Marty and Karla Grant

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William Hensley (c1743-c1810) and Mary — of Albemarle, Orange and Madison Co., VA.

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Special thanks to Laura Schreibman and Suzanne Baird for data shared on this family.

I don’t know how I’m related to this William Hensley, but he’s certainly a cousin at least to my ancestor, William Hensley (c1730s-c1807).

As there were several William Hensleys in Virginia before 1800, you should refer to my analysis page on that subject. 

William Hensley was born ca 1743/1746. I base this on his first public record dated 1764 when he and his father were both named as defendants in a court record. Assuming he had to be at least 21 then, that puts his birth at ca 1743. If he was as young as 18, then ca 1746, thus the range of 1743/46. He could be older than that, but probably not much younger.

William Hensley “Jr” is almost certainly a son of William Hensley “Sr” with whom he was associated in the aforementioned court record. That is William Hensley (c1690s-c1764) and wife Jane Coyne.

On 26 Apr 1764 William Hensley and William Hensley Jr are both sued by William Lennox and William Scott, probably for debt. Neither Hensley appeared in court to answer the charge. (Orange Co., VA Order Book 7, p. 125, 211 & 284 shared by Suzanne Baird)

The above is the first record found for William Jr., and the last for William Sr. I suspect Sr died soon after 1764 in Orange Co., VA.

William Hensley (Jr) was married to Mary —, before ca 1770, assuming she was his only wife. They probably married in Orange Co., VA. Her maiden name is unknown.

They moved into neighboring Albemarle Co., VA before 1782 for William is listed on the 1782 personal property tax list in Albemarle. He is listed with one tithable above 21 (himself), no slaves, 9 cattle and 1 horse.

He was apparently in northern Albemarle. Another family of Hensleys were in Southern Albemarle, namely Benjamin Hensley (d 1788) and his children, some already grown by this time, including a son named William Hensley (c1761-c1823). It is certainly possible to mix up the two Williams, though I think we have them sorted out pretty well.

William Hensley is listed on the 1783 personal property tax list in Albemarle. He had one male over 21 (himself), no slaves, 4 cattle and 3 horses. The other William was also listed.

William Hensley is listed on the 1784 personal property tax list in Albemarle. He had one male over 21 (himself), no slaves, 4 cattle and 1 horse. The other William was also listed.

William Hensley is listed on the 1785 personal property tax list in Albemarle. He had one male over 21 (himself), no slaves, 7 cattle and 2 horses. The other William was also listed.

William Hensley is listed on the 1786 personal property tax list in Albemarle. He had one male over 21 (himself), no slaves, no cattle and no horses. I don’t know why he had no livestock this year. The other William was also listed.

William Hensley is listed on the 1787 personal property tax list in Albemarle in Thomas Garth’s district. He had one male over 21 (himself), none between 16 and 21, no slaves, 3 horses and 4 cattle. Lewis Hensley, his brother I believe, was listed near him in the same district and taxed on the same date (22 Mar 1787). The other William was listed, but in a different district.

William Hensley is listed on the 1788 personal property tax list in Albemarle in Thomas Garth’s district. He had one male over 16 (himself), no slaves and 2 horses. Lewis Hensley, his brother I believe, was listed near him in the same district and taxed on the same date (8 May 1788). The other William was listed, but in a different district.

William Hensley is listed on the 1789 personal property tax list in Albemarle in Thomas Garth’s district. He had one male over 16 (himself), no slaves and 2 horses. Lewis Hensley, his brother I believe, was listed near him in the same district but not taxed on the same date this time. William was 26 May, while Lewis was 27 May 1789. The other William was listed, but in a different district. This was the last time this William was listed in Albemarle tax lists. The other one (son of Benjamin) was there a few more years.

William Hensley apparently moved back to Orange Co., VA sometime after May 1789 for on 14 Oct 1789, William Hensly of Orange purchased land in Albemarle from Cleveland Coffey and wife Elizabeth. The land was 54 acres in Albemarle near the Piney Mountain. Neighbors mentioned were Hambleton (no given name listed) and William Rippetoe. Witnesses were William Allen, Isaac Allen and John Snell. (Albemarle Co., VA Deed Book 1789-1793 pp 170-172, shared by Suzanne Baird.)

