Signature of Uncle Benjamin

I took a photo of the document that Sandi Vaught and I found in Orange County, Virginia in September to share with Elaine.  It is a copy of the marriage bond that Uncle Benjamin signed when he was about to marry Mary/Polly Bickers.  I decided to put the copy on this blog just to make it easy to find.  

Benjamin is very special to my research as he seems to have acted as a father to my 3-gr-grandfather in their lifetimes.  Benjamin's will leaves much of what he has to his NEPHEW Thomas R. Hawkins.  Benjamin and Mary/Polly Bickers Hawkins did not have children of their own.  When Polly's father Nicholas Bickers died he left her only $1.  Not because he didn't love her.  But because she had no children of her own and she was rich while his other children were poor.  I love Nicholas for having left that will!

Cabell County Morrison and Hensley family

I wrote on this map while reading Carey Eldridge's annotated Census of Cabell County for 1850.  Patrick Henry Sr., John Hensley, Samuel Hensley, and James Morrison who married Frances Thacker as well as Ralph Smith who married Viola Morrison were all living in this same area.  This area of land is just south of Barboursville and quite close to Martha.  However, it the farms go south towards Salt Rock from Martha.  By 1850 the land on which Solomon Hensley lived fell into Wayne County (formed from Cabell in 1842.  Bird Hensley's land was just a bit farther south from this area shown on this map after he moved back from Illinois with his family just before the census of 1850.



Dennis Hensley who descends from Samuel Hensley (Oldest male in Solomon's home in the census of 1850) told me that ....hmmmm can not find that information this morning.  I'll try to give Dennis a call to find out what he told me.