Heavener
The Henry-Heavener Connection
By James D. Henry
Submitted and updated by Ethelyn Coffey
The first wife of John Henry Sr. was Elizabeth, surname
unknown. A few Web sites and people with family Trees have stated her
surname to be Heavner/Heavnor/Heavener but none have offered proof to substantiate
this assertion. The purpose of this article is to help prove a Henry-Heavener
connection did exist by (1) investigating the German origins of the names
Henry and Heavener, (2) looking at birth records in Pennsylvania, (3) comparing
the hand writing of Jacob Heavner 's name found in two documents, one document
belonging to John Henry Sr., the other a marriage document of Jacob Heavner,
and (4) the close proximity of the Henry and Heavener families in Pennsylvania
and Virginia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries supported by the
high probability that the Jacob Henry who married Mary “Polly” Heavener was
the son of John Henry Sr.
German Variants of the Henry and Heavener Names
Because of family lore, it is believed John Henry Sr.
came from Germany. This comes from the following sources:
1. “Daddy [Walter McClure Henry (18901961)] always told me that his great-great
grandfather John came over to this country from Germany as a boy and changed
his name from Heinrich to Henry."
Source: Excerpt of a letter from Ethelyn Coffey to Ottalee Winegar
dated 11 Apr 1983
2. Darrell May said his mother, Thelma Powell Henry [1905-1956], who married
Sylvester May, told him that her grandfather, William Powell Henry [1853-1937,
great grandson of John Henry Sr.] would sing the German Song “Bingen* on
the Rhine” to her and say, ‘that’s where we’re from child!”
Source: Excerpt from an email from Ethelyn Coffey to Jim Henry dated
21 Dec 1999
*Bingen Am Rheim, Germany, is located a few miles west of Frankfurt, Germany
on the Rhine River. Large ships can navigate the Rhine River from Frankfurt
to the Atlantic Ocean but it is more likely that William Powell Henry was
referring to John Henry Sr. being from Germany rather than the town of Bingen
because “Bingen on the Rhine” is a folk song sung throughout Germany.
3. “I remember, as a youngster, my father [Walter McClure Henry (1890-1961)]
telling me that his great-great grandfather [John Henry Sr.] came from Germany,
that he worked his way over to America.”
Source: Excerpt of an email from Ethelyn Coffey to Jim Henry dated
16 Dec 2000
4. Another item in support of John Henry Sr.’s German ancestry is a deed,
dated February 1808 in Russell Co., VA, showing his son, Philip Henry, buying
100 acres of land from Henry Umbarger on which Philip signed his name in
German.
Those references are in complete disagreement that state
John Henry Sr. was born in Holland or the Netherlands which can be found
on a few personal Web sites and others, e.g., the databases in Ancestral
File (AF) and International Genealogical Index (IGI) of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).
Using this information as a premise, the next process
was to find the German name for John Henry. During a conversation in
June 2000 in Sleinwender, Germany between Brett Henry, Martina Denser, and
Roland Paul, a professional German genealogist asserts “the acceptable name
for John Henry in German is Johannes Henrich and it is more likely he sailed
from Rotterdam, the port used by the majority of German immigrants during
the mid-18th century, rather than Amsterdam.” This information contradicts
the notion that he sailed from Amsterdam as has been passed down from family
lore.
A trip down the Rhine River to Rotterdam and then to America
was not an easy undertaking. From the "Journey to Pennsylvania" by
Gottleib Mettelberger, written about his journey to Pennsylvania in 1750:
"Down the Rhine to Rotterdam or other ports is done from May 1st to end of
October - a full half year amid hardships. Rhine boats from Heilbronn
to Holland have to pass through 26 custom houses ... Each stop takes one
to three days. Trip down Rhine takes four, five and six weeks.
When the ships come to Holland they are detained there five to six weeks.
The freight fare from Holland to Philadelphia was
14 - 17 louis d'or." It is a matter of record that only English ships
were allowed into American ports (pre-US) at that time.
