William Berry

20 Sept. 1758²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Will Book 2, page 328* Vendue of John Snodgrass' estate, by Agnes Patton--To David Edmund, Wm. Parris, Robt. McRandolph, John Wardlaw, Wm. Adair, Peter Angel. Paid to John Mountgomery, Edmond Tarr, James Henry, Jno. Rosamond, Patrick Hays, James McCown, Andrew Steel.
18 Aug. 1762²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Deed Book 10, page 506* Robert Ramsey and Margaret, of Anson County in North Carolina, to James Henry, £70, 340 acres in Beverley Manor, cor. Samuel Huston; cor. Robert Alexander and Patrick Hays; cor. Wm. Purris. Acknowledged and privy examination. Delivered: Samuel Henry, 21st June, 1771.
20 Aug. 1765²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Deed Book 12, page 102* Hugh Hays and Mary to William Walker, £73.16, 176 acres in Beverley Manor; corner said Hays, Henry's line, Henry's and Purris's line. Teste: Mathew Huston, James Henry, John Weir. Delivered: Wm. Walker, August, 1767.
~1766⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* Birth of James Henry, Jr. in Augusta County, Virginia
1767²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Parish Vestry Book, page 441* Processioners' returns, by Thos. Shields and Jas. Meteire, viz: For Patt. Campbell, for Wm. Campbell, for Robt. Willson, for Thos. Brown, for Wm. Thompson, for Pat. Hays, for John Ward, for Wm. Purrens (Purvens), for James Henry, for Nathl. Steele, for Geo. Bright, for Roben Mitchel, for Robt. Alexander, for Wm. Walker, for Roben Willson, for John Mitchell, for James Mitchell, for John Buchanan, for David Cunningham, for Wm. Campbell, for Thomas Mitchell, for James Meteire, for Hugh Hays, for Reuben Steele, for Thomas Steele, for Thomas Shields, for David Doake, for John Teate, for Samuel Doake, for Samuel Brawford, for James Cowan, for Saml. McCutchen, for Alex. Campbell, for James Moffett, for Wm. Cunningham, for David Doake, for Hugh Fulton and James Fulton, for Saml. Steele, for Alex. Brownlee, for John Brownlee.
~1769²¹	Augusta County, Virginia Marriage Licenses, Marriage Bonds and Marriages Birth of Sarah Henry in Augusta County, Virginia
15 Mar. 1774²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Deed Book 20, page 209* Hugh Hays and Mary to William Pollock. Teste: James Henry, Patrick Hay, William Moore.
1769 – 1777²¹	Augusta County, Virginia Marriage Licenses, Marriage Bonds and Marriages Birth of Agnes Henry in Augusta County, Virginia
25 Sept. 1775⁸⁸⁵	Lord Dunmore’s Little War of 1774, His captains and their men who opened up Kentucky and the west to American settlement, by Warren Skidmore & Donna Kaminsky, published by Heritage Books, 2002 James Henry, By 1 saddle, bell & collar, by allowance for horse, by extra hire
20 Feb. 1781²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Will Book 6, page 371* Robt. Alexander's will--To wife, Esther; to daughters, Sarah and Eleanor, unmarried; to sons. Peter, Hugh, James. Peter's tract at Lessley's cabin; James's adjoins John Fulton and James Henry (all sons unmarried); to daughters, Ann and Esther, 5 shillings each; to son. William; to son. Thomas; to son, Robert; to grandchild, Martha. Executors and guardians, wife and son Robert. Teste: Hugh Fulton, Thos. Stevenson, Thos. Baird. Proved, 18th November, 1783, by Baird and Stevenson. Executors qualify.
1 May 1782⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* Capt Samuel McCutchan & Wm. Tate’s Company James Henry, B. Smith 1 White Titheable James 2 Blacks 4 Horses 15 Neat Cattle
29 Dec. 1782²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Will Book 6, page 267* Inquisition at David Frame's before John McCreerey, one of the Coroners, on view of body of Gerrel Pheland-- Witnesses John McRoberts, James Young, that on said day they found said Wheland lying in the Cowpasture River without any wounds. Verdict: He was drowned in attempting to cross the river. Pat. Miller, Andrew Suttlington, Robt. McCreerey, Wm. Black, Alex. Black, Abram Hempenstall, David Frame, Jeremiah Frame, Mathias Benston, Sampson Willson, Chas. Cameron, James Henry.
1783⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* Captains Tate & Trotter James Henry 1 White Titheable James 2 Blacks 4 Horses 16 Cattle
1784⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* James Henry 2 White Titheables > 21 James Sr, James Jr (~21) 1 Black < 16 6 Horses 12 Cattle
16 Mar. 1784²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Will Book 6, page 397* Recorded. William Woods' appraisement by John Fulton, James Henry, Robert Cooper.