The 1790 census is lost for Virginia, but William probably would have been listed in Orange Co., VA that year.

Wm Hinsley was listed on the 1790 personal property tax list in Orange Co., VA in Francis Cowherd’s company. This was the first time he appeared on the lists in this county, for he wasn’t found there in the 1780s tax lists. He was taxed for 2 white tithes, no slaves and 3 horses. His entry was dated 7 Jun 1790. John Hensley (c1734-c1797) was listed in the same district, his entry dated 16 Jun 1790, suggesting they weren’t neighbors. John would be William’s 1^st cousin if I have William placed correctly within the family.

On 14 Apr 1791, William Hensley and wife Mary of Orange, sold 73 acres in Albemarle to John Jarvis of Albemarle. The land was described as being near Piney Mountain. William Rippetoe’s corner was mentioned. This could be the same land from the 1789 deed, except this is 73 acres, that was 54 acres. Where did he get the extra land? William signed the deed. There were no witnesses. (Albemarle Co., VA Deed Book 1789-1793 pp 195-197 shared by Suzanne Baird.)

The deed above describes William as residing in Orange in April 1791, however he wasn’t listed on the tax list in Orange for 1791. Nor did I find him anywhere else in Virginia (or West Virginia) that year, nor in 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795 or 1796. He either went “east” into a county I didn’t think to check, or he left the state for awhile. I checked all of KY for those years and didn’t find him there either. Perhaps he was still in Orange or nearby, but somehow was exempt from taxes each of those years for some reason. If that’s the case, there may be a court record explaining why.

William Hensley “reappears” on the records in 1797 when he’s listed on the 1797 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. This is the county he remained in the rest of his life it seems. He was listed as “William Hensley & sons” and taxed for 4 tithes (age not specified, but 16 and up at least), no slaves and 2 horses. He was the only Hensley listed in Madison that year. The 3 sons are probably Clifton (c1772), James (c1780) and Lewis (c1781) each of whom would have been over 16 in 1797.

Madison County was created in 1792, effective 1793, from the portion of Culpeper where another William Hensley (c1706- 1777) had resided. I think this is a coincidence and not an indication that this William (c1746-c1810) is closely related to that other William. This William arrived there about 20 years after the older man’s death. All of the older William’s known descendants (with one exception) had emigrated away from the area long before William (c1746) arrived there. The exception is Ann Hensley (1757) wife of William Taylor, who remained in Madison until her death in 1855. I’ve seen no indication that Ann and this William (c1746) were acquainted or lived particularly close to each other.

William Hensley was listed on the 1798 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated May 5^th. William Taylor (married to Ann Hensley) was listed on May 14^th, suggesting they weren’t anywhere near each other. William Hensley was taxed for three white tithes, which is himself, and probably sons James and Lewis. He was also taxed for one horse.

William Hensley was listed on the 1799 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Mar 29^th, as “William Hensley and sons.” He was taxed for three white tithes, which is himself, and probably sons James and Lewis. He was also taxed for one horse.

The 1800 census is lost for Virginia, but William undoubtedly would have been listed in Madison.

William Hensley was listed on the 1800 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated May 24^th, as “William Hensley” He was taxed for one white tithe, which is himself. His older sons were apparently elsewhere this year, but not listed separately in this county. He was also taxed for 2 horses.

“William Hencely & son” was listed on the 1801 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated May 26^th. He was taxed for 2 white tithes, which is himself and probably son Lewis. He was also taxed for 2 horses. His son James was listed on the same date in his own entry.

“William Hencley” was listed on the 1802 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Mar 19^th. He was taxed for 1 white tithe, which is himself, and 1 horse. His sons James and Lewis were listed on the same date in their own entries.

