Individual Details
Dr. William Richard Henson Sr.
(6 Jun 1908 - 29 Sep 1967)
A Brief History of William R. Henson, DVM and theHennessy/Henson Family
William Richard Hensonwas born on 06 June 1908 in the farm house of his parents, Richard Peter Hensonand Lillian Frances Schubert Henson. Thefarm house is west of Elyria, Ohio near the community of Amherst, OH on SouthRidge Road.
TheChronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH, Thursday, June 18, 1908, page 10.
This news item had the day datewrong. It should have been Saturday 06June 1908. The 16th of
June was a Tuesday.
William R. had an older sister, Caroline,whose birthplace was probably North Ridgeville, OH. Later there were youngersiblings named Celia, Merton, Kathryn and Benjamin.
Their dad was a farmer, stock dealer and a butcher who was born 02 Nov.1861 in the Avon, OH area to Michael Hennessy/Henson and Mary Ann JordanHennessy/Henson. Other birth years of1862 and 1863 for Richard Peter have been seen in documents.
County Cork in Ireland with the harbor named Cobh and pronounced “Cove.”
Michael and Mary Ann emigratedfrom Ireland about 1847 and possibly from County Cork. They arrived in Toronto,Ontario, Canada after the 40 or more days of a transatlantic crossing.
The senior MichaelHennessy was born in Ireland around 1815 to 1822. His wife, Mary Ann Jordan,was born in Ireland around 1828. Their marriage record that is probably inIreland has not been found yet. There is a possibility of a marriage in Canada.We are assuming an Irish marriage. The Jordan family branch has not beenresearched by us yet.
The immigrant entrancerequirements into Canada such as medical examinations were less stringent thanthose requirements for entering the United States ports such as New York City.
Page 02
The reasons for leavingIreland usually included possible starvation from the potato famine (1845-1850)and limited opportunities for a successful future by any trade includingfarming.
Farm rents were relativelyhigh for poor tenant farmers. Often the rent was cruelly demanded from theimpoverished farmers. Nonpaying tenant farmers were summarily evicted.
We have no documentationyet of this family in Ireland. William R. announced at a family reunion at the GirlScout Little House about 1955 in Shelby, OH that the original surname wasHennessy and the immigrants were from County Cork.
Therefore, the name wasprobably Hennessy when they left Ireland. The names of Hennessy and Henson are used back and forth in differentplaces in the family history from 1850 to 1896. The name of Henson was notconsidered to be Irish. Thus, people would have fewer anti-Irish prejudicestoward it. The name of Henson sounded more English or Scandinavian than Irish andwould be less likely a target of scorn. Anti-Irish disdain and threats werecommon during times of heavy migration that could threaten Americans’ jobs withcheap labor.
The census of 1850indicates that this family of Michael had two children, named Mary Ann andMargaret, and lived in Tonawanda, New York, near Buffalo. The surname was listed as Henson. Therefore,they crossed from Canada into the state of New York and used the less offensivename.
Page 03
The ages of this familyof four members was 29 years for Michael, 22 years for wife Mary, 3 years fordaughter Mary Ann and less than 1 year for daughter Margaret. The firstdaughter of an Irish family was often named Mary.
By the 1850s there is alisting of the children as Mary Ann, Margaret, Thomas, Bridget, John and Katie Hennessyfor this family in the records of the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on BridgeStreet on the west side of Cleveland, OH.
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
The next listing is thecensus of 1860 near Avon, OH with a barely legible name interpreted as Herscelland Hensull. The double “l” may have been a slurred double “e” for Hennessee.
Page 04
In the 1860 census the oldersiblings of Richard P. were Mary Ann, Margaret, Thomas, Bridget, John andKatie. Richard P., father of William R., is not mentioned until the 1870census.
Richard P. was born afterKatie and before James and Michael.
By the 1870 census thename was clearly Henson, but the records at the St. Mary of the ImmaculateConception Catholic Church in Avon, OH show the surname to be Hennessy.
St. Mary of the ImmaculateConception Catholic Church in Avon, OH.
The 1880 census wassimilar to the 1870 census with 10 years added to the ages of those listed withthe surname of Henson used. There is no known fate of Thomas and Bridget.
There were other Henson’sin Lorain County, but there was no relation to those within this history. Oftenthere were similar first names that leads to occasional confusion.
Page 05
The 1870 federal census.
1870 Census, AvonTownship, Lorain County, OH
The1880 federal census.
