Who is the Father of Noah Hendrix?

Finding the father of Noah Hendrix is proving to be difficult. Many researcher have worked on this in the past.

One thing we know, for sure, is that Noah is related to the Hendrickson family in Mercer/Washington/Nelson Kentucky.

This is proven through YDNA testing. YDNA is the Y chromosome passed down directly, father to son, for generations. Noah Hendrix male descendants have tested on FamilyTreeDNA, and they match with “my” Hendrickson family.

If you’re a descendant of Noah Hendrix (1825-1900, marries Rena Caroline Boshers) or S. Noah Hendrix (1863-1939, marries Mattie Ora Jones), please contact me. Both of these men’s descendants have YDNA matches to the Hendrickson family from Kentucky. DNA can get us past a lot of genealogy brick walls.

Update: I wrote this article in June of 2020. See my DNA update from July 2021, Noah Hendrix Research Part 2.

YDNA Analysis

Two descendants of Noah Hendrix and one descendant of S. Noah Hendrix (descendants tell me S stands for “Samuel”) have taken YDNA tests. YDNA is passed father-to-son in an unbroken chain. All of these descendants have YDNA matches with the Hendrickson families in Mercer, Washington, Nelson and Anderson counties. They arrived there around 1797 and many exited by the 1830s/1840s.

The tests were taken down these lines:

• Noah Hendrix’s son, James Simeon Hendrix, and his grandson, Gus Wardlow Hendrix
• S. Noah Hendrix’s son, Oliver Bornie Warner

Because these two men were both in Alcorn County, Mississippi at the same time, it’s likely they are father and son, or at most, uncle and nephew. I have not found another Hendrix family in the area where there are DNA matches, so it’s unlikely that Noah has a brother about the same age.

We know a few facts

• Noah is a direct male descendant of one of the Hendrickson men, beginning with John Hendrickson of Loudoun County, Virginia.
• Noah is born about 1824 in Tennessee.
• In 1880, Noah says his mother was born in Kentucky. He doesn’t know where his father is born. None of the other kids know where their father is born.

What we don’t know

What we don’t know, for sure, are the suppositions people make about the 1850 census. You have to be willing to look at this census from several possible viewpoints in order to decipher it. It could mean many things. We can’t make any assumptions without proof.

• Noah is living with Henry and Ann Tolar in Tishomingo, Mississippi.
• We don’t know, for sure, if Ann is Noah’s mother, or if he’s just boarding with this family.
• There is an Eason Hendrix living with them b. abt. 1847 in Mississippi. We don’t know if this is Noah’s son, or Ann’s. More thought about this, below.
• I can’t trace Henry Tolar back further than 1840, though his 1850 census says he’s born 1779 in Georgia. More thoughts on Henry and his son, Mathias Houston Tolar, below.

Ann’s birth year fluctuates widely.

• In 1850 she says’s she’s born 1802 Kentucky.
• In 1860, after she marries David Jones, she says she’s born 1810 Kentucky. She’s living next door to John Thomas Boshers, father of Noah’s wife, Caroline Boshers Hendrix.
• In the 1870 Federal Census, she’s born 1797 Kentucky, and she’s living with Silas W. Hendrix as Nancy Jones. In the 1870 Local Census, she’s listed as age 70 (born 1800) and is living with Silas as Ann Jones.

Did Noah have siblings?

I believe that Noah had siblings and they’re living in the area. I have DNA matches to some of them, and I’d love to hear from any Hendrix/Hendrickson researcher who also has a DNA match with any of these possible siblings:

