Richard Henderson Family History:Information about Richard Henderson
Richard Henderson (b. 1817, d. date unknown)
Notes for Richard Henderson:
HENDERSON BACKGROUND
revised 11/20/04
Dear family members, I would like to begin by saying thanks to God Almighty, His son Jesus Christ, Lord of my life, my wife Marilyn, my son Lee and to all of you who indulged and supported me in this endeavor.Having supplied me with much needed encouragement and valuable family information.I would attempt to name names, but there are too many.
Though not complete, what you will read in the following paragraphs is my attempt to draw a "Time line", and walk you forward through time on the path I believe chosen by our ancestors.Having picked your brains, researched material and read lots of books,I've attempted to edit it all and put into this chronological order.
My information is taken from census records, death certificates, marriage license, books and materials I've found, read, and researched for 22 years.Materials from places such as my mom's old ceder chest, after her death, the St. Mary Parish Courthouse, Franklin, Louisiana, Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.The Virginia Library, Richmond Virginia, University of Southwest Louisiana Library and the Lafayette Public Library, Laf., Louisiana.My most important source however has been the warehouse of memories stored in the minds of you my relatives.
Please be advised that, though I've been compiling data for these many years, my ultimate goal is to pursue this until I'm no longer able and pray that some one of you will want to continue.I feel that this family history may not be as appealing to perhaps the younger generation, but it should prove to be of some value to later generations.Perhaps as a keepsake to be passed down to generations to come.It's content can be, and is, in my opinion, limitless!!
Starting with the 1860 Virginia census which showed Susan Henderson to have been born in 1800and to be the mother of our Richard Henderson, born in 1819.From the Louisiana purchase in 1803 and it's admittance to the union in 1811, to the Battle of Richmond, 1862-1865, to and through the Reconstruction Era 1862-1867 in Louisiana, to present day.
Susan Henderson was born in 1800, in Campbell County, Virginia, and in 1860 was living in the Northern District of Halifax County in what was then called the "Village of Meadville".Richard Henderson, her son, was born in 1819, in Halifax County, Virginia and was living in the Southern District of Halifax County in 1860.Susan, and a sister named Elizabeth, who was also born in Halifax County Virginia, in 1812, were both listed in the same household on the 1860 Virginia census as being farmers.Susan being the Head of household.Their real estate/farm was then valued at $600 and their personal property at $200.However, it showed Richard being an overseer on yet another farm in the Southern District of Halifax County.
A story told to one relative/descendant by his Grand-mother, Ella Henderson, daughter of Alfred Henderson, that Alfred's father, Richard, was known as "Dick Monk i " before coming to Louisiana.Also told, Richard Henderson, (Dick Monk i), came from South Africa.With this new information, I plan to research as thorough as possible.I was very excited when I first heard this story.As some of you might.I plan to poll elder relatives to try and substantiate this new piece of information.
I've come to identify that lots of information on most records and materials researched is at best, a good attempt by our ancestors to give what information they believed to be factual and for me to determine its validity.Not to mention most census takers attempted to use phonics to sound out and spell some names as a large part of the population could not read or write.As a result, you will see some dates, spelling of names, as well as certain events that do not conform to your records or memories.
For instance, in several cases, Henderson was spelled.Hinderson, Handerson.Caleb spelled, Calop, Calib, Calip.Richard spelled Richert, Richit, so on and so on.Please try and appreciate the vast amounts and types of material researched that enabled me to make conscientious assessment or judgement when I determined something to be erroneous dictating a need to make a change.However, none of the material you will see or read is etched in stone and can be changed by contacting me if any of you have a desire to make a change.
After the United States acquired Louisiana by the purchase in 1803, the territory of Orleans was established.In 1805, twelve counties within the Territory were created, one of which was the county of Attakapas, (pronounced "tuck-a-paw").Including the area of the present parishes of St. Martin, St. Mary, Lafayette, Vermilion and Iberia.The county system proved to be unsatisfactory, and two years later nineteen smaller civil parishes were created.One of the nineteen parishes created in 1807 was St. Martin Parish, old Attakapas County.The rich soil and mild climate of the region invited eager whites from the upper south, (i.e. Virginia, North and south Carolina, Maryland, etc.) to immigrate.