1786⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 Jas. Henry 1 White Titheable James Sr. 2 White Titheables < 21 James Jr. (?), John (?) 1 Black >16 7 Horses 14 Cattle
16 Apr. 1787⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner White Males > 21: Jas Henry Sr, Jr & Robert 1 Black < 16 7 Horses 66 Cattle
14 Aug. 1787²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Marriage Licenses, Marriage Bonds and Marriages* James Nelson and James Henry, surety. James Nilson and Agness Henry, daughter of James Henry (consent). Teste: Joseph Nilson, Robert Henery.
29 Mar. 1788⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner White Males > 21: James Henry Sr White Males 16 – 21: 1 John (?) 6 Horses
1789⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 1 Black > 16 6 Horses
7 Nov. 1789²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Deed Book 26, page 416* John Greenlee of Rockbridge, attorney in fact for Patrick Hayse, Sr., of Lincoln, Kaintuckey, to James Hendry (Henry). Teste: James and Robert Henry.
18 Mar. 1790⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry 1 White Titheable James 4 Horses
17 Mar. 1791⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry, Sr. 2 White Titheables James Sr, John 1 Black > 16 6 Horses
6 June 1792⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry, Sr. 2 White Titheables James Sr, John 1 Black > 16 9 Horses
21 June 1793⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 2 White Titheables James Sr, John 1 Black > 16 10 Horses
3 Aug. 1793²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Marriage Licenses, Marriage Bonds and Marriages* James Poage and James Henry, surety. James Poage and Sarah Henry (of age), daughter of James Henry.
5 July 1794⁵⁰¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 1 Black > 16
19 Apr. 1796⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 5 Horses
1797⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry, Sr. 1 White Titheable James 5 Horses
26 May 1798⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 4 Horses
23 July 1798²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Marriage Licenses, Marriage Bonds and Marriages* Charles Henry and James Henry, surety. Charles Henry and Agnes Henry, of age, daughter of James Henry. Charles is of age.
1799⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 3 Horses
1800⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 4 Horses
1801⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- James Ramsey, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 5 Horses Taxes: .60
18 Apr. 1801²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Will Book 9, page 252* John Tate's will--To wife and children, whole estate to be kept together for their benefit. Executors, wife Jinney, friends Robert Tate, Samuel Finley, Isaac Tate. Teste: John Tate. 3d; James Henry, Wm. Fulton, Geo. Berry. Proved, 27th December, 1802. Jinney, Robert, and Sam. qualify.
27 Mar. 1802⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- M. Austin, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 6 Horses Taxes: .72
2 Apr. 1803⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- M. Austin, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 6 Horses Tax: .72
20 June 1804⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- M. Austin, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 4 Horses Tax: .46
6 June 1805⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- M. Austin, Commissioner James Henry, Sr. 1 White Titheable James 6 Horses Tax .60
31 Oct. 1806²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia Will Book 10, page 309* James Henry Sr’s Will To wife, Mary; daughters, Sarah and Nancy; son John; son James; to Sarah Alexander, wife of Wm. Alexander; to granddaughter, Matilda; children, viz: James, Robert, Sarah, Nancy, Mary, John. Executors, sons James and Robert. Teste: Jno. McFaddin, Samuel Eakin, James McClung, James Poage, Proved, 28th August 1809, Executors qualify.
1807⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- M. Austin, Commissioner James Henry Sr. 1 White Titheable James 5 Horses
1809⁵⁰²	*Augusta County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists* District 1 -- M. Austin, Commissioner James Henry, Sr. 1 White Titheable James 5 Horses Tax .60
23 Oct. 1812²¹	*Augusta County, Virginia County Court Judgements* File No. 926.--Henry vs. Henry's executors. Mary Henry, widow and relict of James Henry, who died testate in Augusta, will dated 31st October, 1806, complains that she has not received her part of the estate. James's daughter Sarah has married James Poage and moved to Ohio. James's daughter Nancy has married Charles Henry and moved to Tennessee. Spa. dated October 23, 1812.

