Jess Henderson
Privacy Level: Public (Green)

Jess Willard Henderson (1932 - 2004)

Jess Willard "Gator" Henderson
Born in Munson, Floridamap
Ancestors ancestors
Brother of , , , , , , [private sister (1920s - unknown)], [private sister (1930s - unknown)], [private sister (1930s - unknown)] and
Husband of — married about 1953 (to 27 Oct 1958) in North Carolinamap
Husband of — married Jun 1962 (to Apr 1968) in Escambia County, Floridamap
Husband of — married May 1968 (to 2 Mar 2002) in Escambia County, Floridamap
Father of [private daughter (1950s - unknown)], [private daughter (1950s - unknown)], [private daughter (1950s - unknown)], [private daughter (1960s - unknown)] and [private daughter (1960s - unknown)]
Died at age 71 in Pensacola, Floridamap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alicia Taylor private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 2 Nov 2018
This page has been accessed 117 times.

Contents

Biography

Jess Henderson served in the United States Army in the Korean War
Service started: 19 May 1950
Unit(s):
Service ended: 5 Mar 1954
This profile is part of the Henderson Name Study.

Early Life

When Jess Willard Henderson was born on July 30, 1932, [1] in Muson, Florida, his father, William Henderson, was 41 and his mother,Anna (Johnson) Henderson, was 34. He was the third youngest of 12 children. His father painted houses for a living, frequently buying them for resell, so the family moved around frequently. [2]
In 1934, they lived on 512 E Wright Street in Pensacola, Florida. His dad worked as a grocery selling fruit. [3] According to the family, their dad painted, and their mom ran the store.
By 1935, the family had moved to Wright Street in Pensacola. His dad still worked as a painter, and his mother worked as a merchant. [4]
Sadly, in 1944, when Willard was 11 years old, his brother WL "Lonnie" Henderson died [5] from a botched spinal surgery. [2]
The next year, his family had moved to Gadsden Street in Pensacola. His father's divorced brother (and his own brother's namesake), Lonnie Henderson, lived with the family. Uncle Lonnie helped Willard's father with painting. His married sister, Lyndall Henderson, and her infant daughter also resided with the family. Willard attended 5th grade. [6]

Military

When he was 18 years old, Willard enlisted in the Army, serving from 1 Jan 1951 to 1 Jan 1963. His service took him through the Korean War and part of the Vietnam Era. [7]
Upon enlistment, he and 37 other men from Escambia County, Florida received recruiting examinations at Panama City, Florida [8]
In 1963, Willard was medically retired. [9]

Marriage and Family

Clara Bell Plyler

While he was stationed in North Carolina around 1953, Jesse Willard Henderson met and married Clara Belle Plyler. The couple had three daughters before they divorced on 27 October 1958 in Union, North Carolina. [10]

Shirley Lajuanna Porter

In February 1962, Shirley Porter and Jesse Willard Henderson married in Escambia County, Florida. [11]
The couple had two daughters before they divorced in Escambia County, Florida in April 1968 [12]
However, I also found a marriage record for Shirley Lajuana Henderson in June 1967 - before Willard and Shirley divorced. Her spouse's name is unattached, so either they divorced, remarried, and divorced in a short amount of time, or she married someone else while still married to Willard. I'm still researching this.[13]

Edna Pearl Revill

One month after he and Shirley divorced, Willard marriedEdna Revill in May 1968 in Escambia County, Florida. [14]
The couple had no children of their own, but stayed together until her death on 2 Mar 2002 in Escambia County, Florida.

Personal Life, Hobbies, and Community

After leaving the military, he followed in his father's footsteps and became a painter. He enjoyed fishing, cooking, and won several pool tournaments. [9]

Death and Burial

He died on June 11, 2004, at the age of 71, and was buried in Pensacola, Florida. [9] He is buried in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery along with Edna Pearl and his parents. [15][1]

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 Social Security: "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007", Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007, Ancestry Record 60901 #18374636 (subscription required, accessed 1 November 2022), Name: Jess Willard Henderson [Jess W Henderson]; Gender: Male; Race: White; Birth Date: 30 Jul 1932; Birth Place: Munson Santa, Florida [Munson, Florida]; Death Date: 11 Jun 2004; Father: William H Henderson; Mother: Anna Johnson; Notes: Oct 1950: Name listed as JESS WILLARD HENDERSON; 17 Jun 2004: Name listed as JESS W HENDERSON.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Personal Knowledge related by Lonnie's still living sisters
  3. Ancestry Record 2469 #665256861
  4. "Florida State Census, 1935," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNV3-H2S : 2 February 2018), Lizdall Henderson, , Escambia, Florida; citing line 38, State Archives, Tallahassee; FHL microfilm 2,425,156.
  5. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33109778/w-l-henderson-obituary/?xid=637&_ga=2.70049876.572365310.1585244408-432270223.1579906269 Obituary for W.L Henderson Pensacola News Journal Pensacola, Florida 26 Feb 1944, Sat • Page 3
  6. "Florida State Census, 1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNXZ-3VK : 9 August 2017), Willard Henderson, Escambia, Escambia, Florida; citing line 5, State Archives, Tallahassee; FHL microfilm 2,425,189.
  7. Ancestry Record 2441 #7441470 Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
    • Name: Jess Henderson
    • Birth Date: 30 Jul 1932
    • Death Date: 11 Jun 2004
    • Branch 1: ARMY
    • Enlistment Date 1: 1 Jan 1951
    • Release Date 1: 1 Jan 1963
  8. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/47463965/37-area-men-join-army-and-air-force/ 37 Area Men Join Army and Air Force Pensacola News Journal Pensacola, Florida 31 Jan 1951, Wed • Page 14
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Henderson-15535-1 Jess Willard Henderson's Obituary clipped from Pensacola News Journal Pensacola, Florida 15 Jun 2004, Tue • Page 18
  10. Ancestry Record 1115 #2777575 North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. North Carolina Divorce Index, 1958-2004. Raleigh, NC, USA: North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, 2004.
    • Name: Jess Henderson
    • Spouse: Clara Henderson
    • Divorce Date: 27 Oct 1958
    • Divorce Place: Union, North Carolina, USA
  11. "Florida Marriage Index, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VJKD-CJB : 28 November 2014), Shirley Lajuana Armstrong, Jun 1962; from "Florida, Marriage Collection, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2006); citing Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville, Florida; and Jordan Dodd, Liahona Research.
  12. "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK4Z-KK2 : 25 December 2014), Jess W Henderson and Shirley L A Henderson, Apr 1968; from "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Escambia, Florida, certificate 8301, volume 1287, Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville.
  13. "Florida Marriage Index, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VJDM-5X8 : 28 November 2014), Shirley Lajuana Henderson, Jun 1967; from "Florida, Marriage Collection, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2006); citing Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville, Florida; and Jordan Dodd, Liahona Research.
  14. "Florida Marriage Index, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VJ8G-NPN : 28 November 2014), Jess Willard Henderson, May 1968; from "Florida, Marriage Collection, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2006); citing Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville, Florida; and Jordan Dodd, Liahona Research.
  15. Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98042810/jess-willard-henderson: accessed 01 November 2022), memorial page for Jess Willard -Gator- Henderson (30 Jul 1932–11 Jun 2004), Find A Grave: Memorial #98042810, citing Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, USA; Maintained by Alicia Taylor (contributor 49419954) . Death:
    Name:Jess Willard -Gator- Henderson
    Birth Date:30 Jul 1932
    Death Date:11 Jun 2004
    Cemetery:Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    Cemetery Address:Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, USA




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Jess by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Jess:

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