Our Hypothetical Henderson Tree - a Work in Progress

It's time to update our hypothetical Henderson family tree as we continue our research connecting descendants of Argalus "Hercules" Henderson of Chatham Co NC to his father, James "Isaac" in Onslow Co NC, and prior to that, to the older line of Somerset Co MD Hendersons. This tree is based on research conducted jointly by Laura Henderson of Virginia and Robin Henderson of Indiana, both descendants of Argalus "Hercules" Henderson of Chatham Co NC.

This hypothetical tree is a work in progress and there are still many questions, as we have not been (and may never be) able to establish an iron-clad paper trail connecting James "Isaac" Henderson of Onslow Co NC to the Hendersons of early Somerset Co MD. Having said that, DNA testing has proven what we had long suspected: that James "Isaac's" descendants are genetic matches to the Hendersons of Somerset Co MD. We speculate that he came to Onslow Co NC along with (or even ahead of) a number of other Somerset Co MD families who had connections to the Hendersons of Maryland's Eastern Shore (Houstons, Bishops, McClammys, and Newbolds, just to name a few).

This tree has been pieced together using a combination of DNA test results and an extensive, detailed (and ongoing) study of records from Accomack and Northampton Co's, VA, Somerset Co MD, and Onslow Co NC. We keep our working notes online (publicly viewable), and continue to log, comment and source records as we find them.

View notes for Eastern Shore Hendersons | View notes for Onslow County NC Hendersons

This tree represents what we currently believe to be true based on the evidence we have found so far. This tree is subject to change as additional information is discovered. The chart is followed by notes and explanations for each generation. **Note: the first line should read "Ancestor b bef 1600"

Click on the chart to enlarge.

R1b-U106-S23346
This designation represents our "deep ancestry." Our line's SNP value is S23346, a signature currently believed to have originated in the Lower Rhine River region (present-day Netherlands) at least 2,000 years ago. A native Dutch tester who shares our SNP can trace his family back to an area near Molenaarsgraaf, where there is an archaeological dig dating back several millennia. (Unfortunately there are not yet any viable DNA tests from the site.) There was a prosperous trading route connecting the Lower Rhine and the area of Perth in Scotland, which could explain why our ancestors emigrated to Scotland from mainland Europe. At this point, we have absolutely no idea when that move occurred. It could have been very recent (at any point bef ca 1600) or it could have occurred more than a millennia ago.

1 - Jhone Hendersone of Perth b ca 1610?
Robin and I are speculating that (1.1) Gilbert "of Accomack VA" Henderson and (1.2) James "of Somerset MD"  Henderson were brothers. They are both found in the parish register of Northampton Co VA baptizing firstborn children in 1661. Both men named their eldest sons "John," which, if they were following the traditional naming convention of the time, would indicate that both men had a father named "John Henderson" -- possibly the same father. There is a single record in 1664 for a contemporary of the two men, (1.3) "Robert Hinderson, mariner" who sued a next-door neighbor of James Henderson for debt. We therefore do not discount the possibility that this Robert may have had a family connection with Gilbert and/or James. Since we have no further records of this Robert, we also cannot with absolute certainty discount the remote possibility that our line from Onslow (or a mysterious matching line from early Kent Co DE) may be attributable to him. We have no idea where he settled, or how many children he had. No DNA testers have come forward who identify Robert or Gilbert as ancestors.

Based on the records we have found, we estimate that James and Gilbert were born around 1630. I looked through old commissariat records to see where the highest frequency of the more distinctive name (Gilbert) occurred and found a significant preference for that name in the 16th and 17th century among Hendersons in and around Perth. I found records for a Gilbert baptized on 28 Dec 1630 to a Johne Hendersone of Perth, a James baptized on 5 Oct 1632 to a Johne Hendersone of Perth, and a Robert baptized 23 Sep 1634 to a Johne Hendersone of Perth. There is no way to be sure that all three of these men were born to the same "Johne Hendersone" since there was more than one John Henderson living in Perth at the time, but these three records did seem to fit our theory very neatly (which probably means we're wrong...). I have included all three men as brothers, sons of a "Johne Hendersone of Perth" in our hypothetical tree. Whether there was any relationship between Gilbert, James and Robert is at this point only speculation, however, there are copious records from the Eastern Shore which do help us trace Gilbert and James's descendants with a higher degree of certainty, and there is circumstantial evidence of a family connection.

