Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol. III, Part 17

Author: Stearns, Ezra S; Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918; Parker, Edward E. (Edward Everett), 1842-1923
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: New York : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 876

USA > New Hampshire > Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol. III > Part 17

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The family were among the principal founders of the state government at the close of the war. As a family they have ever been distinguished for in- tellectual endowments. We find a great number of college graduates, and the women, even in early days, were educated as well as the men. Other characteristics are hatred of effeminacy and scorn of cowardliness and physical pain. Marriage con- nections include the families of Governor Alexander Martin. of North Carolina; the Wallaces, the Dal- tons of Mississippi, and the Brodauz family of North Carolina, the latter armigers from the time of Henry VI, of England. The Scottish branch inter-married with the families of Bruce, Stuart. Balfour of Burleigh, and Sir John Hamilton, Lord Chief Justice.

The arms reproduced, that of the Hendersons of Fordell, and taken from the Baronage of Scot- land, is gules, three piles issuing out of the sinister side argent, and on a chief of the last, a crescent azure, between two spots of ermine, with the baro- nets' badge in the center. Supporters, two matrices ermine. Crest, a hand holding a star, surmounted by a crescent. Motto, Sola Virtus Nobilitat.

(I) William Henderson, the pioneer ance-tor of the family, came from Glasgow, Scotland, at an early date, and was known to be in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1650. and perhaps earlier. He was a ship carpenter and builder, constructing ships for himself as well as for others. That he was a man of excellent standing in the community is evi- denced by the fact that he received grants of land from the town, and was one of the larger tax- payers. A further evidence of his good standing is shown on the tax list of July 3. 1677, where he is recorded as Mr. William Henderson, as during that period of the history of New England no one was called Mr. unless he were a man of high standing in the community, and more especially in the Con- gregational Church. It may be of interest to re- ·cord in this place an extract from the Massachusetts archives: "October 15. 1679. Isaac Walderne of Boston complains of William Henderson of Dover

for not working on a ship according to agreement, he having paid said Henderson in advance." There are no further particulars recorded, so the business was presumably settled out of court to the satis- faction of all parties concerned. The probability is that Mr. Henderson had more work than he could accomplish in the allotted time, and was unable to finish the ship for Mr. Walderne when he expected it to be done. William Henderson married Sarah Howard, and from that time these two names- William and Howard-are to be found in each gen- vration down to the present time. They had chil- dren : 1. William, born about 1670, married Sarah Fernald, daughter of Thomas Fernald, of Kittery, Maine, who resided on Seavey's Island in the Pis- cataqua river, now ( 1907) a part of the Portsmouth navy yard. They were married in 1700, and as a dowry Mr. Fernald gave his daughter a part of the island, which from that time and for a period of two hundred years was known as Henderson's Point. It projected into the river just below the navy yard, and was removed by the government of the United States in 1905-06 to widen the river and make the approach and new entrance to the new dry dock easier and safer. One million dol- lars was expended on this piece of work, and Mr. Henderson's name is preserved in that section only by the point, as he left no children. 2. Howard, see forward. There may have been daughters, but there is no record of them.

(II) Howard, second son of William and Sarah (Howard) Henderson, was born about 1672. He had his residence on Dover Neck, as his father had before him, and also like his father was a ship carpenter and builder. He was noted as a sailor, and the tales of his courage and ability in that call- ing have come down to the present day with un- diminished splendor. One tradition is that he served in the British Navy for a while and took part in the siege of Gibraltar, which resulted in its sur- render to the English in 1704, and it is probable that this story is authentic. He never held any public office. He died at the home of his son, Cap- tain Howard Henderson, on Dover Point, in 1772, at the advanced age of one hundred years. His grave is in the old cemetery on Dover Neck, near where are interred his son Howard, and his grand- son Thomas. Until about the year ISSo there was a slate stone at the head of his grave with his name and age inscribed thereon. Nobody seems to know what has become of this stone, but the spot is per- fectly well known, and in this connection it may be well to note that in this, the oldest grave yard in Dover, are the graves of many of the older settlers. In the northeast corner is the grave of Thomas Roberts, Sr., and his wife, the immigrants. In the yard are the graves of the Millet family, the Nutters, Clements, Halls, Dames, Tibbetts, Canneys, Tuttles, Pinkhams, Wentworths and others. Ordinary field stones are the only markers, so that but few graves can be identified at the present time.

