William Hensley and Elizabeth Robeck of Washington Co., VA

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The author (Marty Grant) is not related to William Hensley as far as can be proven. He did live in the same county (Washington Co., VA) as my ancestor Larkin Hensley (c1761-1806). 

On 3 Dec 1826, William Hansley married Elizabeth Robeck in Washington Co., VA.

This is the only sure record I have for this William. Although the name is spelled Hansley here, that is a common misspelling of Hensley. On the other hand there are entire families who always used that spelling and may not be connected to the Hensleys at all, but I'm not aware of any in this particular area.

What can be determined about this William from this one record? He was old enough to legally marry, so he must be 21 or older, so born ca 1805 or before. Was he a native to the region or was he passing through?

One thing to consider is whether or not this is the same William Hensley (1797) who married Elizabeth Magee (McGee) on 25 Feb 1827 in neighboring Scott Co., VA. The biggest problem with this is that there are only 3 months between the two marriages. Of course it is possible that Miss Robeck died shortly after marriage and William remarried. This is one possibility. The Scott Co., VA Tax lists of the 1820's only seem to show one William Hensley living there.

Who was Elizabeth Robeck? Is that actually her surname? I can't find anyone of that surname in Virginia on the 1830 census. The closest I could find was a Reuben Repak in Tazewell Co., VA. That county borders Washington so this might be significant. Unfortunately the 1830 Tazewell census was alphabetical, so I can't tell if Mr. Repak lived near any Hensleys at that time.  The next nearest possible match of this surname was a John Roebuck way out in Hopkins Co., KY in 1830. That is western Kentucky. There were Hensleys in that county too, but that might be a coincidence.

The 1830 census shows a few William Hensleys in the area. Is one of them the same William who married Elizabeth Robeck in 1826? Here are the nearby possibilities: William Hensley (1790/1800) in Hawkins Co., TN. He is a strong possibility as this isn't far from Washington Co., VA and not much is known about him. Another nearby William is William Hensley (c1797) of Washington Co., TN and later of Sullivan Co., TN. His wife was Barbary Wolf, so I doubt this is the same William we are seeking.

There is also a William in Scott Co., VA (next to Washington) in 1830, but he is probably William Hensley (c1797) who married Elizabeth Magee in that county in 1827.

There is no William Hensley in Washington Co., VA in 1830.

Jumping to the 1850 census, there are a couple of William Hensleys listed with a wife named Elizabeth, though I believe all are positively identified, but I'll outline them just for completeness.

There is William Hansley (c1788 NC) of New Hanover Co., NC. His wife was Eliza (c1810 NC). They match name-wise and age-wise. However this is coastal North Carolina, quite a long way from Washington Co., VA. In that same county is William H. Hansley (c1805 NC) and wife Eliza (c1805). They also match up, but are unlikely for the same reasons as the elder William Hansley.

There is William Hensley (c1797) of Lee Co., VA. His wife was Elizabeth Magee. They were from Scott Co., VA and have been mentioned earlier. I am sure this is Elizabeth Magee (or McGee) as opposed to Elizabeth Robeck, because a Samuel Magee was residing with them, probably Elizabeth's brother.

There is William Hensley (c1803 KY) and wife Elizabeth (c1803 KY) of Boone Co., KY. Although this census shows her born in KY, the 1860, 1870 and 1880 census gives her birth place as Ohio. I doubt this is Elizabeth Robeck.

There is William D. Hensley (c1784 VA) and wife Elizabeth (c1784 KY) in White Co., IL in 1850. Marriage records prove this Elizabeth was a Wilson.

I found no other possible matches for William in 1850.

I can only draw three possible conclusions. One is that the William Hensley who married Elizabeth Robeck in 1826 is the same William who married Elizabeth Magee just 3 months later, suggesting the first Elizabeth died. The second strong possibility is that this William is the same man listed on the 1830 and 1840 census in nearby Hawkins Co., TN. Third is that William and/or Elizabeth died before the 1850 census, so I haven't been able to locate them that way.

Children: None known.

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