1. Martha Jane Hendricks (born in TN 1832, dies after 1880 in Tishomingo, MS). Marries Felix Whitehurst and Matthew (or Martin) Cooksey. I have a DNA match through her son John Thomas Whitehurst. In 1850, she’s single and living with the Dixon family in Tishomingo, next door to the Thomas Boshers family. Thomas’ daughter, Caroline, marries Noah Hendrix. In 1880, Martha Hendricks Cooksey is living next door to Silas Hendrix’s widow. Also note that, in 1880, Noah is living next door to George Evetts. George eventually marries Martha Hendricks Whitehurt Cooksey’s daughter, Caladonia Cooksey.
2. Mary Ann Hendricks (born in TN 1840, dies after 1910 in Iuka, Tishomingo, MS). Marries George Wheeler and Ephraim Ashcraft.
3. Silas W Hendrix, Sr (born in TN 1845, dies after 1870 in Prentiss, MS). In the 1870 Federal Census, he has “Nancy” Jones living with him, born 1797 Kentucky. In the 1870 LOCAL Census, she’s living with him as Ann Jones, age 70 (born 1800). I believe this is Ann Tolar Jones. Ann Tolar marries David Jones in 1858 Alcorn, MS and Silas is a bondsman; David Jones dies in 1868. “Nancy” is a diminutive of “Ann” — much like “Sally” is a diminutive of “Sarah” or “Polly” is a diminutive of “Mary.” The question is: is she the mother of these Hendrix/Hendricks children? See below.

See my update blog post, Noah Hendrix Research Part 2 – I can confirm that there are DNA matches to all three of these children.

About Ann Tolar Jones

Ann Tolar could have many relationships to the people in the 1850 census.

• Ann Tolar might be the first wife of Henry Tolar, and the mother of all three Tolar children.
• She might be a second wife to Henry Tolar and mother of only a few of these Tolar children.
• She might not be the mother of any of these Tolar children. 
• She might be the daughter of Henry Tolar (there is a 23 year age difference).
• She might be the mother of either Noah or Eason Hendrix.

We can’t make assumptions without proof. Do any of the Hendrix or Tolar researchers have DNA matches to this family?

I have access to two of Noah Hendrix’s descendant’s DNA kit report on Ancestry.com. They have NO matches to any of Mathias or William Tolar’s children (it’s unknown if Sarah Tolar Cochran has any children). And those DNA kit descendants should have matches — if Ann Tolar is the mother of Mathias, William or Sarah Tolar, then they would be half-siblings to Noah. At minimum (and until I can check the DNA reports from other Noah Hendrix descendants), Ann Tolar Jones is not the mother of both Mathias Tolar and Noah Hendrix.

When Henry Tolar dies, she marries David Jones in 1858. Bondsman is Silas Hendrix.

Ann Tolar Jones appears to be living with Silas Hendrix in 1870 as Ann/Nancy Jones. It might be because she’s his mother, or she might simply be a family friend.

If she’s Noah’s mother, then these Tolar kids aren’t hers because she’s having Mary, Martha and Silas at the same time as William and Sarah Tolar are being born. But it’s possible that William and Sarah Tolar are her children, and have taken the name Tolar when their mother married Henry Tolar.

There are two children in the 1840 Simeon Hendrickson census who would fit William and Sarah Tolar perfectly.

About Eason Hendrix

It’s possible that Eason Hendrix in the 1850 census is not the son of Noah, but rather his youngest brother, the son of Ann Tolar. There’s no way to know, because Eason disappears after 1850. If Eason is Ann’s son, then she marries Tolar around 1847-1850, and none of the Tolar children are hers.

“Eason” might be a family name, perhaps her maiden name or her mother’s maiden name. Or Eason is the son of Noah by an unknown mother. (We’d need to check if “Eason” is a common boys name of the era, or if it’s unique.)  There is an Eason family living in Tippah County, MS, next to Alcorn, MS, but I don’t know if they’re related.

Eason appears to be born around 1847 in Mississippi. In 1870, Ann/Nancy Jones is living with Silas W Hendrix, also born around 1847, but in Tennessee. What if “Eason” is “Silas”? See Is Eason = Silas below.

Where do these four possible siblings say their parents were born?

In the 1880 census, people were asked for the birth locations of their parents. Noah, Martha and Mary all live into 1880.

• Noah says his mother is born in KY and he doesn’t know where his father is born.
• Martha doesn’t list birth locations for her parents.
• Mary says her mother is born in KY and doesn’t know where her father is born.

This gives us a sense that, as adults, they know who their mother is and where she was born. It’s also likely that their father died when they were young, and their mother never told them where he was born.

