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He was born about 1757 [1] at "Pine Slash", a 600-acre tobacco farm in Hanover County, Virginia which had been a wedding gift to his parents from his maternal grandfather, John Armistead Shelton. He was the son of Patrick Henry and Sarah Shelton.
His mother, Sarah, died in March 1775 at Scotchtown, Hanover county, Virginia. [1] His father, Patrick Henry carried on a courtship while governor, and on October 9, 1777, he married Dorothea Dandridge. Miss Dandridge was twenty-two years old, the same age as his son John. It has been conjectured that the son was also in love with Dorothea and that her marriage to his father contributed to his mental health issues some months later, but that is not proved by contemporary sources. [2]
John was an American Revolutionary War soldier. He probably saw his first military action as an 18-year-old volunteer in the company, led by his father, that marched toward Williamsburg on May 2, 1775 in response to the confiscation of gunpowder by the governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore.
By mid-1776 he had enlisted in the Virginia military and by December 1776 had been promoted to lieutenant which was an indication of his competence as a leader and as an expert horseman.
In January 1777 that Virginia light horse regiment had been adopted into the Continental Army under General George Washington.
In February 1777 he resigned from that regiment to take an appointment as captain in a Virginia artillery regiment that had been formed to defend the state.
In March 1778 that regiment was ordered north to join General Washington at Valley Forge, where they spent the next three months training under General Henry Knox.
In June 1778 he distinguished himself during the battle at Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, the longest (and hottest, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees F) battle of the Revolutionary War. John's regiment was involved in an artillery barrage that was described as the heaviest of the war to that point. Casualty estimates vary, but reports indicate that there were over 400 American casualties, dead and wounded, and over 1000 British. George Washington, in his account of the battle, makes mention of the gallantry of the artillery regiments. As the story was told, after the battle John walked among the American dead, lingering over the bodies of the men he had known; then drew his own sword, broke it to pieces, and grieved inconsolably. This story was originally told by John's older sister's (Martha) grandson, William Spotswood Fontaine to historian Charles Campbell, and erroneously identified the battle as the Battle of Saratoga.
Just following the battle at Monmouth Courthouse, he was among those listed as "sick" that were transferred to Princeton, New Jersey. It seems most likely that he suffered from what today is called Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). [3] Charles Campbell's account stated that he had gone "raving mad". Whether that accurately described his overt behavior is unknown.
After three years of honorable service, in August 1778 he resigned from the Army. [4] By that point his father had lost track of him and wrote General Washington for information regarding him. Washington wrote back that he had been found in Elizabeth, New Jersey and had little money, which Washington provided to him so that he could return to Virginia.
He subsequently began farming on the Leatherwood plantation his father owned in Henry County, Virginia, USA.
John HENRY married about 1789 in Virginia, USA to Susannah Walker and they had only one son, Edmund HENRY, born 1791. [1]
Anecdotal tradition has it that John died in the summer of 1791 or 1792 from a riding accident at Leatherwood in Henry County, Virginia, USA, [5] and was buried there in an unmarked grave, [1] [6] [7][8] which was not unusual at the time.
His widow Susannah remarried in 1798 to Richard White.
According to my records, Susannah married first, John Henry, oldest son of Patrick Henry, by whom she had one child, Edmund.
John died ca 1791 or 1792.Henry County Court order book, July session 1792 states ... "Administration of the estate of John Henry, decd. is granted to Susannah Henry, widow and relict of the said John Henry, decd. who made an oath according to law & with George Hairston & David Lewis her securities entered into bond and Ackknowledged the same. Also Joseph Bouldin, David Sevier, John Alexander, Thomas Gooch or any three of them appointed to appraise the estate of John Henry, Decd. & return an Inventory thereof to the Court."
The inventory of the estate is listed in Henry County Will Book#1, page 258. David Sevier, J. Alexander and Joseph Bouldin appraised it at 377 pounds, 8 pence.
Susannah married Richard White 14 June 1798 (Henry County Marriage Bonds 1778-1849, page 57).
I have no record of her death date. [5]
John should not be confused with his younger half-brother, John Henry-1707, born 16 Feb 1796.
Before 30 Dec 2014 a Sally Jones was shown as one of two wives of John Henry. I have removed her, as explained on her Wikitree page. If you have evidence that the marriage did take place, please notify me. ( Patricia Prickett Hickin)
I also have a reference that John D. Henry was married to Sallie (sic) Jones. But, her oldest child (Joseph Henry) was born about 1770, when John was 13. Very unlikely. (Jack Schaffer)
N.B. Isaac Henry was detached as a son of John Henry and Susannah Walker. John and Susannah had only one child, Edmund HENTY, and he died in Iowa, USA. [1] (Patricia Prickett Hickin, 18 July 2018).
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John is 24 degrees from Zendaya Coleman, 25 degrees from Sting Sumner, 13 degrees from Josh Brolin, 18 degrees from Timothée Chalamet, 16 degrees from José Ferrer, 17 degrees from Frank Herbert, 13 degrees from Richard Jordan, 19 degrees from David Lynch, 15 degrees from Virginia Madsen, 18 degrees from Charlotte Rampling, 27 degrees from Patrick Stewart and 17 degrees from Denis Villeneuve on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Please merge.
note - coding for the above, but with just one brace front/back... 2 are needed to have it display as above -
{DAR-grs|A053809|Capt John Henry|13 July 2018}
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