Henry Kerley came to America with his father. He and his wife Elizabeth lived in Lancaster, MA where Elizabeth was killed by the Indians, along with two of her sons, February 10, 1675/6, in the Rowlandson Garrison massacre. Their remaining children were taken captive.

There is an amusing sidelight on Henry's courtship of Elizabeth. In Sudbury, in the town square outside the tavern and near the bridge his father had built stood a large wooden post which was used as a town bulletin board. Here were posted the banns or notice of their coming marriage which had to be cried from the pulpit for three successive Sundays to make it legal. One night, after a terrific quarrel with his betrothed, Henry sought solace in the tavern. Later, upon coming out, much the worse for wear, he spied the bulletin post with its offending notice of his coming nuptials, and staggering over, with much exertion wrenched the post from the ground and threw it in the river. The following Sunday, he sat meekly in church during the final reading of their banns, and they were married shortly after.

Captain Henry Kerley was away from home in Boston when the massacre of his family occurred, along with the minister, Joseph Rowlandson, his brother-in-law, pleading with the Council for protection for their settlement from the Indians. They only returned in time to bury their dead. After fighting nearly all day, the Indians finally managed to set fire to the garrison house, to drive its inhabitants out. Captain Henry's wife, Elizabeth, was shot along with two of her sons as she came out the doorway, and fell there, so that she was burned beyond recognition. Capt. Henry didn't even know he had buried his wife until her sister, Mary Rowlandson, was ransomed from the Indians and returned to tell her tale.