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Hensley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hensley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hensley family

The surname Hensley was first found in Devon at Hensley, but we must look far to the north in Yorkshire to find the first listing of the family. For it is there that John de Henselay was listed in the Subsidy Rolls in 1297. 1

Early History of the Hensley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hensley research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1163, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1540, 1600, 1616 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Hensley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hensley Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hensley has been recorded under many different variations, including Hensley, Hensleigh, Henslie, Henslea, Ensley, Ensleigh, Ensly and many more.

Early Notables of the Hensley family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hensley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hensley Ranking

In the United States, the name Hensley is the 558^th most popular surname with an estimated 52,227 people with that name. 2

Hensley migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hensley or a variant listed above:

Hensley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jone Hensley, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3

Hensley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel J Hensley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
Thomas Hensley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Hensley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hensley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles Hensley, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 4
John Hensley, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 4
William Hensley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Gratitude" in 1848 5

Hensley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hensley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Emanuel Hensley, (b. 1835), aged 40, English stone mason from Worcester travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Mrs. Mary Hensley, (b. 1837), aged 38, English settler from Worcester travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Miss Emily Hensley, (b. 1856), aged 19, English cook from Worcester travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Miss Jane Hensley, (b. 1861), aged 14, English servant from Worcester travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Miss Priscilla Hensley, (b. 1863), aged 12, English settler from Worcester travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hensley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Hensley Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

William Hensley who settled in Jamaica in 1774

Contemporary Notables of the name Hensley (post 1700) +

Jonathan L. "Jon" Hensley (1983-2015), American radio personality and artist manager
Jimmy Hensley (b. 1945), American former NASCAR driver
James Willis "Jim" Hensley (1920-2000), American businessman, founder of Hensley & Co. in 1955 which grew to be one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributorships, father of Cindy Hensley McCain and the father-in-law of John McCain
George Went Hensley (1880-1955), American Pentecostal minister
Richard Earl "Dick" Hensley (b. 1927), former American football end who played from 1949 to 1953
Clayton Allen Hensley (b. 1979), American former professional baseball pitcher who played from 2005 to 2012
Pamela Hensley (b. 1950), American actress, best known for playing Princess Ardala in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981) and as C.J. Parsons in the television series Matt Houston (1982-1985)
John Carter Hensley (b. 1977), American actor, known for his roles in Peoples, Fifty Pills, Teeth, and Shutter
William L Hensley (b. 1941), American government official and state legislator
Joseph Louis Hensley (1926-2007), American lawyer, prosecuting attorney, member of the Indiana General Assembly, and circuit court judge
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hensley family +

Fraterville mine

Mr. A. Hensley (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 8

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PESTONJEE BOMANJEE 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838PestonjeeBomanjee.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GRATITUDE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Gratitude.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
News paper article Fraterville Mine Disaster retrieved on 6th August 2021. (Retrieved from http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/fraterville.htm).