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

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