The Tolar family

Let’s circle back around to the three Tolar children. Mathias is born 1821 in Alabama, so Henry should have a marriage, land or census record for Alabama in the 1820s. I couldn’t find one. There is another Henry Tolar in the area, but he’s from North Carolina and has his own set of census records from 1820-1860.

Mathias is born 1821 Alabama — then William is born 1834 Tennessee and Sarah is born 1836 Tennessee. That’s a huge age gap between 1821 and the next child in 1834.

If we could find Henry Tolar’s 1840 census, we can see if he has children under 10 listed in it.

There’s no Henry Tolar in Tennessee at the time William and Sarah are born.

But since Noah and his possible siblings are born in this timeframe in Tennessee, then it’s possible that William and Sarah are Hendrix, not Tolar. Only DNA will tell us that.

Since Mathias’ middle name is Houston, his mother’s maiden name might be Houston.

(Note: sometimes they spell it Tolar, and sometimes Toller. If you’re looking for DNA matches, use all the different spellings. William’s children use “Toller.”)

There are two Henry Tolar men that I found: 

• Henry Tolar married to Ann in the 1850 census. He’s born 1779 in Georgia and has at least one son, Mathias, born 1821 in Alabama.
• Henry Tolar who is born 1789 in Cumberland NC, who marries Catherine Magee, and moves to Tyler, TX. He has census records from 1820 to 1860, and the earlier Covington, MS census records match him, his wife, and his 2 children.

Which Hendrickson/Hendricks/Hendrix family is in Tennessee during the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s?

If Noah is born in 1825 Tennessee, and if these other three are his siblings, then the family is in TN from about 1825 to 1845.

I have studied every Hendrickson, Hendricks and Hendrix family in the 1820, 1830, and 1840 census for Tennessee. Most are from NC or SC, especially those on the eastern side of TN. Only a few have a son the right age.

I’ve also studied every 1880 census, looking for a Hendri___ who was born 1820-1850 in TN whose mother was born in KY.

The best fit I can find is Simeon Hendrickson, who is born about 1790-1795 and dies after 1840.

In 1824, he’s about 14 miles away from Jackson, Madison County, TN. He’s in the 1830 census for Madison, TN.

By 1840, he’s in Dyer County, TN.

This location works, as Simeon is on the western side of TN, and many KY settlers went into the western side of KY and TN. There’s a road and a railroad from Dyersburg TN right into Corinth MS.

AND, very important, “Simeon” is a much-used name in my Hendrickson family. There are at least a dozen Simeon Hendrickson men in my family tree. I’ve searched for Simeon or Simon Hendri___ and there are very few of them that exist during this time period, and very few who aren’t related to my Hendrickson family.

AND Noah names his first son James Simeon Hendrix.

Here are Simeon/Simon census records.

We’re looking for: 

• Ann, born 1797-1802 (I’ll assume, for now, the 1810 birth year is a mistake)
• Noah born about 1824
• Martha born about 1832
• Mary born about 1840
• Silas born about 1845

• 1830, Madison, TN:
• Males – under 5: 1 (1825-1830, Noah)
• Males – 30-39: 1 (1791-1800, Simeon, likely b abt 1790-1795)
• Females – under 5: 1 (1825-1830, Martha)
• Females – 5-9: 1 (1821-1825, another daughter – need to find her. She might die early, or marry before 1840, because she doesn’t appear in the 1840 census with Simeon.)
• Females – 30-39: 1 (wife, Ann, born 1791-1800)

• 1840, Dyer, TN:
• Males – 5-9:  1 (1831-1835, unknown son, too young to be Silas – need to find him)
• Males – 10-14: 1 (1826-1830, Noah)
• Males – 50- 59: 1 (1781-1790, Simeon)
• Females – under 5: 1 (1835-1840, Mary)
• Females – 5-9:    2 (1831-1835, Martha and another daughter – need to find her)
• Females – 40-49: 1 (wife, Ann, born 1791-1800)
• Silas, not born yet.
• 1840 Dyer Census here.

Is Eason = Silas?

You would think this would be an easy question to answer. On the 1850 Tishomingo, MS census, Eason is born 1847 in Mississippi. On the 1870 Prentiss, MS, Silas is born 1845 Tennessee. That’s pretty close and lends me to think they’re the same person. But…

A Silas Hendricks is the bondsman for the marriage of Ann Tolar and David Jones in 1858. In order to post a bond in 1858, he would have to be born before 1837.

