The Hendersons

Alexander Henderson Jr, the second son of Alexander Henderson Sr, moved from eastern Virginia along with his brothers, John Glassford Henderson, and James Linger Henderson where they settled on Henderson land located in today’s Wood, Wirt, and Pleasants Counties.

In 1799, Alexander Jr settled in Burning Springs where he built his Beech Park homestead. After establishing the claim on the property by building a home and clearing the land, Alexander Jr traveled back to eastern Virginia to take a wife. On May 21, 1801, he married Jane Hutchinson Lithgow. Later that year, the couple returned to Beech Park where they settled into pioneer life. The couple had three children: George Washington Henderson, John Alexander Henderson, and Mary Page Henderson. Both John and Mary Page would succumb to bilious fever within days of each other in 1823. George escaped the illness because he was studying law in eastern Virginia at the time of the outbreak.

Alexander Jr and his brother John Glassford Henderson were actively involved in the community in business and social circles. He became a true pioneer in the sense of achieving several firsts: one of the first settlers in Wirt County; one of the first magistrates in Wood County; a captain in the first militia formed in Wood County; a founding member of the first Washington Wood County Agricultural Association Board; and one of the first vestrymen at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Marietta.

In addition to these firsts, Alexander Jr became known for overcoming a disability that he suffered while engaging in the first (and only recorded) duel in the area with Stephen Wilson in 1805. Dueling was illegal in Virginia, so the two men arranged hold their duel across the river in Ohio. The event would change Alexander Jr’s life forever, causing him to rely on crutches to walk and to ride his horse side-saddle.

Two years later, Alexander Jr would be at the forefront of another controversy when he and his brother John G. alerted President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison about Aaron Burr’s treasonous scheme. Harman Blennerhassett had attempted to gain the brothers’ support for the plot at a meeting a Beech Park. The brothers reported the plot to the federal government and ultimately were called to testify in Burr’s trial for treason.

After living in Marietta for some time and working at the first bank established in the Northwest Territory, Alexander and Jane moved their family to Willow Island where they built Henderson House on what would be referred to as the Cow Creek farm. The land had been given to Alexander Jr by his father and brothers. The family raised cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs as well as planted some of the first peach trees to appear in the area.

Hard times fell upon Alexander Jr when his attempts to expand the Cow Creek operation by purchasing land from his brothers and sisters resulted in financial ruin when he was unable to pay for the land and expenses. George W. left his law studies in eastern Virginia and moved back to Cow Creek in a futile attempt to help his family avoid bankruptcy. In 1827, the property was sold at a sheriff’s auction. Alexander Jr and Jane would ultimately move to live nearby George W. and his wife Elizabeth in Boaz.