Source: Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Vol. 1 1727-1775
Edited by William John Hinke PhD. DD (Microfiche Nos. 6051507 through 6051509)
It is important to also consider the variations possible
for the name Henrich. Betty Heavener Hottenstein writes: “From
"History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania" Reading Public Library, Vol. II,
PA Room, R974.827 R54 re: Heinrich (Henry) Family - The family name
Henry has been changed from the German name of Henrich. F. Pichler,
a high authority on the etymology and meaning of family names, alleges that
it was corrupted into Henerich, Heinrich, and Henry, and its meaning was
a courageous man or spirited hero, probably from the Anglo-Saxon hentan,
haen or hent which meant to seize, to lay hold of, to conquer, or to overcome,
as haen hentan, sich einer Sache bemachtigen, ricca, ric, rich, possessing
a large portion of courage.”
From the “The Heavener Family of Montgomery Co., VA” written
in 1983 by Dorothy H. Bodell, she says, “In the index of The Genealogical
Record of the Schwenkfelder Families, edited by Samuel Kriebel Brecht, are
listed under Heebner (Hubner, Heavener, Hevener, Heavner, Hiebner) all the
variations of the name I have found in this research.
Pennsylvania Birth Records
Of the nine known children by John and Elizabeth Henry
only one document for son, Lewis, states he was born in Pennsylvania.
This comes from the Vital Statistics at Frankfort, KY reporting: “Lewis
Henry, son of John and Elizabeth, was born in PA in 1790.” However,
according to the 1840 Putnam Co., IN Census and the 1850 Monroe Co., IN Census
his son, Philip, was born circa 1784, also in Pennsylvania. Family
lore says that John Henry Sr. settled in Pennsylvania so we will assume that
his son, John Jr., born in 1883 (taken from the Bible of William Powell Henry),
was also born in Pennsylvania.
During the 18th century there was a high percentage of
German people living in the Berks County, Pennsylvania, especially in the
Reading and Tulpehocken areas. When looking at the original German
Church records for the Trinity Lutheran Church of Reading and the Christ
Lutheran Church of Stouchsburg by using the above variations in name spellings,
the following birth and baptismal records were found. It should be
noted that these records were found after the article "The Henrys of Eastern
KY and Southwestern VA" was written and waiting publication therefore that
article does not reflect this new information.
From the Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, Pennsylvania:
Johannes Heinrich
Born: 08 Feb 1783
Baptized: 30 Mar 1783
Father: Johann Heinrich
Mother: Elisabeth Heinrich
Sponsor: Johann Hübner & Elisabetha
Johannes and Johann are variations of John. Heinrich
is a variation for Henrich/Henry. It seems possible
this could be the same John Henry Jr. found in the bible of William Powell
Henry, which states that John Henry Jr., son of John and
Elizabeth Henry, was born on 29 January 1783.
Hübner [Huebner] is a variation of Heavener.
Often a sponsor for a baptism was a family member.
Could the Sponsor, Johann Hübner [Huebner/Heavener], be related to this
Elisabeth Heinrich?
From Church Records: Adams, Berks & Lancaster Counties, PA 1729-1881:
Philip Henrich
Birth: 20 Dec 1783
Baptism: 27 Feb 1784
Father: John Henrich
Mother: Elisabeth Henrich
Sponsor: Philip Hübner [Huebner/Heavener]
Location: Berks Co., PA
Church: Old Northkill Lutheran Church, now Friedens Lutheran
Church, Bernville
It is highly possible this is the same Philip Henry who
according to the 1840 Putnam Co., IN Census and the 1850
Monroe Co., IN Census was born circa 1784 in Pennsylvania. Could the
Sponsor, Philip Hübner [Huebner/Heavener], be related
to this Elisabeth Heinrich?
Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg:
Jacob Henrich
Born: 09 Feb 1788
Father: John Henrich
Mother: Elisabeth Henrich
Sponsor: parents
Is this the same Jacob, son of John Henry Sr. and Elizabeth,
who married Mary “Polly” Heavener? This birth date
of 1788 agrees with the census listings found on Jacob Henry.
Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg:
Ludwig Hennerich
Born: 24 April 1790
Baptized: 15 August 1790
Father: John Hennerich
Mother: Elisabeth Hennerich
Sponsor: Ludwig Lange
Hennerich is another variant of Henry. According
to the Web site http://www.virtue.nu/misantrope/names/boys.htm,
the name Lewis is a variant of Ludwig. Vital Statistics
at Frankfort, KY, says: “Lewis Henry, son of John and Elizabeth, was
born in PA in 1790.”