(1.1) Gilbert married Mary Major had only two known children: Bridget b 1661 (no further info); and (1.1.2) John b 1666. Both children were born in Northampton Co VA, probably in the area that later became Accomack County. (1.1) Gilbert appears to have died sometime between 1664-1677 with no additional known issue.  His grandchildren (via only known son 1.1.2 John) were (1.1.2.1) Gilbert the Younger m Mary Green; (1.1.2.2) Robert m Elizabeth Unknown and had only one son that we've identified, Daniel; and (1.1.2.3) John Jr. m Comfort, widow of Argoll West, only one known son, George. With the exception of (1.1.2.2) Robert, (1.1) Gilbert's descendants tended to stay south of the Maryland boundary line in Accomack and Northampton Counties, and they are therefore usually easy to distinguish from the line of (1.2) James "of Somerset MD", whose descendants tended to stay in Maryland and Delaware (before our specific line moved to NC).

(1.1) Gilbert's grandson (1.1.2.2) Robert is of interest because he sold his land in Accomack Co VA and moved north to Somerset Co MD. Although he only had one known son, Daniel, tax lists of the mid-18th century show other Hendersons coming and going in his household. These Hendersons appear to be connected with our James "the Mariner" Henderson of Onslow Co NC. This is circumstantial evidence of some kind of familial connection between descendants of the original immigrants, Gilbert "of Accomack VA" and James "of Somerset MD".

1.2 - James "of Somerset MD" Henderson b ca 1632
(1.2) James "of Somerset MD" may have immigrated to America with (1.1) Gilbert, but we have no proof or immigration records for either man. Robin Henderson thinks the two men may have been part of a small contingent of surviving Scottish prisoners of war who had originally been bound for forced labor in the West Indies. The prisoners were diverted instead to Virginia. At around the time we suspect the two men arrived (ca 1652), there is a story of the Royalist city of Perth making a half-hearted show of sending out about 100 able-bodied men to "defend" the city from the advance of Cromwell's far superior forces during the English Civil War. Most of the men were promptly killed and/or captured, but no one at the archives in Perth was able to enlighten me about their specific fates. During a 2016 research trip to Perth, I found myself entirely unable to read the 16th and 17th century records in the archives due to a combination of them having been written in Old Scots dialect and an antiquated script called "Secretary's Hand." (Apparently the retiring archivist was the only one capable of deciphering the books, and he was not able to help due to training a replacement in management duties.) Just as discouragingly, the archivists seemed impressed that we had been able to trace the family back into the mid-1600's in Virginia -- they told me that most native Scots who come to the archives can't trace their lines prior to about 1700 unless they were from landed families. Maybe if I can find translator, I'll have another go at the records in the future.

But...back to James, our immigrant...

(1.2) James married Mary Unknown and their first son, (1.2.1) John, was baptized at Hungars Parish in Northampton Co VA on 5 May 1661 and eventually married Elizabeth Barnaby. (1.2) James and Mary had two additional children before 1668: (1.2.2) William "the Sawyer" Henderson Sr. who married Sarah Bishop; and (1.2.3) Jane or Jeane, who married John Williams Jr.

At some point, probably in 1668, Mary died, possibly of a smallpox epidemic or a remarkably destructive hurricane, both of which events afflicted the Eastern Shore that year. (1.2) James then married a woman named Alice (possibly the Alice Stewkley who was listed as one of his headrights when he moved to Maryland), and had a fourth child, (1.2.4) James Jr.

The lineage of eldest son (1.2.1) John tended to stay on the Eastern Shore and is well researched. We have been able to rule him out as an ancestor of (1.2.2.3) James "the Mariner" Henderson who moved to Onslow Co NC bef 1738. (1.2.1) John did have a grandson, Barnaby, who moved to Onslow Co NC in the 1760's. All of the Hendersons who are still living in Onslow Co NC today appear to trace back to Barnaby (with the exception of a family of Hendersons who descend from a man named Jonas Solomon who moved to Onslow from New Jersey and assumed the name "Thomas Henderson" -- just to make this a bit harder for us).