In 1811, a year before Louisiana was admitted to the Union, a growing population warranted a division of St. Martin Parish.Thus, St. Mary Parishwas created from St. Martin Parish.In 1868, a part of both St. Mary and St. Martin Parishes were taken to form Iberia Parish.St. Mary is one of the southernmost parishes in Louisiana; to it's south stretches the Gulf of Mexico.It lies in the rich sugarcane growing prairie country of south central Louisiana.In colonial days it was known as the "Attakapas Country".(Pronounced "tuck-a-paw.")So named after the Indians that inhabited the area.Trading posts were established before 1744 at what are now Opelousas and St. martinville.
Franklin was the first town in St. Mary Parish, founded in 1808 and remained the only one in the Parish until 1818.It then contained 15-20 houses and 120-150 inhabitants.In 1830, 1,912 whites, 4,302 slaves, and 226 free people of color combined for a total of 6,442 inhabitants in St. Mary Parish.
By 1810, sugarcane was rapidly becoming the chief source of wealth for St. Mary Parish.Two of the first sugarcane planters were Lewis and Henry Sterling, brothers, whose plantation was below and adjoining the land where Franklin now is.By 1835, most of the plantations along the Teche River were dedicated to sugarcane growing.Franklin, by way of the Teche River, was a leading portin the Attakapas country, in both trade and transportation.Perhaps this is how Richard Henderson got to Louisiana.It is yet to be determined how or when he actually arrived.
By 1838, Franklin had nearly 800 inhabitants.By 1853, Patterson had 800 inhabitants, Centerville, 200, including numerous stores, a sawmill, an ice house, a general mercantile and a coopering business.Franklin had grown to 1400 inhabitants by this time.By 1854, four towns were listed in the parish:Franklin, Charenton (Indian Bend), Centerville, and Patterson.
The city of Morgan City was a comparatively late comer.The first recorded mention, 1797, of what is now Morgan City was a Spanish land grant to Joseph and Elinor Berwick.In 1842, the land fell into the hands of the Brashear brothers, Walter, Robert and Thomas, who came from Kentucky.In 1857, it was laid out and named Brashear City, after the brothers.In 1860, it was incorporated, by which time it was a port of entry.Ten years after the Civil War, the name was changed to Morgan City after Industrialist, Charles Morgan.
The railroad extendedfrom New Orleans to Brashear/Morgan City.Another means of transportation that could have possibly brought Richard Henderson to the area.However, most of the traveling in the parish was done on the Teche River, and most of that was by steamboat.Though colorful, it was also revealed that many accidents occurred during this era on the Teche, sometime tragic.Many Newspaper reports told of steamboat explosions in which many persons were killed or injured by burning or drowning.
The Civil War began April 12, 1861 when General Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter.September 22, 1862, President, Abraham Lincoln, issued a preliminary proclamation declaring that all slaves should be free.The formal proclamation was issued January 1, 1863.
The Bureau of Negro Labor reported from the Register of Contrabands received at one of Louisiana's Federal Home Colonies, showed that in January 1863, over 50 percent of the black adult population, including both slaves and freemen arrivals considered themselves married.75 percent of the males arrived with their wives.This led to the belief that running away during the war years was very often a family operation.There was as much running away as there was abandonment by slave masters running from Union soldiers and the war.Very often the male slave would leave the family behind to either join in with the soldiers or simply to relocate after being abandoned and would later try and relocate their wives and children.
Due to a change in the geographic distribution of the population, the state moved it's capitol in 1850 from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.The political distance between Louisiana and the national government widened, and Louisiana withdrew from the Union and joined with the Confederates States of America.In Louisiana, between 1862 and 1867, violent episodes of racial tension erupted throughout the state.The so called "First Battle of the Cabildo", pitted the largely white supremacist Democratic Party of candidate John Mcenery against the Metropolitan Police of New Orleans.Metropolitan Police of New Orleans was a racially integrated militia that protected the Republican administration of Governor William Pitt Kellogg.The war did not go well for Louisiana from the onset, as New Orleans was captured by the Union sea forces in 1862 and much of the southern portion of the state was occupied by Union armies for the rest of the war.