• On Silas’ 1870 Federal census, it says he’s 25 years old (his wife is 35 years old).
• On the 1870 State/Local census, it says he’s 30 years old (and his wife is 30 years old). Because of this, I can’t be sure if he’s older than we think (the same age as his wife), or if it’s two different Silas men.
• This Ann Tolar Davis — she’s the one living with him in 1870, and she’s the one living with Noah Hendrix in 1850.

My current thinking is that they are NOT the same person, and that Silas is older than we think. This would align with the 1840 census in Dyer, TN, where Simeon Hendrickson has son born 1831-1835. I can’t find Silas or his sister Mary in the 1850 census, and many of the 1860 census records for Tishomingo are missing or incomplete.

What about this extra son and daughter?

There’s an extra son and daughter in the 1840 census. Are these two missing children the Tolar children in 1850? One son is born 1831-1835 (might be Silas) and one daughter is born 1831-1835. They fit the age ranges of the Dyer TN children, but if the son is Silas, then William Tolar can’t be Ann’s son.

• 1834 William Tolar born TN
• 1836 Sarah Tolar born in TN.

There is no Henry Tol*r in TN in the 1820-1840 timeframe, so if William and Sarah Tolar are born in Tennessee, how is that possible? Henry Tolar/Toler has been particularly difficult to track, so perhaps more research or DNA will prove if these Hendrix folks have a DNA match to the Tolar children. If they don’t, then Mathais, William and Sarah Tolar are not the half-siblings of the Hendrix kids.

So, who is the father of Simeon Hendrickson?

I’m still working on this one. Because of the YDNA match, we know Simeon is born about 1790-1795, probably in Kentucky, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. (Because that’s where the sons of John Hendrickson are living.)

I’ll be looking at the 1810 census for all the Hendrickson men to figure out which ones have a missing son of the right age. Since I don’t see Simeon with his own 1820 census, I’ll look on the other Hendrickson men’s 1820 census for a grown son. 

Simeon’s father is likely a son, or grandson, of John and Eve Hendrickson. If you’re on Ancestry, you can find John and Eve’s tree here:
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/110854964/person/140180383464/facts

In order to find the father of Noah, we have to do several things:

1. Find DNA matches to these four possible siblings. That’s the only way we’ll have some proof that they’re related. Just because they live next door to each other doesn’t mean they’re related. If you have a DNA kit on any of the DNA sites, contact me so we can share reports.
2. Find out where Henry Tolar is before 1850. If we can find both the 1830 and 1840 census record for him, we can know how many children he has — because I believe it’s possible that William and Sarah Tolar are really Ann’s children that have taken Henry’s name. I wonder if Henry is his middle name and that’s why I’m having trouble locating him in 1830 and 1840?
3. Find DNA matches to William Tolar and Sarah Tolar children. This is difficult, as it’s hard to trace these two siblings. They each marry a Cochran, but there’s little to go on from there. I believe Sarah dies without children (I can’t trace her or her husband.) William ends up in Prairie County, Arkansas and appears to have children, but I can’t be sure.
4. Look at Clarion Ledger for articles about any of these people, especially under married names. 
5. Look for missing TN or KY marriage records for Simeon (or Simon) Hendrickson/Hendricks/Hendrix.
6. Look for missing TN or KY marriage records for Ann or Nancy marrying a Hendri___.
7. Look for land or court records in Dyer or Madison TN for Simeon, especially a probate record if he dies in TN. It might be prudent to look at all the western TN records, because he moves from Madison County, to Hardeman County, then to Dyer County — but after 1840 I don’t know where he is. If Eason is his son, he’s in Mississippi by 1847.
8. Look for Silas and Mary in 1860 census, unmarried I think. There are some missing census records, so we might not find them. Look for Silas and Mary with a different surname in 1850 MS. Their mother might have remarried.

Note: Alcorn County was created 15 April 1870 from Tippah and Tishomingo Counties. Previous to this, records would be found in Tishomingo. Some of the kids go to Prentiss county, as well.