Gen 1: Mary Jane Beal - Federal Land for James Henry

What are the origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl?

We continued our Biehl research project with the end goal of identifying the German origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl. I continued research on the first generation, which is Mary Jane Beal. You can find that post here.

 

Federal Land

 

Continuing our research on James Henry, a search for James Henry in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) database for James Henry in Arkansas returned two pages of results.[1] Knowing that my James Henry lived in both Benton and Washington counties, I extracted those results. The database contains links to the patent images, which I reviewed to get an idea if these patents are for one individual or several.

Accession	Names	Date	Doc #	State	Meridian	Twp-Rng	Aliquots	Sec #	County	Comments
MW-1116-167	Gunter, Calden Henry, John Henry, James	5/1/1855	79026	AR	5th PM	017N-033W	NW1/4	5	Benton	Note 1
AR0950.055	Henry, James	11/15/1854	5126	AR	5th PM	013N-029W	NW1/4SW1/4	6	Washington	Note 2
AR0950.061	Henry, James	9/15/1854	5132	AR	5th PM	014N-030W	SE1/4SE1/4	36	Washington	Note 3
AR0980.221	Henry, James	11/15/1854	6941	AR	5th PM	018N-030W	N1/2NW1/4	25	Washington	Note 3
AR0990.472	Henry, James	12/15/1856	7798	AR	5th PM	017N-031W 017N-031W	SE1/4NE1/4 NW1/4NW1/4	34 35	Washington Washington	Note 3
AR2480.088	Henry, James	12/15/1882	3079	AR	5th PM	017N-030W	SE1/4NE1/4	12	Washington	Note 3
MW-1110-110	Mashburn, George W L Henry, James	11/1/1853	44294	AR	5th PM	016N-031W	SE1/4	32	Washington	Note 4

 

Note 1: The patent indicates “John Henry Father and heir at law of James Henry deceased late a Private in Captain Hammonds Company First Regiment Missouri Volunteers. Not our James Henry.

Note 2: This is our James Henry as he sold this piece of land on 16 October 1854 to William Covington.[2]

Note 3: The patents for these tracts of land just indicate a patent to James Henry of Washington County, Arkansas, or just James Henry. Additional research will be needed to determine if it is my James Henry or a same name individual.

Note 4: My James Henry’s tombstone indicated military service in the Mexican War. This is a patent for military bounty land granted to “James Henry, Private Captain Enyart’s Company Arkansas Cavaly [sic].” James Henry assigned it to George W. L. Mashburn.

 

In addition to the research noted below, these results open up research in Federal land and then its subsequent disposal as well as military records. 

 

A great resource for this research is Family Maps of Washington County, Arkansas by Gregory A. Boyd. I’ll be using this to see where the land is located and identify the neighbors.

 

Future Research

 

Future research will include:

 

·      Search for additional marriage records for James Henry. He married Alphurnia Peerson in 1894.

·      Continue search for all real estate, both local and Federal, that James Henry owned in Washington County, Arkansas. He owned $300 in 1850 and $1,000 in 1870. Start a table showing the land transactions, both in and out, to ensure all transactions are captured.

·      Determine if there are records for Friendship Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. Determine if there are extant records for First Baptist Church of Springdale.

·      Locate the extant applicable agricultural censuses for Arkansas.

·      Identify all of James Henry’s ten children.

·      James Henry served in the Mexican War and his widow, Alphurnia, received a pension. He may have had a pension too since he was feeble and helpless prior to his death. His tombstone notes his service from 1847–1848 in the Ark. Mounted Inf. Vol.

·      Who were the parents of Harvey Webb, nephew, in 1880?

·      Was Luke Henry in 1900 the stepson of James Henry?

 

Next up: Continuing the research on Mary Jane Henry and her husband, James, as noted in “Future Research” above.

 

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[1] Search for James Henry, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records (https://glorecords.blm.gov/results/default.aspx?searchCriteria=type=patent|st=AR|cty=|ln=henry|fn=james|sp=true|sw=true|sadv=false#resultsTabIndex=0&page=1&sortField=11&sortDir=0: accessed 25 January 2026).

[2] Washington County, Arkansas, Deeds, Liber I: 521, deed, James Henry et ux to William Covington, 15 January 1855; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 2025), image 289 of 635, DGS no. 8,197,821, item 1; FamilySearch Library, Salt Lake City.

