived. So those details must wait, too, for a future story.

By 1945 he is listed as a voter and soldier in Boyle, Athabasca, Alberta. Claude was demobilized on 25 Jan 1946 at the Armoury in Calgary Alberta. By Sep 1946 he was up mining again in Yellowknife NWT. By this time he was obviously separated from his wife Mary, but his divorce took quite a while to finalize.

In 1951 Claude’s mailing address was a postal box in Duncan BC, where his sister Ethel and family lived, and where he met my mother Mabel Marion ANDREW (1918-2000), perhaps at a dance or event at the local legion. I know that Claude was friends with my Mom’s brother Dean ANDREW, a fellow veteran who had been badly injured during the war. I also know that Mom was friends with his sister Ethel (whose husband Joe KING was also a veteran I believe), but don’t know whether either of these friendships were the cause or in the aftermath of Claude and Mabel meeting. So many unanswered questions!

By 1952, Claude and Mabel were living near Sooke BC and Claude was employed as a logger. I was born, and then my sister, but very shortly thereafter, on 20 May 1954, Claude was instantly killed by a falling tree. Mom remembers hearing the sirens racing by and wondering who was in it. But I can hardly dare to imagine what it must have been like to later learn that it was actually Claude in that ambulance, already deceased. There was a coroner’s inquest (I have not seen that paperwork) and his death registration was signed by the coroner, declaring the death accidental. The other informant was his brother-in-law J R KING.

Claude was buried on 26 May 1954 in the Mountain View Cemetery in the Somenos area outside Duncan BC, and close to Mt Prevost. His sister Ethel was to join him in his grave many years later. The local newspapers published a very short account of the accident as well as a short obituary for Claude HENSON:

1954 news clipping, Victoria Daily Times, Victoria BC, Friday, May 21 1954:

“Sooke Logger Killed. Father of Two Hit by Tree
Claude Angus Henson, about 30, was killed instantly Thursday at 2.30 pm at the Elder Timber Products Ltd. operations at Sooke when a falling tree twisted and crushed him at his work.
Married and the father of two small children, he was employed as a bucker and had worked for the company since March of 1952.
Dr E C Hart, coroner, will conduct an inquest at Hayward’s Funeral Chapel Tuesday at 10 am."

Brief news coverage of Claude HENSON's logging accident, 1954

1954 obituary, Victoria Daily Times, Tuesday, May 25, 1954, pg 18, deaths:

"HENSON - On May 20, 1954, at Sooke, BC. Claude Angus Henson, aged 35, beloved husband of Mabel M Henson of Sooke, BC, born in Boyle, Alta. Besides his wife and two children he leaves his parents, Mr and Mrs Henry A Henson, two bothers and four sisters. Mr Henson was a veteran of the Second World War.
The remains are resting in Hayward’s BC Funeral Chapel and will be forwarded on Wednesday morning’s train to Duncan, BC, where service will be held and interment made."

Obituary of Claude Angus HENSON, 1954

Claude's 6 HENSON siblings and spouses, Duncan BC, 9 Jul 1987
Dick Henson, Pearl Millard, George Gillespie, Ethel King, Mae Gillespie, Wayne Henson behind a with Mabel (Andrew Henson) Taylor in front, Fran Henson (Wayne’s wife), Mae Gillespie and Joan Henson (Dick’s wife) in front.

In 1980 and also in 1987, I met Claude’s surviving 6 siblings, some of them for the first time. I wish that I had asked many more questions then, but at least I took some photos. My Aunt Pearl and Aunt Mae also sent me some family papers and information. It wasn’t until years later that I found a couple of articles online that Mildred had written about her HENSON and HUNT family and then published in 1982 in a Boyle Alberta local history book titled “Forests, furrows and faith : a history of Boyle and districts“. These articles gave me further insights into their lives and the hardships and misfortunes they suffered. All these HENSON siblings have since passed. Claude of course was the first.

Early in 2017, I was thrilled to meet a new first cousin Sherrill from Alberta for the first time, although we had been corresponding since 2014. She is a daughter of Claude’s youngest brother Dick. Sherrill and her husband visited us in Victoria for an afternoon while on vacation in our area, and she shared lots of old family photos and stories with me. Dick was the last HENSON sibling to pass away in 2010, and I learned that among his affects was a WWII army kit bag complete with canteen, shaving kit, and wool cap with ear flaps, which Sherill later mailed to me. I was extremely moved to hold and touch them - an unexpected gift and invaluable family keepsakes! There was also a beret with a badge that reads "Sherbrook Fusilier Regiment, Droit au But". Claude's name and number are written on the back of the kit bag, but the cap and beret aren't labeled. However, I recognized the beret and badge from one of his army portraits, and the wool cap with earflaps from a younger portrait of Claude in uniform.

Dick served in the Air Force, but had managed to meet up with Claude during the war. He and Claude were said to be quite close, and Dick had obviously held onto these mementoes of his brother for all those years. I am so very grateful that Sherrill developed an interest in her family history and recognized their significance when sorting through her father’s belongings. They are very special to me.

So, if it were possible to finally meet my father, over dinner or anytime, there would be two different lifetimes of stories to catch up on. Wouldn't it be wonderful if such wishes really could come true?

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Orvil “Strawberry” HENSON (1912-1986) - #3 (52 ancestors)

1/19/2018

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Theme: Longevity

Orvil "Strawberry" HENSON, postcard photo

Orvil HENSON was born 19 Mar 1912, but to most of the folks in his native Winslow Arkansas he became known as “Strawberry”. This unusual nickname stuck, even after he stopped selling strawberry plants and fruit. He later became a timber worker, as were many in his family. His father Ike owned his own sawmill, as did his oldest brother Theron near Millers Chapel, Washington County, Arkansas. The family was known for their hard work and honesty.