Howard Henderson, Sr., married, June 8, 1704, Sarah Roberts, daughter of either John or Thomas

1062

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Roberts, of Dover Neck, and granddaughter of Thomas Roberts, Sr., who settled at Dover Point with Edward Hilton in 1623, coming with him from England when Dover was first settled. Rev. John Pike, pastor of the First Parish of Dover, officiated at the marriage. They had children: I. Howard, Jr., see forward. 2. Richmond, born about 1712, settled in Rochester, New Hampshire, and left many descendants there. There is no record of any daughters of this marriage. The house in which this family lived for generations stood on the site of the present Dover Point Hotel. It was probably built by Howard, Sr., and his son and grandson in succession inherited and resided in it. It was re- moved to make room for the present hotel, and the spot is one of the most beautiful in that section of the country.

(III) Howard, Jr. (2), eldest child of Howard (1) and Sarah (Roberts) Henderson, was born about 1710. Like his father and grandfather he was a ship carpenter and builder, but he advanced a step farther and became a ship owner and a sea captain, building ships and sailing them himself on the Atlantic Ocean to ports in Europe, Africa and the West Indies. In addition to this he was also engaged in the New England coasting trade. From middle age until his death he was a well known figure, and his name has come down in history. There was another reason why he was invariably addressed by his title of captain, and that was that although he attained the advanced age of eighty-two years, his death preceded that of his father by but ten years, and to distinguish the two, the older man was al- ways called Howard, and the son Captain Howard Henderson, when spoken of. Captain Henderson not alone built ships and sailed them, but also op- erated the ferry from Dover Point to Bloody Point in Newington, which was one of the main routes of travel from Massachusetts to Maine before the war of the Revolution, as well as from Portsmouth and the towns along the coast to the country north of Dover. He owned Negro slaves, whom he prob- ably bought in Africa and brought home with him on some of his voyages, for it was the custom of that day for captains to carry cargoes of New Eng- land rum to Africa and sell it to the chiefs of tribes in that country in exchange for Negro slaves, which were carried to the West Indies to be there exchanged for sugar, molasses and salt for the home voyage. Sometimes some of these slaves were brought to New England, and thus slavery was introduced into New Hampshire and Massachu- setts. A number of the best families of Dover had Negro slaves down to the close of the war of the Revolution, and a still larger number were held in slavery in Portsmouth. Captain Henderson was a man of importance in the public affairs of the town as well as in matters of business. lle was select- man in 1758-59-60-61, representative from Dover in the general court of the province from 1756 to 1765, and took a prominent part in the proceedings, so it is evident he was a very capable man. He was

baptized November 19, 1758, by Rev. Jonathan Cushing, pastor of the First Church from 1717 to 1769. The inscription of Captain Howard Hender- son's tombstone reads that he died "November 4, 1791, aged 75 years." This is incorrect as he died November 14, 1792, aged eighty-two years. This is proven by two facts. He made his will in 1789, and it was not probated until the first Wednesday in February, 1793. Had he died in November, 1791, they would not have waited until February, 1793, before presenting it for probate; dying in Novem- ber, 1792, just the proper time would have elapsed for the presentation in February. Another proof is the record kept by Deacon Benjamin Peirce, who. had known Captain Henderson for many years and recorded the time of his death and his age. Captain Henderson made his will December 4, 1789, and the copy, which is well written and preserved, is in the possession of his great-grandson, John Ilenry Henderson, of Dover, New Hampshire. Following is an extract of its contents and provisions :

To his widow, Elizabeth Henderson, he gave outright one-third of his estate, real and personal. To William Henderson, his son, five shillings which, with what he already had received made his full share.

To grandson, Benjamin Henderson, five shill- ings, and my late son Benjamin's share of my estate.

To son, Daniel Henderson, after the death of his widow Elizabeth, thirty acres of land on the west side of Dover Neck at Back River, "which I purchased of Rudfield Plummer," also my right in the homestead dwelling house and farm of Thomas Millet, late of said Dover, deceased, provided my son pay to my daughter, Love Tripe, the sum of six pounds. Also to Daniel one-half of all the stock of cattle I shall leave at my decease and one good bed of bedding.

To his son, Thomas Henderson, on the death of his widow Elizabeth, "The house wherein I now live, and all my land at Dover Neck (below the gate ) with the buildings thereon; also the privilege of the Ferry and Ferry Ways, provided my said son Thomas shall pay to my daughter Betty the sum of six pounds. Also to Thomas one-half of the stock of cattle and one good bed and bedding.

To his daughter, Love Tripe, one-half of the household furniture after the death of his widow Elizabeth.

To his daughter Betty, one-half of the house- hold furniture after the death of his widow Eliza- beth, also one room in the homestead at Dover Neck, and one cow, both winter and summer dur- ing the time she remains single and unmarried. Also six pounds of lawful money.

