William McHenry

For the American football and lacrosse player and coach, see William D. McHenry.
William McHenry
Member of the Illinois Senate
In office
1832 – February 3, 1835
Member of the Illinois General Assembly
from White County
In office
October 4, 1818 – February 19, 1827
Preceded byConstituency established
Personal details
Born1771
Kentucky, U.S.
DiedFebruary 3, 1835 (aged 63–64)
Vandalia, Illinois, U.S.
Military service
AllegiancePrice's Battalion of Mounted Volunteers
Battles/warsWar of 1812
Battle of Fallen Timbers
Tecumseh's War
Black Hawk War

William McHenry was an American politician and military leader.

Early life

McHenry was born in Kentucky in 1771.[1][2]

Career

McHenry served as a lieutenant in Price's Battalion of Mounted Volunteers and participated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, near modern Toledo, Ohio.

McHenry moved from Henderson County, Kentucky, in 1810. The family settled in what is now White County, Illinois, along the trail between the salt works near Old Shawneetown, Illinois, and Forts of Vincennes, Indiana.

In 1811, McHenry served in the Illinois Militia during Tecumseh's War, which culminated in the Battle of Tippecanoe in the Indiana territory. After the outbreak of the War of 1812, he participated in the attack on the Native American village at Peoria, which was allied with the British.

McHenry served as a major, leading the Mounted Spies, in the Black Hawk War in 1832. He became ill during the campaign.

Politics

McHenry was elected to the 1st Illinois General Assembly and served until the end of the 5th.

McHenry was a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1818, and elected to the first Illinois House of Representatives. McHenry served as a member of the Illinois Senate from 1832 until his death in 1835.[3]

Personal life

He married Hannah Ruth Blackford in the late 1790s in Logan County, Kentucky.

McHenry died on February 3, 1835, in a boarding house in Vandalia, Illinois, which was then the location of the state capitol.[4]

Legacy

McHenry is the namesake of McHenry County and McHenry, Illinois, located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.[5]

References

  1. ^ Walker, Glynnis; Anderson, Arabella (2010). Lost Farms of McHenry County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-7798-2.
  2. ^ "Major William McHenry biography". www.genealogytrails.com. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  3. ^ Blue Book of the State of Illinois. The Secretary. 1908.
  4. ^ "Day in McHenry County History | McHenry County Historical Society and Museum".
  5. ^ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 100.