Strawberry was the son of Isaac “Ike” Henson (1886-1956) and Mahala Elizabeth EASTER (1887-1963), and the 3rd of their 7 children (although there may have been an 8th child, perhaps older than Orvil). He died 9 Jul 1986 in Fayetteville Arkansas at the age of 74. Although his age was 3 years above the average life expectancy for males in the USA at that time, he was far from breaking any records for longevity.

Yet age and years aren’t the most important ways to measure a life’s value, at least according to the following popular quotes (showing just 3 of the many variations found online) …

“It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.”
“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“And in the end, it’s not how may years in your life, but how much life in your years.”
~ Edward J. Stieglitz, M.D., author of “The Second Forty Years”, 1947

There is definitely more to be said about Strawberry’s accomplishments and his life well lived. Certainly there were stages of Strawberry’s life of greater than normal duration than average. Most prominent on his list are his 19 children. That’s right, according to family sources he had 19 children (or perhaps even 20?).  Strawberry was married twice, first to Bernice in 1937 in Benton County Arkansas (when he was 25 and she was 18). Together they had 11 children before divorcing. In 1968 (when he would have been 56) he married again and then fathered another 8 children. That's a lot of mouths to feed.

I would consider Strawberry’s extended period of child rearing a form of longevity. Would you agree?

As Strawberry's first child was born in 1938, only 2 children made it into the 1940 USA census. Later census records cannot yet be accessed.  Looking at census statistics in general, I was disappointed to see that they count all families with 7 or more people together in a single column, and do not identify the size of the largest family. But I think most would agree that families with 19 children are rare. Considering the necessary ages and time span required to produce this many children, it would be highly unlikely for all of them to be living in the same household at any given time. Many of the older ones would have moved out on their own before younger ones were born. The census deals with household size rather than family size, so is not always an accurate source of overall family size.

Notoriety came to Strawberry, not only through his unusual name and the amazing size of his family, but also through a national publication.  In the March 1978 edition of National Geographic magazine, page 421, as part of an article on Arkansas, they chose to include a full page head shot of Orvil “Strawberry” HENSON with his long grey beard, his floppy hat, and dark piercing eyes.  A face full of character.  On page 420, the magazine also published  a small photo of his 2 youngest children (as of 1978) along with the following caption:

“Ozark patriarch, Orvil “Strawberry” Henson (facing page) has cut broomcorn in Kansas and picked apples in Washington. Now 66, he’s home to stay with his second wife and the youngest of his 16 children ... . He resents newcomers who clear the forest for development. But of those who come to find a simpler way of life, he believes “that’s real worthwhile. Those people won’t hurt the land.””

A photo very similar to the one in National Geographic was produced on a postcard (shown at the top of this post) One copy at least has been saved by a relative. The back of that postcard reads:

“Strawberry Henson was born and raise[d] in Arkansas and for many years he has performed on TV Programs, public benefits, or just wherever a crowd gathers. His ability to create a multitude of sounds and make them all come out of his mouth at once has made his animal fights a pleasure to many Arkansans. Self taught, he plays several musical instruments and writes many of his own songs.”

Simple wooden cross marks grave of Orvil "Strawberry" HENSON,
Millers Chapel Cemetery, near Winslow Arkansas

From these various sources we have learned some interesting facts about Strawberry and his life well lived. He was industrious and hard working, with a strong respect for the land and its resources that he and his family relied upon for their livelihood. Probably out of necessity, he was practical and down to earth, keeping his beard long and his floppy hat shielding his eyes with their intent gaze. He had musical talent, and liked to perform for people. He had strong family roots in the Winslow Arkansas area on the western edge of the Ozark National Forest, and he fathered an unusually large number of children that practically guaranteed the continuation of his line.

I have been in touch with this family via facebook, and as of 2016 his second wife and 16 of his children were living. 11 of those children attended a family reunion that same year.

Only a simple wooden cross marks Strawberry's burial in Millers Chapel Cemetery near Winslow, but his living memorial exists in the extraordinary number of his descendants.

REFERENCES

Quotes - Edward J. Stieglitz, M.D., author of “The Second Forty Years”, 1947
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/14/life-years-count/

Quotes - Martin Luther King Jr. - https://www.logomaker.com/blog/2013/01/21/12-quotes-on-leadership-from-martin-luther-king-jr-for-small-business-owners/

Poem - Helen Steiner Rice - "Time is not measured by the years that you live ..." - https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/292123-time-is-not-measured-by-the-years-that-you-live

Life expectancy in the USA, 1900-98 - http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/figure2.html
Male life expectancy - http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa/life-expectancy-male

Census - U.S. Households by Size, 1790–2006 - https://www.infoplease.com/us/household-and-family-statistics/us-households-size-1790-2006
National Geographic magazine, March 1978 issue, page 470-471, part of article "Easygoing, Hardworking Arkansas" by Boyd Gibbons, Photographs by Matt Bradley (access by subscription)

Find A Grave Memorial #87825563 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87825563/orvil-henson

48 Comments

Nancy ORRICK and George WELLS - Tremendous Loss

7/5/2016

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Grave of George W WELLS,
Vaught Cemetery, Mountainburg, Crawford, Arkansas
Courtesy of findagrave.com

For the last few months I've focused most of my research energy on my father's tree, hoping to find new clues so I can identify more of my DNA matches. I've been trying to fill in more of my side branches to locate living cousins, and also hope to identify more distant common ancestors by breaking down some of my "brick walls". Although I haven't succeeded in identifying any more DNA connections, I have uncovered some new and potential paternal relatives.

