William Henry was 67 by the time the war ended.
He had built a nice homestead in York County, just south of King’s Mountain. The land became known as Henry’s Knob and is still called that today. The war was over. The fear of British soldiers raiding homes, taking valuables and food, burning them down, and possibly executing sons and fathers was no longer present. They had their independence and William could enjoy the life and land he had traveled so far to obtain.
Henry’s Knob included over 400 acres on which William and his family farmed. Ulster Scots had brought with them a form of “mixed-farming” which worked in this backcountry environment. Grains were the dominant crops, Indian corn being the most popular, followed by oats, wheat, and barely. Flax and cotton may be grown but only in small quantities and usually for personal use. William left his spinning wheel to his granddaughter Elizabeth, daughter of James, so we know they spun their own cloth.
If you look closely at the inset on the map, you can see it is labeled “Henry’s Knob”.
Wild boar and hogs were numerous on Henry’s Knob. You could hear their squeals and grunts quite frequently. In a 1922 interview with Jake Falls, a former slave of the Henry family, he recollected his time growing up on Henry’s Knob. The family would build a pine-pole pen big enough that you could set up a sleeping quarters on top and bait it for hogs searching for food at night. Falls says, “Perhaps the hunter on top of the pen would go to sleep while waiting for the wild tuckers to come around. But nobody can sleep when a hog or two or three is in the lower berth of the pen and he would surely be awakened in time to close the door and trap the porkers.” [1]Whens Hogs Were Wild, Jake Falls, Yorkville Enquirer, Nov. 3 1922
This is supposedly the house of William Henry although I cannot confirm. It was posted by a member on Ancestry.com who had also obtained a copy of the letter from King George for the land grant. (see below)
Deer were plentiful too. Farmers living nearby actually had to run them out of the corn fields with rocks to keep them from destroying the young corn. You could find a fox in his den, a coon, possum, and partridges flying through the trees.
William’s eldest children, Mary, Alexander, William, Malcolm, and the younger Isabella, were all married by the end of the war and had produced about 12 grandchildren. When they weren’t working hard, they were playing hard. Popular activities were games like nine pins (bowling) and blindman’s bluff, running foot races, wrestling, and swimming in the local rivers and creeks or enjoying entertainment like dancing and playing the fiddle. Life was good.
Unfortunately, William only enjoyed these moments with his beloved wife for a short time after the war. She passed away in 1781, only 56 years old. Felix Walker, US Congress (1817 – 1823), described his mother-in-law, Isabella, as “a woman of the first class in her time and her day.”
William lived another 38 years. He passed away in 1819 at the age of 104.
Margaret Isabella McCown
(1725 – 1781)
William Henry
(1715 – 1819)
William and Isabella Henry
Mary Henry Smith (1749 – 1819)
Alexander Henry (1751 – 1829)
William B. Henry (1753 – 1807)
Malcolm Henry (1755 – 1840)
John B. Henry (1758 – 1833)
Josiah Henry (1760 – 1850)
Isabella Henry Walker (1762 – 1818)
Jane Henry Byers (1767 – 1838)
Francis D. Henry (1768 – 1867)
James Henry (1774 – 1839)
Thomas C Henry (died in infancy)
farmland at sunset in York, South Carolina
The first presidents
William Henry witnessed the leadership of the first 5 presidents of the new United States of America. Here are some fun facts about each of them.
George Washington
1st President (1789 - 1797)
Father of His Country
The only president who didn’t live in the White House.
The only president to have a state named after him.
John Adams
2nd President (1797 - 1801)
Father of American Independece
First president to live in the White House.
Wrote thousands of love letters to his wife during their marriage.
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President (1801 - 1809)
Father of the Declaration of Independence
Introduced French Fries to the United States.
James Madison
4th President (1809 - 1817)
Father of the Constitution
The smallest president, only 5 feet 4 inches tall.
Wrote George Washington’s first presidential speech.
James Monroe
5th President (1817 - 1825)
Era of Good Feelings president
Monroe once defended himself with fire tongs
after a disagreement with his secretary of treasury.
Supporting Documents
Land Plat 1798
William Henry’s Will (original)
William Henry’s Will (transcribed)
Next in the Henry Family:
Francis D. Henry (coming soon)
Next Chronologically:
Stephen Lloyd (coming soon)
References
| ↑1 | Whens Hogs Were Wild, Jake Falls, Yorkville Enquirer, Nov. 3 1922 |
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