It seems more than a coincidence that the bible* of Isaac
Henry (1816-1888) transcribed by Ethelyn Coffey on 07
August 2001, has the same birth date for Lewis Henry: 24 April 1790.
*The People's Standard Edition of Holy Bible - Entered
according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872 by Ziegeler
and McCurdy. Bible is in possession of Anna Lou Henry Ison, Lexington,
KY. Formerly referred to as the "Lewis Henry Bible."
Now in the possession of Walter Conn Henry.
Documents of John Henry Sr., Philip Heavener and Jacob Heavener
If there is not a family connection between the Henrys
and Heavners, why does the document found in the original documents of John
Henry Sr. as seen in the "Bits and Pieces from the Little Tin Bucket", in
document No. 6 on page 3 say:
Receiv'd of John Henry Three
Dollars and Fifty
cents of Philip
Heavners Estate.
Received by mee [me]
Jacob Heavner
February the 2_
day 1813
Lewis henry [Henry]
Jacob Heav [the remainder cut off]
The handwriting of the name Jacob Heav on this document
has been compared to the marriage document, dated 05 February 1814, signed
by a Jacob Heavner. Except for the bottom of the “J” the “acob” and
the “Heav” appear to be the handwriting of the same man.
Location of the Henry and Heavener Families in Virginia
Records and maps show the Henry and Heavener families
were living in close proximity in the state of Virginia during the last five
years of the 18th century in the adjacent counties of Wythe, Pulaski, and
Montgomery. Between the years 1795 and 1801 John Henry Sr. appeared
on the Wythe Co. VA Tax List, 17931800, compiled by Malita Warden Murphy
& James L. Douthat; the Wythe Co. VA Tax Lists 17961800, List B, compiled
by Netti Schreiner-Yantis; and the Wythe Co. VA Personal Property Tax Books,
Reel #350, located in Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA. His son Daniel
was born in Wythe Co. in 1799, his daughter Cathy/Caty married John Gose
on 20 February 1800 in Wythe Co., and his son Philip married Catherine Etter
on 18 March 1804 in Wythe Co. It is highly probable Jacob Henry, who
married Mary “Polly” Heavener, the daughter of Christopher/Strophel Heavener,
in Warren Co., KY in 1813, was the son of John Henry Sr. She had come
to Warren Co., KY with her father and family, from Montgomery Co., VA in
1811/12.
Christopher/Strophel Heavener, born in Berks Co., PA in
1749, is on the 1810 Census in Montgomery Co., VA. He had settled near
Philip Hubner in Montgomery [this part of Montgomery Co is now Pulaski Co.]
Co., VA. Laura Perkey, a descendent of Christopher, says one of his
sons, Jacob, was born in Montgomery Co., VA in 1801, and another son, Samuel
was born in Wythe Co., VA in 1806.
As shown in the Birth Records of Pennsylvania the sponsor
for Philip Henrich was Philip Hübner. Philip Hübner appears
in 1790 Dauphin Co., PA Census as Hebener and in 1793 as Hevener. He
left Pennsylvania and appears in Montgomery [now Pulaski] Co., VA on the
1797 Personal Property Tax List.
From the Wills in Montgomery and Fincastle Counties, Virginia, 17731831
there was a will, probated May 1804, of Philip Heavener. A Jacob Heavener,
under age 21, was listed as an heir.
In an email from Chris Heavener on 08 May 2001 to Ethelyn
Coffey: Re: Christopher Heavener "Same Christopher purchased land on
April 28, 1800, 50 acres adjoining Philip Heavener's land. [Land Book
D Montgomery County Courthouse, Virginia] I have a land map showing
the owners name and number of acres. It shows Christopher's land adjacent
to Philips and land belonging to a Henry just North? of Philip's property.
This is Dunkard Bottom, New Dublin and lands adjoining."
Though some of this information is not conclusive, it
is the opinion of this writer there is a high probability that John Henry
Sr.’s wife, Elizabeth, was a Heavener and could have been the sister of either
Christopher Heavener or Philip Heavener or of both. For conclusive
evidence it would be helpful to find a marriage record for John Henry and
Elizabeth.
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