Marty and Karla Grant

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

John A. Hensley (c1805-1885) and Jane Coley Bruce and Serena Bishop of Scott, Pittsylvania and Campbell Co., VA

Hensley pages [Hensley Home] - [Table of Contents] - [Virginia] This page [Children’s section]

John A. Hensley is my 1^st cousin, 6 times removed. His father, Fielding, is a proven brother of my ancestor Larkin Hensley.

Special Thanks to Ruthe Muench and Laura Schreibman for information shared on this family.

John A. Hensley was born ca 1804/05 per his ages on the 1850 census (45) and 1870 census (65). His age varies slightly on other censuses, 54 in 1860 (c1805/06), 72 in 1880 (c1807/08). I think ca 1804/05 is probably as close as we can get.

One would assume he was born in Washington (now Scott) Co., VA like his siblings.

John Hensley is a proven son of Fielding Hensley and Nancy Cornett as named in a 1833 court case (see Fielding’s page for more on that.)

For years there was a debate among some researcher as to whether it was John A. Hensley (c1805) or John Hensley (c1798) who was Fielding’s son. Both were named John, both were in the right area and both were of the right age to be his son. However, the 1833 court record above clinches it. (More on that later.) It is definitely John A. Hensley who was Fielding’ son. In fact, the reason he has a middle initial at all when none of his siblings seem to is probably to distinguish him from the other, older John.

Speaking of middle initials, I have no clue what the “A” might stand for, nor who, if anyone, John A. Hensley might have been named for. One possibility is John Brown (husband of Lucy Cornett), who would have been John A. Hensley’s maternal uncle by marriage. Of course he might not be the namesake at all.

Fielding Hensley had two boys aged “under 10” (born ca 1800/1810) with him on the 1810 census. Those are probably James (c1804) and John (c1805).

John seems to be with his father for the 1820 census, aged 10-15 (born ca 1804/10).

John A. Hensley would have turned 16 around 1821 but he did not appear on the personal property tax lists until 1827 when he was about 22. His presumed 1^st cousin John Hensley (c1798) was on the Scott County tax lists for a few years before that listed simply as “John Hensley” and also after this for a few years before he moved over the line to Washington Co., VA.

John A. Hensley was listed on the 1827 Scott County tax list 1 white male over 16, and no horses. This is the first year that he appeared on any record as far as I've found. John Hensley (c1798) was also listed this year.

John Hensley was listed on the 1828 Scott County tax list 1 white male over 16, and no horses. This is one of the few times his middle initial wasn't used. John Hensley (c1798) was also listed this year.

John A. Hensley was listed on the 1829 Scott County tax list 1 white male over 16, and no horses. John Hensley (c1798) was not listed in 1829 or after as he had moved across the county line into Washington County about this time. However, John A. continued to use his middle initial on most public records.

For the 1830 census, John A. Hensley would have been about 25 years old. He was not listed as head of household, so he must have been living with his parents. Fielding Hensley (c1761) had three men aged 20-29 (born ca 1800-10) with him in 1830.

John A. Hensley was not listed on the 1830 through 1839 tax lists in Scott Co., VA. This would be the time period when he moved several miles east to Pittsylvania County, Virginia. I don't know what drew him there. Pittsylvania had been home to several Hensleys in the mid to late 1700s, but none were still there in during the time John A. Hensley went there.

We know he was there by 1833 for in his father’s estate records it refers to John as being a resident of Pittsylvania Co., VA. Other documents in the above show he was later in Campbell Co., VA.

On 18 Aug 1834 John A. Hensley married “Coley J. Bruce” in Pittsylvania Co., VA. John was around 28 or 29 then, so I wonder if this was his first marriage? It seems to be.

The marriage document listed her as a child of Jane Hedrick, suggesting her father was dead and her mother had since remarried. Other evidence supports this.

Jane Coley Bruce was born ca 1817/18 (per age of 32 on the 1850 census), in Pittsylvania Co., VA. Her birth place is proven by her death certificate which also names her parents as Coalman and Jane Bruce. Coleman H. Bruce married Jane Roach on 22 Apr 1816 in Pittsylvania Co., VA. He died before 27 Aug 1827 for on that date Jane married George Hedrick in the same county.

John A. Hensley and family moved into neighboring Campbell County, Virginia in the 1830s. In a deed dated 1837 John A. Hensley of Campbell Co., VA sold his interest in the estate of John Bruce to Daniel Berger of Pittsylvania Co., VA. The land was his in right of his wife Jane Hensley, formerly Jane Bruce. (Pittsylvania Co., VA Deed Book 41 page 105).

I suppose John Bruce was an unmarried brother to Jane Bruce Hensley if she was an heir.

They were back in Pittsylvania County for the 1840 census. They were the only Hensleys in that county that year.

1840 Census, Pittsylvania Co., VA, 107^th Regiment, p. 24, John A. Hensley age 30-39 (1800/1810)

200001-00001

They moved to Scott Co., VA during the 1840s and are listed there on the 1850 census just three houses from John’s widowed mother.

1850 census, Scott Co., VA, Western District, p. 366B, house 225, family 225

They are on the 1860 census in Scott.

1860 Census, Scott Co., VA, Estillville PO, p. 383, House 998, family 998

Jane Coley Bruce Hensley died on 29 Nov 1866 in Scott Co., VA of fever. The record gives her parents names and her place of birth as Pittsylvania Co., VA.

On 12 Dec 1869, John A. Hensley married “Irena Hill” in Scott Co., VA. They were married by James P. Carter. The marriage license listed John as 65, born Sullivan Co., TN which is wrong. His parents were left blank. She was listed as 26, born in Scott Co., VA, a daughter of Jesse and Jane (—) Bishop.

Although listed on the marriage record as “Irena,” she was actually Serena Bishop. She was born ca 1842/43 in Scott Co., VA. She was on the 1850 and 1860 census in Scott Co., VA with her parents. Serena married John Hill on 13 Aug 1863. He must have died before 1869 when she married John A. Hensley.

They are on the 1870 census in Scott.

1870 Census, Scott Co., VA, Taylor Township, Duncan’s Mill PO, p. 611B, house 216, family 217

They are on the 1880 census.

1880 Census, Scott Co., VA, DeKalb District, p. 161B, house 262, family 281

John A. Hensley apparently died in 1885, though I have no primary source for that date.

I don’t know when Serena died. I didn’t find her on the 1900 census.

---

Children

John A. Hensley and Jane Bruce had 11 children. John and his 2^nd wife, Serena Bishop had six, for a total of 17 for John. Serena had at least one child from her prior marriage, Polly Jane Hill (c1866).

---

Click here for family group sheets of this family. Other notes and sources might be listed there.

---

Revised: February 24, 2022

Copyright © 1996-2022 Marvin A. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved.

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