William Henderson (abt. 1700 - 1770)

Born about 1700 in Scotland [uncertain]

Husband of Susannah (Gillespy) Henderson — married 1720 in Augusta County, Virginia

Descendants

Died 1770 at about age 70 in Augusta, Virginia

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Biography

William Henderson was born about 1700 probably in Scotland or possibly Ireland. He and his wife Susanna were in Augusta Virginia by 1742, when one of his daughters was baptized in the Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church. He was almost certainly a member of that church as he had a total of four daughters baptized between 1742 and 1748. Starting in 1747 he was also involved in various land transactions in Augusta. William Henderson died between September 2, 1770 (date of his will) and November 20, 1770 (date it was admitted to record).^[1][2] His will also mentions his brother, Samuel Henderson.

Will of William Henderson d. 1770 Augusta, Colonial Virginia

Children with Wife Susanna, based on Will and bap records (order uncertain):

• James Henderson (oldest son living in 1786) moved to Greenbriar
• William Henderson Jr
• David Henderson
• Martha Henderson, married Robert Finley, may have been desc at time of will
• Florence Henderson married David Bell
• John Henderson, may have been desc at time of will,
• Eleanor Henderson bap Oct 24 1742, may not have lived or may have been the daughter who married William Teas
• ______ (possibly Eleanor) Henderson, married to William Teas, mother of Jeen Teas
• Susanna Henderson, bap Nov 25 1744, married John Leeper,
• Elizabeth Henderson bap July 1746, married Joseph Bell
• Rachel Henderson bap Feb 1 1747, may not have lived

Land Transactions

Page 311.--13th August, 1747. Wm. Beverley to Wm. Henderson, £72.9.0 current money Virginia; 1,415 acres in Beverley Manor on a branch of Black's Creek; corner to Robt. Cunningham; corner to George Caldwell's land; corner to Wm. Thompson's land; on Christian's Creek; George Rutlidge's line; Thomas Black's land. Teste: James Crawford, John Linn John Mitchell. Proved by all, 19th August, 1747.^[3][4]

Page 393 -- 29th November 1749. William Henderson to William Hudson and John Clyde of Penna. Above the mouth of Buffalo Creek, 350 acres on the North Branch of James River. Susannah wife of William Henderson.

Page 101.—21st March, 1759. William Henderson and Susanna ( ) to James Henderson. £15, 430 acres, part of 1,415 acres whereon said William now lives, on a branch of Christian's Creek; line of Thos. Black; corner said Black and Robt. Cunningham; George Caldwell's line. Teste: James Mitchell, James Hutchinson. Delivered: James Henderson, November, 1708(?).

Page 104.—21st March, 1759. Wm. Henderson and Susanna ( ) to Jno. Henderson, £20, 200 acres, part of 1,415 as above; Thos. Rutledge's crossing Black's Branch. Teste: James Mitchell. Delivered: Jno. Henderson, March, 1760. Page 106.—21st March, 1759. Same to same (Wm. Henderson and Susanna ( ) to Jno. Henderson), £20, 200 acres, part of a tract surveyed fur William Hutchinson on Christian's Creek; line of Andrew Russell. Associated transaction:

Page 542.--20th August, 1761, Matthew Harper and Margaret to John Henderson, shoemaker, £40, 200, part of 1415 acres in Beverley Manor, formerly surveyed for William Henderson, on Christian's Creek; cor. Thomas Rutledge, crossing Black's Branch. Teste: Alex. Gibson, Francis Smith, George Skillern.

Place: Augusta Co., Virginia

Date: 15 May 1764

Property: 200 acres on Christian's Creek; corner Thomas Rutledge's land, crossing Black's Branch.^[5][6]

Place: Augusta Co., Virginia

Date: 16 Aug 1768

Property: 200 acres on a branch of Christian's Creek, and on said creek; corner Thomas Ruttchledge's land, crossing Black's Branch.^[7][8]

Will Record

Place: Augusta Co., Virginia

Date: 2 Sep 1770

Remarks: William Henderson's will, aged about 71 years -- To wife; two sons, William and David Henderson; to son, James; to three sons-in-law, David and Joseph Bell and John Leeper; to Shusanna Henderson, daughter of son John Henderson; to Shusanna Finley, daughter to daughter Martha; to granddaughter, Jeen Teas. Executors, wife, and brother, Samuel Henderson, and testator's son, James Henderson. Teste: Walter Davis, John Carlile. Proved, 20th November, 1770. by the witnesses. James Henderson qualifies executor, with Samuel Henderson, John Carlile.^[9][10][11]

Research Notes

Origins

The author of the 1902 Ancestry and descendants of Lieut. John Henderson, Joseph Lyon Miller, claimed to be in possession of a copy of Bishop Fleetwood's Chronicon Preciosum (1707) in which James Henderson recorded his family history. John's parents were stated to be William Henderson ( 1676 - 1737) and Margaret Bruce (1680-1739). A list of their children followed.

