Person:John Henshaw (2)

[This page used to show this John Henshaw as the son of Joshua Henshaw even though the evidence of the will given below overwhelmingly says he wasn't. That John Henshaw is Person:John Henshaw (6).]

HNC: I received a Certified copy of the birth record of John HENSHAW from Edward G Arntzen, of Dewey, AZ in March of 1993. It was extracted from b-1631 Pg-64 and states that John HENSHAW was born in Dorchester, MA on 29 May 1679 and lists his father as Joshua (No mother mentioned but I suspect that she must have been present at the time)

From a letter by Nellie A GARD dated 1 Feb 1971: I noticed in my Ohio Mayflower Descendants Year Book about two years ago the name Major William HENSHAW-MELLON who lives at North Canton, OHIO. Mr MELLON says Immigrant Joshua HENSHAW's son John HENSHAW (1679-1767) aged 88 years, of Dorchester, Mass to VA. 1708 bought land of Lord FAIRFAX 13 miles from Berkley. John married Mary STUBMAN. (This marriage may be in error)

Following from Betty Carson ([email protected]) dated 14 Jul 1998: You won't like hearing from me. I do not believe that Nicholas Hancer is of the Massachusetts HENSHAWS. John HENSHAW and Mary STUBMAN (STEDMAN) were married 14 May 1730 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is also listed in the Boston Marriages. 1730 is four years after the supposed son Nicholas married Rebecca SMITH in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania in 1726. The John who is supposed to have been the father of Nicholas was this John's Uncle. He died in Boston in 1732 leaving a will naming brothers and sisters as heirs - no wife or children. And the John who is supposed to have gone to Frederick County and bought Land in1760 something was really John the son of Nicholas. That land can be followed when John the son died and it was parceled out to his heirs and designated as having been patented to him. The John of Massachusetts who is supposed to have been the one who bought the land would have been 80 or so years old for heavens sake. Nicholas went to Virginia in 1739 - why did it take his father 20 or so years to make the move also? There is absolutely no record of a John Henshaw/Hancher in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. the Massachusetts records are easy to come by in most any genealogical library. It doesn't take long if you look at the records and put them together to realize that there are things that just can't be. I think Nicholas came over in 1721 - there is a Nicholas Henshaw who landed in Baltimore.

Info from: The Hinshaw Family Association @ http://www.blueneptune.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/~hinshaw/id?209

John Henshaw [ID 00209] Born May 29 1679.38,a,b

                                                                         +-- William Henshawe
                                                                          |    1608-1644
                              +-- Joshua Henshawe ---+
                               |    1643-1717                      |
                               |                                           +-- Katherine Houghton
                               |                                                 1615-1651

John Henshaw ---+ B: 1679 | D: c1736 |

                               +-- Elizabeth Sumner
                                     ?-1728

Some researchers have claimed this John married in 1704 to Mary Stedman or Steedman of Cambridge, MA. But the marriage records of the city of Cambridge clearly show the marriage of John's nephew John to Mary Stedman in 1730.

John and family worshipped at "Church Green" (presumably this was in either Boston or Cambridge). John's great great nephew John, in his Henshaw genealogical history, commented:165

"I will here remark that all the families of Joshua Henshaw who worked in Boston worshipped in this church. The Rev. Samuel Checkley was then the pastor. There are many records in this church of the Henshaw families." John prepared his will on Jan 9 1732/33 in Boston. In his will he gives his possessions to his sister Katherine, his brother Joshua, his brother Samuel, his sister Elizabeth and to his deceased sister Thankful. There is no mention of a wife or any children:c

In the Name of God, Amen. This ninth day of January Anno Domi One Thousand Seven hundred and thirty two, I John Henshaw of Boston in the County of Suffolk, England being sick and weak of body but of sound disposing mind and memory do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner following -- Item: My will is that my just debts and Funeral Charges shall be first paid by my Executor hereafter named -

Item: I give to my Sister Katherine Three Hundred pounds to be paid to her One Hundred pounds in one year after my decease and the other two hundred to be paid yearly till a total three hundred pounds is paid.

Item: I give to my Brother Joshua Henshaw Two Hundred pounds to be paid him in Two years after my decease.

Item: I give my Brother Samuel what he is indebted to me.

Item: I give to my Sister Elizabeth Barber Five pounds to be paid her three months after my Decease.

Item: I give to my Deceased Sister Thankfulls Daughter Ten pounds. Her name is Elizabeth Johnson.

Item: I give to my Sister Mary Wife to Brother Joshua - Fifty pounds, to buy her a trust of Mourning.

Lastly: All the rest of my Estate both real and personal whensoever and wheresoever the same shall or may be found I give and bequeath unto my Nephew Joshua Henshaw, Son of my Brother Joshua aforesaid and I hereby constitute and appoint my Nephew Joshua aforesaid to be sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament hereby Revoking all Former Wills and Bequeaths by me heretofore made.

Signed, Sealed, Published, and Declared by John Henshaw, Esq. to be his last will and testament in presence of William Covell, William Cunninghan, and ___ Lang.

Signed John Henshaw

John Henshaw died c1736. John's will was proved Aug 7 1736 in Boston:c Suffolk __: By the Hon. Ioprah Willard Esq. Judge of Probate __ The within _____ Will being presented for Probate by the Executor therein named. William Cunningham & Andrew Lane made Oath__ that they saw John Henshaw Esq. the Subscriber to this Instrument Sign Seal & heard him publish & declare the same to be his last Will & Testamt and that when he so did he was of a sound disposing mind and memory ____ to the dep___ but ____ and that they together with William Covell _______ set to their hand as witnesses thereof in ___ ___ presence

Boston Augt. 7th 1736

Signed I. Willard

Valley Virginia Henshaw attributed the following to this John Henshaw: John moved from Dorchester, Mass., to Philadelphia, where he lived a number of years, but did not prosper as he wished. Hearing of the great fertility of the valley between the Blue Ridge and Great North Mountain, he and his son Nicholas decided to move to Virginia.132,133 But John's will seems to indicate that he probably never married, and he apparently died in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, making it unlikely that he ever moved to Virginia. Valley Virginia also claimed it was this John Henshaw who purchased land in Virginia from Lord Fairfax, but it seems almost certain that it could not have been this John, and was more likely John Henshaw [son of Nicholas] who made the land purchase.

Note that Nicholas Henshaw, who is often shown in Henshaw genealogies as John's son, is not mentioned in John's will, nor is any wife mentioned, so it is doubtful if Nicholas was actually the child of this John.

SOURCES 38. An article appearing in the magazine "Hobbies", February 1967, titled "At the Sign of the Crest - Henshaw Coat-of-Arms", by Hazel Karft Eilers copy supplied by Fontella Hinshaw.

132. "The West Virginia Historical Magazine Quarterly", Vol. 4, No. 2, April 1904. The West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian Society, Charleston, W.VA. Article "The Henshaw Family" by Valley Virginia Henshaw. Contributed by David H. Henshaw ([email protected]).

133. "Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County Pennsylvania", Volume II. John W. Jordan & James Hadden, editors. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1912. Contributed by David H. Henshaw ([email protected]).

165. "History of Henshaws in Scotland, in England and in America to the Present Time", Edith Henshaw Kuntz, 1956; contributed by Don Henshaw.

(a) "Genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England", volume 2 James Savage, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1965.

(b) Contribution from Kristen Wagner-Henshaw.

(c) Contribution from Ed Arntzen ([email protected]) citing: Will of John Henshaw recorded in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

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