It is not uncommon to find very large families in past generations. We also know that infant mortality was much higher in the past than it is today. And most of us have discovered that some families are hit harder by life than others. But I recently found an extreme example within the lives of a single family that seems to me to be both unbearable and very unfair. I think you'll agree. The tragic reality of their circumstances really brought home to me the magnitude of life's hardships the some had to bear not that many generations ago.

My great-great-aunt Nancy C ORRICK (1843-1904) and her husband George W WELLS (1842-1913) were both born in Arkansas, and married there in Crawford County on New Years Day 1860. Hopes would have been high for a bright new year and a bright new future together. George was a farmer, willing to work to support his family. By the end of that year their first daughter Malissa was born, followed by a son George in July 1862. By that time the Civil War was well underway, and their fortune was about to turn.

On 10 Mar 1863, George enlisted as a Private in Company H of the 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment, Mounted Rifles. Less than two weeks later on Mar 22, their daughter Malissa died, quickly followed by the death of George Jr on April 3, 1863. Nancy was left on her own to mourn the loss of her two children and worry about her husband who had gone off to war.

After the Civil War ended, George was discharged on 10 Aug 1865 at Fort Smith Arkansas with disabilities (middle ear inflammation and cataracts in both eyes are listed). Once reunited with his wife they continued to produce many more children between 1866 and 1886. According to the 1900 US census when Nancy was 56, she reported a total of 14 children, but only 3 were still living. Really!

I know the names of 13 out of their 14 children. The following ten names died as infants or children:

1863: Malisa A (age 2) and George A (infant)
1866: Andrews J (infant)
1868: Sarah E (infant)
1871: William D (age 1)
1882: John Wesley (age 14), Robert R (age 10), Mahala Rena (age 6), Fairy May (age 1)
1885: Dement (infant)

Memorials and gravestone photos for these children can be found on findagrave.com. The 14th name probably belonged to an infant who died prior to 1900, bringing the total lost up to 11. Looking at the progression of these known deaths, the year 1882 was especially brutal, as they lost 4 children in the same year, all within the space of a month (6 Feb - 1 Mar, 1882). This included the older ones. There must have been an epidemic but I haven't been able to locate any death records to learn more details. In the middle of this horrible wave of loss, Nancy gave birth to her son Benjamin on 23 Feb 1882, and they both survived! That's quite the miracle. But what a toll all this must have taken.

Only three of their children survived to adulthood. In the 1900 census only 2 teenage children were living at home: Benjamin WELLS (age 17) and James F WELLS (age 14). An older son Frank Marion WELLS (age 23, he went by his middle name Marion) was living next door, already married to his wife Violet (SMITH) with two young daughters of his own. In years to follow, they had at least three more children. Benjamin married Annie PRATER in Oct 1900 and they had at least twelve children. He lived to be age 82. I haven't yet found additional information about James. So descendants of George and Nancy WELLS do exist, although not nearly as many as you would expect from so large a family. [See below for further information on Marion and James.]

Nancy died at the age of 60 in Apr 1904 in Winfrey, Crawford County, Arkansas, no doubt heartbroken and worn down by at least 14 pregnancies and the lost of so many children. She is buried in Vaught Cemetery in Mountainburg but her grave is unmarked. In Nov 1906 her widowed husband George moved to a home for disabled volunteer soldiers in Leavenworth Kansas. He discharged himself the following April, and returned to Arkansas. George died on 25 Jan 1913 in Van Buren and is buried in Vaught Cemetery in Mountainburg. The following story about his gravestone (shown above) is from his wife Nancy's memorial on findagrave.com:

George had been terribly injured in the Civil War. When [his] descendant ... discovered he had no tombstone, she and her sister obtained one through the VA since he was a Civil War veteran. The caretaker and others helped them place it in Vaught Cemetery; this was about 1972.

They had such a VERY hard life. I try to put myself in their shoes and fail miserably although I have a ton of empathy for their suffering. By comparison, many of our other problems look almost trivial. Quite the perspective adjustment! We are so very fortunate to have modern medicines and access to health services, along with a much higher standard of living and greater leisure time. So the next time I catch myself grumbling about something, I'll need to remember George and Nancy and their life of real hardship. No contest!

Update 6 July 2016:
George and Nancy's son Francis Marion WELLS (aka Frank or Marion) moved his family to Missouri sometime between 1910 and 1918 when he was drafted into WWI. They lived for many years in Kansas City MO where he worked as an express driver and a real estate salesman. In 1942 he was drafted once again. Marion died in 1945 at the age of 67, 10 years after his wife Violet, and they are both buried in the Mount Washington Cemetery in Independence Missouri. Of their five known children, one died as a child.

George and Nancy's youngest known son James F "Jim" WELLS may have died in Arkansas in 1907 when he was 21. His grave is apparently listed on page 442 in the 2nd Edition of "History in Headstones" for Crawford County, Arkansas, although the contents of this book are not available online. If true, then Jim was the 12th child of George and Nancy WELLS to die much too young.

More information is available on Claudia's ORRICK & DYER paternal lines

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DNA Research Continued ...

4/3/2016

3 Comments

DNA testing has added a whole new dimension to my genealogy research this year, but it’s proving more difficult than expected to achieve results. Of course there is a learning curve with any new endeavor, but understanding the technology is only part of the roadblocks I’ve been facing.

