Marty and Karla Grant

[Home] [What’s New?] [Books for Sale] [Christian] [Genealogy] [Search] [Support] [About] [Contact]

Henry Hensley (c1783-1855) and Martha of Buckingham Co., VA and Warren Co., TN

[Hensley Home] - [Table of Contents] - [Virginia] - Henry Hensley (c1783)

Jump to Children’s section

I don’t know I’m related to Henry Hensley, but I suspect he’s at least a cousin of my ancestor Larkin Hensley (c1765) who was also in Buckingham Co., VA.

Henry Hensley was born ca 1782/83 per his age of 67 on the 1850 census. This agrees with his earlier census and tax lists records. He was born somewhere in Virginia, perhaps Buckingham County where his first records were found.

I don’t know who his parents were. I once had him listed as a son of a Benjamin Hensley, but I believe that was a case of an erroneous record which I haven’t been able to locate again.

The only Hensley family in Buckingham at the time of his birth (as far as we know) was that of my ancestor William Hensley (c1730s-1807). It is certainly possible that William is Henry’s father, but I don’t think they are father and son. I could be wrong of course. It should be noted that we don’t even know if Henry was born in Buckingham County. He may have moved there as a young adult from another county, and thus not directly connected to William Hensley.

The personal property tax lists for Buckingham County are extant for 1782 through 1803. Henry Hensley does not appear on any of them. Then again he would have been too young to have been listed by name. William Hensley (c1730) was on those lists through 1797, but that year he left for Washington Co., VA where he lived at least until 1807 when he moved on to Knox Co., TN where he probably died. While it is certainly possible that he left a son behind in Buckingham in the care of other relatives, it seems unlikely.

No Hensleys were on the tax lists in Buckingham in 1798, 1799, 1800 and 1801. In 1802 a “W. George Hensley” appeared for the first and only time. There were no Hensleys listed in 1803 in Buckingham.

Henry Hensley makes his first appearance on the public records in 1804 on the 1804 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and 1 horse. He was the only Hensley on the list.

Since he was born ca 1782/83, he would have just turned 21 around this time, so it makes sense that the 1804 tax lists is his first appearance. The question is, was he in Buckingham all along, or did he move there from somewhere else?

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1805 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and 1 horse. He was the only Hensley on the list yet again.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1806 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and 1 horse. However, he was no longer the only Hensley in the county. “William Hensley & sons” made their first appearance that year. Although the tax list was roughly alphabetical, Henry and William were not listed near each other, suggesting they weren’t neighbors. This is William Hensley (c1761) and wife Elizabeth Appleberry from neighboring Albemarle Co., VA. Although William is old enough to be Henry’s father, there is no evidence of any close connection between them. In fact, it seems unlikely they are father and son.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1807 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and 1 horse. William Hensley (c1761), Benjamin Hensley (c1782), James Hensley (c1789) and William Hensley Jr (c1788) were all listed as well, all of them near each other but not near Henry.

There were no tax lists for 1808.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1809 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), but no horses this time. William, Benjamin and James Hensley were also listed.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1810 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. William, Benjamin and James Hensley were also listed.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1810 census in Buckingham County, living by himself. His “next door” neighbors were John Minton and William Garrot. William Hensley Sr (c1761) and his son Benjamin (c1782) were listed as well, but many pages away, so clearly not neighbors with Henry.

1810 Census, Buckingham Co., VA p. 10, Henry Hensley age 26-44 (1765/1784)

00010-00000-0-0

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1811 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. Benjamin Hensley was still there, but his other family members were gone by then (to what is now West Virginia).

Henry Hensley married Martha — sometime in the 1810's, presumably in Buckingham Co., VA. She was born ca 1792/93, somewhere in Virginia. I have no clues about her maiden name. I have a note that it was Brown, but with no source for that.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1812 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was again listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. He was the only Hensley listed this year.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1813 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and one horse. Benjamin Hensley is back, or else a new Benjamin had arrived. There was a Samuel Hensley listed also. I don’t know who he is. Both Benjamin and Samuel were slave owners.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1814 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and one horse. Samuel and Benjamin Hensley were listed also, as was a James Hensley.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1815 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. Benjamin Hensley was the only other Hensley listed.

There was no tax list for 1816.

