This is an overview of Paulding County pioneer Robert Mitchell Henderson's (1812-1867) descendant lines including ten children and fifty-five grandchildren. I edited longer unpublished works by my father Thomas Alonzo Henderson (1908-1994), one of Robert's many great grandsons. In a separate article my entire line from Robert is covered.

Robert married Louisa Goode (1822-1905) in 1837. Robert was a farmer named after a great, great uncle, whose sir-name was Mitchell. The Henderson family arrived in Paulding County, Georgia about 1852. Their ten children were:

1) Martha Henderson (1838-1861) married Robert Newell in 1854 and died in Paulding County.

2) Mary Jane Henderson (1839-1925) married Matthew M. "Bone" Ellsberry in 1859. They had two children: Lou Elizabeth Ellsberry (1860-?) and a son Walden Elsberry (1862-?). Bone died in the Civil War and never saw his new son. Later Mary Jane married George Washington "Wash" Holland.

3) James Thomas Henderson (1841-1928), my great great grandfather, was a Civil War veteran who married Ida Virginia Winn in 1872. (1851-1910). Their twelve children were (1) girl born & died Jan. 6, 1873. (2) Velia Othella (1874-1966) married Dr. Buna R. Moore. They had three children who died as infants plus Ruth Moore (1909-1992) who remained single. (3) Dura Opera (1876-1945) married Archie O. White (1876-1957) and bore Virginia (1902-), Frank (1905-1930's), Mable (1907-), Aline (1911-1996), and Thomas (1913-). (4) Thomas Virginia (1877-1942) married Margaret Josephine Talley (1879-1969) in 1907 who bore Thomas Alonzo (1908-1994) and Mary Elizabeth (1909-1980). (5) Tasker (1879) lived seven months. (6) Caro Wilson (1880-1923) married Bessie Adams who bore Lawton (1905-1978), James (1908-) and Kathryn1917-) (7) James Raven (1881-?) married Lottie May Purse. (8) Athie (1885-1974) remained single. (9) Annie Ida (1886-1974) never married. (10) Jessie Pearl (1888-1980) married Dr. Seab A. Gaulding (1878-1929). She bore Helen (1911-), Bertha Edna (1918-1997) and Mary Ruth (1922-). (11) Bertha Edna (1891-1926) remained single. (12) Mary Cornelia (1893-1903) died in childhood.

The photo shows three generations: Robert's son James Thomas, grandson Thomas Virginia, and great-grandson Thomas Alonzo Henderson in 1925.

4) William Clark Henderson (1843-1914) was a Civil War veteran who married Sealey Hodge in 1872. He had no children and became a merchant in Atlanta.

5) John Henry Henderson (1846-1918) was a Civil War veteran who married Rachel Frances McKeever (1847-1904) in 1856. They had nine children (unknown birth order): Jefferson, Mary, Nancy, Henry Martin, Milton, Frances, Oliver, James, and Robert. His family owned the historic "Henderson House" of Dallas, GA from 1894 to 1978, and some still live in Dallas today.

6) Noah Jefferson "Jeff" Henderson (1849-1924) died in his home in Villa Rica. "Jeff" first married a Margaret "Maggie" Leathers in 1876. Their children were Berty Henderson who died at birth in 1877 and Maud Rivers Henderson (1878-?) who married Joseph Clarke Little in 1896 and lived in Atlanta.

Jeff's second marriage was to Martha Alice Winn (1861-1927). The seven children of Alice were (1) Oliver (1894-1885) lived eleven months. (2) Noah Romer (1885-1974) married Clarissa Belle Wardlaw (1886-1955). Belle did an extensive study of the Henderson line tracing it back to Norway in 870 AD. (3) William Grover (1887-1935) married Mary Etta Herring of Atlanta. (4) Clifford Jefferson (1890-1933) married Nell Fielder of Villa Rica in 1913. "Cliff" was a cotton merchant, a deacon in the Presbyterian Church, and also mayor of Villa Rica. (5) A baby (1896) lived five days. (6) Ralph Henry (1898) lived six months. (7) Glen (1901-1903) lived eighteen months.

7) Louise "Lou" Mitchell Henderson (1852-1943) married Madison Floyd McClung (1846-1914), son of Reuben B. "Bud" McClung, Jr. (1823-1904) and Margaret "Peggy" McClung (1829-1906). Their twelve children were (1) Alice Devore (1872-1947) who married James Robert Jordan (1874-1938) in 1893. They had four sons and four daughters. (2) Della Lou (1874-1936) married Francis M. "Bud" Lester (1866-1939) and had one child who died at birth. (3) Floyd Mitchell McClung (1876-1953) married Odessa Abercrombie (?-1933) in 1899. They had two sons and two daughters. (4) Barney Winfield McClung (1878-1967) married Vera Elizabeth Clonts (1884-1974) in 1912. They had one son and three daughters. (5) Luther Clark McClung (1879-1903) never married. (6) Oliver Sessar McClung (1881-1945) married Eola Gam (1886-1962) in 1909. (7) Nola Ola (1884-1958) married Jabe C. Hitchcock (1888-1921) in 1908. They had one daughter. (8) Samuel Robert McClung (1886-1972) married Allie Mae Wingo (1898-1966) and they had one son and three daughters. (9) Lonnie (1888-1957) married Rufus Esmer Paris (?-1946) in 1915. They had seven children including two step-children. (10) Reuben Nolin McClung (1890-1974) married Anna Setzer (1908-1987). Two infants died at birth. (11) Infant who died at birth (1893). (12) Elijah Dean McClung (1895-1979) was married three times: Lois Brown, Aileen (?) (they adopted a daughter), and Leona Coleman.

8) Oliver Parks Henderson (1854-1893) was born in Paulding County and married Savannah Jones (1858-1884?) in 1879. They had two children - William Oliver (1879- ) married Mollie Sewell and Eula (1882-?) married Millard Harshbarger (1881-?)

9) Julia Georgana Henderson (1856-1874). She married J. George, no issue.

10) Lottie Nicolas Henderson (1857-1933) was born in Paulding County and married William Caswell "Cass" Harding (1858?-1915). They lived in Douglasville and raised nine children: (1) Emma Clarke Harding (1880-?) married Jim Nalley and had one daughter. (2) Robert Caswell Harding (1882-1948) married Nell Johnson. (3) William Algie Harding (1884-1919) remained single. (4) Lottie Cora (1887) lived eight months. (5) James Matthew (1889-?) married Estell and had two daughters. (6) Jefferson Grady (1891-?) married Mae Moody and had four children. (7) Bessie Florence Harding (1894-?) married Howard Paul O'Rear of Atlanta and had three children. (8) Jesse Raymond Harding (1897-?) (9) Thomas Bennett Harding (1904-?). Robert Mitchell Henderson spawned a large family but only lived to see a few of his fifty-five grandchildren. Today his great great great great grandchildren are living: six generations of descendants. No one has counted all of them. I'm sure he would have been proud of such a heritage which had its roots in Paulding County, Georgia. Submitted by Thomas H. Henderson

Sources: Research by Thomas A. Henderson and Belle Wardlaw Henderson of Villa Rica, John Henderson, Sr. of Dallas, GA, Maureen Sewell of Leesberg, AL, The Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy, and others.

Photo caption: (to be added later)
3 Generations from Robert Mitchell Henderson in 1925

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