“William Hencley & son” was listed on the 1803 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Mar 23^rd. He was taxed for 2 white tithes, which is himself and probably his son William, and 3 horses. His sons James and Lewis were listed on the same date in their own entries.

“William Hencly Sr” was listed on the 1804 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Apr 18^th. He was taxed for 1 white tithe, which is himself, and no horses. His sons James, Lewis and William Jr were listed on the same date in their own entries.

For some reason none of the Hensleys were listed on the 1805 tax list in Madison. I read the entire list twice and found no mention of them. Did they all temporarily relocate?

“William Hencley Sr” was listed on the 1806 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Apr 19^th. He was taxed for 1 white tithe, which is himself, and no horses. His son William was the only other Hensley on the list.

“William Hencley Sr” was listed on the 1807 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Apr ---. He was taxed for 1 white tithe, which is himself, and 1 horse. His son William was the only other Hensley on the list.

There were no taxes in 1808.

“William Hencley” was listed on the 1809 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Apr 10^th. He was taxed for 1 white tithe, which is himself, and 2 horses. His sons Joseph and John were listed in their own entries under the same date.

William is listed on the 1810 census in Madison. He was the only Hensley in that county for the census. William has a rather full house.

1810 Census, Madison Co., VA p. 391, William Hensley age 45+ (before 1765)

20211-11111-0-0

William Hensley was listed on the 1810 personal property tax list in Madison Co., VA. His entry was dated Apr 22^nd. He was taxed for 1 white tithe, which is himself, and 1 horse. His sons Joseph and John were listed in their own entries under the same date.

The above is the last record I found for William Hensley. He either died ca 1810/1811 or left the area.

His son John appeared on the 1811 tax list in Madison, then no Hensleys at all were listed in 1812 or 1813. Lewis Hensley, William’s son, I believe, was listed in 1814, 1815 and 1816, but was gone by 1817. I didn’t read beyond that.

I don’t know when or where Mary died. She seems to still be living as of the 1810 census.

There were no Hensleys in Madison on the 1820 census.

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Children

William Hensley seems to have numerous children. Most of the daughters are proven by their marriage records. However, the sons are mainly proven by proximity, appearing on the tax records along side him as they came of age, and when they acted as bondsmen for William’s proven daughter’s marriages. That strongly suggests the are his (as no other Hensleys were in the area except him), but doesn’t outright prove they are his children. However, I have no doubt they are. Since I’ve identified an even dozen children, it’s entirely possible they aren’t all with wife Mary. He could have been married more than once.

 

1.         Elizabeth Hensley (c1770/73)

2.         Jane Hensley (c1770/74)

3.         Clifton Hensley (c1772)

4.         Milly Hensley (c1774)

5.         Lewis Hensley (1770/80)

6.         James Hensley (c1780)

7.         William Hensley (1784)

8.         Mary Hensley (c1779/83)

9.         Lucy Hensley (c1785/90)

10.       Robert Hensley (c1785)

11.       Joseph Hensley (c1788)

12.       John Hensley (c1788)

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Elizabeth Hensley was born ca 1770/73 (rough estimate), probably in Orange Co., VA. She is a proven child of William Hensley via her marriage bond.

On 30 Dec 1789, Reuben Dollins (“Rubin Dollins”) obtained a marriage bond in Orange Co., VA to marry Elizabeth Hensley, daughter of William (it says that on the bond). Lewis Hensley was the bondsman. He was her uncle, not her brother of the same name who was far too young in 1789 to be a bondsman.

I haven’t really researched this family yet, though I did attempt to follow them via the tax lists. The results:

∙           1790. I was unable to find Reuben Dollins in either Orange or Albemarle Counties.

∙           1791. Listed on the 1791 tax list in Orange with one tithable, no slaves, no horses.

∙           1792. I didn’t find him in either Albemarle or Orange.

∙           1793. Albemarle with one tithable and one horse.

∙           1794. I didn’t find him in either Albemarle, Madison or Orange Counties.

∙           1795. I didn’t find him in either Albemarle, Madison or Orange Counties.