Henry Hensley was not listed on the 1817 tax list as far as I could find. John Hensley was for the first of several times.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1818 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham in Samuel Patterson’s district. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. John Hensley was listed in Samuel D. Williams’ District, so not particularly close to Henry.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1819 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham in Samuel Patterson’s district. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. John Hensley was in the same district with Henry this time.

They are in Buckingham for the 1820 census. Their “next door neighbors” are Armstead Garnett and Cyrus Carthhart?

1820 Census, Buckingham Co., VA p. 696/797, Henry Henzley age 26-44 (1775/1794)

100010-10010-0-0

There was a John Hensley (c1775/94) and a Turner R. Hensley (actually Henley) who were also listed in Buckingham in 1820. They were nowhere near Henry. I would assume, at a glance, that they weren’t closely related to him.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1820 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham in Samuel Patterson’s district. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and one horse. John Hensley was listed in Samuel D. Williams’ District again suggesting he moved around a bit.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1821 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham in Peter R. Patterson’s district. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. John Hensley was listed in the same district with Henry.

I didn’t find Henry Hensley nor John Hensley on the 1822 tax list in Buckingham.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1823 Personal Property tax list in Buckingham in Peter R. Patterson’s district. He was listed with one tithe (white males over 21, which would be himself), and no horses. John Hensley was listed in the same district with Henry.

No Hensleys were listed in Buckingham for the tax lists in 1824 or 1825.

Henry and family moved to Warren Co., TN around this time. Warren County is near the center of the state. There was an Allen Hensley (c1794/1804) there on the 1820 census. I don’t know if they are closely related.

Henry Hensley is listed on the 1830 census in Warren Co., TN. Enoch Hensley (c1775) and Enoch’s son Samuel Hensley (c1802) are listed several pages away in the same county, so not particularly near him. Are they related? Probably so, but are they closely related? I can’t say.

Henry’s “next door neighbors” in 1830 were John Blackburn and Thomas Brown.

1830 Census, Warren Co., TN, p. 48/344, Henry Hensley age 40-49 (1780/1790)

2100001-010101, 0 slaves

Henry Hensley was the only one of his surname in Warren Co., TN for the 1840 census. His “next door neighbors” were James Kidd and Rachel Parsons. Henry’s age was off by about 10 years on this census, but it’s certainly the same Henry. The other family members enumerations are off a bit too. That suggests a neighbor gave the information to the census taker, or perhaps one of the younger family members who didn’t really know everyone’s exact ages.

1840 Census, Warren Co., TN p. 346, Henry Hensley age 60-69 (1770/1780)

020200001-00010001

Henry and family were on the 1850 census in Warren Co., TN. Other Hensley families were in the county this year as well, but not in the same district with them. See: Stephen H. Hensley (c1823) and Sarah Bishop Hensley (c1818). I don’t think either of those are closely connected to Henry, but I could be wrong.

1850 census, Warren Co., TN, 8^th Civil District, house 1355, family 1355

Henry Hensley died ca 1855 in Warren Co., TN, per his Estate records (thanks to Laura Schreibman for sharing this). Unfortunately, his Will was mentioned, but seems to be missing. However, the estate records (inventory, etc.) show his widow to be Martha, and that "C. J. Hensley" (his son) was the administrator. No other heirs were mentioned in those records.

Widow Martha was listed on the 1860 census in Warren Co., TN. Son John and his family are next door. They were the only Hensleys listed in Warren on the 1860 census.

1860 Census, Warren Co., TN, McMinnville PO, House 276, Family 276

Martha and daughter Susan were the only Hensleys listed in Warren Co., TN for the 1870 census. Martha was listed as blind.

1870 Census, Warren Co., TN 8^th Civ District, McMinnville PO, House 21, Family 21

Martha (—) Hensley seems to have died between 1870 and 1880 for I was unable to find her on the 1880 census.

Children

Henry and Martha had at least five children, probably more. The oldest were born in Buckingham Co., VA while the youngest were born in Warren Co., TN.

For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database page for Henry Hensley.

Revised: September 3, 2021

Copyright © 1996-2021 Marvin A. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved.

[Home] [What’s New?] [Books for Sale] [Christian] [Genealogy] [Search] [Support] [About] [Contact]