To his negro servants, "Cæsar and Fortune." he gave their freedom from the time of his death, "but if they choose to still continue in my family, in the manner they have heretofore done, it is my will that they be supported out of my estate, and I hereby order my executrix and my sons Daniel and Thomas that they support them accordingly."

Lastly, he appointed his wife Elizabeth sole ex-

1063

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

ecutrix. Dated December 4, 1789. When the will was probated the widow refused to serve, and the court appointed Daniel and Thomas in her place.

Captain Iloward Henderson married, about 1750, Elizabeth Millet, born in 1727, baptized by Parson Cushing, December 4, 1737, daughter of Thomas and Love Millet, of Dover Neck. Captain Millet was a noted ship builder, merchant and public of- ficial, and took a high rank in the councils of the province of New Hampshire. He was a man of much importance in his time and held numerous public offices, among them being representative in the general court, councillor and judge of the superior court. His daughter Elizabeth in- herited his excellent executive ability, and it is said by those who knew her that she could super- intend the building of a ship as intelligently as her husband, and frequently did so in his absence on his many voyages. Captain and Mrs. Howard Hen- derson had a number of children all of them but one, Betty, being baptized by Rev. Jonathan Cush- ing, and this ceremony was usually performed when the child was three to four weeks old. The names of the children are as follows: I. and 2. Benjamin and Lovey, who were baptized on the same day as their father, November 19, 1758. 3. Thomas, bap- tized August 17, 1760. 4. Stephen, baptized April 25, 1762, the only one of the children who did not marry, died at sea, August 16, 1785. 5. William, see forward. 6. Daniel, baptized June 3, 1766. He was the last ship builder of Dover ; married and left chil- dren : Howard of New York, Henry, of Baltimore, and William, of New Orleans, Louisiana. The latter was a very prominent man and the owner of the only dry dock in the city. 7. Betty ( Elizabeth ). baptized October 4. 1769, by Rev. Jeremy Belknap. S. Thomas, see forward.

(IV) William, fourth son of Captain Howard and Elizabeth (Millet) Henderson, was baptized September 25, 1763, died November 14, 1834, aged seventy-two years, four months. He was the orig- inal settler on the proprietary lot of land granted James Durgin in what is now the town of Roches- ter. This farm or lot of one hundred acres passed to Captain Thomas Millet. and in the distribution of his estate to his daughter, Elizabeth, wife of Howard Henderson. It was conveyed by Elizabeth and Howard to William Henderson, who settled upon it. The farm is still in the possession of the Henderson family, being owned by Daniel F. Hen- derson. Five generations of Hendersons have lived or are living upon the old homestead farm. Wil- liam Henderson married Margaret Roberts, daugh- ter of Captain Timothy Roberts, Sr., of Rochester, who was an officer in the French and Indian war. Eleven children were born to William and Margaret Henderson, as follows: 1. Stephen, born 1785, died March 5, 1862. He married Sarah Roberts, and had four daughters who married and left descendants. 2. Sally, born 1787, died May 19, 1861. She married Colonel Eliphalet Willey, and had six children, one of whom, Mrs. Betsey Brown, lives in Dover, aged ninety. 3. Timothy, born 1789, died 1867. He mar-

ried Olive Burnham, and had four sons and two daughters. 5. Betsey, born 1794, died 1872. Mar- ried James Pickering, left no children. 6. Mary, born 1797, died July 15, 1876. Married Abel Peavey, left one son and three daughters, one of whom is living, Mrs. Maria Amazeen, of Farmington. 7. Abigail, born November 23, 1800, died October 20, 1882. She married ( first) John Place, May 7, 1826; married ( second), March 17, 1833, Jonathan Place, twin brother of her first husband. By her first marriage there was one son; by the second two daughters, now living, Mrs. Mary E. Roberts and Mrs. Sarah Hurd. 8. Susan, born 1801, died 1879. Married William Willey, and had nine children, four sons, William Henry, Howard B., Joseph F. and James H., all prominent business men of New Hampshire. 9. William, see forward. 10. Margaret, born June 23, 1808, died September 30, 1889. Mar- ried Benjamin Canney, and had five children, the only survivor being Thomas Canney, of Farmington, New Hampshire. II. Daniel M., born March 20, 1812, died October 8, 1894. Married Ruth Mc- Duffee, born August 30, 1815, died October 8, 1902, daughter of Thomas McDuffee, of Rochester, fami- liarly known as "Selectman MeDuffee." They were married November 8, 1835. Their children are : Hannah M., Daniel F., who owns the old homstead before mentioned, where five generations of Hen- dersons have lived; Charles H. and George M.