∙           1796 through 1807. Albemarle each year with identical listing, one tithable, no horses.

∙           1808. No tax lists.

∙           1809. I didn’t find him in Albemarle.

∙           1810. I didn’t find him in Albemarle.

After finding a Reuben Dollins on the 1820 census in Lincoln Co., KY, I decided to backtrack that man to see if it was the same one. I think it is, for I read 1806, 1807 and 1808 tax lists for Lincoln Co., KY and found no Dollins. However, in 1809 there was Reuben, William and James Dollins listed. I think the Reuben of Lincoln Co., KY is the same one from Albemarle Co., VA.

Unfortunately the 1810 tax list is missing for Lincoln. For some reason, Reuben Dollins wasn’t listed on the 1810 census either. He was “back” for the 1811 tax list in Lincoln, and there in 1812. I didn’t read the tax lists beyond that yet.

He was still in Lincoln for the 1820 census.

1820 Census, Lincoln Co., KY p. 35, Reuben Dollins age 45+ (before 1775)

101001-00101-Slaves=2000-0000

I didn’t find Reuben Dollins on the 1830 census in Lincoln Co., KY nor anywhere else. I didn’t find a widow Elizabeth listed anywhere either. There were still other Dollins in Lincoln in 1830.

To do: Read the 1813-1820 tax lists in Lincoln Co., KY for this family. Also read 1820-1830 to see when they left the county or died. ****

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Jane Hensley was born ca 1770/74 (rough estimate), probably in Orange Co., VA. She is a proven child of William Hensley via her marriage bond.

On 23 Dec 1789, John Boswell obtained a marriage bond in Albemarle to marry “Jenny” Hensley, daughter of William, who gave his consent. Hezekiah Rhodes was bondsman.

John Boswell is listed on the 1790 through 1805 tax lists in Albemarle with one tithable and one horse each time. (Excludes 1792 & 1795 where I didn’t find him in Albemarle.) In 1806 he had two horses. Same in 1807. There was no list in 1808, but in 1809 he had three horses, still in Albemarle. In 1810 he was back to two horses, and still the same in 1811.

John Boswell was not listed on the 1812 or 1813 Albemarle tax lists, so he either moved away or died before then.

I checked the 1806 through 1812 tax lists in Lincoln Co., KY where other members of this Hensley family went, but found no evidence of the Boswell’s going there, at least during those years.

However, there is a John Boswell on the 1820 census in Lincoln Co., KY which is where I found Reuben Dollins (see Elizabeth’s entry above). Is it the same John Boswell? We do know that John and Jane’s daughter Catherine Boswell Lunsford (c1797-1855) was in Caldwell Co., KY (western KY) by 1840.

To do: Read Lincoln Co., KY tax lists 1813-1820 to see when John Boswell appeared there. *****

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Clifton Hensley was born ca 1771/72 (per his age of 78 on the 1850 census), in Virginia, probably Orange County. He isn’t a proven child of William Hensley, but he was associated with William and several of William’s other children, so that strongly suggests he is William’s child.

He married Elizabeth Rossel on 25 Dec 1797. They lived in Albemarle and Orange Co., VA and then to Kentucky: Lincoln, Scott and finally, Boone Co., KY where they both died in the 1850s.

See their own page for more information. (When I get around to creating it.)

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Milly Hensley was born ca 1773/74 assuming the one I found in 1850 is the right Milly. She was probably born in Orange Co., VA.

On 2 Jul 1795, James Marshall obtained a marriage bond in Albemarle Co., VA to marry Milly Hensley. Her father wasn’t listed because she was already over 21 then and didn’t need parental consent. Her likely brother, Clifton Hensley, was the bondsman.

James Marshall could be a close relative of Samuel Marshall who married Mary Hensley in 1799. Mary and Milly were almost certainly sisters though. Mary is a proven daughter of William Hensley. Clifton Hensley was also bondsman for that marriage.

James Marshall is listed on the 1795 tax list in Albemarle Co., VA with one tithable and one horse. He wasn’t listed in 1796, but was back for the 1797 list with the same enumerations. In 1798 he had no horses. In 1799 he again had one horse.

