Wednesday, July 2, 2014

HENDERSON 3RD POST

HENDERSON

3rd post on Henderson

     The previous two posts have presented and explained the known facts and documents available for James H. Henderson and Sarah Frances Odom Henderson.  In this post, I will attempt to put those bits of information together into a more cohesive picture of their life.  Only assumptions can be made for some of the gaps in records but using the known records surrounding those times, the assumptions are more educated guesses.  Below is a picture of James and Sarah, date unknown, but probably about 1900.

James H. and Sarah Odom Henderson
About 1900
     According to several records, James Henderson was born in Clarke County, Alabama on 8 August 1821.  The year varies somewhat but 1821 or 1822 seem to be correct.  So far, nothing is known of him again until he marries Sarah Frances (Francis) Odom about 1844-1846.  This guess is made because their first child, Allen W. Henderson, was born in May 1847.  No marriage record has appeared but Sarah's family was residing in Simpson County, Mississippi so it is likely that they were married either in Simpson or an adjacent county.  A word here - many internet trees have a marriage place of Bolivar County, Mississippi.  Looking at a map of Mississippi, this seems improbable since Bolivar is way north of Simpson and Lawrence Counties where the Hendersons lived for many years and where the Odoms were already living when James and Frances married.
     In the 1850 census James and Sarah are still in Simpson County and have their first two children, Allen and Richard.  So far, they have not been found in the 1860 census in any of the surrounding counties so it is possible the enumerator missed them.  However, in January 1862, James enlisted to serve in the Confederate Army in Brookhaven, Lawrence County, Mississippi so we can assume that in 1860 they were already living in Lawrence County.  Between 1850 and 1860 four more children were added to the family: Maryann Dorothy, Caroline, James W. and Henry.  James H. was released from service due to an ulcerated foot and leg and began to struggle to farm in order to provide for his family.
     The family was still residing in Lawrence County in the 1870 census and during the 1860's had added the last two children: Sarah Frances in February 1862 which is one month after James enlisted and Yosebia Lavinia in 1865.
     From James' pension application we know that the Hendersons moved from Lawrence County to Calcacieu Parish, Louisiana in October 1873.  They appear there on the 1880 census.  There is a huge gap in their life with the missing 1890 census but in 1900 they are in Forest Hill, Spring Hill Ward, Rapides Parish, Louisiana.  A great number of their family members resided in that area as memorialized in a family picture taken about 1905 at a Henderson reunion.
     Looking at the census records, it is obvious that James and Sarah did not just pick up and move by themselves.  In 1850, living in the second dwelling from James and Sarah, were her parents, Richard and Elizabeth Odom (misspelled Oldham).  On the same page is John Odom - possibly a brother to Sarah and son of Richard.  In 1870 on the same page as the Hendersons is the William Thompson family including their son Hugh B. and wife Maryann D(orothy), the daughter of James and Sarah. In 1880 in Calcasieu Parish, living next door to James and Sarah, are James D. Dunn and wife Sarah Frances (Henderson) Dunn, daughter of James and Sarah.  Three dwellings away is son Richard Henderson and four dwellings away are son James Henderson and wife Laura J. Dunn. In 1900, in Rapides Parish, on the same page as James H. and Sarah is granddaughter, Lavinia M. Dunn and husband Henry Robert Butter.  On the following page is son Henry Henderson and wife Emily and family.
     We don't know what prompted the Hendersons to move from Simpson to Lawrence County, Mississippi then to Calcacieu and on to Rapides Parish, Louisiana.  James was a farmer all his life but maybe they were following their children to new areas as most, if not all, of their children ended up in Louisiana.
     Sadly, by 1900, James H. Henderson had been denied a Civil War pension and struggled to farm enough to feed he and Sarah.  His diseased leg and foot never healed.  They did live surrounded by a large family so, hopefully, they had help when needed.  James died at age 87 on 3 April 1909 in Forest Hill, Rapides Parish, Louisiana.  He is buried in the Butter Cemetery in Forest Hill.  Below is a photo of his marker.

Tombstone James H. Henderson
Butter Cemetery
Forest Hill, Rapides, LA
     Again, there is a discrepancy on James' birth date as the the marker says he was born in 1811.  This has to be a mistake of the engraver or the person giving the information as nowhere is that date indicated in any of the records created while he was alive.
     Sarah Frances Odom Henderson lived another two years, residing with one of their sons in Forest Hill during that time. Sarah died 20 September 1911, age 85.  She is also buried in the Butter Cemetery, Forest Hill, Rapides Parish, Louisiana.  Below is a photo of her marker. Again, there is a mistake in birth date, the marker showing 1816, a full ten years before her actual birth.

Sarah Frances Odom Henderson
Butter Cemetery
Forest Hill, Louisiana






1 comment:

  1. Your research is wonderfully well done. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete