It All Starts with John Hendrickson and Eve

I did a week’s worth of research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in August 2018, with great results! 

I’m fairly definite that I’ve found John Hendricks(son)’s land, and that John was in Fayette County Pennsylvania as early as 1771. 

And I’m certain his name was not “Separate Hendrickson”: his name is John Hendrickson. He does have three grandsons named Separate Hendrickson, and that’s where people get confused. (I still don’t know Eve’s maiden name.) 

There are about 10 researchers working together to research different branches of this family. We’ve put in many years and deep research skills, and have all done DNA tests. We do not know where John was born. There is no proof or record of it that we’ve found, though we’re hopeful as we work backwards from what we know. Anyone who has a birth location for John on their tree is mistaken unless they can provide proof. 

The genealogical detective trail

Here’s how I did the detective work on the land deals and therefore the name of John, husband of Eve: 

1. I found two records that mention John Hendricks as having adjoining land to the people getting land patents. The 1771 and 1772 land records for Robert Evans and John McKibben both mention their land adjoins the land of John Hendricks (later, land records in Fayette County for the same man say John Hendrixson, and records for his sons in Fayette say Hendrickson). These mentions are in a little Fayette County genealogical magazine that was published in the 1980s called “La Fayette” which I found in the HSP library. The references were to the Fayette County Deeds Book A (which, miraculously, had become available on FamilySearch a few months after my visit to HSP…go figure).

2. I looked up the Evans and McKibben land on the Redstone Township, Fayette County map, and found the ONE piece of land they BOTH adjoined…the land of John Salady (he warrants and patents his tract, “Brotherhood,” in 1785). Here’s the land patent map – Note that is says Redstone Township, not Menallen Township. Redstone was split off from Menallen in 1797, and the map (PDF) was created sometime after that.

3. I looked up John Salady on Ancestry and found his land patent. Who is he next door to? SIMON [Simeon] Hendrickson! So, Simeon owned some of the land next to Salady (aka Salliday, Sallady, Saladay) when Salady patented the land in 1785. But if in 1771/1772 they say this is the land of John Hendricks, how did Simeon get it? This could have been around the time the Hendricksons all started to go to Kentucky (they’re on the 1786 tax list, but I nothing for John, William or Leonard Hendrickson after that in PA, and John dies 1787 Nelson County, KY), leaving the land to Simeon.

4. I looked on the FamilySearch Fayette Deeds Book A for any of the names referenced in the two articles from La Fayette. Sadly, no buy/sell deeds for John, Leonard or William – which is strange, as they would have had to transfer the land to Simeon by 1785. And I don’t see any sales records for when Simeon left Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. John could have claimed it by “tomahawk rights” but there still should be some records. Or perhaps it was lease land. I’ll continue to look for them, plus I’ll look at Sheriff’s deeds, etc., in case it was taken from him for taxes. 

5. I also found a record of John McKibbens’ land – it had been purchased by David Breading, then sold to Nathaniel Breading in 1783. The deed says David bought the land from McKibben in 1772, and it adjoined the land of John and Leonard Henderson  (an “ax” is inserted above the “on” in the name Henderson on the original document, changing it to Henderaxson).

6. Many of the land records I found for the land around John’s refer to the land either being gained by “tomahawk rights” or by survey from 1766 to 1770. The (first) Treaty at Fort Stanwix was in 1768, as was the New Purchase of Indian land by the Penns, so John could have come into that area anytime – we find him as early as 1771 when Robert Evans patents his land adjoining John Hendricks. (One of the first settlers, Christopher Gist, begins to improve his land in 1757, but a 1768 report from John Steel says there’s only about 150 families in all of the Ohio Valley, so it’s sparsely populated.) 

7. Because I knew that this land would have been in Bedford County before 1773, I went back to the Springhill Township Bedford County tax records for 1773 (Springhill Township at that time encompasses the land south of the Redstone Creek, which is where John’s land would have been). Yes, John Hendricks is on the 1773 tax list for Springhill, Bedford, PA. 

8. John Hendricks (sic) and John’s son, Leonard Hendrickson, is on the 1774 Dunmore’s War roster. Abraham Teagarden was his captain, and Teagarden recruited men from the southwestern PA and northern VA (now WV) areas, and formed into companies based on where they lived. Abraham Teagarden (Tygard, Tiegarden) is on the 1773 Springhill tax list, too (along with Ebenezer Paddocks who married Keziah Case in 1774 Washington County, PA). 

9. Abraham Teagarden is “Lennard Hendrickon’s” captain during Dunmore’s War, and in the same regiment is William Case, Theophilus Case, and some Moores (not sure if the Moores and Cases are ours or not, but some definitely are — the Hendricksons marry into the Case and Moore families). On the militia roll for Captain David Roger is John Hendricks. And on the militia roll for Captain David Scott is Leonard Hendrickson. (I think Teagarden and Scott shared a company leadership.)  Teagarden, Scott and Rogers are all on the 1773 Bedford tax list, so they recruited from that area because they lived there. 

10. In a court case at Fort Dunmore (Fort Pitt aka Pittsburgh) in 1775, John Hendrick (sic) is asked to appraise the estate of William Cockrine. It’s actually William Cochran, and Cochran is on the 1773 Springhill, Bedford tax list, too. (aka Cockrine, Cochran, Cockrain, Cockrane) 

11. The last tax record I have for John Hendricks/on in Fayette is 1786. He dies in Nelson County Kentucky in 1787.

Notes and thoughts

All the records I have for John Hendricks(on) are here, if you have access to Ancestry.com: 

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/110854964/person/140180383464/facts

As we find more facts about this Hendrickson family, I will post it to my Ancestry tree. 