Analysis of the Timeline

James Henry, Sr. and his wife Mary ? (unknown last name) can be tracked through Augusta County, Virginia records for a period of 54 years from 1758 through 1812. When and where he met and married his wife, Mary ? (unknown last name), and where he lived prior to 1758 is only a guess based on general migration patterns of the Scotch-Irish settlers who populated the Shenandoah valley of Virginia. The best guess is that he probably lived in Pennsylvania among the community of Scotch-Irish immigrants living in the Lancaster County area. There is documentation from a reliable secondary source that definitively places the Henry family somewhere in Pennsylvania, most likely on the frontier, prior to their move to Virginia. The story revolves around an Indian raid of the frontier settlements that resulted in the capture of a number of English settlers, one of them being Betsy Henry. She was taken west of the Ohio River, probably into modern day Ohio, where she was eventually accepted into the tribe. When she came of age, she married a young Delaware chieftan whose ancestry was half Indian and half French. Apparently, their relationship was quite happy, and, when a number of white captives were brought to Fort Pitt, modern day Pittsburgh, about 14 years later, for exchange, she was with her husband and refused to return to white society. This was in the early to mid 1760s, probably 1764 or 1767. If the 14 year “captivity” time is correct, then the original abduction must have taken place in Pennsylvania sometime between 1750 and 1753. It seems that her father had already passed away at an unknown date, since several of her brothers, one being James Henry, persuaded her to accompany them home to visit her old mother before the old woman passed away. Betsy agreed to make the family visit, and James accompanied her. At this point there are two versions to the subsequent events. One is that Betsy was pregnant at the time and delivered a baby girl along the way, and the other story is that she brought along her young daughter. Regardless, her husband was so devoted to her that he vowed that he would renounce his chief status in the tribe and live in white society just to be with his wife. He was never heard from again, and the suspicion was that several of Betsy’s brothers, probably including James, murdered their sister’s husband. The daughter, Sally Henry, was raised by James, and she married William Alexander, son of William Alexander and grandson of Robert Alexander. James Henry settled on a farm he purchased near the present site of Spottswood Station in Augusta County, Virginia. This story seems to jive with certain documented facts for James Henry, which are outlined below.³³

The saga of Betsy Henry notes that the Henry family lived in Pennsylvania at the time of her abduction, which appears to have taken place sometime between 1750 and 1753. James Henry’s first appearance in Augusta County records was not until 1758, so the family probably moved to Virginia a few years after their kidnapping tragedy. At the time of the captive exchange at Fort Pitt, which is believed to have taken place between 1764 and 1767, James Henry owned 340 acres of land in the southwestern corner of the Beverly Grant, which corresponds to area around the modern day Spottswood Station. If the part of the story about the possible murder of Betsy Henry’s Delaware husband is true, it occurred while James Henry was living in Augusta County, Virginia. In the winter of 1781 Robert Alexander’s will was proved, and it noted that James Henry was an adjacent landowner. In addition, Robert’s son William, the father of the William Alexander who married Betsy’s daughter, Sally, was mentioned in the will. The close proximity of the Robert/William Alexander family lends further credence to the connection of Betsy Henry to this James Henry. Finally, in James Henry’s 1806 will, which was proved after 1809, he identifies Sarah Alexander as the wife of William Alexander, but also notes a daughter named Sarah who still retains her maiden name, further supporting additional elements of the abduction story. The 1812 document identifies this daughter as later marrying James Poage and moving to Ohio. In essence, the basic elements of the Betsy Henry saga, as they apply to her brother James Henry, can be supported by primary source records from Augusta County. The bottom line is that the combination of reliable secondary source data and unquestionable primary source data provide a rich and robust illumination of James Henry’s life, not to mention a tightly focused and detailed view of the raw and sometimes violent elements of life, as well as a rather personal view of the clash and melding of European and Native American cultures on the colonial American frontier.

Although James Henry’s date and place of birth are not known at this time, assuming a lifespan of about 70 years and that his death occurred about 1810, a date which can be bracketed by Augusta County records, an approximate birth date of 1740 can be determined. If so, he must have arrived in the Augusta County area as a teen ager, so he was probably accompanied by other family members, since the earliest Augusta County record for James Henry is from 1758. That record documents a payment from the estate of John Snodgrass. Apparently James was owed money by Snodgrass at the time of the latter’s death, so the debt was paid by the executors of the Snodgrass estate. Aside from tax records, which will be discussed below, James Henry showed up in numerous Augusta County court records from the 1760s until his death in 1809. In 1762 he purchased 340 acres of land in the southwestern corner of the Beverley Grant from an original Beverley land purchaser, Robert Ramsey, who had moved on to North Carolina. Ramsey had obtained the land from Beverley in 1747. In 1765 James Henry served as a testamentary in a land sale by Hugh Hays, who was probably a neighbor. Two years later, in 1767, his property was processioned for Church of England taxation purposes, and the location of the other property owners whose land was processioned at the same time reveal a collection of people living in the southwestern corner of the Beverley Grant. He purchased 408 acres of Borden Grant land in 1767, and in the late winter of 1774 served as a testamentary in another Hugh Hays land sale. In the fall of 1774 the Augusta County militia was called up by the colonial governor to fight the Shawnee and associated tribes. While James Henry does not appear on any of the militia lists from Augusta County, apparently he did supply the soldiers with a horse and saddle. A commission formed after the short war indentified all of the participants and documented the support provided by the local population, and, presumably, James Henry ws compensated for his support and services. He was noted as being a neighbor in Robert Alexander’s 1781 will, which is mentioned in the Betsy Henry saga. In 1782 James Henry served on an inquest panel, investigating the accidental death of a local man, and in 1784 he served as one of the appraisers of the estate of William Woods, who had purchased some land at the southern end of the Borden Grant in 1742. John Fulton was another of the appraisers, and he had purchased 200 acres of land in the northern part of the Borden Grant in 1752. In the summer of 1787 Agnes Henry, a daughter of James Henry, was married to James Nelson. Since Agnes needed her father’s consent, she under the age of 21, which puts an upper limit on her birth date of 1767. The Nelsons were not original Beverley or Borden Grant purchasers, so must have arrived in the area somewhat later than the surge of early settlers. Patrick Hays, a next door neighbor of James Henry’s, apparently moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky around 1789, so, through a Rockbridge County attorney, he sold his land to James Henry. James’ sons, Robert and Henry, served as testamentaries in this land deal. In the summer of 1794, another daughter, Sarah Henry, got married to James Poague, but she was already 21 years old, which did not require her father’s consent. This places an upper limit on the birth of this daughter at 1769. There was a Robert Poague family, living very close to the James Henry farm, and it seems quite likely that this was where Sarah’s husband lived. (Figures 8, 89 and Table II) That family had purchased their Beverley Grant land in 1740. In the summer of 1798 another daughter of James Henry, Agnes, got married to Charles Henry, so she appears to have married a cousin. Both bride and groom were at least 21 years of age, which puts an upper time limit to the birth date of Agnes Henry of 1777. In the early spring of 1801, a neighbor, John Tate, passed away, and both James Henry and George Berry were listed as testamentaries. (Figure 3, Table I)

From 1782 through 1809 James Henry appears on the Augusta County Personal Property Tax rolls (Table XXIV), and what stands out is that his economic status does not appear to change all that much throughout this time period. The only item that reflects any great change is the fact that he owned a small number of African slaves until about 1795. After that, he was no longer taxed on any slaves. What this means is somewhat problematical. In the last 19 years of his life he was living on a farm that apparently had required slave labor prior to that time, but no longer required it after 1795. This could mean that his health had deteriorated in the last part of his life, and he had already transferred much of his wealth to his children, but if that’s the case, then he probably would have written his will much earlier than 1806.

Table XXIV

James Henry Sr.'s Personal Property Tax Records 1782 - 1809

Year	Horses	Slaves	Tax
1782	4	2 blacks
1783	4	2 blacks
1784	6	1 black < 16
1785	ND
1786	7	1 black > 16
1787	7	1 black < 16
1788	6
1789	6	1 black > 16
1790	ND
1791	6	1 black > 16
1792	9	1 black > 16
1793	10	1 black > 16
1794	0	1 black > 16
1795	ND
1796	5	0
1797	5	0
1798	4	0
1799	4	0
1800	4	0
1801	5	0	$0.60
1802	6	0	$0.72
1803	6	0	$0.72
1804	4	0	$0.46
1805	6	0	$0.60
1806	ND
1807	5	0
1808	ND
1809	5	0	$0.60

James Henry wrote his will in the fall of 1806, so, he was probably quite aware that his days were numbered. In the will he identified his wife, three sons and three daughters, plus the married daughter of his “rescued” sister, and a grandchild, probably his niece’s baby. It was proved in the late summer of 1809, which probably pinpoints the approximate date of his death. Presumably, he passed away not long before August 1809. The last record mentioning James Henry is from an 1812 court judgment wherein his widow is complaining that she had not yet received her part of her deceased husband’s estate.