I didn’t find him in Albemarle on the 1800 tax list. The 1800 census is lost for Virginia, so no help there either.

James Marshall “M.S.” was listed in 1801. The initials were used to distinguish two men of the same name, yet only one was listed. The only “M.” Marshall listed that year was Mrs. Mary Marshall, perhaps his mother, thus MS could mean “Mary’s son.” He had one tithable and one horse.

In 1802 two James Marshalls were listed, one with “R.S.” and the other with no initials. Both men only had one tithable, no horses. There was a Reuben Marshall listed, so perhaps RS stands for Reuben’s son.

No James Marshall was listed in Albemarle in 1803. Only one was listed in 1804, one tithe, no horses. Was this the James married to Milly Hensley or the other one? No way to be certain from this record alone.

I checked the 1806 through 1812 tax lists in Lincoln Co., KY where other members of this Hensley family went, but found no evidence of the Marshall’s going there, at least during those years.

Jumping way ahead, there is a widow Milly Marshall, 76, born Virginia, on the 1850 census in Forsyth Co., NC living with a son William S. Marshall, 49, also born Virginia. This certainly *could* be Milly Hensley Marshall, though I’m not 100% sure of that. I have used this Milly for Milly Hensley’s approximate birth date for it works whether or not this is the same Milly.

1850 census, Forsyth Co., NC, no township, p. 272, family 1096, household 1110

Next door is Willis Marshall, 25, born North Carolina, and next to him is Thomas Marshall, 22 born same place, possibly sons of William S. Marshall, and thus Milly’s grandchildren.

It would appear that Milly Marshall (of 1850 census) died before 1860, as did her son William, for I found William’s widow, also named Milly, still in Forsyth Co., NC for the 1860 census.

I’ve attempted to trace the Forsyth County Milly (c1774) back prior to 1850. Forsyth was formed in 1849 from Stokes so I looked in 1840 Stokes for a likely match. However, there were a considerable number of Marshall listings on that census in Stokes, 22 of them to be precise!

There was no listing for Milly herself or for a James Marshall, but there was a J. W. Marshall who was in his 60s as was his apparent wife, so that fits quite nicely. However, it’s not enough to be certain that it was James and Milly. Moving back to 1830 there weren’t as many, but there was no James or similar in Stokes.

More research is needed to determine what happened to James & Milly after ca 1802, or whether the widow Milly in 1850 Forsyth Co., NC is the same Milly from Albemarle.

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Lewis Hensley was born ca 1781, probably in Orange Co., VA. I base his birth on his first appearance on the tax lists in 1802, assuming he had recently turned 21. However, his 1830 and 1840 entries agree with each other giving his birth at ca 1770/80, so that puts him a little older than I estimated.

I don’t have direct proof that Lewis is William’s son, but the connection seems likely. William had two sons (unnamed) with him for the 1799 tax list and just one in 1801 when James was listed on his own, and none in 1802 when Lewis was listed on his own. That doesn’t prove James and Lewis were his sons, but it strongly suggests it.

Lewis was almost certainly named for his uncle Lewis Hensley (c1757-aft 1840).

Lewis Hensley was one of the witnesses to Mary Hensley’s 1799 marriage. She is a proven daughter of William Hensley. This further ties Lewis to William.

Lewis Hensley was listed on the 1802, 1803 and 1804 personal property tax lists in Madison Co., VA each year on the same date as his father and likely brothers. He apparently joined his brother Clifton in Scott Co., KY where they were both listed on the 1805 tax list.

Lewis Hensley was listed on Scott Co., KY tax lists in 1810 and 1811, but not on the 1810 census for some reason. He wasn’t married yet, so he may have been residing with a sibling or someone else, and thus not a head of household.

By 1814 he was back in Madison for that tax list, in fact he was the only Hensley in the county. He was also listed there in 1815 and 1816 but not in 1817.