Little is known of the descendants of youngest son (1.2.4) James Henderson Jr. who married Esther Unknown. He died intestate and had a son, (1.2.4.1) Francis, who was designated "heir at law." This does not mean that there were no other children (I suspect a daughter, [1.2.4.2] Elizabeth who may have been the wife of Thomas Lambden), but there could have been more children. Therefore, we cannot at this point conclusively rule (1.2.4) James Jr. out as the father of (1.2.2.3) James "the Mariner" Henderson of Onslow Co NC and/or (1.2.2.4) Charles "the Mariner" Henderson, however, circumstantial evidence points more strongly towards James Sr. and Mary's middle son (1.2.2) William "the Sawyer" Henderson Sr. as the father of these two mariners.

1.2.2 - William "the Sawyer" Henderson b bef 1668 m Sarah Bishop
(1.2.2) William "the Sawyer" Henderson was the middle son of (1.2) James "of Somerset MD" Henderson and his first wife, Mary Unknown. William "the Sawyer" was born between 1662 and 1668 and he married Sarah Bishop (probably the d/o Lt. Henry Bishop and second wife Ann, widow of William Bowen) on 10 Aug 1685 in Somerset Co MD. Their eldest son, (1.2.2.1) William "the Cordwinder" Henderson Jr. was baptized on 9 Jan 1686. The younger William (Cordwinder) died bef 20 Jan 1708/09, apparently without issue.

There was a (1.2.2.2) Bishop Henderson born ca 1687 whom we also attribute to this couple for obvious reasons. Little is known of him and we believe he died, probably in Somerset/Worcester Co MD, after 1739. There was a Bishop "the Younger" Henderson b bef 1767 d bef Aug 1802, who was the father of Lemuel Henderson b ca 1784 in Worcester Co MD. The younger Bishop and son Lemuel may also be from this line. Nothing further is known of Bishop Henderson's family.

There were two additional Henderson males, James and Charles, contemporary with William "the Cordwinder" Henderson Jr. and Bishop "the Elder" Henderson. Both James and Charles appear to have been mariners, as early-to-mid 18th century tax rolls frequently identify them living with other mariners in the households of prosperous seafaring merchants of Somerset County. Therefore we have called these two men (1.2.2.3) James "the Mariner" Henderson and (1.2.2.4) Charles "the Mariner" Henderson. We estimate that James was b ca 1690-1700 and Charles bef 1702.

I am less certain attributing Charles's parentage to William and Sarah Bishop Henderson than I am about James. I am certain Charles "the Mariner" didn't belong to (1.2.1) John and Elizabeth Barnaby Henderson (who already had a Charles), although Charles "the Mariner" could have belonged to (1.2.4) James Jr. and Esther Henderson.  Almost nothing is known of Charles "the Mariner" or his family, although I suspect that he may be responsible for the Hendersons who are found in Delaware in subsequent generations, especially in and around Sussex and Kent counties. This remains to be proven or disproven.

1.2.2.3 -  James "the Mariner" Henderson of Somerset Co MD and Onslow Co NC
The primary reason we attribute (1.2.2.3) James "the Mariner" and (1.2.2.4) Charles "the Mariner" to (1.2.2) William "the Sawyer" Henderson and Sarah Bishop has to do with connections between James "the Mariner" and the Bishop family. The Bishops were known to be seafaring merchants and there are records for branches of this family in Somerset Co MD,  Sussex Co DE and Onslow Co NC. A lineage of Bishops with connections to the McClammy family of Somerset Co MD settled in early Onslow Co NC and there are numerous records in both Somerset Co MD and Onslow Co NC connecting the Bishop and McClammy families to James "the Mariner" Henderson of Somerset Co MD and Onslow Co NC. (You can just trust me on this or you can spend hours poring over the two chronology documents and notes I linked out to at the beginning of this document.) Robin tells me that I'm a dab hand at spotting and remembering the obscure connections between people and families as we do this research, and I can only tell you that there is a thick web of personal entanglements between our James "the Mariner" and the Bishops and McClammys of both areas.

