Ruth Henderson m. David Ramey 1700 Frederick County VA. Or not.

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...?