On 23 Feb 1815 Lewis Hensley married Frances Moubray in Madison Co., VA. He would have been approximately 34 then, so it’s quite possible he’d been married prior to this.

As noted he wasn’t listed on the 1817 tax list in Madison, nor was he there for the 1820 census. He apparently moved to Harrison Co., KY by then for he was listed on the 1820 census there. He was the only Hensley in Harrison in 1820.

1820 Census, Harrison Co., KY p. 168, Lewis Hensley age 26-44 (1775/1794)

000010-30010-0-0

He was still in Harrison for the 1830 census. Another, younger, Lewis Hensley was also listed there. That is likely not Lewis’s son for he is too old unless from a prior marriage. They were not listed near each other.

1830 Census, Harrison Co., KY p. 136, Lewis Hensley age 50-59 (1780/1790)

01000001-103001

By 1840, Lewis was back in Scott Co., KY.

1840 Census, Scott Co., KY p. 87, Lewis Hensley age 60-69 (1770/1780)

000100001-00001001

I didn’t find Lewis or Frances on the 1850 census.

To do: Read Harrison and Scott Co., KY tax lists to see when Lewis was there and if I can determine who his children might be. Also determine if he was ever near the younger Lewis Hensley. *****

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James Hensley was born ca 1780, probably in Orange Co., VA. I base his birth on his first appearance on the tax lists in 1801, assuming he had recently turned 21.

I don’t have direct proof that James is William’s son, but the connection seems likely. William had two sons (unnamed) with him for the 1799 tax list and just one in 1801 when James was listed on his own. That doesn’t prove James was his son, but it strongly suggests it.

James Hensley was listed on the 1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804 personal property tax lists in Madison Co., VA each year on the same date as his father and likely brothers.

James was not listed on the 1805 through 1817 tax lists in Madison County, so he either died ca 1804/1805 or moved out of the county.

I don’t know what became of him for certain, but there is a James Hensley, born ca 1780/90, residing in Edwards Co., IL in 1820, 1830 and 1840 who *could* be this same James. I haven’t been able to find out much about that James yet.

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William Hensley was born 27 Sep 1784, probably in Orange or Albemarle Co., VA. His obituary says he was born in Madison Co., VA. However, his parents didn’t live in Madison in 1784, and furthermore, there was no Madison in 1784, it not being created until the early 1790s. It’s an obvious mistake to have made since he did live in Madison for a number of years.

I don’t have direct proof that William (1784) is William’s son, but the connection seems likely. William (the elder) had an unnamed son with him on the 1803 tax list, and by 1804 that son was not with him, but William Jr was listed on his own. That doesn’t prove William Jr was his son, but it strongly suggests it. Furthermore, William Jr named one of his sons Clifton, certainly after his brother, which further ties him to this family.

William Hensley “Jr” was listed on the 1804, 1806 and 1807 personal property tax lists in Madison Co., VA. He wasn’t listed there in 1809 or 1810 nor elsewhere as far as I’ve found. By 1811 he appeared on the personal property tax list in Albemarle Co., VA. He was again in Albemarle for the 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819 and 1820 tax lists.

William Hensley married Mary — sometime before ca 1814, perhaps in Albemarle Co., VA. I’ve seen her maiden name listed as Black, but I don’t know what the source for that is.

He was in Albemarle for the 1820 census. By 1830 he’d moved to neighboring Fluvanna Co., VA and was listed on the census there that year.

By 1840 he’d moved to Boone Co., MO where he remained until his death in 1867.

See their own page for more information. (When I get around to creating it.)

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Mary Hensley was born ca 1779/83, either in Orange or Albemarle Co., VA. I base her birth date on her 1799 marriage wherein her father William Hensley gave his permission. That means she was under 21 (born ca 1779 or after), but probably at least 16, or born before ca 1783.

On 7 Oct 1799, Samuel Marshall obtained a marriage bond in Madison Co., VA to marry Polly Hensley. Clifton Hensley (her brother) was bondsman. Her father William Hensley gave his consent, which was witnessed by Clifton Hensley and Lewis Hensley (her brothers).