(IV) Thomas, sixth son of Captain Howard and Elizabeth ( Millet) Henderson, was baptized October 4, 1771. He resided at Dover Point, his house standing on the present site of Dover Point Hotel. He followed the business in which his father and grandfather had been so successful, but was not a sea captain. He branched out into a new line of business, about 1810, that of brick making, which has since that time been engaged in so ex- tensively in that section of the country. His first brickyard was on the east side of Dover Neck. about one mile above Dover Point, on Fore river. In order to be nearer his place of business, he created his later residence on the Neck, which is still oc- cupied by the Henderson family, and removed to it in 1812. His son Thomas, and his grandson. John Henry, lived in it until they moved to the more thickly populated section of the city a few years ago. As a manufacturer Mr. Henderson was noted for the excellent quality of the brick he turned out. His ships loaded directly from his yards and car- ried the brick to Boston, Massachusetts, and all the towns along the coast. His death occurred April 10, 1863. He was a man of medium height. active, vigorous and a hard worker until the end. lle took no active part in political affairs. He was a devout and consistent Christian and a regular attendant with his family at the First Parish Meeting House. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and formed his own opinions. He was inclined to be liberal in his views, especially in religious mat- ters, and when dissension arose in the First Church by the doctrine of Unitarianism, which was intro- duced, he went with the liberal party which organ-

1064

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

ized Unitarian Society and built the brick house of worship in Locust street, in 1829. His family went with him, and the larger part of the descend- ants have adhered to the new doctrine. He married, 1793, Elizabeth Hoyt, born in Newington, August 9, 1770, died June 12, 1872. Her ancestors were among the first settlers in Newington, the Hoyts being one of the noted families of the town. The graves of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson are in the old cemetery in Dover Neck, and are suitably marked with white marble slabs. Their children were : Lydia, born November 13, 1794: Samuel Hoyt, Oc- tober 4, 1798; Elizabeth, December 31, 1800; How- ard Millet, August 17, 1803; Mary P., July 5, 1807; Thomas, see forward; William, born February 21, 1813.

(V) William Millet, known both as William MI. and William, Jr., fourth son and ninth child of William and Margaret ( Roberts) Henderson, was born on the homestead farm, April 30. 1805. and died in Dover, November 4, 1891. At the age of sixteen he was indentured to learn the cabinet-maker's trade. At twenty-one he went to Boston, Massachu- setts, where he was employed by Chickering & Com- pany in the manufacture of fine piano cases. He next became pattern maker at the Lowell machine works. After his marriage, in 1830, he settled in Dover. In 1831, at the age twenty-six, and without outside assistance, this farmer's son purchased from the Cocheco Manufacturing Company one hundred and eighty-nine feet frontage at the corner of Third street and Central avenue, built a residence on Third street and a block of stores on Central avenue. This lot is now occupied by the Morrill Block. He later purchased the property and furniture business of Stephen Toppan and continued there in trade until the panic of 1837. He afterwards removed to Ro- chester, but returned to Dover, engaging in various ventures until his death. He was a man of most generous impulse, and freely extended a helping hand to those less fortunate. Were each one to whom he has shown some loving kindness to lay a single flower on his inanimate dust he would sleep beneath a wilderness of flowers. He was a , member of the Masonie fraternity, and a lifelong Democrat. He married July 4, 1830, Maria Diman, daughter of Captain Samuel and Mercy W. (Kenn- iston ) Diman, and a lineal descendant of Rev. James Diman, for fifty years pastor of the First Church of Salem, Massachusetts. Captain Samuel Diman died of yellow fever in the West Indies, and Mercy W, his wife, born June 8, 1780, died in Rochester, May 22, 1873. The children of William and Maria ( Diman ) Ilenderson were: 1. Sophro- nia Ann, born October 4. 1831, married September IS, 1855, Alexander Frazier, of Dover, born Feb- ruary 14, 1824, died August 17, 1893, had five chil- dren : Isabella, Mrs. Clarence Wendell. of Roches- ter ; Fanny, Mrs. Charles S. Kingman, of Madbury, who has a daughter Lotta S; Harriet M., Mrs. E. I. Purinton, of Dover, who has children : J. Wilbur, Helen and Charles ; William Henry ; and Daniel W., of Massachusetts, who has six children. Mrs. Fra-