Now we arrive at a particularly sticky wicket. It is remotely possible that (1.2.2.3) James "the Mariner" Henderson (Sr.) of Somerset Co MD and Onslow Co NC and his "son" (1.2.2.3.1) James "Isaac" Henderson (Jr.) of Onslow Co NC may be one and the same. It's something we haven't yet been able to work out. We thought they were two different men, but new records have thrown some doubt on that.

We originally believed that (1.2.2.3) James "the Mariner" had traveled back and forth between MD and NC on timber-buying expeditions for his father, (1.2.2) William "the Sawyer," probably bringing (1.2.2.3.1) James "Isaac" Henderson along with him. At this point I'm going to dispense withe numbering and start calling them William "the Sawyer," James "the Mariner" (Sr.) and James "Isaac" (Jr.)

We thought it was James "the Mariner" (Sr.) who purchased 320a of land from Nathaniel Averitt in Onslow Co NC in 1738. We thought he called that purchase "Henderson's Landing" (same name as his grandfather, James "of Somerset Co MD," gave his original property on the Pocomoke River in Somerset County). We thought that James "the Mariner" (Sr.) died sometime after 1750, probably in Somerset Co MD and willed Henderson's Landing in Onslow to his "son" James "Isaac" (Jr.), who (we know) made a will in 1770 leaving the Onslow property to his daughter Lucy Henderson, later Lucy Loyd (who was a sister to Argalus of Chatham Co NC). We know that in 1792, Lucy Loyd and her brother Argalus Henderson "of Onslow and Chatham Counties" sold that same piece of property to James Foy.

Wording in recently discovered abstracts throws that sequence of events into doubt. The upshot is that the man who bought property from Nathaniel Averitt in 1738 was the same man we know as James "Isaac" Henderson (Jr.), the father of Lucy Henderson Loyd, Argalus Henderson, Betty Henderson Jenkins, Bethany Henderson Nixon, and Nanny Henderson. This leaves us wondering about the exact identities and relationships of the two James Hendersons who were in Onslow contemporaneously during the 1730's and 1740's, distinguished from each other by "Sr." and "Jr." I can hypothesize 4-5 different scenarios, so I am not going to go into them here, and am instead going to devote my energy to attempting to prove or disprove each theory and try to arrive at a the most likely conclusion.

In the mean time, and until such time as we have clarity on this, I believe we should proceed under the existing assumption that James "the Mariner" (Sr.) was in fact the father of James "Isaac" (Jr.) -- while bearing in mind that we must go where the evidence leads, and we may eventually need to merge the two men into one in our records. 

Photos and Video from Visits to the New River (Onslow Co NC) and the Pocomoke River (Somerset Co MD)

I have just uploaded a number of photos and videos of interest to the Hendersons of Somerset County, MD and Onslow County, NC.

Last month during a trip to Onslow County, Tom and I visited Sneads Ferry so that I could finally see the New River property where mariner ancestor James Henderson Sr. settled in the early 18th century. Henderson's original deed from Nathaniel Averitt was lost in the 1752 hurricane that destroyed the county courthouse, but we know that he was a neighbor to Edmond Ennett (who operated Ennett's Ferry, now known as Sneads Ferry). I believe Everett's Creek was the dividing line between the Henderson and Ennett properties. The mouth of creek can be seen in this video, and James Henderson's property is to the right (north) side. The property is now part of Camp Lejeune and access to the area is restricted due to blasting.

I took a number of photos of the New River, and also of Stump Sound, where the property of the allied Nixon family was located.

Just this past week I met with fellow-researcher Robin Henderson at the Nabb Research Center in Somerset County, Maryland. After the library closed we drove down to the ruins of Coventry Parish in Rehobeth, Maryland. Across the street is Old Rehoboth Church, the oldest Presbyterian Church in America. Both churches are located just a few hundred yards from banks of the Pocomoke River. This river, which flows through the Great Cypress Swamp, has the distinction of being the deepest river for its width in the world. The eerily still, black water served to act as a mirror in my photos and video.

Across the river is the Hickory Point Natural Area. As best we can tell from original plats and land grant records, James Henderson Senior (the original immigrant bef 1661 and progenitor of our line) probably owned property somewhere along the river in the Hickory Point Natural Area, and therefore his land is likely within range of the camera as we pan past the area. His son, John Henderson Sr., operated a ferry across the river, which likely landed near the docks where we are filming, as it would have been convenient to the church and village.

