Transcribed from Goodspeed’s History of  Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present; Together with an Historical and a Biographical Sketches of from Twenty-Five to Thirty Counties of East Tennessee, Besides a Valuable Fund of Notes, Original Observations, Reminiscences, etc., etc. (Chicago and Nashville:  The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887), pp. 962-987.  See footnote below for on-line access.

Henry B. HENEGAR, a prominent citizen and planter of Charleston, was born February 26, 1815 in Greene County. His parents were Capt. Henry and Charlotte (HENDERSON) HENEGAR. They were of German-Irish descent, and natives of Greene County. The father was born November 15, 1785, and died in his native county, February 10, 1839. He was by trade a saddler, in connection with which he carried on farming. He took part in the war of 1812, was also captain of a company in the Thirty-ninth Tennessee Regiment, which was under command of Col. John WILLIAMS. He was a Whig. His wife was born October 18, 1788, and died June 18, 1853. They were married May 21, 1807, and became parents of ten children. Both were members of the Presbyterian Church. Our subject is the fifth child. He was educated in the common schools. In 1836 he went to Missouri, where for two years he was a book agent. The summer of 1838 he returned to Tennessee, and entered the employ of John ROSS, the celebrated chief of the Cherokee Indians, as quartermaster. He accompanied the Indians to their possessions, west of the Mississippi River, and remained with them until December, 1839. In January, 1840, he landed in Greene County, Tenn., and that year farmed, from which time until 1848 he was engaged in trading live stock to Florida. In the winter of 1847-48 he went to Mexico; for several months was contractor at Jalapa, under Maj. Sam MILLIGAN, and returned to Tennessee, in July 1848. September 11, 1849, he married Miss Margaret, a daughter of Col. Luke LEA, of Tennessee, who served gallantly under Gen. JACKSON in the Florida and Indian wars. For four years he was a member of Congress from East Tennessee, and for thirty years was cashier of the State bank, and register of the State land office of Tennessee. In 1849 he was appointed to the Fort Leavenworth Indian Agency, by President TAYLOR. He discharged the complicated duties of this office with the same efficiency and satisfaction which ever characterized his official life. He met a sudden and sad death, June 17, 1851, by a fall from his horse. Mrs. HENEGAR was born at Knoxville, Tenn. She is a cultured, Christian woman, a member of the Presbyterian Church. Of the eight children born to this union, one son and three daughters are living. Soon after Mr. HENEGAR’s marriage, he moved to Kansas City, MO., to assist his father-in-law. He remained there about two years. The early part of 1852 he settled in Charleston, where he now resides. He has been chiefly engaged in mercantile business and farming, and has been unusually successful. He now owns 7,000 acres of land in Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee. He is not connected with any church, but is a moral, worthy and respected man. He has taken no part in politics since the close of the civil war, adhering to no party lines, always voting for those measures he deemed for the best interest of his country. He was a stanch Union man, being the only man in his town who cast a vote for no separation in 1861, when the State voted out, and is now a strong advocate for prohibition believing there is more good to result from the success of the measure than anything ever before presented to the people of Tennessee for their approval.

FamilySearch Tree profile:  https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZZ8-1KC

This biography was transcribed by Sherry Pollard. We thank her for transcribing all the Goodspeed’s biographical sketches.

Click here to read and download a digitized version of the original volume free at the Internet Archive. A reprint version is available for viewing and downloading free from FamilySearch.  You will require a free FamilySearch login to browse records.

If you have corrections or wish to provide more information about the individual, please contact us (link in menu).