April 14, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.April 9, 1864 General Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.May 26, 1865, the last Confederate Army, under General Kirby Smith, surrendered at Shreveport, LA.The war created acrimony so strong that Louisiana was the last of the former Confederate states to be evacuated by Union occupation forces.Almost ten years later Louisiana was re-admitted to the United States.In 1866, the Civil Rights Bill was passed by congress to guarantee equal rights to Negroes in southern states.With the war behind it, Louisiana capitalized on a number of important developments.Between 1870-1900 it saw construction of many railroads, strengthening markets and intra-state communication.In 1879 the mouth of the Mississippi River was dredged to allow ocean going vessels to dock at New Orleans.It is my guess, during this "boom time", that many descendants of Richard and Charlotte left the St Mary Parish area.Hopefully, for a better life.
"Freemen", particularly those in uniform, were quick to response to the opportunity to sanctify their marriages by white man's standards.January 1865, in St. Mary Parish, 28 freemen were married either by authorized military personnel, justices of the peace, priest, or white ministers.December 25, 1867, Richard Henderson, 50 years old and Charlotte Scott, 44 years old, became husband and wife.They were married at the Public School House in Centerville, Parish of St Mary, State of Louisiana.At the time this marriage took place, Richard Henderson was considered a "freemen of color.That is, born of either a white mother/father and a black, not as bondsmen who were emancipated slaves.See marriage certificate.However, Charlotte Scott, at some point in time though free/bonded, had belonged to "Savoie Place",also pronounced Savoy, a farm or plantation of the Savoie/Savoy Family living in St Martin parish.It's believed Charlotte, also a freeman, perhaps remained a slave belonging to the Savoie Clan until her reunion with Richard Henderson.Data from certificates of marriages performed in Louisiana Parishes in late 1864 and early 1865 showed there was much stability and importance in slave marriages.They also gave some indication of social norms even in slave society.
In Louisiana, some, not too many,plantation/slave owners, acknowledged slave marriages.Thus, the family, and encouraged both within the limits of the institution of slavery.For some masters, conjugal relationships meant something more than pairing off slaves by sex to produce offspring for the plantation and greater tranquility in the quarters.On some plantations, marriages were a recognized means to greater slave contentment.It was not uncommon for masters/planters to regard their slaves as family units rather than number of male hands, number of female hands, and number of children.This gave testimony to the strength of slave families on some plantations.
In an attempt by slave masters to manage or control slaves that were considered their property, the system of share cropping was instituted in the upper south.Sharecropping at it's beginning was a system whereby a slave received 1/6th of all that was produce on a plot of land given to them by their master.As a result of this sharing, slaves were happier and worked harder.As a result of this arrangement, the big winner was of course the slave masters.
The Louisiana, 1870 Census, showed that seven 7 children lived in Richard Henderson's household. Further scrutiny indicated that Caleb Henderson, the eldest, was born in 1844 in Virginia.Caleb's death certificate list his birth place as "Richmond, VA" and traveled to Louisiana with his father and perhaps his mother.When Richard Henderson arrived in Louisiana is yet to be determined.Best guess is between 1860-65.This same 1870 LA census tell another very important fact.Family appeared to be very, very important to Richard and Charlotte Henderson also.This is indicated by the number and ages of their children still living in their household at this time.To an even greater extent, we, their descendants, are living testimonies to that by the strong bonds our parents and grandparents had, shared, and instilled in us and that we show even today.
In 1864, Blacks were permitted to officially marry and have them recorded.If they desired too.It has not yet been determined if Richard and Charlotte were married "unofficially" by todays standards, "common law or jumped the broom" before making it official.It is surmised, that Richard and Charlotte were "officially married" in December 1867, because it happened at the Public School House in Centerville, LA, on Christmas Day.Because research identified other black couples in the Centerville area that were also married on this day and at the Public School House, give reason to believe that perhaps a "mass marriage" ceremony took place for those Blacks desiring to make their "unofficial marriage", official.(Speculation on my part)
Records from the then St Mary Herald, a local newspaper, wrote of a Richard Henderson, a black man, farm laborer, drowned December 20, 1869 at the age of 20 years old.Because this death happened prior to the 1870 LA census when blacks were first counted by their surname in Louisiana. (e.g.,Henderson)As of this writing, it has not been determined if this young man was a son or relative of our Richard Henderson.In retrospect, a very common practice in those days, was that names repeated themselves quite often.Primarily, Juniors.It was a common practice among the slave families to name their children after other family members such as Mothers, Fathers, Brothers and Sisters.Its intended purpose was to, (1)raise the question of relationships(2) help to prevent intermarriages among family members and, (3) a tracking device when looking for and finding other family members.It's very enticing to me to want to claim the young man as perhaps a son or grandson of our Richard C. Henderson.
