William Chester Henry

William Chester ("Chester") Henry
Born	November 22, 1885(1885-11-22) Putnam, Tennessee, USA
Died	January 17, 1934 (aged 48) Monterey, Putnam County, Tennessee
Resting place	Monterey, Putnam County, Tennessee
Spouse	Crissey Roberson (m. 1907) «Did not recognize date. Try slightly modifying the date in the first parameter.»"Marriage: Crissey Roberson to William Chester Henry" Location: (linkback:http://jimlindstrom.com/mediawiki/index.php/William_Chester_Henry)
Children	Ethel Nora Henry (b. c. 1908) William Chester Henry, Jr. (b. c. 1909) Carol W Henry Haskel T Henry Dortha L Henry
Parents	John Morgan Henry Olive "Ollie" Howard

Overview

William Chester Henry, known as Chester, was born in 1885 in Putnam County, Tennessee. He was the oldest child in a large family of 8-10 children. In 1900, at age 15, he is listed as a farm laborer, presumably on his father John Morgan's farm.

On January 30, 1907, at age 22, Chester married Cressie Roberson. By 1910, Chester and Cressie had their first two children, Nora Ethel and William Jr. Chester (Sr.), then 25 years old, owned his own home and is farming on his own.

By 1920, Chester (age 25) and Cressie (age 23) had moved to Pontotoc, Chickasaw County, Oklahoma. In addition to Ethel Nora Henry (age 11), Chester and Cressie now had three more children: Carol W Henry (age 10), Haskel T Henry (age 8) and Dortha L Henry (age 6). (User:Jim.lindstrom: It is unclear what happened to William Jr. Did William Jr. die in his youth? And was Carol W Henry apparently born immediately following the 1910 census?)

Between 1920 and 1930, Chester's wife Cressie died. At this point, the family seems to have scattered. In 1930, Chester (age 45) moved from Oklahoma back to his parents' home in Tennessee. He worked there as a highway laborer. His oldest daughter Ethel (age 21) was, by 1930, married to William Schneider (age 23). They lived in Bristow, Creek County, Oklahoma, and had one son, Eugene (age 4). With them lived two of Chester's other children, Dorothy Henry (age 16) and Haskell Henry (age 17). Carol did not live with them, and may have been married and living with her own family by this point.

Four years later, in 1934, Chester died at age 48, survived by both parents and most of his children (all but William, Jr). He is buried in Monterrey, Tennessee.

Rumored Native American Heritage

Ethel Schneider made strong claims of Native American heritage. Little is currently known of her mother (Chester's wife), Cerise, so it is impossible to ascertain whether she was the source of the native american heritage. This section explores whether Chester may have been the source of Ethel's claimed native american heritage:

Arguments for:

• The Henrys did live in the historically Cherokee area of Putnam County, TN is near the start of the Trail of Tears.
• The Henrys later moved to Oklahoma, less than 10 years after it had been Indian Territory
• Members of the Henry family and Howard-Farley family have distinctive physical characteristics and bear some resemblance to known Cherokee (such as Elizabeth Stephens).
• The Henrys fought for the Confederates in the Civil War. This doesn't specifically argue for/against Native Americanness, but if we assume that Chester was Native American, this would support the claim that he is Cherokee, as they were one of few tribes to have fought for the south
• The book "Trail of Tears" tells how some of the Cherokee were driven out of Tenn. From what I have found there are 7 clans of Cherokee and I am not sure yet which clan would refer to our relatives.
• The Cherokee family would have moved [...] to Oklahoma, courtesy the US government (User:Jim.lindstrom: I have not verified that the Henrys were Cherokee, but according to census records below, the family did move from Putnam County, Tennessee to Chickasaw County, Oklahoma between 1910 and 1920.)

Arguments against:

• There are a number of census records of the Henry family. Several identify the individuals as white. None indicate "Indian"
• Although the Henrys live in historically Cherokee areas (Putnam County, TN is near the start of the Trail of Tears), they live there well after the Cherokee Removal timeline.
• When the Henrys moved to Oklahoma, they appear to have moved to former Chickasaw land, which seems at odds with the presumed Cherokee heritage.

Historical Records

• Chester is in his father's household in Putnam County, Tennessee in the 1900 Tennessee Census.
• Chester and Crissey were married on January 30, 1907, in Putnam County, TN, according to their marriage certificate
• Nora is in William's and Crysie's household in the 1910 Tennessee census, in Putnam County, Tennessee. Mother Crysie is listed as born in Texas, and both maternal grandparents are listed as being born in Tennessee. Father William C is listed as born in Tennessee, along with both paternal grandparents. William Jr is an infant (< 1 year old). William Sr. is listed as a farmer and owns his home.
• Chester (age 35) is in the 1920 Oklahoma census, in Pontotoc, Chickasaw County, along with wife Cerise L Henry (age 23), Ethel Nora Henry (age 11), Carol W Henry (age 10), Haskel T Henry (age 8) and Dortha L Henry (age 6)
• Chester (age 45) has moved back in with his parents (J Morgan and Oliva H, both age 67) in Putnam County, Tennessee, in the 1930 Federal Census. Chester is listed as a laborer, on highways. He is listed as having been widowed.