zier resides in Dover. 2. Eliza J., born December 19, 1833, died May 25. 1906. She never married. She was highly educated and became a noted and expert mathematician. She was a graduate of MIt. Holyoke Female Seminary. She was a woman of great benevolence and fine character. She was pos- sessed of means and generously educated several young women of her acquaintance. 3. Amanda A., born March 14, 1836, died December 14. 1867. She married Albert Bradwick, of Dover, and had one child, Lizzie A. (Mrs, Frank Manock), born July 24, 1866, died December 16, 1889, leaving a daughter, Bessie Manock, now living in Lawrence, Massachu- setts. 4. James William, see forward. 5. Harriet M., who died October 3, 1860, at the age of sixteen years, ten months and twenty-five days, just budd- ing into beautiful young womanhood, and was a great favorite with all. 6. Sarah F., born August 19, 1846, married Alvin Haynes, of Maine, and had two children : Alvin and Sarah. They lived in Somer- ville, Massachusetts. 7. George Henry, died De- cember 17, 1861, aged twelve years, nine months and three days. Mrs. Maria (Diman) Henderson was for fifty-four years a devoted member of the Methodist churches of Rochester and Dover. She died November 12, 1875, of a paralytic stroke, aged seventy years, two months, nine days.

(V) Samuel Hoyt, eldest son and second child of Thomas and Elizabeth (Hoyt) Henderson, was born October 4, 1798. He was one of the foremost business men of his day in Dover. He erected the large brick block at the corner of Chapel and Main streets, in 1833, and at that time this was the finest block in the town. He married (first), April 12, 1827. Delia Paul, of Somersworth, by whom he had six children, one of whom was Thomas A., born in Dover, 1833, who was a graduate of Bowdoin Col- lege, and a distinguished officer in the Union army during the Civil war. He was appointed adjutant of the Seventh Regiment of New Hampshire Vol- unteer Infantry, November 4. 1861, and was mus- tered in on the same day. He was advanced to the rank of major, August 26, 1862, and lieutenant-col- onel, July 2, 1863. Haldirnen S. Putnam, of the United States Engineer Corps, a West Point gradu- ate, was the colonel. This regiment served three years, and was in some of the most hard fought battles of the war. It was actively engaged at Mor- ris Island, Fort Wagner. Fort Sumter, Drury's Lane, Bluff, Bermuda Hundred, Petersburg, and Deep Bottom, Virginia, where Lieutenant-Colonel Henderson was wounded, August 16, 1864, and soon after succumbed to the effects of his injury. He was one of the bravest and most gallant officers New Hampshire sent to the war, was a highly accomplished scholar, and a gentleman as well as soldier of the first rank. Samuel H. Henderson married (second), after the death of his first wife in 1837, July 5, 1838, Sarah Ann Guppey, of Dover, by whom he had six children, among them: Charles T., a member of the present board of aldermen of the city of Dover; William C., is the head of the Christian Science Church in the city of Dover.

1065

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

(V) Howard Millet, second son and fourth child of Thomas and Elizabeth ( Hoyt) Henderson, was born August 17, 1803. He was a college graduate, was well known as a teacher, and distinguished in educational matters in Kentucky, where he founded a seminary for the education of girls and young women, the first institution of the kind that had been established south of Mason and Dixon's line. He married -, who was descended from one of the best families of Kentucky, and among their children were: Rev. Howard Millet Henderson, a clergyman in high standing in the Methodist Epis- copal Church of Ohio.

(V) Thomas (2), third son and sixth child of Thomas (1) and Elizabeth ( Hoyt) Henderson, was born March 25, 1810. He was engaged in the brick making industry, and when old age compelled his father to retire from active participation in business matters, he carried on the work with the assistance of his son. There are at present ( 1907) time under their management two yards on the Back river and three on the Fore. This business has now been under the personal management of four generations in a direct line. Mr. Henderson did not devote much time to political matters, but he was a stanch Jeffersonian Democrat, all his life, as had been his father before hin. He was elected a member of the first board of aldermen when Dover became a city in 1856, and helped organize the new city gov- ernment. He was kind and courteous in his manner, and a most superior man of business. He took an active interest in all matters of public importance until his death, which occurred September 16, 1894. He married February 28, 1843. Olive Bickford. born in 1820, died April 3, 1891. She was a descendant of the Bickford family of Dover, who were among the earliest settlers after the immigration of 1633. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson were; 1. John Henry, see forward. 2. Edwin, born August 19, 1845, died unmarried March 19, 18SI.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol. III, Part 17

Author: Stearns, Ezra S; Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918; Parker, Edward E. (Edward Everett), 1842-1923 Publication date: 1908 Publisher: New York : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 876

Author: Stearns, Ezra S; Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918; Parker, Edward E. (Edward Everett), 1842-1923
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: New York : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 876