McHenry is an unusual given name and found in several families in my East Tennessee branches. McHenry Sutton, the subject of Week 22, was the first person in my research with this name sowhen the Bray connection came to light then I knew McHenry Sutton was most likely named after his uncle McHenry Bray. My first assumption was McHenry must be a combination of “Mc” from the surname of his mother, Margaret McDaniel, and the first name of his father, Henry Bray. Now I believe there is a deeper cultural meaning to the name. According to Wikipedia, “McHenry is both a surname and a given name, an anglicized name of the Scottish Clan Henderson.” A traveling Henderson might use the surname MacEanruig in the Scottish Highlands, Henderson in the Lowlands, McHenry in Ulster, and Henry in England according to Clan Henderson – Wikipedia. Another site, thinkbabynames, says the meaning is “son of Henry”. It is also described as a variant form of MacHenry (Scottish, Gaelic). Could it be that the Bray’s were also Scottish like the McDaniel's (as mentioned in John McDaniel's Revolutionary pension paperwork)?
McHenry Bray is the older brother of Malissa Wolfe Sutton. He was born in Hawkins County, Tennessee in 1823 and, like many listed as head of household on census records in Hancock County; his occupation was “farmer.” However, digging deeper in documents tells us much more about this man. He was a postmaster, sheriff, and may have been a lawyer as he is mentioned in many Hancock County court documents. Cynthia Wolfe, daughter of George Stumpy Wolfe and Margaret McCoy, was his first wife and Mary Montgomery was his second wife.
During the Civil War, McHenry Bray was one of many men in East Tennessee who supported the Union as this part of Tennessee was unique and did not support succession from the Union. He enlisted as a sergeant in Company I, Tennessee 8th Infantry Regiment of the Union Tennessee Volunteers. His son, George Bray also enlisted in this regiment. Unfortunately, George was mortally wounded in action in August 1864 at the Battle of Utoy Creek, in Georgia. McHenry went onto serve as a first lieutenant and survived the Civil War. He was listed as a pensioner in 1890.
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| Battle of Utoy Creek by Civil War Artist Marc Stewart |
Another position that McHenry occupied was Church Clerk for the Baptist Church of Christ at Briar Creek. He is mentioned on several pages of Hancock County and its People, Vol. II and Alonza Jason Tyler, a judge of Hancock County, described him as “a fine man and well thought of by everyone who knew him.” McHenry died in Hancock County, Tennessee in 1909. Like his sister Malissa, he is buried in the Wolfe Cemetery by Providence Church.
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| McHenry Bray headstone submitted by Ancestry.com member kellerjm224 |
In review of those I have found in the family branches who share this name: McHenry Bray Jr., two McHenry Suttons, McHenry Allen, McHenry Coffey, and then variations such as Mack Henry Seal, and a couple of Mack Henry Bray’s. I wonder if most were named as a tribute to the man who was well thought of and a community leader.
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