In my last blog post I talked about the different types of DNA tests and the reasons why I chose to test my autosomal (family finder) DNA through FamilyTree DNA (FTDNA). I want to find new cousins, and validate what I have already found through traditional research. The results of this DNA test include a list people who share a varying amount of DNA with you on one or more chromosomes, their contact information, and an estimate of how closely you are related. The autosomal DNA tests identify matches from both your father and mother’s side, but they’re all mixed together. It’s up to you to use your traditional genealogy research and other DNA successes to figure out which line and which common ancestors you share.

Generally speaking, the more segments and the bigger the segments, the closer you are related to any given match. The further back you go, the more possible ancestors there are to check or find. There are tools provided so you can see which chromosomes are involved, and tools that allow you to identify subgroups that are “in common with” each other. Here’s just one small example clipped from the Chromosome Browser tool at Family Tree DNA.

Five of my DNA matches on chromosome 7

The Chromosome Browser displays up to five selected people at a time, each represented by a different color. It shows the relative lengths and positions of the DNA segment(s) that each share with you on all 22 chromosomes (this example just shows chromosomes 7, 8 and 9 as most of the other chromosomes do not apply in this example). The smaller segments have not been included as they are not reliable. The yellow person is actually my new 3rd cousin, who also shares smaller segments with me on chromosomes 1 and 16 (not displayed here). He is also a match with the pink, green, blue and orange people, although we don’t yet know how any of them connect with us. Note that the pink does not overlap with green, blue or orange, meaning he is not related to them (at least through this area of chromosome 7). But I am, somehow. I have used another relationship matrix tool to confirm that these “in common with” deductions are correct.

See the bottom of this posting for an example of another type of chart, created using a powerful analytical tool on the third-party site dnagedcom.com - it's free to use if you already have your autosomal DNA data from other providers such as Family Tree DNA and are willing to upload it to another site. These reports will help you focus you research, one chromosome and group of common matches at a time, contacting these matches in the hopes of finding common surnames and common ancestors.

One of the biggest hurdles is that many people do not yet know who all their direct line ancestors are back 5 or 6 generations. They have gaps in their pedigree charts (as do I) where the common ancestors could be “hiding”. Another problem is that only a small percentage of people have had their DNA tested - it’s a relatively new technology. And if they haven’t tested, you can’t find them as a match. And even if they’ve tested, quite a few don’t answer your emails. It can get discouraging. It makes me very grateful for those who do reply.

None of my more immediate family has had their DNA tested yet. I now understand the benefits of knowing the DNA results for close relatives: it is much easier to determine which common segments on each chromosome came from which line or ancestor. For example, you might identify large segments on chromosomes 4, 9 and 11 (for instance) that is inherited from your mother, and other segments on specific chromosomes from your father's mother, etc.. By “mapping” our chromosomes in this fashion, we can then use this knowledge to zero in on the appropriate line and common ancestors for more distant DNA cousins.

I hereby encourage my close relatives to take a Family Finder DNA test:)

Since receiving the results of my autosomal DNA test this past January from Family Tree DNA, I have:

Downloaded my match data into Excel for analysis, then sorted by name and also by chromosome and segment start position, saving several versions of the sorted spreadsheet for quicker access.
Downloaded my raw data and uploaded it to the free gedmatch.com (available to 23andMe and Ancestry customers as well as FTDNA) to increase the number of matches available and access their powerful analysis tools.
Uploaded my result to another analysis site at DNAGedcom.com which makes it easier to understand my match information.
Joined an email group for “Newbie DNA” folks (I’m now getting inundated with emails!)
Done a lot of reading to learn more about the theory, matching process, idiosyncrasies and limitations.
Done more traditional research on my father’s tree to find more ancestors and increase my chances of finding more common ancestors.
Sent emails to 54 of my matches. 22 of these have not bothered to reply (not a very encouraging ratio) but I'm enjoying continuing conversations with some of the others.
Found how I connect to 7 of my matches :
- 1 3rd cousin once removed (3C1R) on my mother’s side who I knew prior to DNA testing (as reported in my last posting: "My DNA Adventure Begins");
- 6 new cousins on my father’s side.

It is a real gift to now be in contact with six new paternal DNA cousins. My closest match turns out to be my 3rd cousin (3C) Bob, which is within the predicted 2nd to 4th cousin range. Our common ancestors are my great-great-grandparents Jesse HENSON and Phoebe FRALEY (or FRILEY). I can only assume that the DNA associated with one of these two common ancestors is our largest shared segment on chromosome 7 (as displayed in the above chromosome browser diagram), but I won’t know for sure until I have explored and “mapped” the other three chromosome segments that we also share.

I also have a new 4th cousin Marla who connects through may paternal HUNT and ALLEN ancestors. We share a DNA segment on chromosome 3. I have two new 5th cousins, both connected through the OSBURN and LEMASTER line: one match involves chromosome 2 and the other chromosome 11.

The final two cousins are further back than expected in my HARPER line - they’re my 6th cousins once removed (6C1R) and share DNA on chromosome 4. This is about as far back as you can reliably go with this autosomal DNA testing. So I’m celebrating!

I have also been very fortunate to have met up with Donna, a very knowledgeable woman who happens to administer the DNA account for one of my matches, even though she is not related to either of us. She has graciously shared some of her experiences, tips and links with me, and helped me identify the common ancestors with a new distant cousin. This particular connection happened to be a couple of generations further back than expected, which (I am told) can be the case when there are intermarriages in the direct lines. As I do not yet know where and when these potential intermarriages occurred, there is still plenty to investigate in this line.

