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I (Marty Grant) am not related to Isham Hensley as far as I know.
"Isham" is also spelled "Isom" or "Isam" on various records. I'm not sure which spelling is more "correct".
Isham Hensley was born ca 1818/19 in TN, probably in Sullivan County, or perhaps Greene County. He apparently lived in that border area where the four counties came together (Greene, Sullivan, Washington and Hawkins).
I believe Isham Hensley is as a son of Benjamin Hensley and Mary Ann McDavid, but I have no direct proof of this. It fits based on circumstantial evidence. They were neighbors, and Benjamin did have an apparent so this age, and since Benjamin is thought to be a son of the elder Isom Hensley (1760/70), it makes sense that he would name one of his own sons Isom/Isham. If the are not father and son, then I'd suspect they are still closely related.
Isham would have been about 1 year old in 1820, so if listed with his parents that year, he would be in the "under 10" age group (born ca 1810/20), but unfortunately, the 1820 census is lost for all of eastern Tennessee.
Isham would have been about 11 years old in 1830, so if listed with his parents that year, he would be in the age 10-14 group (born ca 1815/20). In Greene County there was Samuel Hensley (1780/90) listed, who had a son that age. In neighboring Sullivan County, Benjamin Hensley (c1795) was listed with two sons age 5-9 (c1820/25), but no one Isom's age. However, since some records give Isom's birth as ca 1820, this could work.
Isham Hensley would have been about 21 years in 1840, so if listed on that census, he should be in the 20-29 age group (born ca 1810/20). Benjamin Hensley was in Greene County that year, and did have one son age 20-29, so that is possibly Isham Hensley.
Isham Hensley married Arena --- sometime between 1840 and 1850. As of 1850 they had no children, so they may have just recently married by then, likely in Greene Co, TN. I didn't find a marriage record for them, so they may have married in neighboring Sullivan County instead (early marriage records lost). Arena was born ca 1831/32 in Tennessee. I don't know what her maiden name might have been.
They were listed on the 1850 census in Greene Co, TN about 4 pages from his probable parents, but not too close to any other Hensley families.
1850 GREENE CO, TN Page 259 House/Family # 1783/1783 9th Division HENSLEY ISHAM 31 M W LABORER TN 1818/1819 HENSLEY ARENA 18 F W TN 1831/1832
For the 1860 census, Isham and family had the interesting "honor" to be listed on the census twice, and in two different counties. They were listed once in Greene County, TN and again in Sullivan Co, TN. The duplicate listings were due to either the county line not being perfectly defined, or perhaps they moved during the census year, just in time to be counted a second time. The listings are not an exact match, so it is possible one of the duplicates was due to a neighbor giving information. The Greene County listing shows puts them just 6 houses from Mathias Hensley (c1838), relationship unknown.
1860 GREENE CO, TN Page 366 House/Family # 506/ 488 -- CIVIL DISTRICT 17 HENSLY ISAM 40 M W FAR.LB 100 TN 1819/1820 HENSLY ARANA 26 F W VA 1833/1834 HENSLY ELIZABETH 8 F W TN 1851/1852 HENSLY SAMUEL 5 M W TN 1854/1855 HENSLY CATHARINE 1 F W TN 1858/1859
Their Sullivan County listing for 1860 gives a similar, but slightly different enumeration for the family. They are listed between cousin John Hensley (c1820) and father Benjamin Hensley (1795).
1860 SULLIVAN CO, TN Page 125 House/Family # 6/ 6 -- CIVIL DISTRICT 5 HENSLEY ISHAM 43 M W DAY LABOR 50 TN 1816/1817 HENSLEY ARRENA 26 F W DOMESTIC TN 1833/1834 HENSLEY SAMUEL 4 M W TN 1855/1856 HENSLEY C E MELISSA 4 F W TN 1855/1856 HENSLEY ELIZABETH 9 F W TN 1850/1851
For the 1870 census, Isham and family were back in Greene Co, TN. They were listed on the same page with his 1st cousin, also named Isham Hensley (c1828) son of Isom Hensley (c1798). (Too many of the same name!). The abstract gives: Isam Hensley-50, Anna-36, Samuel-14, Catherine-12, Mary A-8, Nicie-6, all born TN. Page 370. (From "Hensley Households" by Laura Schreibman).
By 1880, Isham and family were listed in neighboring Washington County, Tennessee. He was in very close proximity to many of the same neighbors he had in 1870 but in Greene County. ** I don't have this entry typed up yet.
I have no data on Isham and family beyond 1880.
Isham and Arena had five children per the various census records. I have very little additional data on any of them yet, so not enough to give them their own sections here. I can say that son Samuel Hensley was married and in Greene County, TN on the 1880 census.
Persons researching this family (click here for data on how to get on or off of this list):
1. Isham1
Hensley , born 1818/19 in
Sullivan Co, TN; died aft 1880 in Washington Co, TN, son of Benjamin Hensley
and Mary Ann McDavid .
He married in 1840/50 in Greene Co, TN Arena (---) , born
1831/32 in TN; died aft 1880 in Washington Co, TN.
Children
of Isham Hensley and Arena (---) were as follows:
2
i
Elizabeth2
Hensley , born 1850/51 in Greene
Co, TN.
+
3
ii
Samuel2
Hensley , born 1855/56 in Greene
Co, TN. He married Louisa
(---) .
4
iii
Catherine Melissa2
Hensley , born 1857/58 in Greene
Co, TN.
5
iv
Mary Alice2
Hensley , born 1861/62 in Greene
Co, TN.
6
v
Nicie Jane2
Hensley , born 1863/64 in Greene
Co, TN.
Generation 2
3. Samuel2
Hensley
(Isham1),
born 1855/56 in Greene Co, TN. He
married in 1870/78 in Greene Co, TN Louisa (---) , born 1858/59 in TN.
Children
of Samuel Hensley and Louisa (---) were as follows:
7 i Arena3 Hensley , born 1877/78 in Greene Co, TN.