1880 Census, Avon, Lorain County, OH
Mary A. Fitzgerald, age 33 years, is thefirst child Mary Ann born to Michael and Mary. She had married Patrick HenryFitzgerald and moved back from the Canton, OH area to Avon after her husbanddied in a horse shoeing accident. She lived beside or with her parents in thiscensus.
Page 06
The elder Michael and hiswife Mary both died of natural causes in the same year of 1886. No record oftheir graves has been found, but probably they were buried in unmarked gravesat the previously named Catholic church in Avon.
The Elyria Republican, 15 Apr1886 TheElyria Republican 20 May 1886
Marriageof Richard Peter Henson and Lizzie Hicks:
Richard Peter marriedLizzie Hicks on 03 July 1889. Lizzie’s father was Lewis Wetzel Hicks, and her motherwas Celia Amelia Cahoon. Lizzie Hicks Henson was born on 15 Dec 1861 and liveduntil 12 April 1898. There were no children.
A newspaper account in April1898 noted that Lizzie Hicks Hennessy wasvery ill and not expected to live. The next day the same newspaper noted thatLizzie Hicks Henson had died.
Note the naming of Lizzieas Hennessy and then Henson. Her grave marker is in the Avon Cemetery in Avonwith the name Henson.
The 1890 federal censuswas destroyed in a fire.
In the 1900 federalcensus Richard P. Henson is living with Celia Hicks, the mother of Lizzie.
On 02 Nov. 1902 hemarried Lillian Frances Schubert, who was about 17 years younger than RichardPeter. Their first child was Carolineand was probably named after Caroline Schubert, mother of Lillian. The familymoved about 1905 to the Amherst area after Caroline was born.
Lillian Frances Schubertwas born 07 June 1878 on the family farm of William and Caroline Schubert. The Schuberts were farmers who lived for manyyears in Russia Township in Lorain County, OH. The Schubert history is welldocumented.
William R. and hissiblings probably went to the local schools in the Amherst area, butinformation on the grade school days has not been found yet. The census recordsshowed that they were all attending school.
Page 07
Before college andperhaps during college William R. breathed in stone dust from working in the sandstonequarries in Amherst. Silicosis of the lungs was mentioned in his Mayo Clinic medicalrecords. See the following comment about graduating from high school at age 19years.
There is evidence ofrheumatic fever in William R. with damage to the mitral and aortic valves whenhe was younger. Dr. Robert S. Scherer, a Shelby OH veterinarian, said that oncehe heard with a stethoscope a very loud swishing murmur in William R.’s chest.
Richard Peter Henson’s obituary, 1922.
William R.’s father, RichardP., died on 25 April 1922 and left Lillian as a widow with 5 children at home in ages from 7 years old to14 years old. Everyone who lived on thefarm had to take care of the animals and farm the land. Possibly the land was farmed out to otherfarmers with a sharing of the income. Lillian worked also as a home care nursefor years. Caroline was probably living and working in Elyria at this time. Twochildren died in infancy.
William R. was graduatedfrom Amherst High School in 1927. He was student council president.
Page 08
He is pictured in thesophomore class in the 1924 yearbook. He normally would have been graduated in1926, but was not graduated until 1927.
We suspect that he took ayear off to work in the sandstone quarries or work at home. He was too young to work on the Great Lakesfreighters. Perhaps he was too young towork then in the quarries. We do notknow for sure.
His 1927 Amherst HighSchool senior yearbook quote reads:
WilliamRichard Henson “What would we have done without good oldBill? Always willing to shoulder any job that meant hard work, always readywith sage counsels from that clever, prac(ti)cal brain of his; and whateverturned up, or failed to turn up, always radiantly good-humored—that’s ourCouncil president.”
He was graduated fromhigh school at age 19 years old. He mayhave taken a year off in high school to work to support the family. We suspectthat he worked in the Amherst sandstone quarries at this time. Perhaps heworked in the summers and full time for a while.
One time while in highschool he was the leader for the prayer service as noted in a local newspaper.That was a surprise to read, but it was probably just his turn. In later yearsDoc Henson was not noted for devotion to any established religion.
The source of WilliamR.’s motivation to go to veterinary school is unknown, but was probablyinfluenced by his own ambition, his fondness and knowledge of animal husbandryand possibly by a local veterinarian who came to the farm for service.
William R. probablythought that he could do better than the hard labor of farm work.
He probably entered TheOhio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbus, OH in 1927,but had to take a year or two off to work on freighters on the Great Lakes andother jobs to get some money to support the family and for his education. Thenormal veterinary course was 4 years with no undergraduate requirement, but hetook 6 years after high school to complete his studies. He was graduated fromveterinary school in 1933.
In 1931 while inveterinary school he married Clara Mae Rolle, a nurse from Minnesota. They meton a double blind date. Later they had their first child, Patricia Ann, who wasborn in Columbus, OH.
Soon after graduation WilliamR. started his practice in Shelby at 15 Washington St. in 1933. He took over the previous veterinarians’office space. There had been two veterinarians in this office. Dr. Harry E. Higgins was in Shelby from 1908to 1931. Later Dr. Carl D. Bashore, astate veterinarian, was there for a short time.
Dr. A. C. Schafstall, aveterinarian who was practicing in New Washington, OH, may have influenced thenew Doc Henson to come to Shelby to start a practice. They visited each otheroften as noted in The Daily Globe in Shelby in the late 1930s and 1940s. Also,Shelby was close to Amherst where Doc Henson’s mother lived.
Page 09
The farmers in the Shelby area were probably eager fora new veterinarian.
A notice in the Shelby newspaper The Daily Globe on 14 June 1933.
Page 10
Here he is working on acolt with the help of youngsters who often accompanied him on country calls.
Later in Shelby thechildren Kathleen Nancy and Delores Gail Henson were born to William R. andClara.
William R. and Claradivorced in 1935. Clara remained inShelby and was a nurse there her entire working life.
In 1936 William R.married Christine A. Fink in Kentucky. She was from Cleveland, OH. They probably met at the tavern run byChristine’s father, John Fink, in Whiskeyville near Amherst. Whiskeyville is anunincorporated community at the junction of Ohio Routes 58 and 113 in LorainCounty.
Christine was a clericalsecretary who worked for Cities Service in Cleveland. She was featured as alocal beauty in a Cleveland paper in the 1920s. She was previously married.
There is speculation thatWilliam R. was on a ROTC training exercise at Ft. Knox, KY. William R. and Christine spent some time on ahoneymoon at Mammoth Cave, Ky. The county in Kentucky for the marriage is notyet known.
Page 11
Colleen Frances was bornin Shelby in 1937. William R. Jr. followed a year later in 1938.
Christine had a childnamed JoAnn by the previous marriage. JoAnn was born as JoAnn Marilyn Kovic, but she assumed the Henson namewithout any legal name change.
JoAnn’s birthday was in1932 which is the same birth year as Patricia. They had adjoining lockers inShelby High School.
The 1940 census showedWilliam R., Christine, JoAnn, Colleen and William, Jr. This is the latestcensus that is available for public review. The residence was 74 E. Main Street in Shelby.
The photo below shows DocHenson with Colleen, Bill, Jr, James Robert and Charlotte in the upstairsapartment above the veterinary office. The photo was taken about 1951.
James R. was born in 1943in Shelby. About this time William R. and Ben S. Henson, also a veterinarianand one of William R.’s younger brothers, were drafted into WW II.
William was sent to Ft.Benjamin Harrison and nearby Camp Atterbury near Indianapolis, Indiana. Williamworked with the war dogs there. Ben went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
About a year later apetition was signed by a large number of local farmers to recall 1stLt. William R. Henson from the Army to continue veterinary work in Shelby. The diagnosis or maybe excuse was “Bad Teeth”given for William R.’s medical discharge. He returned to Shelby and continued an active veterinary practice therefor large and small animals.
Page 12
Doc looking dapper at a high schoolgraduation in the mid-1950s
While at Ft. BenjaminHarrison or vicinity William R. met nurse friends Ruth Evelyn Hayes and CharlotteMcVeigh stationed in the Army there. Later Ruth came to Shelby and lived in thedownstairs floor of the veterinary office and kennel at 74 E. Main St. whileChristine and her four children lived upstairs.
William R. continued therough and potentially hazardous work of treating large animals including hogs,sheep, cattle and horses in dusty and dangerous environments. One of hisserious injuries was a partial amputation of one thumb while dehorning a cow.He also had evening office hours two hours for small animals six days a weekand ran a boarding kennel.
Doc Henson had a goodhorse reputation. One race horse breeder even called from northeastern Pennsylvaniato have only Doc Henson treat his race horses. That was a long one-day trip.
Christine and William R.Henson divorced with the custody of the children going to Christine. She moved to 28 Central Avenue, which is nowcalled the original name of Blackfork Street. William R. and Ruth assumedliving upstairs at 74 E. Main St.
Ruth and William R. weremarried at the home of Dr. Vaughn E. Ishee in Middlefield, Ohio. Dr. Ishee wasa fellow veterinary student with William R. at The Ohio State University.
There were three childrenfrom William’s last marriage, namely Charlotte Ann, Dean Merlin and MollyMarie. After the death of William R. in 1967, Ruth moved out west to Oregon andAlaska.
Doc ran for Richland Countycommissioner and won a 4 year term from 1960 to 1966. He served the countywell. A second try at county commissioner was not successful. Also his healthwas not good at this time.
Page 13
In 1967 Dr. Harold Johantgen(Pronounced Joh-hant-sen), a family physician in Shelby, recommended that DocHenson be treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Doc Henson later died there from cardiacvalve disease during that hospitalization. We have a long medical history that wasobtained from the Mayo Clinic. He was buried in OaklandCemetery in Shelby. There is an engraved bronze plate, a headstone and a militarymarker at the grave site.
Page 14
This short history is acombined effort of Mr. Brian Christensen, James R. Hennessy, MD and many othersin the family. Some dates are approximations.
To see William R. Hensonin the Amherst High School yearbooks go to Google: Amherst High School YearbookOhio Memory, then Local History Amherst Public Library, then Amherst HighSchool Yearbooks and then see the 1923 and the 1927 high school yearbooks. WilliamR. is in four different photographs.
Ancestry.com lists thefamily name as Hencell in the 1860 census. It is listed as Hensull in the Indexof the 1860 Federal Population Census of Ohio, Vol. 1, A-J, 1979, page 542.There is an asterisk in front of the name indicating that the spelling isquestionable.
HHHx-Hennessy-Henson-BriefHistory-10Aug2016.docx,1st Edition.
Brian Christensen’semail: brianc4023@aol.com.James R. Hennessy’s email: jrhenne@aol.com.
Good resource: www.elyrialibrary.org,Research, News Archive, Search by person or subject.
HHHx-Hennessy-Henson-Brief Hx-22Dec2016.doc
William Richard Hensonwas born on 06 June 1908 in the farm house of his parents, Richard Peter Hensonand Lillian Frances Schubert Henson. Thefarm house is west of Elyria, Ohio near the community of Amherst, OH on SouthRidge Road.
TheChronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH, Thursday, June 18, 1908, page 10.
This news item had the day datewrong. It should have been Saturday 06June 1908. The 16th of
June was a Tuesday.
William R. had an older sister, Caroline,whose birthplace was probably North Ridgeville, OH. Later there were youngersiblings named Celia, Merton, Kathryn and Benjamin.
Their dad was a farmer, stock dealer and a butcher who was born 02 Nov.1861 in the Avon, OH area to Michael Hennessy/Henson and Mary Ann JordanHennessy/Henson. Other birth years of1862 and 1863 for Richard Peter have been seen in documents.
County Cork in Ireland with the harbor named Cobh and pronounced “Cove.”
Michael and Mary Ann emigratedfrom Ireland about 1847 and possibly from County Cork. They arrived in Toronto,Ontario, Canada after the 40 or more days of a transatlantic crossing.
The senior MichaelHennessy was born in Ireland around 1815 to 1822. His wife, Mary Ann Jordan,was born in Ireland around 1828. Their marriage record that is probably inIreland has not been found yet. There is a possibility of a marriage in Canada.We are assuming an Irish marriage. The Jordan family branch has not beenresearched by us yet.
The immigrant entrancerequirements into Canada such as medical examinations were less stringent thanthose requirements for entering the United States ports such as New York City.
Page 02
The reasons for leavingIreland usually included possible starvation from the potato famine (1845-1850)and limited opportunities for a successful future by any trade includingfarming.
Farm rents were relativelyhigh for poor tenant farmers. Often the rent was cruelly demanded from theimpoverished farmers. Nonpaying tenant farmers were summarily evicted.
We have no documentationyet of this family in Ireland. William R. announced at a family reunion at the GirlScout Little House about 1955 in Shelby, OH that the original surname wasHennessy and the immigrants were from County Cork.
Therefore, the name wasprobably Hennessy when they left Ireland. The names of Hennessy and Henson are used back and forth in differentplaces in the family history from 1850 to 1896. The name of Henson was notconsidered to be Irish. Thus, people would have fewer anti-Irish prejudicestoward it. The name of Henson sounded more English or Scandinavian than Irish andwould be less likely a target of scorn. Anti-Irish disdain and threats werecommon during times of heavy migration that could threaten Americans’ jobs withcheap labor.
The census of 1850indicates that this family of Michael had two children, named Mary Ann andMargaret, and lived in Tonawanda, New York, near Buffalo. The surname was listed as Henson. Therefore,they crossed from Canada into the state of New York and used the less offensivename.
Page 03
The ages of this familyof four members was 29 years for Michael, 22 years for wife Mary, 3 years fordaughter Mary Ann and less than 1 year for daughter Margaret. The firstdaughter of an Irish family was often named Mary.
By the 1850s there is alisting of the children as Mary Ann, Margaret, Thomas, Bridget, John and Katie Hennessyfor this family in the records of the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on BridgeStreet on the west side of Cleveland, OH.
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
The next listing is thecensus of 1860 near Avon, OH with a barely legible name interpreted as Herscelland Hensull. The double “l” may have been a slurred double “e” for Hennessee.
Page 04
In the 1860 census the oldersiblings of Richard P. were Mary Ann, Margaret, Thomas, Bridget, John andKatie. Richard P., father of William R., is not mentioned until the 1870census.
Richard P. was born afterKatie and before James and Michael.
By the 1870 census thename was clearly Henson, but the records at the St. Mary of the ImmaculateConception Catholic Church in Avon, OH show the surname to be Hennessy.
St. Mary of the ImmaculateConception Catholic Church in Avon, OH.
The 1880 census wassimilar to the 1870 census with 10 years added to the ages of those listed withthe surname of Henson used. There is no known fate of Thomas and Bridget.
There were other Henson’sin Lorain County, but there was no relation to those within this history. Oftenthere were similar first names that leads to occasional confusion.
Page 05
The 1870 federal census.
1870 Census, AvonTownship, Lorain County, OH
The1880 federal census.
1880 Census, Avon, Lorain County, OH
Mary A. Fitzgerald, age 33 years, is thefirst child Mary Ann born to Michael and Mary. She had married Patrick HenryFitzgerald and moved back from the Canton, OH area to Avon after her husbanddied in a horse shoeing accident. She lived beside or with her parents in thiscensus.
Page 06
The elder Michael and hiswife Mary both died of natural causes in the same year of 1886. No record oftheir graves has been found, but probably they were buried in unmarked gravesat the previously named Catholic church in Avon.
The Elyria Republican, 15 Apr1886 TheElyria Republican 20 May 1886
Marriageof Richard Peter Henson and Lizzie Hicks:
Richard Peter marriedLizzie Hicks on 03 July 1889. Lizzie’s father was Lewis Wetzel Hicks, and her motherwas Celia Amelia Cahoon. Lizzie Hicks Henson was born on 15 Dec 1861 and liveduntil 12 April 1898. There were no children.
A newspaper account in April1898 noted that Lizzie Hicks Hennessy wasvery ill and not expected to live. The next day the same newspaper noted thatLizzie Hicks Henson had died.
Note the naming of Lizzieas Hennessy and then Henson. Her grave marker is in the Avon Cemetery in Avonwith the name Henson.
The 1890 federal censuswas destroyed in a fire.
In the 1900 federalcensus Richard P. Henson is living with Celia Hicks, the mother of Lizzie.
On 02 Nov. 1902 hemarried Lillian Frances Schubert, who was about 17 years younger than RichardPeter. Their first child was Carolineand was probably named after Caroline Schubert, mother of Lillian. The familymoved about 1905 to the Amherst area after Caroline was born.
Lillian Frances Schubertwas born 07 June 1878 on the family farm of William and Caroline Schubert. The Schuberts were farmers who lived for manyyears in Russia Township in Lorain County, OH. The Schubert history is welldocumented.
William R. and hissiblings probably went to the local schools in the Amherst area, butinformation on the grade school days has not been found yet. The census recordsshowed that they were all attending school.
Page 07
Before college andperhaps during college William R. breathed in stone dust from working in the sandstonequarries in Amherst. Silicosis of the lungs was mentioned in his Mayo Clinic medicalrecords. See the following comment about graduating from high school at age 19years.
There is evidence ofrheumatic fever in William R. with damage to the mitral and aortic valves whenhe was younger. Dr. Robert S. Scherer, a Shelby OH veterinarian, said that oncehe heard with a stethoscope a very loud swishing murmur in William R.’s chest.
Richard Peter Henson’s obituary, 1922.
William R.’s father, RichardP., died on 25 April 1922 and left Lillian as a widow with 5 children at home in ages from 7 years old to14 years old. Everyone who lived on thefarm had to take care of the animals and farm the land. Possibly the land was farmed out to otherfarmers with a sharing of the income. Lillian worked also as a home care nursefor years. Caroline was probably living and working in Elyria at this time. Twochildren died in infancy.
William R. was graduatedfrom Amherst High School in 1927. He was student council president.
Page 08
He is pictured in thesophomore class in the 1924 yearbook. He normally would have been graduated in1926, but was not graduated until 1927.
We suspect that he took ayear off to work in the sandstone quarries or work at home. He was too young to work on the Great Lakesfreighters. Perhaps he was too young towork then in the quarries. We do notknow for sure.
His 1927 Amherst HighSchool senior yearbook quote reads:
WilliamRichard Henson “What would we have done without good oldBill? Always willing to shoulder any job that meant hard work, always readywith sage counsels from that clever, prac(ti)cal brain of his; and whateverturned up, or failed to turn up, always radiantly good-humored—that’s ourCouncil president.”
He was graduated fromhigh school at age 19 years old. He mayhave taken a year off in high school to work to support the family. We suspectthat he worked in the Amherst sandstone quarries at this time. Perhaps heworked in the summers and full time for a while.
One time while in highschool he was the leader for the prayer service as noted in a local newspaper.That was a surprise to read, but it was probably just his turn. In later yearsDoc Henson was not noted for devotion to any established religion.
The source of WilliamR.’s motivation to go to veterinary school is unknown, but was probablyinfluenced by his own ambition, his fondness and knowledge of animal husbandryand possibly by a local veterinarian who came to the farm for service.
William R. probablythought that he could do better than the hard labor of farm work.
He probably entered TheOhio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbus, OH in 1927,but had to take a year or two off to work on freighters on the Great Lakes andother jobs to get some money to support the family and for his education. Thenormal veterinary course was 4 years with no undergraduate requirement, but hetook 6 years after high school to complete his studies. He was graduated fromveterinary school in 1933.
In 1931 while inveterinary school he married Clara Mae Rolle, a nurse from Minnesota. They meton a double blind date. Later they had their first child, Patricia Ann, who wasborn in Columbus, OH.
Soon after graduation WilliamR. started his practice in Shelby at 15 Washington St. in 1933. He took over the previous veterinarians’office space. There had been two veterinarians in this office. Dr. Harry E. Higgins was in Shelby from 1908to 1931. Later Dr. Carl D. Bashore, astate veterinarian, was there for a short time.
Dr. A. C. Schafstall, aveterinarian who was practicing in New Washington, OH, may have influenced thenew Doc Henson to come to Shelby to start a practice. They visited each otheroften as noted in The Daily Globe in Shelby in the late 1930s and 1940s. Also,Shelby was close to Amherst where Doc Henson’s mother lived.
Page 09
The farmers in the Shelby area were probably eager fora new veterinarian.
A notice in the Shelby newspaper The Daily Globe on 14 June 1933.
Page 10
Here he is working on acolt with the help of youngsters who often accompanied him on country calls.
Later in Shelby thechildren Kathleen Nancy and Delores Gail Henson were born to William R. andClara.
William R. and Claradivorced in 1935. Clara remained inShelby and was a nurse there her entire working life.
In 1936 William R.married Christine A. Fink in Kentucky. She was from Cleveland, OH. They probably met at the tavern run byChristine’s father, John Fink, in Whiskeyville near Amherst. Whiskeyville is anunincorporated community at the junction of Ohio Routes 58 and 113 in LorainCounty.
Christine was a clericalsecretary who worked for Cities Service in Cleveland. She was featured as alocal beauty in a Cleveland paper in the 1920s. She was previously married.
There is speculation thatWilliam R. was on a ROTC training exercise at Ft. Knox, KY. William R. and Christine spent some time on ahoneymoon at Mammoth Cave, Ky. The county in Kentucky for the marriage is notyet known.
Page 11
Colleen Frances was bornin Shelby in 1937. William R. Jr. followed a year later in 1938.
Christine had a childnamed JoAnn by the previous marriage. JoAnn was born as JoAnn Marilyn Kovic, but she assumed the Henson namewithout any legal name change.
JoAnn’s birthday was in1932 which is the same birth year as Patricia. They had adjoining lockers inShelby High School.
The 1940 census showedWilliam R., Christine, JoAnn, Colleen and William, Jr. This is the latestcensus that is available for public review. The residence was 74 E. Main Street in Shelby.
The photo below shows DocHenson with Colleen, Bill, Jr, James Robert and Charlotte in the upstairsapartment above the veterinary office. The photo was taken about 1951.
James R. was born in 1943in Shelby. About this time William R. and Ben S. Henson, also a veterinarianand one of William R.’s younger brothers, were drafted into WW II.
William was sent to Ft.Benjamin Harrison and nearby Camp Atterbury near Indianapolis, Indiana. Williamworked with the war dogs there. Ben went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
About a year later apetition was signed by a large number of local farmers to recall 1stLt. William R. Henson from the Army to continue veterinary work in Shelby. The diagnosis or maybe excuse was “Bad Teeth”given for William R.’s medical discharge. He returned to Shelby and continued an active veterinary practice therefor large and small animals.
Page 12
Doc looking dapper at a high schoolgraduation in the mid-1950s
While at Ft. BenjaminHarrison or vicinity William R. met nurse friends Ruth Evelyn Hayes and CharlotteMcVeigh stationed in the Army there. Later Ruth came to Shelby and lived in thedownstairs floor of the veterinary office and kennel at 74 E. Main St. whileChristine and her four children lived upstairs.
William R. continued therough and potentially hazardous work of treating large animals including hogs,sheep, cattle and horses in dusty and dangerous environments. One of hisserious injuries was a partial amputation of one thumb while dehorning a cow.He also had evening office hours two hours for small animals six days a weekand ran a boarding kennel.
Doc Henson had a goodhorse reputation. One race horse breeder even called from northeastern Pennsylvaniato have only Doc Henson treat his race horses. That was a long one-day trip.
Christine and William R.Henson divorced with the custody of the children going to Christine. She moved to 28 Central Avenue, which is nowcalled the original name of Blackfork Street. William R. and Ruth assumedliving upstairs at 74 E. Main St.
Ruth and William R. weremarried at the home of Dr. Vaughn E. Ishee in Middlefield, Ohio. Dr. Ishee wasa fellow veterinary student with William R. at The Ohio State University.
There were three childrenfrom William’s last marriage, namely Charlotte Ann, Dean Merlin and MollyMarie. After the death of William R. in 1967, Ruth moved out west to Oregon andAlaska.
Doc ran for Richland Countycommissioner and won a 4 year term from 1960 to 1966. He served the countywell. A second try at county commissioner was not successful. Also his healthwas not good at this time.
Page 13
In 1967 Dr. Harold Johantgen(Pronounced Joh-hant-sen), a family physician in Shelby, recommended that DocHenson be treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Doc Henson later died there from cardiacvalve disease during that hospitalization. We have a long medical history that wasobtained from the Mayo Clinic. He was buried in OaklandCemetery in Shelby. There is an engraved bronze plate, a headstone and a militarymarker at the grave site.
Page 14
This short history is acombined effort of Mr. Brian Christensen, James R. Hennessy, MD and many othersin the family. Some dates are approximations.
To see William R. Hensonin the Amherst High School yearbooks go to Google: Amherst High School YearbookOhio Memory, then Local History Amherst Public Library, then Amherst HighSchool Yearbooks and then see the 1923 and the 1927 high school yearbooks. WilliamR. is in four different photographs.
Ancestry.com lists thefamily name as Hencell in the 1860 census. It is listed as Hensull in the Indexof the 1860 Federal Population Census of Ohio, Vol. 1, A-J, 1979, page 542.There is an asterisk in front of the name indicating that the spelling isquestionable.
HHHx-Hennessy-Henson-BriefHistory-10Aug2016.docx,1st Edition.
Brian Christensen’semail: brianc4023@aol.com.James R. Hennessy’s email: jrhenne@aol.com.
Good resource: www.elyrialibrary.org,Research, News Archive, Search by person or subject.