Location also plays a key role in uncovering common ancestors. At the right time, ancestors from both matches must have been in the same location. The main reason that all 6 of my new DNA cousins are on my father’s side is because all his known ancestors lived in the USA, whereas most of my mother’s ancestors lived in England or Canada. It seems that most of the people who have had their DNA tested through FTDNA (and who are also matches with me) also have ancestors in the USA. So the supply of matches is heavily weighted in favor of my paternal ancestors. My father’s ancestors tended to follow the frontier west where historical records are more scarce. Learning more about the history of migration and settlement through land and military records as well as local histories can sometimes bear fruit. But I too still have some persistent gaps in my tree which can be clearly seen in my father's HENSON pedigree chart.

So is DNA genealogy research really worth it? Most definitely! I'm hooked. I have heard several good luck stories from other researchers where DNA research has helped knock down a brick wall. I've also heard stories of mistaken paternity when ancestors had taken on the surname of a step-father. Thanks to DNA research, their trees can now be enhanced and corrected. My tree has already grown as a result.

Although DNA research cannot find all your relatives, it is indeed a powerful new and evolving tool to enhance and assist your traditional research methods. I'm only getting started!

What are your experiences with DNA research?

REFERENCES & FURTHER READING

DNA Explained - http://dna-explained.com/
Autosomal Results Basics: http://dna-explained.com/2012/08/19/autosomal-results-the-basics/
DNA Tutorials - http://www.dnaexplain.com/Publications/Publications.asp
Beginners Guide to Genetic Genealogy (with links to tutorials) - https://sites.google.com/site/wheatonsurname/beginners-guide-to-genetic-genealogy
Face it: DNA cannot find all your relatives -
https://medium.com/@dl1dl1/face-it-dna-cannot-find-all-your-relatives-f68089b8e1e9#.v13l8jhsq
Chromosome Basics Video - http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/chromosomes/
Segment-ology - http://segmentology.org/

Additional tools if you already have your test results:
GEDmatch Tools for DNA and Genealogical Research (free) - https://www.gedmatch.com
GEDmatch Basics Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acGJmLlsWg4&feature=youtu.be

DNAgedcom Tools (free) - http://www.dnagedcom.com/
Their "Autosomal DNA Segment Analyzer" Tool (ADSA) is extremely powerful - it can create a single chart for each chromosome that lists all your matches, details of the segment shared, and a grid of who shares relatives with each other ("in common with" matrix). Everything you need shown in one place. In the following example from my matches I have blocked out my match names and email addresses for privacy reasons (click to enlarge further):

Claudia's Autosomal DNA Matches analysis report for Chromosome 4, created using DNAGedcom.com ADSA tool.

3 Comments

Benjamin Lafayette ORRICK (1850-1917) - #49 (52 Ancestors)

12/11/2015

2 Comments

Theme: Holidays | Images: Click on many to enlarge

Benjamin Lafayette ORRICK (1850-1917)
probably in Crawford County, Arkansas.
Courtesy of etbasket on ancestry.com

Christmas has to be our busiest holiday, whether you celebrate it as a Christian, a fan of Santa Claus, or as a cultural event. For some, the season starts even before the beginning of November, when we’re kept busy planning and scheduling, making and shopping for gifts, reaching out with cards and letters, decorating our homes, baking and preparing food, traveling, partying, and sharing meals and gifts with family and friends. It can be a time of wonder and delight, as well as a time of added stress, work and overspending. This year we are strengthening our resolve to resist the over-commercialization of Christmas. We’ll be spending less on unneeded gifts and giving more in time spent together, good deeds, and celebrations. We don't need all that "stuff"! Our ancestors would probably have agreed.

My paternal great-great-uncle Benjamin Lafayette ORRICK chose to marry Medora Frances WHITE on Christmas Day in 1870 in the town of White Rock, Franklin County, Arkansas where her family lived. Perhaps they really loved Christmas and thought that getting married on this special holiday would further bless their commitment to one another. Or perhaps it was a practical decision and they needed to seize the opportunity when family and friends were already visiting or available. It was already a festive season. Funds may not have been plentiful. I would have thought that celebrating two such important occasions on the same day would detract from one another, but perhaps the added excitement was welcomed in these harder times. Certainly a Christmas day wedding would guarantee they would remember their anniversary in years to come! As the choice of date was theirs, I hope Benjamin and Medora had a doubly happy wedding day.

Ben's father William Jackson ORRICK was born in South Carolina but likely spent part of his childhood in Alabama where some of his siblings were born. As Ben’s parents and paternal grandparents all died in Arkansas, it seems the whole extended family decided to move west to Arkansas. Benjamin’s mother Rebecca Elmira DYER was born in North Carolina and moved with her parents to Tennessee and then to Crawford County Arkansas in 1832 when she was nine years old. William and Rebecca were farmers and all nine of their children were born in Arkansas between 1841 and 1867 including Ben. Three of Ben's brothers sadly died as young children, one of them dying the month before Ben was born. Benjamin was left with three sisters and two brothers. His younger sister Sarah Elmira ORRICK was my great-grandmother who married John HENSON.

Benjamin Lafayette ORRICK was their fifth child, born on 11 November 1850 in Frog Bayou, Crawford County, Arkansas near Fort Smith and Van Buren near the western border with Oklahoma. (I notice that his birthday was on Remembrance Day, although it wouldn’t be celebrated as such until 1918.) Benjamin's middle name “Lafayette" may have come from the Arkansas county by that name (although it is quite a distance south from where they lived). Or he could have been named directly after the Revolutionary War general Marquis de Lafayette who sided with the American colonies and who gave his name to the county and to the towns of Fayetteville in Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas and North Carolina. In 1848, two years before Ben was born, his father purchased 40 acres of public land in Mountain Township, Crawford County, Arkansas, part of the Fayetteville lands district (later in 1882 William bought another 116 acres in the same area). Perhaps it was this early land transaction in Fayetteville that prompted the naming of his next son. Mountain Township no longer exists, but from coordinates found online, I believe that it was located just south west of the current Mountainburg Township.

