William M. Henson (1781-1834) was born in Pendleton District, South Carolina to William H. Henson, aide-to-camp to Colonel Ben Cleveland during the Revolutionary War, and Elizabeth Holder. William M. Henson served in the war of 1812. He married Druscilla Motley and they had eight children in Rabun County, Georgia, including Thompson M. (born 1801), James Baret (1802-1846), and Andrew Berry (1807-1874).
Thompson remained in Georgia while the rest of the siblings moved to Rusk and Panola Counties, Texas. James married Elizabeth Talley in 1822 and they had eight children. He served in the Mexican War, 1846, in Captain Ferguson’s Company G 2nd Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers, and died that year in service.
Sources:
Turner Publishing Company.
Red Eagle J.W.
Herman, Joan Orr.
The William M. Henson Family Papers, 1825-1895, include correspondence, legal documents, tax receipts, financial records, and literary productions related to Henson family matters such as crop prospects, illness in the family, and military affairs. The papers document the organization of Georgia troops for service in Florida against the Seminole Indians and the organization of Rusk County, Texas. Furthermore, the collection pertains to troops and service in the Mexican War as well as the production of California gold fields.
The collection is open for research.
William M. Henson Family Papers, 1825-1895, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s