John Hensley (1775/94) of Floyd Co., KY and Logan Co., WV

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• 28 Jan 2009 New page by Marty Grant, relationship unknown.

I don't know where he was born, though probably Virginia or that part of Virginia that is now West Virginia.

I don't know who his parents are. He is probably related to Robert, Daniel, William, etc. of Logan Co., WV, but I don't know how they connect exactly. They all may be children of the widow Catherine Hensley. Consider this article:

The settlement at the mouth of Spruce, where Lewis Rutherford now lives, was made by Benjamin Sprouse. At just what time he settled there is not known, but he raised a large family of boys and girls, and with Reuben Thacker, a brother-in-law, moved further to the west, selling his place to William Davis, who came from Albermarle County, and claimed to be a first cousin of Thomas Jefferson. Davis married a Mrs. Hensley, of Russell County, who was the mother by her former marriage of four sons and one daughter. Three of the sons - William, Robert and John - and the daughter, whose name is forgotten. There was another son - Daniel - who had been captured by the Indians in 1790, and who remained with the Indians until 1807, when he joined the family and married a daughter of Thomas Davis, of Albermarle County, and niece of the William Davis above mentioned, settled at the mouth of Rockhouse Fork of Pigeon. Of the other Hensley boys, Robert married a daughter of Capt. Henry Farley, and settled at the mouth of Sugartree; William married a Miss Brewster, and settled opposite the mouth of Pond, on what is now known as the Lawson farm, and John married a Miss Davis and settled lower down the river. The daughter above mentioned married William Davis, a son of Thomas Davis of Albermarle, and nephew of the William Davis above mentioned, who settled near the mouth of Pigeon. William Davis, Sr., had one daughter by his first wife. William Davis, Sr., married a Miss Runyon, by whom he had two daughters, one of whom married Jess Stratredge and the other Jacob Runyon. (Ragland, Henry Clay, History of Logan County, W.Va. 1896)

Could this John of Logan be the same one mentioned as a brother to William, Robert and Daniel? That is quite possible, if not probable. According to the article above, John Davis married a Miss Davis, who was presumably related to the other Davises who married into the family, but I don't know how she fits in, or what her given name is. I had "Sally" in my notes for her name, but no source for it.

John Hensley was listed on the 1803 tax list in Tazewell Co., VA. That may be this same John.

There is a John Hensley in Floyd Co., KY in 1820, and that may be this same John who was in Logan later. I'm not positive they are one and the same, but many of John's siblings had lived in Floyd Co., KY before coming to Logan, so it fits. Also there in 1820 is George Hensley, Isaac Hensley, Elijah Hensley, and James Hensley.

1820 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1820 Floyd Co., KY page 39 John Hensley 200010-10010
Slaves=0000-0000

Analysis:

1 Male 26-44	(1775/1794)	John Hensley (1775/94)

2 males 0-9	(1810/1820)	1-Son?

				2-Son?

1 Female 26-44	(1775/1794)	(---) Davis Hensley (1775/94) wife

1 female 0-9	(1810/1820)	Daughter?

0 Slaves

John Hensley is listed on the 1824 tax list in Logan Co., VA (now WV). He was listed as being over 16 (born ca 1808 or before). Robert Hensley and Daniel Hensley were also listed.

John is listed on the 1827 tax list in Logan as are several other Hensleys.

I didn't find John Hensley on the 1830 census. He was not in Logan Co., VA then, nor back in Floyd Co., KY. There were John Hensleys elsewhere, but none that I could be certain was this same person. There is one in Bath Co., KY who fits, more or less. There is one in neighboring Kanawha Co., VA. That would be John Hensley (c1780), clearly a different person.

John Hensley is listed on the 1833 tax list in Logan Co., VA and taxed for two males over 16, which could be himself and a teenage son, or perhaps himself and a hired laborer who lived with him. No way to be certain who the extra person one. He had no slaves and had one horse.

John was not listed on the 1835 or 1837 tax lists in Logan, nor on the 1840 census as far as I could find. An apparent widow Mary "Polly" Hensley first appeared on the list in 1837. She could be John's widow, but her age doesn't quite match that of his wife per the 1820 census, and certain evidence suggests she was a single mother and not a widow.

1. Unknown Son (1810/20)
2. Unknown Son (1810/20)
3. Unknown Daughter (1810/20)

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