I can only guess at how and when Ben met his future wife Medora Frances WHITE. At some point they must have lived in the same community, but so far I can’t find a record of it. In 1860 Ben was ten years old, living with his parents and two younger siblings Marion (a brother) and Sarah in Mountain Township, Crawford County near other ORRICK relatives. That same year when Maddie was six, she lived in Fort Smith, Sebastian County with her natural parents and two siblings. Ten years later in Jun 1870 she was listed as "Madoriet Kenady" living in White Rock Township in Franklin County (bordering on Crawford County) with her mother, stepfather Daniel Kennedy and siblings. She was sixteen years old. Elsewhere in Sept 1870 and just three months before their marriage, Ben was age twenty, attending school and living in Cane Hill Washington County near Boonesboro Arkansas, south west of Fayetteville. He was boarding with the W H WHITE family along with several other students and lodgers. Perhaps his landlord was Maddie's cousin or uncle. Did Maddie already know Ben and had she helped him find lodgings so he could improve his education? Or did she meet him after he moved in, perhaps when she was visiting these WHITE relatives in Cane Hill? Perhaps she had moved to Cane Hill herself between the census, but if so, why wasn't she living with the same relatives? I don’t know how long Ben was a lodger there or how long they courted. But we do know they were married on 25 Dec 1870 in White Rock Arkansas - a Christmas Day wedding and a Christmas to remember.

Benjamin ORRICK and Medora WHITE Locations
Benjamin's parents were born in South Carolina and North Carolina and married in Arkansas.
Medora'a parents were born in Illinois and Missouri. Two of their children were born in Texas, but Medora was born in Arkansas.
Somehow the two met. These are their life's landmarks in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Nine months later Ida Ellen (perhaps Ella) was born, the first of their eight children. By 1880 they were living in Mountain, Crawford County with five young children: Ida E, William, Lenora E, Daniel J and 4-month-old “PE" - likely the same as Amelia Elmira born 10 Jan 1880. Their household also included a “cousin" John WHITE age 21 from Texas, a Charles HENSON age 20 from Arkansas, and Mary Berna a female servant. As Medora had a younger brother named John G WHITE who was born in Texas about the right time, John should have been recorded as a brother-in-law rather than as a cousin. It’s also interesting to find a HENSON living with them (my maiden name), although I don’t yet know how he is related. Ben’s sister married a HENSON who had a younger brother Charles born 1858 but I believe he died very young. So more digging on this is required.

I may have found Benjamin in the 1890 census living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory in a boarding house. He was 38 (only 2 years off) and born in Arkansas. But there's no sign of his family, so maybe it’s not the right guy. By 1900, Benjamin, Maddie and their six children were living and farming in Davis Oklahoma, so we know that they moved to this neighboring state. Perhaps Ben went to Oklahoma ahead of the rest to test the waters and prepare the way. While this shuffling of locations was going on, Ben lost both his parents back in Arkansas; William died in 1893 and Rebecca died in 1900.

Ben's venture in Oklahoma appears to have been short lived; some of his older children had trouble getting work there. By 1910 the family had moved back to Arkansas, this time settling in Boone, Logan County. Ben was age 60 by then, and they had three of their children and Medora’s elderly widowed mother living with them. When Ben was only 66 he passed away on 10 Feb 1917 in Booneville, and was buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery. After his death, Medora lived a further 12 years under the care of her oldest daughter Ida HARDIN and family. She died on 13 Jan 1929 and was buried beside her husband.

Benjamin and Medora ORRICK celebrated 46 Christmas day anniversaries together. I'll remember to give a toast to them this coming Christmas.

REFERENCES & FURTHER READING
Crawford County, Arkansas History and Genealogy - roots web
Township of Mountain (historical) in Crawford County Arkansas - hometown locator site
Locations for Benjamin ORRICK and Medora WHITE - custom Google Map

I have posted additional information on my HENSON families elsewhere on this website.
This includes descendants of Sarah Elmira ORRICK and John HENSON.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.
It is giving me the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.

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William H “Billy” HENSON (1803-1887) - #32 (52 Ancestors)

8/14/2015

2 Comments

Theme: 32 3rd-great-grandparents | Images: Click to enlarge

It is surprising to realize that each of us has 32 3rd-great-grandparents, regardless of whether we know who they were or not. In my tree, this takes me back to the late 1700s in some cases, so perhaps the number shouldn’t be so unexpected. But I had to do the math and make a list anyway to confirm it!

I am proud to say that, of the sixteen 3G grandparents on my mother’s side, I have identified all but one (although my COMPTON couple appears twice due to intermarriage in my tree). I have already written about Henry Proctor RICHARDSON I (who married Ann PACKHAM) and James HARRIS (who married Lucy RANDALL), two of my 3G grandfathers. And I have already mentioned the sturdy brick wall in my HOPGOOD line: I know only the name of my 3G grandfather William HOPGOOD and have no idea who his wife was.

I have been less successful on my father’s HENSON side, having identified only ten of the sixteen 3G grandparents. And most of that research is not my own. So it’s time to tell another story from this paternal side of my tree.

