Descendants of Benjamin Hensley
Generation No. 1
1. BENJAMIN HENSLEY was born Bet. 1775 - 1776 in Henry Co., VA, and died Bet. 1850 - 1860 in Towns Co., GA. He married ELIZABETH Bet. 1790 - 1800 in Burke Co., NC.
Children of BENJAMIN HENSLEY and ELIZABETH are: i. BENJAMIN HENSLEE, b. 1804, Burke Co., NC; d. Aft. 1850, Bradley Co., TN. ii. RANDAL HENSLEE, b. June 17, 1807, Burke Co., NC; m. (1) CLEMENTINE JOHNSON; m. (2) SAWAN PELL. iii. RALZAMORE MARKHAM HENSLEE, b. 1813, Burke Co., NC; d. June 28, 1900, Cherokee Co., NC; m. SARAH MORGAN.
Notes for RALZAMORE MARKHAM HENSLEE: Also Known as "Marcus Ralgia Henslee"
Sources: Raigia Hensley's Bible; family oral histories and research. James "J.O." Oscar Hensley, Jr. Mooresville, N.C. Also the Title of this article was My Great Grandfather Marcus Raigia Hensley, Article # I 0 1 5 i n The Heritage of Cherokee Cou nty, 2nd edition.
This is a story told to me by my grandfather, William Ross Hensley, (1 858-1936) that was told to him by his father, Marcus Raigia Hensley (b. 1814). Sometime around 1819, Raigia lived with his parents in what is now Swain County. The farm that Raigia's father had settled on and cleared of timber bordered on a trail that was used by the Cherokee Indians, and led back into the Smoky Mountains. Ralgia was about five or six years old and playing out in the field when some Indians came by on their way home from what is now Bryson City, but was a trading post then. These Indians thought Raigia was a cute little boy so they picked him up and carried him back into the mountains where they lived. Raigia's parents, thinking he had been eaten by a bear or a mountian lion, eventually gave up searching for him. Raigia remembered the Indians being good to him but never let him out of their sight. He remembered one night a bunch of Indians in the village where he was being kept, walked over the mountain to dance at another village. He could hear a lot of hollering and loud talk, where upon the Indians who had him, tied his hands and feet and hid him behind a big log and covered him with leaves. They then went on down to where he had seen lights and heard the commotion. He recalled, after a while they came and got him, took his fetters off and led him down the trail to where the Indians were having a dance. He said in one corner of the house was an Indian tied up and intoxicated on "fire water." In looking back over this incident, Raigia believed his captors were afraid the drunk Indian might hurt him and took this precaution for his safety. After living with the Indians for about three years, they released their vigil of him somewhat and allowed him to fish in the creeks near their village. Ralgie had not forgotten his name nor had he forgotten his parents and his home. He was old enough now to reason that if he followed this stream that he had been fishing in, it might take him to some white settlement and he might find his mother and father. So one day when he was fishing alone, he worked his way downstream until he was out of sight of the village. He ran as fast as he could down the creek bank for a while, then he would wade in the creek, a ways where he could, then back on the land and run some more. He did this so they could not trail him. Ralgia eventually came to a white settlement and later on was reunited with his parents. He worked on his father's farm until he was old enough to have a home of his own. He met this brown-eyed, black-haired beauty and fell in love with her. Her name was Sarah Elizabeth Morgan. She was part Cherokee Indian. From this union came William Ross Hensley, the father of my daddy, James Oscar Hensley, SR.
Raigia took up blacksmithing as a young man. His skill at the forge and anvil earned his family a good living and he was known for miles around for his excellent work as a smithy. I now have in my den, a display of a few pieces of ironwork that was handed down to his son, my granddad, to his son, my dad, and to me. Among the ironwork in my den is a compass, a percussion cap crimper (used with muzzle loaded rifles) ships for cutting the protruding horseshoe nails from the horse's hooves, a brace and bit with a wooden bit, and a hoe with an eye for attaching the handle. Great grandfather did something very interesting in his blacksmithing. He drew a print of each tool he made so he could refer back to it later on if he needed to make a duplicate of it later. He put these prints into a book and kept it near his work. It was said that Raigia read his Bible daily, but had to wear "specs" as they were called in those days, to be able to read fine print. A few years after he retired from blacksmithing, his eyesight came back to where he would sit in the swing on his porch in the summertime and read his Bible without the aid of glasses. Raigia Hensley and his family lived in what is now Swain and Jackson Counties. They migrated to Graham County. His son, William Ross and wife, Dora Bryson Hensley and their family, Daisy Hensley Hartness, James Oscar, Ross, Mae, Maggie Hensley Moss and Bessie H. Moore lived in Louden and Sweetwater, Tennessee. My grandfather, William Ross moved to Murphy N.C.. My parents, James Oscar and Mary Melissa Donaldson moved also to Murphy in 1920. They settled in what was then No. 6, later call Nibalo, and remained still later Pleasant Valley by John B. (Bun) Moore a prominent jeweler in Murphy, N.C., the County Seat of Cherokee County.
iv. MARY ELVIRA HENSLEE, b. 1821, Burke Co., NC; d. 1878; m. CHARLES WARD. 2. v. HIRAM GREEN HENSLEE, b. December 28, 1828, Monroe Co., TN; d. May 06, 1902, Catoosa CTY, GA. m. SARAH ELIZABETH STEWART vi. WILLIAM HENSLEE, b. 1830, Monroe Co., TN.