• View video of Pocomoke River, Somerset Co MD
• View video of Coventry Parish ruins, Rehoboth, Somerset Co MD
• View video of New River and Sneads Ferry Bridge, Onslow Co NC
• View Video of New River looking southeast, Onslow Co NC
• View all photos of Coventry Parish ruins, Pocomoke River, and New River

Delmarva Hendersons in Revolutionary Worcester Co MD Militias

I'm going through some paperwork on loan from fellow researcher Robin Henderson and I ran across an extract of Worcester Co MD Hendersons on Revolutionary militias made by David Jones (also researching the Delmarva Hendersons). 

This seems like a good thing to keep up with, although I'm not prepared to park the data anywhere specific since I don't yet have all of these men parceled into my database. Since this is likely to be of use to other researchers, I thought I'd chart it up here in my blog. I'm dividing it out by companies rather than listing the men alphabetically.

Names taken from The Maryland Militia in the Revolutionary War, by S. Eugene Clements and F. Edward Right.

Captain John Parramore's Company, Wicomico Battalion 1777
Brittingham Henderson 1777, 1780
Ephriam Henderson 1780
Samuel Henderson 1780
William Henderson 1780

Captain Samuel Smyly's Company, Wicomico Battalion, 1780
Curtis Henderson 1780

Captain William Purnell's Company, Wicomico Battalion, 1780
Curtis Henderson 1777, 1780

Captain Matthew Purnell's Company, Sinepuxen Battalion, 1780
John Henderson 1780
William Henderson 1780

Captain William Purnell's Company, Sinepuxen Battalion, 1780
Jesse Henderson 1780

Captain Layfields Company, Wicomico Battalion, 1780
Isaac Henderson 1780
Jacob Henderson 1780
James Henderson 1780
Jenkins Henderson 1780
John Trehorn Henderson, Sgt. 1780
Joseph Henderson, Sgt. 1780
Levi Henderson 1780
Smart Henderson 1780
Thomas Henderson 1780
William Holland Henderson 1780
William Merrill Henderson 1780

Note: There is some confusion in online trees as to whether Brittingham Henderson was the son of Jesse & Rhoda Henderson, or the son of John and Rhoda "Brittingham" Henderson. I have found no satisfactory documentary evidence of either scenario at this point. (Neither have I found proof that either Rhoda was a Brittingham.) A Sally Brittingham married a James Henderson on 21 Oct 1830 in "Maryland" but that's the only documented connection between Brittinghams and Hendersons I have found. A Rhoda "Bowds" (name uncertain) made a December 1804 will and left bequests to sons Brittingham Henderson and William Henderson (one shilling each), but there is no indication of who Rhoda might have been prior to becoming a Henderson, or whether she was the wife of Jesse or John (or either). 

Richard Barnabe, Merchant of London, Makes a Wonderfully Helpful Will

I remember former Clan Henderson genealogist Dr. Horace Loftin once telling me that he had discovered a record that caused him to speculate that his Henderson ancestor, James Barnabe (later spelled Barnaby), had been a merchant sailing to and from the East Indies. Since I wasn't working on that line of Hendersons at the time, I neglected to ask for details, which has necessitated me finding them for myself.

Although I am doubtful of a connection between my James "Isaac" Henderson of Onslow County and the family of John and Elizabeth Barnaby Henderson of Somerset & Worcester Counties MD, I was still intrigued by the idea of a 17th-century merchant family settling the wilds of the Delmarva Peninsula so I went poking around to see what I could learn.

First, a little background on the Barnaby connection to the Hendersons of the Delmarva Peninsula...

On 1 Jul 1680, in Somerset County MD, Elizabeth Barnaby (b Feb 1661), daughter of James Barnaby (the younger) and his wife Mary, married John Henderson (b May 1661), son of James Henderson and his wife, also Mary. Their numerous children and grandchildren would for the most part stay in the Worcester County MD area with the exception of grandson Barnaby Henderson, who would move to Onslow County NC circa 1765.