HHHx-Hennessy-Henson-Brief Hx-22Dec2016.doc
Events
| Birth | 6 Jun 1908 | Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio |  | ||
| Census (family)-shared | 22 Apr 1910 | (Richard Peter Henson and Lillian Frances Schubert) Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio |  | | |
| Census (family)-shared | 10 Feb 1920 | (Richard Peter Henson and Lillian Frances Schubert) Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio | | | |
| Census-shared | 16 Apr 1930 | (Lillian Frances Schubert) Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio | | | |
| Marriage | 31 Mar 1932 | Franklin County, Ohio - Clara Mae Rolle | | ||
| Divorce | 1935 | Clara Mae Rolle | |||
| Marriage | 5 Jun 1936 | Kentucky - Christine Agnes Fink | |||
| Marriage | 4 Nov 1948 | Trumbull County, Ohio - Ruth Evelyn Hayes | | ||
| Death | 29 Sep 1967 | Rochester, Olmsted County, Minnesota | |||
| Obituary | Crawford County, Ohio | | | ||
| Burial | Shelby-Oakland Cemetery, Richland County, Ohio | |
Families
| Spouse | Ruth Evelyn Hayes (1920 - 2010) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Spouse | Clara Mae Rolle (1907 - 2006) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Spouse | Christine Agnes Fink (1906 - 1990) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Father | Richard Peter Henson (1861 - 1922) |
| Mother | Lillian Frances Schubert (1878 - 1953) |
| Sibling | Caroline E. Henson (1903 - 1974) |
| Sibling | Celia Mae Henson (1910 - 1984) |
| Sibling | Henson (1911 - 1911) |
| Sibling | Merton Henson (1912 - 1974) |
| Sibling | Kathryn Henson (1914 - 2003) |
| Sibling | Dr. Benjamin Schubert Henson (1916 - 1975) |
Notes
Census (family)-shared
Richard P HensonHeadM46OhioLillie HensonWifeF31Ohio
Carlie E HensonDaughterF6Ohio
William R HensonSonM1Ohio
Celia May HensonDaughterF0Ohio
John ZadalickServantM35Hungary
Census (family)-shared
Richard HensonHeadM56Ohio - FarmerLillie HensonWifeF41Ohio
Caroline HensonDaughterF16Ohio
William HensonSonM11Ohio
Celia HensonDaughterF9Ohio
Merton HensonSonM7Ohio
Katherine HensonDaughterF5Ohio
Benjamin HensonSonM3Ohio
Census-shared
Lillian S Henson Head F 51 OhioWilliam Henson Son M 21 Ohio - Laborer, construction
Merton Henson Son M 17 Ohio - Driller, stone quarry
Katherine Henson Daughter F 15 Ohio
Benjamin Henson Son M 13 Ohio
Obituary
Dr William R HensonEvent TypeObituary
Event Date1967
Event PlaceCrawford, Ohio, United States
GenderUnknown
Relationship to DeceasedDeceased
Birth Date06 Jun 1908
BirthplaceAmherst, ,
Death Date30 Sep 1967
Death PlaceRochester, , Minnesota
NewspaperTiro World
Spouse and Children
Mrs Patricia Witter Daughter
Mrs Kathleen Knotsman Daughter
Mrs Delores Leonhart Daughter
Mrs Pauline Russell Daughter
Charlene Henson Daughter
Molly Henson Daughter
Junior Captain William Henson Jr Son
James Robert Henson Child
Dean Henson Child
Ruth E Spouse
Parents and Siblings
Dr Ben HensonBrotherMale
Merton HensonBrotherMale
Mrs Bud CraiganSisterFemale
Mrs Andrew VardySisterFemale
Mrs Edmund MaySisterFemale
Richard Peter HensonFatherMale
Lillie Frances SchubertMotherFemale
Endnotes
1. "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6ZC-4ZH : 22 December 2016), Richard Peter Henson in entry for William Richard Henson, 06 Jun 1908; citing Birth, Amherst, Lorain, Ohio, United States, county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 541,326..
2. "Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6YM-W8J : 8 December 2014), Richard Peter Henson in entry for William Richard Henson, 06 Jun 1908; citing Amherst, Lorain, reference Vol 3 p494; FHL microfilm 541,326..
3. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLN4-21Y : accessed 8 June 2017), William R Henson in household of Richard P Henson, Amherst, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 82, sheet 5B, family 90, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1205; FHL microfilm 1,375,218..
4. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD5T-CL9 : accessed 8 June 2017), William Henson in household of Richard Henson, Amherst, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing ED 1, sheet 11A, line 29, family 216, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1406; FHL microfilm 1,821,406..
5. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X443-DWY : accessed 8 June 2017), William Henson in household of Lillian S Henson, Amherst, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 3, sheet 2B, line 54, family 41, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1830; FHL microfilm 2,341,564..
6. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3GD-Q61 : 8 December 2014), Richard P Henson in entry for William R Henson and Clara Mae Rolle, 31 Mar 1932; citing Franklin, Ohio, United States, reference ; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1,862,038..
7. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q297-2314 : 2 February 2016), Lillie Schubert in entry for William Richard Henson and Ruth Evelyn Hayes, 1948..
8. "Ohio, Crawford County Obituaries, 1860-2004," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV53-411P : 26 January 2017), Dr William R Henson, 1967; citing Crawford, Ohio, United States, Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Bucyrus..
9. Find A Grave Memorial# 91882294.