Samuel Marshall is possibly related to James Marshall who married Milly Hensley in 1795, but I don’t know what that relationship is.

I expected to have located Samuel Marshall on the 1800 tax list in Madison, but he wasn’t listed. In fact, there were no Marshalls at all in Madison in 1799, 1800 or 1801. This suggests that he was probably from Albemarle like James Marshall, and only went to Madison because one traditionally married in the bride’s county of residence.

However, I didn’t find him in Albemarle in 1799, 1800 or 1801 either.

I don’t know if he died shortly after marriage, and perhaps Mary remarried, or if they immediately left the area after marriage.

I checked the 1810 census looking for any Samuel Marshall who might be this one. There were several in Kentucky, but I can’t say if any are the same man or not.

I checked the 1806 through 1812 tax lists in Lincoln Co., KY where other members of this Hensley family went, but found no evidence of the Marshall’s going there, at least during those years.

In 1820, however, I found one in Harrison Co., KY which is the same county Mary’s brother Lewis Hensley was in at the time. That doesn’t automatically mean this is the same Samuel Marshall though. They were not listed near each other. Both this Samuel and wife were in the ca 1775/1794 age group, so that works. This same Samuel was still in Harrison in 1830 aged 40-49 or born ca 1780/1790, his apparent wife the same. That certainly could be them. However, this Samuel was still in Harrison in 1850, aged 71 (c1779), born Maryland, wife Susan, 60, born KY. The Maryland birth place and the wife’s name seem to eliminate him from consideration. Of course it’s possible Mary died by then and he’d remarried.

More research is needed to determine what happened to Samuel and Mary.

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Lucy Hensley was born ca 1785/90 (rough estimate), either in Orange or Albemarle Co., VA. She is a proven daughter of William Hensley per her marriage record.

On 17 Aug 1805, Lewis Powell obtained a marriage bond in Madison Co., VA to marry Lucy Hensley. Her father William Hensley gave his consent.

I checked the Madison county tax lists and didn’t find Lewis Powell listed in 1804, 1805, 1806 or 1807. There were other Powells listed there, so either Lewis moved away right after marriage or died shortly after.

I didn’t find Lewis Powell on the 1810 census in Madison or nearby. There was one in Mercer Co., KY who was age compatible. However, he had five children (2 sons, 3 daughters) under age 10, which seems too many for someone who married in late 1805 unless of course Lucy Hensley wasn’t his first spouse.

I checked the 1806 through 1812 tax lists in Lincoln Co., KY where other members of this Hensley family went, but found no evidence of the Powells going there, at least during those years.

In 1820 there was a Lewis Powell in Wayne Co., TN, another in Washington Co., IN and the one from Mercer Co., KY was still in that county in 1820. All of these are age compatible, I believe.

In 1830 the one in Wayne Co., TN was still there, he in his 60s (1760/70) and she in her 50s (1770/80) which seems too old to be Lewis and Lucy. The one in Mercer Co., KY was still there, both husband and wife in their 40s (1780/90) which works. There was one in Montgomery Co., IN in 1830 which I’d bet was the same one from 1820 Washington Co., IN. He was in his 60s (1760/70) while his apparent wife was in her 40s (1780/90) which works.

Finally, there was a Lewis Powell in 1830 St. Clair Co., AL, he in his 50s (1770/80) and she in her 40s (1780/90). To add weight to this one, their next door neighbor was a James Dollins (1800/10). Lucy’s sister Elizabeth Hensley had married a Reuben Dollins in 1789. This could be one of her sons or grandsons, or it could just be a coincidence.

By 1840 the only older Lewis Powells I could find were in Mercer Co., KY and Putnam Co., IN. I wasn’t able to find the others, nor any apparent widow Lucy Powells who were old enough.

I didn’t find either of those from 1840 in 1850. The only older Lewis Powell I found was a 70 year old in Marshall Co., AL listed as born in SC, apparently widowed. That could be the same one from 1830 St. Clair Co., AL perhaps.

