Richard Henderson

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• Name	Richard Henderson  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Born	Abt 1806 Maryland, USA [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Enslaved	Yes [5]
  Self-Emancipated/ Escaped Slave/ Runaway	Abt 1821 Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA [5]
  Underground Railroad	1830 Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA  –  Head of the Meadville Undergound Railroad. Hid over 500 runaway slaves in his home.
  Residence	1850 Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA [3]
  Residence	1860 Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA [1]  –  Residence Post Office: Meadville
  Residence	1870 Ward 3, Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA [4]  –  Residence Post Office: Meadville
  Died	3 Mar 1880 Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA [5, 6]
  Buried	​ Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA [5]
  	Greendale Cemetery
  Notes	"According to local tradition, Richard Henderson was the first permanent black resident of Meadville. He had escaped from slavery at the age of 15 with his two brothers and a sister. The brothers survived, but the sister died after catching pneumonia during the journey. One of the Henderson brothers continued north to Canada. The other two, Richard and Robert, established a barbershop in town. While his brother Robert eventually left to establish his own barbershop in nearby Brookville, Richard remained in Meadville. There, he was a leader in the local Underground Railroad network from the 1830s to the 1860s. A prominent member of the black community, Richard Henderson also helped to form Meadville's Bethel A.M.E. Church in 1849 and served as an early trustee. Richard Henderson married twice. His second wife, Mary, was born in Erie in 1821. Together they raised two sons, Edward and Lincoln. Edward Henderson recalled that he saw as many as twenty fugitives at a time hiding in his parents' home. Richard Henderson died in 1880 at the age of 79 and is buried in Meadville. When an historical marker was placed in Meadville on 01 Jun 1980 to honor him, it represented only the third time a black Pennsylvanian had been honored by a state historical marker. The marker reads as follows: Born a slave in Maryland in 1801, he escaped as a boy and about 1824 came to Meadville. A barber, he was long active in the Underground Railroad. His Arch Street house, since torn down, is estimated to have harbored some 500 runaway slaves prior to the Civil War. Beyond the Marker, Ken P. Williams, City Was Active in Underground RR, Meadville Tribune (May 12, 1998.) According to the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule for 1880, he was born in Maryland in 1802; however, the birth date listed on the various census returns show other birth years, so this may be incorrect." From Findagrave 7/2024
  Person ID	I23695 SOALsearch
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024

  
  
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  Mother	Mother Unknown Henderson
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F7978 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	F Henderson b. Abt 1800, Maryland, USA
  Children	1. Thomas Henderson b. Abt 1833, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA  [natural]
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F7970 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Mary Ann Parker (Age 86 years) b. 29 Jul 1820, Erie County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 3 Feb 1907, Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 86 years)
  Children	1. Joseph B Henderson b. Abt 1840, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA  [natural]   2. Francis Henderson b. Abt 1847, Pennsylvania, USA  [natural]   3. Emma Henderson b. Abt 1849, Pennsylvania, USA  [natural]   4. Edward P Henderson (Age 73 years) b. 4 Feb 1856 d. 24 Jan 1930 (Age 73 years)  [natural]   5. Gertrude Henderson (Age 68 years) b. 12 Jul 1858, Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA d. 14 May 1927, Conewango, Warren, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 68 years)  [natural]   6. Lincoln Henderson b. Abt 1864, Crawford, Pennsylvania, USA  [natural]
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F7971 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S16] 1860 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;), 1860 United States Federal Census Record. [S2] Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1967, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2014;), Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, PA, USA; Pennsylvania (State). Death Certificates, 1906-1968; Certificate Number Range: 054001-057000. [S8] 1850 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;), The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania; Roll: 770; Page: 131b. [S62] 1870 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;), Year: 1870; Census Place: Meadville Ward 3, Crawford, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1330; Page: 291B. [S4] Findagrave, (Location: Penbrook, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA; Date: 1885;), Richard Henderson 3 Mar 1880. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69162260/richard-henderson [S5707] Newspapers.com - The Conneautville Courier - 1880-03-11 - Death Notice for Richard Henderson, (Name: The Conneautville Courier; Location: Conneautville, Pennsylvania; Date: 1880-03-11;), Death Notice for Richard Henderson 1880-03-11. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-conneautville-courier-death-notice-f/152451674/?xid=637