Eli Henshaw

┌── Josiah Henshaw │ 1695-1752 ┌── Josiah Henshaw ──┤ │ 1752-1840 │ │ └── Dorothy Crawford Goodnow │ 1710-1770 Eli Henshaw ───────┤ B: 1789 │ ┌── John Phipps D: 1868 │ │ └── Sarah Phipps ────┤ 1757-1844 │ └── Rachel Lincoln M: Abigail Sanford ├── Henry Henshaw (1816-1864) ^1,2,3 ├── Marshall Henshaw (1820-1900) ^2,4,5,6 ├── Dwight Henshaw (1823-1907) ^2,4,6,7 ├── Franklin Henshaw (1827-1830) ^2,6 ├── Maria Henshaw (1832-1910) ^2,4,7 └── Myron Henshaw (1834-1868) ^2,7

He married Abigail Sanford, May 17 1815, Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts.^1,2,3,5,11 Abigail, daughter of Josiah Sanford & Theodora Wood, was born Aug 26 1796.^1,6

In 1816 Eli Henshaw, finding his father's authority irksom, went to Bethany, (from Brookfield, Massachusetts), then the county-seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, where his elder brother Increase had preeded him and had started a weekly newspaper. At that time there were only two or three small settlements in that whole region of virgin forest. Striking into the wilderness, about two and a half miles from Bethany, he cleared a lot and bult a log house with two small rooms. Between this and the village there was only a footpath, and in returning from his work after dark, he carried a firebrand to protect himself from wolves and bears. To this crude house in the forest, he brought his family - a wife and one child. They made the then perilous journey in March, 1817, and barely escaped drowning while crossing the Hudson on the ice between Fishkill and Newburg.¹²

He and his wife, Abigail, had seven children, and for years there was a hard struggle for the bare necessities of life. The family was hard working and faired poorly. Once for three days they had nothing to eat but potatoes and salt. On one occasinon Eli drove to Newburgh, a journey of four days out and back, and bought a barrel of flour, for which he paid fifteen dollars. Wolves howled around the house at night. Water was brought from a spring a quarter of a mile distant. Abigail spun and wove all the clothing of the family, and did some weaving especially rag carpets for others.¹²

Eli and family were shown in the 1820 census, Dyberry Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania:¹³

Eli and family were shown in the 1830 census, Dyberry, Howesdale Village Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania:¹⁵

Eli and family were shown in the 1840 census, Dyberry Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania:¹⁶

Eli was shown in the 1850 census, Diberry Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, living in the household of his son Dwight:¹⁷

Eli Henshaw died Jun 15 1868, Bethany, Wayne County, Pennsylvania; buried behind the old Presbyterian Church, Bethany, Pennsylvania.^6,11,19 Abigail is also buried with Eli behind the old Presbyterian Church in Bethany.¹⁹

Sources

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