Chronicon Preciosum concerned the fairness of someone losing a fellowhip at Oxford if he had other income in excess of £5. Firstly, this not the sort of book where we generally find family records. Secondly, it is not clear why such a book by an Anglican Bishop would have been of interest to a Presbyterian in frontier Virginia. By 1902, however, Chronicon Preciosum had acquired importance to economists and statisticians. Reprints were probably available in libraries and for sale.

William Henderson, of this profile is not mentioned, but Samuel Henderson, known to be William's brother, is listed and his death date matches the death date of Samuel Henderson of Augusta^[12]. Several researchers have inferred that William Henderson was the son of the older William Henderson, but not of Margaret Bruce, as the record begins with their marriage. However, Y-DNA has disputed that even James himself was descended from the Fordell Henderson line, which was claimed in the family record, so the entire tree may be suspect. It is possible that the names and dates recorded are correct, but the connection to Fordell was exaggerated, or there was some break in the line. As it is the identity of William Henderson's parents is far from certain.

Notes on Henderson Children:

William had a daughter Susannah who married John Leeper. John is mentioned in William's will and John's wife is elsewhere identified as Susannah. However a Bell family letter, written many years after all the henderson sibling's deaths, say that a daughter Susannah married the father of Joseph McComb. Since it is unlikely that William had two daughters named Susannah, the mother of Joseph McComb was actually the daughter of William's son William Jr.

William Henderson's children included daughters whose husbands were named in his will: Daniel and Joseph Bell and John Leper.^[2]

Bell researcher Henderson M. Bell (b 1826), grandson of Joseph Bell who married William Henderson's daughter Elizabeth "Betsy" Henderson, shared the following information in an 1895 letter:

"[I learned from] Mr. Joseph McComb of near Tinkling Springs church, whose mother was Susannah Henderson, supposed to be a sister of Elizabeth Henderson, my grandmother that their father was named William Henderson and I commenced investigating for him and found his will recorded In Will Book No. 4 page 350. This will is dated September 2nd, 1770 and was admitted to record November 20th 1770. I found this provision in his Will: 'I leave to my three sons-in-law David and Joseph Bell and John Leper five pounds each for their parts'."^[2]

Joseph Bell, born "May 25th 1742 O.S. [Old Style], and married Elizabeth Henderson May 8th 1765 N.S. [New Style], she having been born July 25th 1746 N.S. Joseph Bell ... died in Augusta County on the 4th day of March 1823. His will is dated February 38th [sic] 1823 and is recorded in Will Book 14 page 200, on the 24th of March 1823. Elizabeth Bell his wife died September 13th 1833.^[13]

David Bell (who married Frances Henderson), "left the following children: William, John, James, David, Susannah and Elizabeth.^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ "Will of William Henderson Augusta, Virginia, Book page 350 " images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P7-S9SR-D : May 14, 2023), image 481 of 578; Virginia. County Court (Augusta County)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} An 1895 letter from H.M. Bell to James Franklin Bell is posted here (page five of online information about the Stone Church Bells). The page links are broken, but just change "page5" in the URL to "page6", "page7", etc. William Henderson's will information is from page page 2 of the letter (page6 in the URL).
3. ↑ "Original Land Indenture to William Henderson, actual record Images,", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL6-MQCV : May 14, 2023), image 165 of 480; Augusta County (Virginia). County Clerk.
4. ↑ Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish settlement in Virginia, extracted from the original court records of Augusta County, 1745-1800 Vol 3
5. ↑ Source: #S241 Place: Augusta Co., Virginia; Year: 1764; Book: 11-626.
6. ↑ Source: #S242 Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850.#R2.
7. ↑ Source: #S241 Place: Augusta Co., Virginia; Year: 1768; Book: 15-35.
8. ↑ Source: #S242 Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850.#R2.
9. ↑ "Will of William Henderson Augusta, Virginia, Book page 350 " images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P7-S9SR-D : May 14, 2023), image 481 of 578; Virginia. County Court (Augusta County)
10. ↑ Source: #S241 Place: Augusta Co., Virginia; Year: 1764; Book: WB4-350.
11. ↑ Source: #S242 Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850.#R2.
12. ↑ Ancestry and descendants of Lieut. John Henderson, of Greenbrier County, Virginia, 1650-1900 by Miller, Joseph Lyon 1902 p6-7
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} from page 4 of Henderson Bell's letter

• Joseph Lyin Miller, Ancestry and Descendants of Lieut. John Henderson (1902). https://archive.org/details/ancestrydescenda00mill/page/n9/mode/2up
• Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965. Originally published in 1912.
• Source: Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850.#R2.
• Colonial Families of the United States, p.84: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61175/images/colonialfamiliesii-001037_84?pId=31771

See also

• Additional Information and sources about the family of William Bell I on his profile page and also on the profile page of William Bell II (brother of Daniel and Joseph who married the Henderson sisters)
• We Relate summary
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LTDX-VH5