Elizabeth Barnaby's father, James the younger, made his will on 26 Jan 1665/66 leaving bequests to wife Mary (executrix), and his minor children James (noted as under 16), Rebecca, and Elizabeth (both noted as under 15).

After James's early death, his widow, Mary Barnaby, would marry local planter Edward Jones. Mary's health (or luck) was apparently not much better than James's and a few months after giving birth to her first child with Mr. Jones (in 1669), Mary died too, leaving her three young children and an infant in the care of her second husband. I found an interesting abstract (See footnote 1) conveying the information that "James Barnebe" was "shott with a gun in the hands of Mercy Fountaine on the plantation where Edward Jones liveth the 3rd day of March 1681 and was buried there the 4th day of the same month." James would have been about seventeen, and Fountaine was only about fifteen years old at the time. I have not been able to find any additional details on the incident, so I assume it was accidental since there are no apparent trial records.

James Barnabe, father of the unfortunate orphans (and even less fortunate son), was in turn the son of James Barnabe the elder and his wife, Sarah.  According to a deposition, James was in Northampton County, VA as early as 1637/38. In 1640 he and Sarah were headright settlers for John Holloway of Accomack County VA, and in 1651 they were the same in Northampton County VA for Roger Jones (not sure how that happened, but that's what my records say). I wonder if Roger was any relation to Edward...hmmm.

I have a notation that James Barnabe the elder was "of London" with an estimated birth date of 1610, so I decided to have a look and see if that held water. 1637 was a long time ago and there is a lot of room for error to develop in the records. I didn't really expect to find anything to connect this James Barnabe to any English merchants or shipping enterprises, but blow me down...

From the book Virginia Gleanings in England, by Lotrop Withington, page 135:

"Will of Richard Barnabe, London, Marchant, bound on a voyage by God's grace to the East Indyes with good shipp or vessell named the Mary of London of the burden of One Thousand Tunnes or thereabouts. Will 19 January 1630, proved 11 July 1636."

The will is lengthy and detailed (lucky for us all). This was obviously not an old man, and he had plenty of time to think things through and write it all down. His wife was already dead and buried (in the church of St. Katherine Colman of London, in case you are wondering), and he makes known his wish "to be buried neere late wief." He leaves "all to daughters Elizabeth Barnabe and Mary Barnabe, executrixes" but he appoints his brothers-in-law John Boulteel, Clarke and George Rookes, Marchant" as overseers to care for his goods until his daughters reach the age of 21.

In addition to naming other in-laws and outlining the relationships of several, he mentions: "To Loving brother John Barnabe (See footnote 2) resident in Virginia and Planter there 100 pounds, and my brother James Barnabe resident in Virginia 100 pounds, to be paid to them if living, or if dead to their sons and daughters. If none be living, then to the children of said brother in law George Rookes, Merchant."

George Rookes was married to the Barnabe's sister, Elizabeth, with whom he had seven children. Richard Barnabe also names sister Martha Barnabe "sometime weif of John Sargenson, vintner, dec'd and her sonn William," and another sister, Katherine Clarke and her son Robert and daughter Katherine.

Ever helpful to the future genealogist, he mentions Ann Barnabe, daughter of his brother John, married to _______ Edwards, Merchant, as well as a small bequest to servant, Elizabeth Rivers.

The rest of his estate he left to Masters and Wardens of Company of Drapers of London ("whereof I am a brother") to be used to enable "some godly and vertuous Preacher" to "preach five sermons yearly in church of St. Katherine Colman neere billeter lane, London." He's very specific about the sermons that be preached and obviously his heart lies with his dead wife and five (or six?) dead children in the churchyard.

He goes on to outline additional bequests in varying sizes to those who have served his family, as well as more distant relatives.

In April of 1635, he added an appendix to the "will made in England by me Richard Barnaby, Merchant, In good shipp Hart now bound for England," and in it he leaves bequests to friends including a "paire of Buffe gloves," and "one Capp wrought with silk and gold" and "one capp of lynnen with needle worke purles." To his nephew George Rookes he adds a bequest of an "imbroidered girdle with silver buckles." He leaves additional interesting bits and bobs to friends, servants and even the ship's surgeon and his mate. Apparently Mr. Barnabe's household was flush with treasures.

