The UNKNOWN Ruth Hendrix, d. of John, b. ca. 1782 TN
Hendrix records indicate one of the older daughters of JOHN HENDRIX of Carter Co. TN was name RUTH, born around 1782 in TN.She is the only child of John Hendrix that nothing further is known about.
I know there is not way to PROVE this at this time, but I want to offer a POSSIBLE explanation regarding this person.From deeds it is known that close neighbors of John Hendrix in Carter Co. TN was THOMAS MAXWELL and GEORGE EMMERT.Thomas Maxwell was also closely associated with the Hendrix family, possibly more to John's brother Solomon, because of their membership in the oldest Baptist Church in TN---the Sinking Creek Baptist Church, located near the county lines of Carter/Washington Co., and still existing today.
One particular deed for the Hendrix family shows both THOMAS MAXWELL and his oldest son, SOLOMON MAXWELL as witnesses for the Hendrix deed, circa 1805.
THOMAS MAXWELL and SOLOMON MAXWELL would have also known John Hendrix's son NATHAN HENDRIX quite well.In Carter Co. TN records, Thomas Maxwell is shown to be a business associate with Nathaniel Taylor, Fuller Grisham, and Abraham Byler.Thomas Maxwell served as second in command to Nathaniel Taylor in that county's militia, being appointed as 2nd major by Gov. John Sevier when Taylor was Major.Abraham Byler also served second in command to Taylor when Taylor was the FIRST sheriff of Carter Co., and Abraham was his deputy.When Taylor stepped down as sheriff, Abraham Byler became sheriff with NATHAN HENDRIX serving as HIS deputy.These families remained CLOSE.
Around 1806 or 1807, Nathaniel Taylor GAVE his 640 acre survey in newly opened lands in middle TN to his friends, Thomas Maxwell and Abraham Byler. The 2 men split the survey down the middle.The land was first in Williamson Co. TN, but when Bedford Co. TN was created, the property fell barely over in that county, near present Rover, TN, District 10.The TWO men moved from Carter Co. TN and continued to live out their lives on this particular property in Bedford Co. TN, with Abraham Byler dying around 1826 and Maxwell, 1832.DEEDS regarding this land show NATHAN HENDRIX was one of the witnesses.Also, records for MAIL not picked up in area post offices, closer to Nashville originally since there was originally no mail service to that area of TN for a while, shows Nathan Hendrix WAS in the area in those earliest days Maxwell and Byler were.Nathan is LOST after that, supposedly ending up in newly opened lands in far E TN Indian lands, then totally LOST.
The Maxwells and Bylers knew each other back in Carter Co. TN as stated, but AFTER they moved to Bedford Co. TN, TWO of the SONS of Solomon Maxwell, born 1780 TN married TWO of the daughters of Abraham Byler, thus establishing a SOLID connection that would last many years.
What does this have to do with RUTH HENDRIX?I am suggesting that there is a plausible possibility that the FIRST WIFE of SOLOMON MAXWELL, back in Carter Co. TN, was RUTH HENDRIX.I am offering the following reasons for thinking this:
1.One of John Hendrix' daughters married the family neighbor, George Emmert, why couldn't another one have married another neighbor, SOLOMON MAXWELL.
2.The TIME AND PLACE for the two MESH.Solomon was born 1780 TN, which I realize was before TN was actually a State.Ruth was born about 1782.BOTH lived adjacent each other when they reached the age of marrying, in the early 1800's.
3.Solomon's probate papers on file in Perry Co. IL in 1852 (he moved there between 1830-1832 from Bedford Co. TN), show Solomon's first child was born BEFORE 1805, as his second child, a son, has a marked tombstone that proves HE was born in 1805.Deeds show Maxwells were still in Carter Co. TN in 1805, but not sure if child #3, another son, was born in Williamson, which became Bedford Co., or Carter Co., but suspect the family had already moved.
4.NAMES OF CHILDREN:Probate papers of Solomon in 1852 show the oldest girl was named RUTH.Second child was named JOHN H. MAXWELL, born 1805.Another son was also named NATHAN H. MAXWELL.Even though several later generations of the Maxwell family have a son named Nathan H., PROOF of what the "H" stands for is not known.Nor is it known in John H.'s name.
5.NAMES OF GRANDCHILDREN:John H. Maxwell also named a son Nathan H., who was killed in the Civil War. Isaac D. Maxwell, the second son of Solomon Maxwell, named hisOLDEST DAUGHTER, DELCENIA H. MAXWELL.Once again, no clue as to what the "H" stood for.(Isaac D. also had a grandson named Nathan H.)
6.Origin of the name DELCENIA. The most obvious PERSON with this name is the YOUNGEST daughter of John Hendrix, Delcenia Hendrix, who married Caswell Taylor, I believe was his name (can't recall off hand)
It is NOT known if Solomon Maxwell, b. 1780 d. 1852 had 2 or 3 wives, but I personally suspect 3.The only one known for sure is the last wife, a widow, Mrs. Elizabeth White, whom he married in Bedford Co. TN.She had 4 sons from a previous marriage, and she and Solomon had 2 daughters together.Besides Ruth, John H., Isaac D., and Nathan H. Maxwell already mentioned as the older children, there were some additional daughters around Nathan's age and one more son, Malcolm G. Maxwell, who is definitely believed to have had a different mother than the oldest children.
IF Ruth HENDRIX was Solomon's first wife, it is also NOT known how many children they had together.BY names, I would suspect at least the first two, Ruth and John H., but after that ???John H. and Isaac D. Maxwell were the CLOSEST of all the children, possibly because they married BYLER SISTERS, but they lived everywhere together, even after their Byler wives died and each remarried, going first to Tipton/then Lauderdale CO. TN pre 1830, then to Yell Co. AR by 1844.
Other Maxwell siblings went to IL with their father, except RUTH.Ruth is believed to have returned to Carter Co. TN, perhaps to visit relatives, and to have married into the Sullivan Co. TN ARRANTS family.Probate of Solomon in 1852 lists daughter as RUTH ARENCE.Louise Arrants (1827-1894 m. a younger John Hendrix (1823-1901) of Carter Co. TN.LOUISE stated her mother was a MAXWELL. I obtained this information from a book on the Hendrix family located in the Elizabetown citylibrary several years ago.
I'm just throwing this information out there for possible feedback and the chance that someone may can shed some DOCUMENTATION regarding this elusive daughter of John Hendrix, RUTH.
Solomon Maxwell is my ggggrandfather, and so is Abraham Byler.I descend from Solomon's son, Isaac D. Maxwell m. Nancy L. Byler.
Karylon A. Russell, P.O. Box 823, Llano, TX 78643 [email protected]