Major Pleasant Stephen Henderson

He joined the Revolutionary Army in 1775. In 1779 he was a Lieutenant. At the close of the war he was a Major in Regiment of Cavalry under Colonel Malmalady.

https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/henderson-pleasant

Pleasant Henderson, pioneer, soldier, and merchant, was born in Granville County, possibly the youngest son of Samuel and Elizabeth Williams Henderson. In his late teens he became associated with his elder brother Richard, who had formed the Transylvania Company, in the opening of Kentucky to settlement. In 1775 he joined Daniel Boone and his party in cutting the Wilderness Road; he was described as a "fellow pioneer with Boone at Boonesborough," the fort-settlement on the Kentucky River. Here on 23 May 1775 the first elected government of Transylvania met under the leadership of Richard Henderson. Nevertheless, the proposed fourteenth American colony failed to gain recognition by the Second Continental Congress chiefly because of the opposition of the Virginia delegation.

Pleasant Henderson returned to his parents' home in Granville and early in 1776 volunteered for duty in a county militia unit, which was sent to Cross Creek to meet the Highland Tory units gathered in support of the Crown. Henderson's unit arrived after the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge and participated only in the rounding up of Tory supporters in the area. After several months' service, the unit was released. In late 1778 Henderson again volunteered for a militia company being formed at Charlotte to aid the states of South Carolina and Georgia, threatened by a new British invasion. He served as a lieutenant until April or May 1779 but was not involved in any major battle. During this campaign he briefly met his older brother William, who was a resident of South Carolina. Later in the war William became a general.

In 1779, North Carolina and Virginia agreed to extend the dividing line between their respective states and Richard Henderson was chosen a North Carolina commissioner. In November and December of that year, when the line was extended to the Tennessee River, Judge Henderson and his brothers Pleasant, Nathaniel, and Samuel were parties to the survey. The Henderson brothers continued on to Boonesborough and during the first half of 1780 were involved in efforts to form a government for Kentucky, bringing together the various Cumberland settlements and the remainder of the Transylvania Company. The result was the famous Cumberland Compact, prepared chiefly by Richard Henderson.

In 1781, following the Battle of Cowpens and the invasion of North Carolina by Cornwallis, Pleasant Henderson was called into service for the last time. Appointed major under the command of Colonel Malmedy, a Frenchman, he and his regiment joined General Nathanael Greene's army at Troublesome Iron Works two days after the Battle of Guilford Court House. They were later involved in a skirmish at Ramsey's Mill.

As clerk of the Council of State from 1782 to 1784, Henderson served as the private secretary of Governor Alexander Martin. The governor's sister, Anne Jane Martin, had married Henderson's brother, Thomas, in 1778 and from that time the two families were very close. In 1783 Pleasant was assigned a grant of 640 acres, which came to be known as Mt. Pleasant, adjoining Alexander Martin's Danbury estate.

When Judge Richard Henderson died in 1785, Pleasant acted as the executor of his estate. In January of the following year he married, in Surry (now Stokes) County, Sarah Martin, the daughter of Colonel James and Ruth Rogers Martin and a niece of Governor Alexander Martin. It appears that the couple resided primarily in Granville County until at least 1790, when they were listed in the census as living in Henderson District of that county. Soon afterwards they took up residence at Mt. Pleasant in Rockingham County.

In 1797 Henderson moved from Mt. Pleasant to Chapel Hill, where on 9 December he was chosen steward of The University of North Carolina. He built a large home on Franklin Street for his growing family and student boarders. In 1802 he gave up the job of steward and, though elected a trustee of the university, declined the office. At this time he opened a store called Henderson and Searcy. In 1807 he was elected clerk of the House of Commons, succeeding John Hunt who had held the office since 1778. Henderson served until 1830, continuing his residence in Chapel Hill. In 1816 he sold his Mt. Pleasant home to his nephew, Alexander Henderson of New Bern.

On 21 May 1830 the Hendersons left Chapel Hill and on 7 July arrived in Carroll County, Tenn., where they established a new home. They were the parents of seven children: James Martin, William, Tippoo Saib, Mark Mitchell, Eliza Jane (Mrs. Hamilton C. Jones), Pleasant, and Alexander Martin. Henderson died in Tennessee.

GEDCOM Note

Biography

Pleasant Henderson was born on January 9, 1756. He was the son of Samuel Henderson and Elizabeth Williams.<ref>Rockingham County, North Carolina Will Book I (1785-1804) pp65-66.</ref> He was married to Sarah Martin on January 7, 1786 at Surrey County, North Carolina.<ref>A source is needed for thisinformation.</ref> Pleasant Henderson died on December 10, 1842 at Huntingdon, Carroll County, TN, at age 86. .<ref>A source is needed for this information.</ref> Pleasant was Revolutionary War pensioner; File #S 1912 from Carroll Co., Tenn. He was a major in rank and served from North Carolina. He was the subject of the following sketch at Historical Sketchesof North Carolina, Vol. II, pp 335-336,:Major PLEASANT HENDERSON for a long time lived at Chapel Hill, inthis County. He was a son of Samuel Henderson and Elizabeth Williams,and born in Hanover County, Virginia, 9th January, 1756, the youngestof their children. His brother Richard was a Judge under the ColonialGovernment, and a man of distinguished enterprise and intellect, and the father of late Judge Leonard Henderson, Chief Justice of our Supreme Court, and late Archibald Henderson, Esq. of Salisbury. Pleasant Henderson had a fair education. He commenced the study of the ]aw under his brother, but on the breaking out of the war joined the army, in Granville County, as Sergeant- Major, and marched in 1775 to Cross Creek, in an expedition against the Tories, but a few days before they weredefeated at Moore's Bridge, and the troops returned.In 1776, he accompanied his brother Nathaniel, and went to Boonsboro, Kentucky. After suffering much privation and danger he returned home.In 1779 he volunteered at Charlotte, and was appointed a Lieutenant; with his company he marched to Charleston. On their arrival they were ordered to Savannah. Thence they proceeded to Brier Creek on the Savannah River. Lieutenant Henderson was dispatched, by General Ashe, as messenger to Purysburg, and while on this mission, General Ashe was attacked and routed by the enemy. His time of service having expired, he returned home.In 1781, the Legislature ordered a Regiment of two hundred mounted infantry to be raised, and gave the command to a French officer, Colonel Malmady, and appointed Henderson, Major. Their duty was to harassthe advance of Lord Cornwallis.After the war closed, Major Henderson (in 1782) was appointed Clerk of the Superior Court of Orange.When Alexander Martin was elected Governor, he offered Major Hender son the post of private secretary, which he accepted and served during the whole of Governor Martin's administration.In 1789, he succeeded Judge John Haywood, late of Tennessee, as Reading Clerk to the house of Commons, in which he continued until 1830, without ever soliciting the support of any man or party, but relyingon his own merit and qualifications. He removed in 1831 to Tennessee,and died at Huntingdon, in that State, December 10th, 1842.In 1786 he married Sarah, the daughter of Colonel James Martin, of Stokes County, by whom he had several children. Among them are Mrs. Hamilton C. Jones, of Rowan, Dr. Pleasant Henderson of Salisbury, (born 1802) Dr. Alexander Martin Henderson, of Davie, (born 1807.).

Sources

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• Surrey County Marriage Bonds p. 101.* U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Original data - Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls (Applicant number/name/date?)* The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (NYGBS, 1919) Vol. 50, Page 61: "He was a companion of Daniel Boone in many of his wanderings ..."