More research is needed to figure out which, if any, of these is the same Lewis Powell who married Lucy Hensley.

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Robert Hensley was born ca 1785 or earlier. He might not be part of this family. In fact, I’m not at all confident he is William’s son.

I have two reasons for including him here. One, I don’t know where else he goes. Two, he first appears on the 1801 tax list in Albemarle Co., VA in the same district where Clifton Hensley had been the year prior. No other Hensleys lived in that district during that particular time. Of course it’s entirely possible his appearance where Clifton had just been was a coincidence and doesn’t mean anything.

Furthermore, this 1801 tax list entry is the only record I have for this Robert Hensley so far. He was in Thomas Garth’s district, had one white tithe 16 or older (himself) and no other taxable property. He was not listed there in 1802 nor elsewhere as far as I’ve found yet.

Did he die shortly after the 1801 tax list? Or did he move elsewhere and just hasn’t been discovered there yet?

This isn’t Robert Hensley (c1759-aft 1820) who married Eleanor Covington in Culpeper Co., VA ca 1780, then moved to Washington Co., VA, then later to KY. He was in Washington Co., VA in 1801. That Robert had a son Robert Jr (c1785) who was also in Washington Co., VA in 1801, so this isn’t him either.

This isn’t Robert Hensley (c1760-aft 1850) for he was in Tennessee ca 1801, or at least we think he was. It’s entirely possible he made a brief foray into Albemarle Co., VA for some reason, only to return to Tennessee, but that seems unlikely.

This isn’t Robert Hensley (c1777-1870s) who married Judith Farley for he was in Tazewell Co., VA in 1801.

More research is needed to determine what happened to this Robert Hensley, and indeed, what family he belongs to, if not William.

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Joseph Hensley was born before ca 1793 or before ca 1788. I base that on his first appearance on the tax lists as a tithable in 1809. That list doesn’t specify whether a tithable is 16 and up or 21 and up.

I don’t have direct proof that Joseph is William’s son, but he was in Madison and taxed on the same date as William in 1809 and 1810.

Joseph Hensley is listed on the 1809 and 1810 tax lists in Madison Co., VA, each time taxed for one tithable (himself) and one horse.

He was not listed on the 1810 census, but his father had a full household that year, so he’s probably one of the apparent sons in William’s family on that census.

Joseph was not listed on the 1811 through 1817 tax lists in Madison, so he either had moved away or died after 1810.

The 1820 census shows five Joseph Hensleys, all of whom are positively identified:

∙           Jefferson Co., IL. This is Joseph Hensley (c1784-1854) and wife Lucy Covington.

∙           Jefferson Co., IN. This is Joseph Snell Hensley (1776-1869) and wife Lucy Cooper.

∙           Greenup Co., KY, this is Joseph Hensley (c1786) and wife Hannah Miller.

∙           Montgomery Co., KY, this is Joseph Hensley (c1750-1832).

∙           Cabell Co., VA (now WV). This Joseph has no enumerations. I think this is Joseph of Greenup KY who had land in Cabell Co., WV at this time.

That means none of the Joseph Hensleys listed in 1820 could be the one from Madison Co., VA.

There were no unidentified Joseph Hensleys on the 1830 census.

It would seem William’s son Joseph was dead, or perhaps residing with other families at census time.

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John Hensley was born before ca 1793 or before ca 1788. I base that on his first appearance on the tax lists as a tithable in 1809. That list doesn’t specify whether a tithable is 16 and up or 21 and up.

I don’t have direct proof that John is William’s son, but he was in Madison and taxed on the same date as William in 1809 and 1810.

Joseph Hensley is listed on the 1809, 1810 and 1811 tax lists in Madison Co., VA, each time taxed for one tithable (himself) and no horses.

He was not listed in Madison on the 1812 through 1817 lists, so either dead or moved away.

As John Hensley is such a common name I’ve not made much effort to trace this one yet.

It’s entirely possible this is the same man who was in Cabell Co., VA (WV) in 1830. See his page for more on him.

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Family Group Sheets

Revised: December 4, 2021

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