But that's all he wrote, folks. Sadly, his will was proved just over a year later on 11 July 1636. In a slightly depressing footnote to this piece, the church of St. Katherine Colman in London was demolished in 1925. No "godly and vertuous Preacher" shall evermore preach a sermon over the mortal remains of Ann and Richard Barnaby or their numerous departed children.

So it does indeed look like the Barnabes were a family of prosperous merchants of London. Richard and James's brother, John Barnabe, came to Virginia in 1621 and was "a servant in Governor George Yardley's house in Jamestown for two years" before going on to become a planter and a merchant with brother-in-law George Rookes. Although I have not been able to find any specific references to James Barnabe of Delmarva engaging in shipping or the merchant trade, it is clear that he was the third Barnaby brother in this scenario, and that he therefore very likely did come from London.

1.  Somerset Co. MD, Liber J.K.L., Court Record, 3 Mar. 1681

2. Per a footnote at the bottom of the will, "The census of Virginia, 1624-25  gives the 'muster' of  John Barnabe at Elizabeth City. It includes himself, aged 21, who came in the London Merchant in 1620 (Notten's Emigrants, p. 247.)" Additional details about John Barnaby (Barnabe) can be found in Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary, by Martha W. McCartney.

Looking for the Link Between "Delmarva" James Henderson (1661) and James "Isaac" Henderson of Onslow Co NC (1732)

Since we've had a few fresh DNA matches lately, I've resumed my efforts to discover the link between the Hendersons of the Delmarva Peninsula and their distant cousins of Onslow and Chatham Counties in North Carolina. 

As researchers of the family will likely already know, James Henderson, the progenitor of the Hendersons of the Delmarva Peninsula, arrived in Accomack County VA as early as 1661, when his son, John, was baptized in Hungar's Parish (technically in Northampton Co VA). Although one great-grandson, Barnaby, moved south to Onslow County NC in the following century, many descendants of "Delmarva James" can still be found on Maryland's eastern shore today.

The other main branch of this genetically connected family begins with James "Isaac" Henderson, who in 1732 makes his first documented appearance in the earliest records of the Onslow Precinct on the central coast of North Carolina. Although DNA testing has shown that there is a connection between Onslow James "Isaac" Henderson and the Henderson family of the Delmarva Peninsula, we cannot find anything to indicate that Onslow James was descended from Delmarva James.

For these past many years since we first discovered the DNA matches, we have been working under the assumption that their common ancestor lived prior to 1661, probably in Scotland.

For decades both lines had wondered about a possible connection with the other, but lacking any sort of paper trail linking the the two families, we had all but dismissed the possibility. Barnaby's family didn't arrive in Onslow County until 1765 - more than three decades after James "Isaac" Henderson is found living on the New River. We have uncovered no hint of interaction between the two families, so they may not have even known of their kinship themselves.

Since new documents and records come online on an almost daily basis, I have decided to try again to discover a connection between Delmarva James and Onslow James "Isaac." Given the current lack of any sort of paper trail, it is a task fraught with difficulty, made harder since we don't even have firm birth dates for the progenitor of either of the two family branches.

We know that Delmarva James died between 1691-1692, and that Onslow James "Isaac" made his will in October of 1770, so likely died shortly thereafter. Researchers have estimated that Delmarva James was probably born 1630-1640, while I estimate that James "Isaac" of Onslow was born between 1690-1710. Given those date ranges, it is probable that if there was an ancestor/descendant relationship between the two, Onslow James would most likely have been a grandson of Delmarva James.

I believe we can safely rule out a father-son relationship based on the simple fact that Delmarva James did have a son named James (with second wife Alice). That James (b 10 Jun 1669 d aft 1696) married "Ester" and had one known child, Francis (b 30 Oct 1691 d 1762). That branch of the family appears to still be in Somerset County MD well into the 1700's, making it highly unlikely that James Jr. is the same James "Isaac" Henderson who died in Onslow County 101 years later.

So let's assume then that Onslow James "Isaac" was a grandson (or possibly even a great-grandson, making him roughly a contemporary with distant cousin and future Onslow neighbor, Barnaby). Where might he fit?

A quick look through my obviously incomplete data on Delmarva James's grandsons and even great-grandsons leaves plenty of room for possibilities.