HENSON - Westward from North Carolina to Kentucky to Arkansas

Wm "Billy" HENSON was buried in
Whitehouse Cemetery, Arnett,
Washington County, Arkansas
in 1887 after living his earlier years
in North Carolina and Kentucky.
(Photo courtesy of findagrave.com)

I have been told that my 3rd-great-grandfather William H HENSON Jr., known as “Billy”, was born on 13 Apr 1803 in North Carolina, perhaps in Wilkes. He was one of at least twelve children of William HENSON (c1745-1830), and Ann JACOBS (1759-aft 1860). For those who like to do a reality check on dates, his mother was listed as age 102 in the 1860 US census, quite unusual for that era, for sure! Some sources claim that Billy had Cherokee or Shawnee native blood on his mother’s side, and perhaps through his paternal grandmother as well, but these are not certainties.

The first record we have for Billy is his marriage to Lavina OSBORN on 7 Apr 1824 in Floyd County Kentucky. Lavina was a Kentucky girl born in 1805 in Knox County. We know from Billy’s father's revolutionary war pension documents that the Hensons were also living in Knox County Kentucky by 1827 (although William Sr had fought in the North Carolina Continental line}. We don’t know the exact year of their move to Kentucky, but presumably it was before Billy’s marriage there 1824.

Billy supported his family as a farmer, and in 1830 he may have been the “Wm Henson” who headed a household of four white people all under 30, living in Lawrence County Kentucky (a new county created in 1821 from parts of Floyd and Greenup counties). Then in 1831 William bought 50 acres of land on the Hurricane Fork stream in Pike County Kentucky, close to Osborn family land. By that time they had three children, the oldest being Jesse HENSON, my great-great-grandfather.

We believe that Billy and Lavina HENSON had at least 10 children. Six were born in Kentucky, and at least four died as infants or children. Their baby son Bracken died on 27 Jun 1846, and their daughter Anna (or Hannah) died in 1847 at the age of 13, both in Washington County, Arkansas. So we know the family had already moved to Arkansas by 1846 if not earlier. So once again the family had chosen to move farther west.

On 1 Sep 1848, Billy was in Fayetteville Arkansas buying 40 acres of public land: "for the North West quarter of the South East quarter of Section fifteen, in Township fourteen North, of Range twenty nine West, in the District of Lands subject to sale at Fayetteville, Arkansas containing forty acres….", paid in full although the amount was not provided.

The 1850 US federal census lists William and Lavina living in White River Township, Arkansas with three of their younger children who were born in Kentucky and still attending school: Louisa (13), Mary (10) and John (8). (So the family must have still been in Kentucky in 1842.) Their son Jesse was living next door with his wife and 1-year-old son.

We have learned a few more details from a book titled “Kindred Families in the Land of Opportunity” by Beverly Pense (as reported in other posted family trees):

"William "Billy" Henson moved with his parents as a young man to Knox County, Kentucky. It was in this county that he met and married Lavina Osburn who was born and raised in this area. By the mid 1840's Billy, Lavina, and their children came with a train of wagons traveling to Arkansas. They settled in the white house community area of Washington county where Billy ran and operated a store, providing for his children. By this time his older children were marrying and starting lives of their own. Here in White Rock [River?] Community William, and Lavina lived out their lives.”

Indeed, the US census in 1860, 1870 and 1880 confirm that William and Lavina remained in White River Arkansas. Mary and John were their only children still at home in 1860. By 1880 the aging couple was on their own. Billy died on 15 Aug 1887 at the age of 84, followed by his wife Lavina in 1895. They were both buried in the Whitehouse Cemetery in Arnett, an unincorporated community in White River Township, Washington County, which is south east of Fayetteville on highway 74 (Whitehouse Rd) on the Middle Fork White River in Arkansas. This cemetery contains seven HENSON graves including their children Jesse, Anna, Bracken, William, and their married daughter Mary (Henson) LONG.

2 Comments

William Henson (c1745-1830) - #27 (52 Ancestors)

7/8/2015

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Theme: Independent | Images: Click on many to enlarge

American soldier (rifleman) in
the Revolutionary War

Some of my early relatives fought on the "rebel" side for the independence of the United States of America including William HENSON, my paternal four times great (4G) grandfather. Other researchers have kindly shared their early Henson research with me, with warnings that many of the details were speculative. Certainly William's parentage and birth details remain under debate: perhaps he was born about 1745 in Harper's Ferry Virginia. His father was probably "Old" Paul HENSON, and his grandfather could have been William Hanson/Henson who emigrated from Sweden to Virginia. Or perhaps he came from Ireland? William's mother may have been Elizabeth Stroeher (many spelling variations), perhaps born in Cambridgeshire England. There's no shortage of theories in these earlier generations!

William HENSON is said to have married Ann JACOBS in 1786 in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. I have tentatively entered 12 children, all with approximate ages, some with birth locations in North Carolina and Kentucky: Nancy, John, Paul, Christina, Isaac, Susannah, Ellen, William, Mary, Robert, Cristopher and Anne. My 3G grandfather Billy HENSON Jr. was in the middle of the pack, born 1803 in North Carolina. No one lists primary sources, and I am having a lot of trouble finding them myself. Most have resorted to copying from other compilations, including me at this stage. Many uncertainties remain. Proof is still needed.