Drowning deaths were very common for the Morgan City area during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Primarily because the entire area was swamp that had no levees and contained vast amounts of cypress trees.Trees that were being cut by blacks/slaves and used for fuel on the steam boats that navigated the surrounding waterways, trains, as well as cross ties used for laying train tracks.
The 1880 LA census showed Richard to be a widower and did not show Charlotte, Caleb, 36 years old, Alfred, 26 years old, Frank, 24 years old, and Caroline, 19 years old, as members of Richard Henderson's household.It's believed Charlotte Scott died between 1870-1880 and the children, Caleb, Alfred, Caroline and Frank had started their own households.Marriage dates and later LA census records showed this to be true.This same 1880 LA census also showed a young lady who was said to be Richard Henderson's step-daughter.Her name was Charlotte Collins, a mulatto, 15 years old.
It's a known fact that after World War I,1914-1918 and during the Great Depression years, 1929-1940, much movement was made by Henderson descendants from the St Mary Parish area.Though the depression's impact on blacks were less dramatic, it was much more damaging than it was for whites.Many blacks scarcely noticed a change at the beginning of the 1930's.However, over time, blacks suffered to a greater extent since we were usually first fired and last hired.By 1932, 50% of blacks in America were unemployed.Frequently forced out of jobs as they were given to whites.Henderson descendants began moving to other cities as well as other states.Cities such as New Orleans, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, etc.States such as Texas, and California.In Texas, places such as, Port Arthur, Beaumont, Galveston, Orange and Houston.
More specific, by choice or influenced by economics, other local areas that Henderson descendants migrated to,prior to the "Great Depression", were, Pattersonville/Patterson, Brashear/Morgan City, Carlin Settlement/Franklin, Verdunville, Darrall/Bayou Sale, Centerville and New Iberia, LA.
Some Good News Family!!,As of July 4, 2000, I have located descendants of all of Richard Henderson's Children.The most recent, descendants of James Henderson, forth eldest son.A great majority found living in the Morgan City area.Areas like Gibson, Bayou Bouef, Amelia and Avoca Island.
In bringing this writing to a close, not an end!I again thank all of you for all of your help and support.I trust after you spend time reading and absorbing it's content, you will be compelled to get more involved and submit ideas, information, pictures, etc., to make this a true family endeavor and together pursue it to the fullest.
May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
Proverb 22:1 " A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches."
The name Henderson is a Scottish name derived from "Henry or Henry's son", and over time became Henrison, Hendrickson and Henderson.
[Leehend.FTW]
More About Richard Henderson:
Date born 2: Abt. 1819, Halifax County, Va.179
Residence: 1870, Ward 4, St Mary, Louisiana.180
More About Richard Henderson and Charlotte Scott:
Marriage: Dec 25, 1867, Centerville, LA.
Children of Richard Henderson and Charlotte Scott are:
- +Caleb Sr. Henderson, b. Jun 16, 1844, Richmond, VA181, d. Apr 21, 1919, Centerville, LA181.
- +Alfred Simeon Sr. Henderson, b. Sep 1854, Centerville, LA181, d. date unknown.
- +Franklin Henderson, b. Oct 07, 1856, Centerville, LA181, d. Jun 27, 1918, Centerville, LA181.
- +James Jackson Sr. Henderson, b. Nov 1858, Centerville, LA181, d. date unknown.
- +Caroline Henderson, b. Dec 1861, Centerville, LA181, d. date unknown.
- Emmaline Henderson, b. Abt. 1863, Centerville, LA181, d. date unknown.
- Charlotte Collins, b. Abt. 1865, Centerville, LA181, d. date unknown.
- Silas Henderson, b. Jan 11, 1866, Centerville, LA181, d. Sep 13, 1923181.