Richard Hensley (c1663-c1690) and Elizabeth of Rappahannock Co., VA

Marty and Karla Grant

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Richard Hensley (c1663-c1690) and Elizabeth — of Rappahannock Co., VA

[Hensley Home] - [Table of Contents] - [Virginia] - Richard Hensley (c1663-c1690)

I don’t know how I’m related to Richard Hensley, but he is probably related to my ancestor, William Hensley (c1730s-c1807).

Richard Hensley holds an interesting place in the Hensley family, in that he was the only man of that name for many generations. That suggests he wasn’t actually related to the other Hensleys, or just that no one named any of their sons after him.

I estimate Richard Hensley’s birth as ca 1663, but he could be much older than that. I doubt he’s any younger than that though. He was married by 1684 so if we assume he was at least 21 then, that puts his birth at ca 1663 or earlier.

Richard was very likely an immigrant to Virginia from England, though no record of his arrival has been found. Likewise, we don’t know who his parents were, nor what part of England he came from.

I think it’s likely that Richard is a brother to William Hensley (c1650-c1708) and Benjamin Hensley (d 1700) who were in the same county with him and seem to be of the same generation. However, I have no actual proof they were siblings.

Richard Hensley married Elizabeth before 1684 for on 5 Mar 1684, Elizabeth made a complaint to the Rappahannock court that her husband Richard wasn’t supporting her. The court authorized her to take his property. (Rappahannock Co., VA Book 1683-86 p. 79, shared by Suzanne Baird.)

The above record suggests they weren’t newlyweds at the time, but perhaps long married by then. Of course that’s just speculation.

The above record is also the last record we have for Richard Hensley, the only record, in fact.

On 19 Sep 1690, William Bowler (Boulware) and wife Elizabeth deeded land to David Jamison being 250 acres in Rappahannock Co., VA on the south side of the Rappahannock River. Witnesses were Fran Slaughter and James Boulware. On 19 Oct 1690, Elizabeth Boulware appointed Robert Pley as her attorney to acknowledge the above deed. Witnesses to this power of attorney were Elizabeth Hensley, and Samil Cox. (Rappahannock Co., VA DB/WB 8, 1688-1692, pp 193-194, shared by Suzanne Baird.)

I’m assuming the above Elizabeth Hensley is Richard’s wife. It’s possible this was someone else, for example, we don’t know the name of William Hensley’s wife.

The above is the last record we have for Elizabeth Hensley.

In 1692, Rappahannock County became extinct when it was split into Essex (north of the river) and Richmond (south of the river). Neither Richard or Elizabeth appeared in the records of those counties as far as has been found.

Suzanne Baird found a record in Elizabeth City County that could be this same Richard. A Richard Honsley is listed on the 1704 quit rent tax roll for that county with 90 acres. (English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records, p. 182). I found the same entry transcribed as Richard Horsley from a different source. I strongly suspect this isn’t Richard Hensley, though it’s certainly within the realm of possibility.

Children

We only have two records for Richard and Elizabeth Hensley. Neither of them are helpful regarding children, therefore we don’t know if they had any. We have no “stray” Hensleys from this era who might be their children.

For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database page for Richard Hensley & Elizabeth.

Revised: August 23, 2021

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