Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/80

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\'IRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

1905. at Memphis, Tennessee, Laura Mar- tin, born in Memphis, in 1871, daughter of Captain Hugh B. and Ruth (Talbot) Mar- tin, and a descendant of John H. Talbot, a scion of an old English family. Children : I Thomas .^tewart Jr., born at Buckhead Springs. X'irginia, October 8, 191 1. 2. Laura Martin. I^orn Xovember 26, 1913.

James William Henson, M. D. Owing to the destruction by lire of the records of Han- over count}', which related to the events l)rior to the formation of Louisa county from a part of Hanover in 1742, no state- irient can be made from these records con- cerning the Hensons of Louisa. It is of record, however, in the land office in the \irginia state capitol that one Benjamin llenson patented land in 1729 in Llanover county. That this was in the part of Han- over that later became Louisa is established by other records and facts. There is a rec- ord in Louisa county that Benjamin Hen- son sold and deeded to Thomas Henry a ])art of his land. There was a Henry estate in Louisa. It is known to the old settlers in this section of Louisa that part of the estate owned by Samuel Henson (and still in pos- sessicMi of some of his descendants) ad- joined the Henry lands. The inference is that Samuel Henson was a relative of Ben- jamin Henson. probably a son. as their rela- tive ages would suggest and that he in- herited the part of the land patent not sold.

(I) Samuel Henson was born in 1737, died in 1833 at the great age of ninety-six years. He married the widow of Ensign Eorest (ireen, who held a patent of land adjoining the Henson land. By this marriage he came into possession of a part of the Green patent, the former owner having sold some of the original grant. Samuel tienson had six chil- dren : IJenjamin (2), Clifton, Bartlett, Lucy, Sallie, Mary. He was in the revolutionary army, being commissioned second lieuten- ant by recommendation of the county court, April 14, 1778. He was a successful farmer and owned many slaves, the latter going to his children at his death. In the division of land after his death the Green tract fell to F'enjamin (2). The latter dying unmarried this land was sold for a division among his brothers and sisters and was purchased by his nephew. Benjamin (3), a son of Clifton I lenson.

fin Clifton i lenson. second son of Sam-

uel Henson. married Elizabeth Donivant and lived on a portion of the original Hen- son tract. After his death his lands were sold for a division among his children. He was a prosperous farmer, owned a number o* slaves, lived in comfort all his life and died at a good old age after rearing a large family: Samuel, Benjamin. Bartlett. James, David, Elizabeth, Lucy.

(Ill) Benjamin Henson, second son of Clifton Henson, was born near Poindexter, Louisa county, Virginia, in 1813, died in 1886, at his home, which was one of his additions to the Green tract. He started in business a young man with a small farm, but added to it as years and prosperity came, until at his death he owned three adjoining farms. The first farm which he had pur- chased was the Green tract, part of the Sam- uel Henson lands, and those added were parts of the original Green tract, which (ireen sold ofif before his death. He was also a lumber manufacturer on a large scale and enjoyed the confidence of many of the leading business men of the city of Rich- mond. Virginia. He was in the government civil service having in charge the cross county mail routes between the Virginia Central Railroad, the James river and Kana- wha canal and the city of Richmond. Later he performed this same service for the Con- federate government and also rendered great assistance by furnishing provisions and forage from his farm. For this latter serv- ice he was threatened by the United States government with confiscation of his estate, but the execution of the threat was pre- vented by his receiving a pardon from Presi- dent Andrew Johnson, a pardon secured through the strenuous efiforts of two of Mr. Henson's influential friends, Hon. B. John- son Barbour and Hon. John Minor Botts. This pardon is preserved in the family as a valuable memento of the war. He was tQ,o old for military service, but the service he rendered as stated was perhaps more valu- able than the service of a company of sol- diers. He was a Whig in politics prior to the war, and afterwards a Democrat. In religious faith he was a Baptist. Pie mar- ried (first) about 1838, Mary Puryear Wade, who was the mother of most of his children. He married (second) in 1859, Lucy Basket, whose only child. Wilhelmena, died young. Children by first marriage : William Henry. of whom further ; Willianna. died in infancv ;