I have always seen Leonard’s records appear before William’s, so I have to assume he’s the older brother. More research will tell us the age ranges for these sons of John (and Eve). 

John Hendricks would not have been a city boy. He was in this wilderness region when there were few other families, and no way to get provisions except long journeys on foot or horseback. The Indians were friendly for a time, but this changed especially during the 1770s and the Revolutionary War, so survival would have been on their minds. Luckily, two families in the area created forts (Fort McKibben and Fort Craft) which were nothing more than fortified homes with stockade fencing. However, these would have been close enough in case of Indian raids for the Hendricksons to get to safety. 

Note: Richard Hendrickson marries Margaret McKibben and, much later, James Hendrickson marries Nancy Craft. I’m still not sure if it’s the same families, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Simeon Hendrickson has lots of records in Fayette County, PA up to 1800 or 1801, from land deals to court cases. I’ll write more about Simeon later.

Some researchers say there is another son, Solomon Hendrickson. I have found NO records of a “Solomon Hendrickson” being dismissed from a Quaker Meeting in North Carolina and coming to the Redstone Quaker Meeting. In fact, no Solomon Hendrickson in Fayette at all, so reports that our Solomon Hendrickson came from North Carolina to Redstone area are probably incorrect, unless someone can provide us with the record. 

A fruitful week at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania produce amazing results!

The records ARE there — if you look long enough and hard enough. 

But where was John before 1771?

We find him in Loudoun County, Virginia, beginning in 1760 through about 1770, on tax lists, land leases, and the unfortunate case of the rape of Mary Hendrickson, his daughter. (Here’s her story…it’s heartbreaking.) 

Here’s the John and Eve Hendrickson timeline from when it begins in Loudoun County, VA and goes to PA and KY.

He’s either an immigrant, or he’s from one of the colonies. Looking at the names of the people who first settle around him, I see Scottish, Welsh, English and German names. They came from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. The earliest churches are Baptist (1770), Presbyterian (1774), and Quaker (1784). I have to look more into the history of the Redstone Settlement. Some family members report in different history books a different place for where the Hendricksons are from:

• History of Shelby County, Indiana says Wales
• History of Marion County, Ohio says England
• History of Johnson County Indiana says Ireland

The children of John and Eve

A few notes to prove the children of John and Eve:

First, Eve is probably the mother of all the children. Researchers have done mtDNA tests, which follows the DNA from mother-to-daughter. Eve’s three daughter have female descendants to Eve’s daughters: Mary, Lydia, and Elizabeth Hendrickson.

Second, Hendrickson male descendants have taken YDNA tests which follows the DNA line from father-to-son. We have confirmed YDNA tests for Leonard and William Hendrickson lines, sons of John and Eve.

Third, there are hundreds Hendrickson descendants who have taken DNA tests, and we have matches to all these children except James and Samuel; I’m not sure those two men had children.

Fourth, most of the children of John and Eve die before the 1850 census and don’t have gravestones to prove a birth year. Some of these birth years are estimated based on “age 21 when they have their first child” theory, but certainly any of them could marry before they reach 21. In Loudoun County, VA, they first show up on poll tax records when they’re 16 years old. In Fayette County, PA, they first show up on poll tax records when they are 21. Many of the women marry before they are 21. In James’ situation, he has a court case in 1765 and names his wife, so if he’s at least 21 in 1765, he’s born before 1749.

Here is a list of their children based on records. Two male lines, Leonard and William, have proven YDNA matches. Three female lines, Lydia, Elizabeth and Mary, have proven mtDNA matches. All lines have autosomal matches to each other except James and Samuel, who don’t seem to have children. Most (but not all) mentioned in Simeon Hendrickson’s Baptisms for the Dead in 1841 — but that’s another blog post!

• James Hendrickson born before 1749, m. Margaret Unknown (I don’t think they have children and he MIGHT not be a son of John, as the court record is in Loudoun, VA but he could be from out of the area. But he does have a tax record in Loudoun, VA so lived there when John lived there.)
• Isaac born before 1749, m. Unknown (autosomal DNA matches, we would love to find a male, father-to-son descendant of Isaac to do a YDNA test)
• Lydia Hendrickson, born before 1749, m. Separate Case (mtDNA matches)
• Mary Hendrickson born about 1749, m. Thomas Walker later in life, but had an illegitimate daughter Naomi Hendricks (mtDNA matches)
• Leonard Hendrickson, born before 1751, m. Sally Unknown (YDNA matches)
• William Hendrickson, born between 1751-1760, m. Nancy Moore (YDNA matches)
• Simeon Hendrickson, born about 1752, m. Frances “Fannie” Unknown (autosomal DNA matches, we would love to find a male, father-to-son descendant of Simeon to do a YDNA test)
• John Hendrickson, Jr, born before 1765, m. Unknown (autosomal DNA matches, we would love to find a male descendant of John Hendrickson, Jr, father-to-son, to do a YDNA test)
• Barbara Hendrickson, born about 1772, m. Elijah Queen and Robert Casey (autosomal DNA matches, we would love to find a female, mother-to-daughter descendant of Barbara to do a mtDNA test)
• Elizabeth Hendrickson, born about 1774, m. James Sample and John Galloway (mtDNA matches)
• Samuel Hendrickson, born before 1775, m. Elizabeth Stilts (I don’t believe they have children; he dies young)