The first possibility is that Onslow James "Isaac" might have been a previously unidentified son of James Jr. of Somerset Co MD (b 1669 MD - d aft 1696 MD), and brother to Francis (1691 MD -1762 MD). Francis is the only child I currently have listed for James Jr. and his birth and death dates correspond nicely to the range we might reasonably expect to see for our James "Isaac." It seems very likely to me that Francis was probably not an only child, and that James "Isaac" might have been a grandson of Delmarva James through this namesake James's line.

A second possibility is that Onslow James "Isaac" might have belonged to William Henderson (b bef 1668 d aft 1696), second son of Delmarva James Henderson and his first wife, Mary (Mary d bef 1668). We know nothing of William at all, apart from the name of his wife, Sarah. That possibility is wide open to exploration at this point.

A third (and less likely) possibility is that our Onslow James could have been a great-grandson of Delmarva James through a son of John and Elizabeth Barnaby Henderson. John and Elizabeth had a son named James (b aft 1695 d bef Aug 1776) who married Alice Kollock (could this be "Pollock," a prominent name in early Bertie & Onslow Counties?*) but from what I can tell of him and his descendants (including another son named James who m Sarah Merrill), this family stayed in the area of Somerset and Worcester Counties in MD and is pretty well accounted for. Neither do the names of their children correspond to the names of the children of Onslow County James "Isaac."

That leaves us with the possibility that Onlsow James "Isaac" might have belonged to one of the other sons of John and Elizabeth Barnaby Henderson:

• Charles (b ca 1687 MD - d 1762 Worcester Co MD) m Parthenia Merrill and had Levina ca 1719; Jessee ca 1712; William ca 1715; Barnaby ca 1720 (moved to Onslow Co NC 1765); and Levin ca 1727. No known son named James.
• William (b ca 1681 MD - d bef 1721 MD) about whom I currently know nothing, which makes him a reasonable candidate.
• John Jr. (b ca 1689 MD d bef 1742/43 Worcester Co MD) who m Sarah Houston and had John ca 1717; Sarah ca 1719; Elizabeth ca 1723; Rebecca ca 1725; and Samuel ca 1721. No known son named James, but as a side note, there was a large family of Houstons in early Onslow County.
• Benjamin (b ca 1697 MD - d bef May 1722) m Mary (?) and had Benjamin ca 1722; Leah ca 1725; Betty ca 1727; Mary ca 1729; Rhoda ca 1731; and Lemuel ca 1735. No James, but I do not have any additional info on this line.
• Joseph (b ? MD - d ? ?) - absolutely no info at all on Joseph, so another good candidate.

Although John & Elizabeth Barnaby Henderson's line seems like the most direct and obvious connection to Onslow County, they are also the most well-documented, and they have been examined previously for this purpose and without success. The information I have on the Delmarva line was provided to me over the years by Dr. Horace Loftin, former genealogist for the Clan Henderson Society and a descendant of Barnaby Henderson of Onslow County. While the information he had may be incomplete on some lines, I have confidence that what he did provide is reliable.

So as you can see, there is a lot of investigating to do if I hope to systematically and conclusively rule out each candidates in order to eliminate once and for all a direct connection to that family. At this point, after having another look at our candidates, I confess there are more potential options than I realized and for the first time I am feeling optimistic. But it will take a considerable amount of time to run down all of the leads.

Click to enlarge chart.

One last very intriguing hint of a connection between the two familes...

Delmarva James had four children. The first three, John, William & Jeane, he had by his wife Mary. The last, his namesake, James, he had by his second wife, Alice.

I took a quick look at Jane to see what was known about her. She married John Williams Jr. of Somerset County MD and had two known sons. Traditionally the first son was often named after the father's father, while the second was then named for the mother's father. (This wasn't always the case, but was a very common practice.) True to form, the elder son of John and Jeane Henderson Williams was called John, after his father and grandfather. So naturally one might expect the second son to be called "James," after the mother's father. Instead, he was called...

Isaac!

*Note: I have since discarded "Kollock" as the surname of the wife of James Henderson. There is currently no evidence that I can find to support the idea that the wife of James Henderson of Somerset County MD was a Kollock.