Generation No. 2
2. HIRAM GREEN HENSLEE (BENJAMIN HENSLEY) was born December 28, 1828 in Monroe Co., TN, and died May 06, 1902 in Catoosa CTY, GA. He married SARAH ELIZABETH STEWART October 06, 1864 in Catoosa Cty, GA, daughter of JOHN STEWART and JULIA HOLLINGSWORTH.
Notes for HIRAM GREEN HENSLEE:
Hiram buried in Anderson Cemetery, Ringgold, GA Served in Company G 1st Confederate Regiment , Georgia Volunteer Infantry CSA He was a merchant in Ringgold.
Notes for SARAH ELIZABETH STEWART:
From Franklin Martin Before the war had moved to a spot south of where your Grandfather Charles McClain grew up. As the battle of Ringgold approached Union Soldiers insisted she move out of the line of battle. They moved her to Chattanooga where they took everything they had, including food. Before leaving they buried a keg of minnie balls. As kids we knew where the stone rubble of the house was, we dug all about but never found them.
Her first husband, Robert Thomas Jones, was a physician. She was spry enough when I was a tyke to rock me on her knee and spin tales. One was that Dr. Robert had to make a house call, by buggy of course, he was harassed by a pack of wolves. He came to a deserted cabin, put the horse inside, climbed onto the roof and played his fiddle to pass the time. True? I don't know.
After she and Hiram Henslee were married they built on the other side of the McClain tribe. That house burned before my time. The elder John Abston built on the lot.
Sarah is buried in Anderson Cemetery, Ringgold, GA
Children of HIRAM HENSLEE and SARAH STEWART are: i. LEWIS G. HENSLEE, b. September 1866. 3. ii. JOSEPH B. HENSLEE, b. June 01, 1869, Catoosa Co., GA; d. October 25, 1927, Catoosa Co., GA. iii. ALICE ENDOX HENSLEE, m. W. A. NICHOLS, September 29, 1889. iv. STEWART HENSLEE. v. ATTICUS H. HENSLEE. vi. MARY JULIA HENSLEE, b. January 1880; m. M. C. SMITHERMAN, October 09, 1906.
Generation No. 3
3. JOSEPH B. HENSLEE (HIRAM GREEN, BENJAMIN HENSLEY) was born June 01, 1869 in Catoosa Co., GA, and died October 25, 1927 in Catoosa Co., GA. He married IDA MAE MCELWAIN April 01, 1890.
Children of JOSEPH HENSLEE and IDA MCELWAIN are: 4. i. ARTHUR MCELWAIN HENSLEE, b. June 1891. ii. ANNIE S. HENSLEE, b. June 1893; d. Catoosa Co., GA.
Notes for ANNIE S. HENSLEE: Buried in an unmarked grave in Anderson Cemetery. Anne/Annie Henslee was an artist. I have two of her paintings.
5. iii. HIRAM E. HENSLEE, b. September 16, 1895; d. January 25, 1972, Atlanta, GA. 6. iv. LEWIS HENSLEE. v. BOB ALICE HENSLEE, b. September 11, 1900, Catoosa Co., GA; d. August 20, 1966, Catoosa Co., GA.
Notes for BOB ALICE HENSLEE: Buried at Anderson Cemetery.
Generation No. 4
4. ARTHUR MCELWAIN HENSLEE (JOSEPH B., HIRAM GREEN, BENJAMIN HENSLEY) was born June 1891. He married QUEENIE MAE KERR.
Child of ARTHUR HENSLEE and QUEENIE KERR is: i. IDA MAE HENSLEE.
5. HIRAM E. HENSLEE (JOSEPH B., HIRAM GREEN, BENJAMIN HENSLEY) was born September 16, 1895, and died January 25, 1972 in Atlanta, GA.
Children of HIRAM E. HENSLEE are: i. JOYCE MUNN HENSLEE. ii. HIRAM N, HENSLEE, JR.
6. LEWIS HENSLEE (JOSEPH B., HIRAM GREEN, BENJAMIN HENSLEY).
Notes for LEWIS HENSLEE: Buried in an unmarked grave in Anderson Cemetery
Children of LEWIS HENSLEE are: i. LEWIS HENSLEE, JR. ii. JEAN HENSLEE.