Details of William's later life and family come from his Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant application files and his widow's pension documents. As a veteran he received a pension of $8.00 per month starting 10 Jan 1828, for 18 months of service as a private in the North Carolina Continental line. A transcript of his application says he served three tours of duty in North Carolina:

Late in 1780 for 18 months, he enlisted "about 40 days before the Battle of Guilford Court-house at a town by the name of Salisbury (the County forgotten) in the Company commanded by Captain William Lytle in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Joseph Lytle in the line of the State of North Carolina on the Continental establishment" ... and "he was discharged by the said Colonel Lytle at Salisbury". He lost his discharge papers. [the Battle of Guilford NC started 15 Mar 1781]

Another 9 months, undated - "in Surry County and at the Courthouse of said County in the State of North Carolina he enlisted for the term of nine months in the company commanded by Captain John Jones (his given name is not positive) in the Regiment commanded by Colonel John Armstrong (his given name he believes was John) in the line of the State of North Carolina on the Continental Establishment" ... and "he was discharged by his Captain ( __ Jones) at Surry Courthouse North Carolina." He also lost these discharge papers.
In 1782 for 18 months. The Secretary of State's office in 1828 certified that " it appears from the musterroll's [sic] of the Continental line of this State in the revolutionary war, that William Henson a private in Captain Brevard's Company of the 10th Regiment, enlisted in 1782, for 18 months ... nothing more is said of him on said rolls."

So how long did he really serve? It seems that he was only given credit for 18 months for pension purposes.

I find it very interesting that William waited a long time (1828) to apply for his pension, as it was available as early as 1820 for eligible veterans. Here's what he had to say on this matter:

"... the following all [sic - are] the reasons for not making earlier application for a pension. That until within one or two years since he felt himself able to support himself and family and that he always disliked the idea of having it said that he was supported by his government when he had no expectation of it when he fought for liberty but owing to old age & poverty and having been crippled within the last year by the fall of a limb from a tree he has concluded to yield to the pressing solicitation of his friends. And in pursuance of the act of the first of May 1820, I do solemnly swear that I was a resident Citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818 ..."

We believe that at least two of William's brothers - Richard and Paul (Jr.) - also fought in the Revolutionary war against the British. Included in the documentation for Richard's pension application is an affidavit by their sister Martha (according to this summation by Will Graves):

fn p. 8: Martha May of Newton County Missouri gave a supporting affidavit in which she says she has known Richard Henson since she was 6 years old; that she is the sister of said Henson; that she can remember of going with her father to see the said Richard and 2 of her other brothers start to go against the British in the war of the revolution in Wilkes County North Carolina when she was about 14 years of age; that they were gone for 3 months; and that prior to that her brother had gone into service for a first tour.

By the time of William HENSON's death on 20 Sep 1830 (or 1831 according to one transcript), he was living in Knox City Kentucky. William's widow was still alive in 1850 according to both the 1850 US census (when she was living in Clay County Kentucky, age 90, with her daughter Ann Gilbert and family), and her widows pension application (summarized by Will Graves):

fn p. 9: On May 1, 1850, in Clay County Kentucky, Ann Henson, about 90 years of age, made application for a widow's pension under the 1848 act stating that she is the widow of William Henson, a pensioner of the United States for his service in the revolution at the rate of $96 per annum on the Kentucky list; that she married him at Harpers Ferry in the state of Virginia in the year 1786 by publication in a church; that she has no family record of her marriage it having been destroyed some 25 years ago; that she had several children born prior to 1794 whose names are Nancy, William, John, Paul, Christenah, Isaac and after 1794 she had Susannah, Lurean, Mary , Robert, Christessla [?Christopher in another document] and Ann; That her husband died September 20, 1831.

This latest document seems to be the main source for the names of their twelve children. Ann HENSON states that she had 6 children prior to 1794, and that means they were born within an 8 year span, assuming they were all born after her marriage in 1786. That's possible I suppose, but other sources say that Isaac (for instance) wasn't born until 1798. Who is right? It could be that Ann was forgetful at the age of 90, or perhaps she adjusted their births to maximize the pension benefits (obviously 1794 was a pivotal year for benefit calculations). But why would she do that after having delayed making her application in the first place? Was she eligible for the widows pension right after his death 20 years before? Or maybe she wasn't eligible until the new legislation of 1848? I'll have to look into that detail further. Either way she seems to have missed out on some pension money just as William had. They were a proud lot.

Ann claims that her remaining six children were born after 1794 - undoubtedly so, but I sure wish she had included all their birth dates. According to others, Ann, the youngest, wasn't born until 1817. The distribution of births doesn't seem proportionate. I don't know where most of these birth dates have come from, and there are variations in the children's names and birth order as well. There are still many discrepancies to deal with here.

William's long life of 85 years must not have been an easy one, farming and raising a large family in probably rugged conditions. In the prime of his life, he chose to fight in the Revolutionary War as a patriot after America made its declaration of independence. His contribution to the birth of a nation is something to be proud of.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Descendants of Paul William Sr, by William G Mattheis
Battle of Guilford, North Carolina, 15th March 1781 - British Battles site
The American Revolution in North Carolina - "Carolana" site
Revolutionary North Carolina - Learn NC site
North Caroline in the Revolutionary War - Lost Souls Genealogy site

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2018 Genealogy Research Recap

Claudia's 32 Third Great Grandparents

Claude Angus HENSON (1919-1954) in the Census - #5 (52 ancestors)

Claude Angus HENSON (1919-1954) - #4 (52 ancestors)

Orvil “Strawberry” HENSON (1912-1986) - #3 (52 ancestors)

Nancy ORRICK and George WELLS - Tremendous Loss

DNA Research Continued ...

Benjamin Lafayette ORRICK (1850-1917) - #49 (52 Ancestors)

William H “Billy” HENSON (1803-1887) - #32 (52 Ancestors)

William Henson (c1745-1830) - #27 (52 Ancestors)

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