Since I am a Henderson (on my father's side, obviously), I am
intrigued by the possibility that I might descend from Hendersons
through my maternal line as well. Years ago I came across a post online
that named the wife of David Ramey (s/o James and Elizabeth Ramey) as
"Ruth Henderson." Since much of the other information the poster
provided on the Ramey line seemed generally correct, I went with it,
making a note to verify the name and connection. Easier said than done.
The
Ruth Henderson in question was supposedly born in about 1750, and
married David Ramey in "1770, Frederick County, VA." I'm reasonably
familiar with the inhabitants of 18th century Frederick County, VA and
Henderson is not a name that shows up to any great degree, but still, I
made a trip to the library to put my hands on a copy of Frederick County, Virginia Marriages 1771-1825 by Eliza Timberlake Davis. I realize that my method is Old School since you can search and browse the book online
using Google, but I'm in a tactile mood. I realize too that we're
looking for a marriage that happened in 1770, but if Hendersons were in
Frederick County getting married in 1770, then they were probably still
there, getting married in 1771 and years following so I might get some
idea of the family group they belong to.
The results
weren't encouraging. Only one entry - 27th May 1788, Mary Henderson to
Henry Louder (possibly Souder). No additional details. This couple may
have died childless because no one seems to be looking for them, and
there is almost nothing about them online. Well, at least there was a
Henderson living in Frederick County 18 years after our target date.
Can't rule the Hendersons entirely out of Frederick.
There is supposedly another book that covers 1738-1850 (Frederick County Marriages 1738-1850
by Vogt and Kethley), but the library doesn't seem to have the more
comprehensive volume and I can't find it online. I should go up to the
Handley Library in Frederick County, but I don't have time today so I
try the next best thing - Ancestry.com.
I try searching for any Ruth Henderson marrying anywhere in Virginia
in 1770. Nothing. Absolutely nada in Virginia. I try any Henderson
marriage in Virginia in 1770 looking for contemporary Hendersons - bound
to find something - and I do. James Henderson m. Mary Booker in 1767.
These are the Amelia County VA Hendersons. Gut says "no." The
Genealogists Gut Instinct (GGI) is a powerful -- and frequently
fallible-- thing. I have learned to distrust mine, but still, I move
on.
A Mary Henderson m. James Finley in Virginia in 1778, but no
county is given. I do a little more poking around and find that Mary
and James were from Augusta County. That's about as precise as saying
they were from "Virginia." Perhaps less so. The boundaries of Augusta
originally stretched from the Blue Ridge to the Great Lakes to the
Mississippi, so it doesn't help us nail much down, but Augusta and
Frederick counties were both formed from Orange County in
1738, and part of Augusta later was combined with Frederick, so again,
we can't rule out this Augusta County family of Hendersons. I find a Finley genealogy online and it seems that these Finleys mixed with Hendersons down through the generations.
Capt. James Finley's 1800 will, made in Wythe County VA (where he
received land for his revolutionary war service) mentions a nephew,
Jonathan Henderson. Hmmm...this family is moving in the same
geographical direction the Rameys (and most of the rest of the colony)
moved. I'll keep them in the hopper and do some more looking.
The internet connection at the library is slow so I decide to go
home and keep looking from the comfort of the sofa. I have Genealogical
Attention Deficit Disorder (GADD!) and tend to get easily distracted,
heading off on ancestral tangents. This time I'm going to try to stick
to the mystery of Ruth Henderson Ramey until I either solve it or
disprove it...Oh look! There's a squirrel! I wonder who it's ancestors were...?
Monday, July 11, 2011
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