Henderson Fisher (1828-04-29 – 1899-01-15) was my great-great-great-grandfather, being the father of Richard Addison Henderson Fisher by his wife Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Godbehere. Henderson was the son of Henry Fisher and Polly Dillon. He was born in North Carolina but moved to Rhea County, Tennessee at a young age.

His military record describes him as dark complexion, dark hair, hazel eyes, 6’1”.^⟮1⟯

Birth

The exact birth date above is on Henderson’s gravestone. It can be compared against various records:

He was living in Rhea County in all censuses.

The census records point to a birth in 1826, excluding the 1860 outlier, but it was common then to lose count of one’s age. The military record might be more accurate and is consistent with the grave date; it is dated April 15, two weeks before his supposed 34th birthday.

The 1880 birthplace is probably a simple mistake.

Misidentification

Henderson is often confused with his first cousin Hance H. Fisher, son of Noah Fisher. This confusion manifests sometimes in joining their names, e.g., calling him Henderson “Hance” Fisher, as though Hance were a nickname. I have found no record of Henderson being called Hance, and the two Fishers are clearly different people, with different wives, children, and places of residence.

Some confusion stems from the fact that Noah also moved to Rhea County. And yet more comes from Henderson naming one of his daughters Dorcas P., also the name of Noah’s wife, which would make sense if she were his mother. However, it could also be explained by her being his aunt who lived nearby. Notably, Hance also named a daughter Dorcas P., which makes this evidence a draw.

Parents

It is well-documented that there were brothers William, Daniel, Noah, and Henry Fisher; the clearest proof is the legal documents in the hunt for heirs of William. The common names and places make it very likely that Henderson is the son of one of these. The first three can be reasonably eliminated, whereas Henry is a good fit for what we know of Henderson’s life. Based on this, I concluded some time ago that Henry was the likely father.

I later found an Indiana county history (see Henry Fisher for details), which listed Henry’s children and included a Henderson among them. County histories are not always reliable, but the list of nine children matches well with what is known. There is no other Henderson Fisher this could reasonably be, so with this additional evidence the case that Henry is Henderson’s father is very strong.

Service

Henderson served the Confederacy in the 1st Regiment (Carter’s) in the Tennessee Cavalry, Company A, as a bugler. He mustered in 1862-04-15, enlisting at Sulphur Springs, TN. He is listed as having volunteered.

His company was called Capt. Burton Leuty’s Company, led by the son of William and Mary Leuty.

The regiment was disbanded in the spring of 1865 when the Confederate army surrendered.^⟮6⟯ However, a record says that Henderson deserted 1865-01-19, with the note, “Has family.”

Family

Henderson married Rebecca Angeline Godbehere (1827-04-27 – 1895-07-09) on 1847-10-14. She was the daughter and youngest child of Thomas Godbehere and Isabella Taylor.

Eight children of Henderson and Rebecca are known:

George, Delia, and Dorcas

• Henry T. (1848-11-19 – 1915-11-28), married Sarah Pauline Parker.
• George W. (1851-03-15 – 1923-06-03), may be the husband of Eliza Crow.
• William Owen (1854-11-28 – 1926-03-27), married first Catherine Lovina Fine, divorced, second Sarah T. “Sudie” Lillard.
• Delia Sabella (1856-03-04 – 1926-10-07), married Charles Tate Smith.
• Mary Arvazina (1859-06-11 – 1880-12-28) twin, married Robert Patterson Williams.
• Dorcas Paralee (1859-06-11 – 1936-04-30) twin, may have had an illegitimate child in 1883, married Joseph Harwood.
• Richard Addison Henderson (1862-01-23 – 1937-05-22), my great-great-grandfather.
• Louisa Angeline (1865-11-21 – 1934-01-13), married David Shelby.

William was appointed administrator of Henderson’s estate on 1899-03-06^{⟮7⟯FamilySearch} and it was inventoried through 1902-01-06^{⟮8⟯FamilySearch⟮9⟯FamilySearch}.

Ancestry

Little is known.

See

• Find a Grave memorial

Footnotes

1. ↑ https://www.fold3.com/image/64623294
2. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDY-JKN
3. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TJ-X7Z
4. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDZB-284
5. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDW7-W4Q
6. ↑ https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=CTN0001RC01
7. ↑ FamilySearch
8. ↑ FamilySearch
9. ↑ FamilySearch