Booking Flights

 From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

This series of posts, continued from last week, outlines our preparation for a German trip to research beyond church records. Before embarking on a research trip abroad, you want to make sure you’ve done your homework. The next step, outlined in this post, is booking airline travel. Presumably you now know what archives and towns you want to visit, as well as what days they’re open.

 

Booking and Airport

 

As mentioned before, for best pricing, you want to book international flights about 2–3 months prior to travel. Also, booking[not travelling] earlier in the week, such as a Monday or Tuesday, might result in better pricing. 

 

Choose the best arrival airport for your travel goals. Frankfurt is Germany’s busiest airport, but if you are traveling in northern parts of Germany, other airports, such as Berlin, Düsseldorf, or Hamburg might make sense.

 

We personally prefer direct flights. If you choose a flight with layovers, you might save some money, but pay attention to the length of time it adds to your trip. Also pay attention to what country you will be stopping in. Always think about possible delays and cancelled flights. Is it worth the money saved?

 

Details

 

On an international flight, you can expect a free carry-on. Checked bags are not necessarily free, depending on what level your ticket is (basic economy, economy, etc.). Carry-on bag sizes have been changing a lot lately, so make sure you are aware of those restrictions. We have found we prefer backpacks to rolling bags for the carry-on (and for getting around in Germany). If you’re checking a bag, it’s a good idea to have a change of clothes and basic toiletries in your carry-on item.

 

Pay attention to the ticket change options, which might incur a fee or be free. You might consider travel insurance for your flight, which may be purchased for a nominal feel.

 

Complimentary meals will be included. If you have dietary restrictions, you will be able to specify that during booking or after. Complimentary beverages, including beer and wine, will be available. Make sure to stay hydrated during the flight. This will help your jet lag recovery.

 

Jet Lag

Try to sleep on the flight over. But if you’re like me, that’s not likely to happen. Our flights typically arrive in the morning. As we discussed in the last post, do not plan to drive more than an hour or so after arrival. We try to make our first stop in an archival town close to the airport when possible. 

 

Stay awake the day you arrive. If you start napping, you will not adjust to your new time zone as quickly. Keep active and walking around to keep from dozing. Plan on an earlier bedtime after dinner. Wake up the next morning at a normal time. That will be your first research day.

 

Next week we’ll talk about booking your hotels!

Gen 1: Mary Jane Beal - Censuses for James Henry

 What are the origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl?

 

We continued our Biehl research project with the end goal of identifying the German origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl. I continued research on the first generation, which is Mary Jane Beal. You can find that post here.

 

More Censuses

 

After Mary Jane (Beal) Henry died in 1876,[1] her husband and now widow James Henry married her sister, Eliza R. (Beal) Dorton.[2] In 1880, James and Eliza resided in Springdale Township in Washington County. In their household was 2-year-old Edward Lee Henry as well as a 25-year-old Harvey Webb. Harvey was noted as James’s nephew though his parentage is unknown at this time.[3]

 

After Eliza died in 1893,[4] he married Alphurnia Peerson in December 1894.[5] In 1900, James Henry still resided in Springdale Township. He and his wife “Allvie” and Luke Henry were in the household. Luke Henry was named as a son and born in March 1870 in Tennessee; however, that is not consistent with James Henry’s information.[6] Luke is probably a son of Allvie Henry and would be James’s stepson. James Henry was living in Arkansas in 1870,[7] not Tennessee, which was Luke’s stated birthplace. Also, there was no Luke Henry in either of James Henry’s 1870 or 1880 households.[8]

 

James and Alverna Henry resided on Holcomb Street in Springdale Township in 1910. Living with the couple was Lena Cardwell. She was noted as a single, 21-year-old servant; however, she was James’s granddaughter and was my great-grandmother.[9]

 

Additional research questions have been posed below based on these enumerations.

 

Future Research

 

Future research will include:

 

·      Search for additional marriage records for James Henry. He married Alphurnia Peerson in 1894.

·      Continue search for all real estate, both local and Federal, that James Henry owned in Washington County, Arkansas. He owned $300 in 1850 and $1,000 in 1870. Start a table showing the land transactions, both in and out, to ensure all transactions are captured.

·      Determine if there are records for Friendship Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. Determine if there are extant records for First Baptist Church of Springdale.

·      Locate the extant applicable agricultural censuses for Arkansas.

·      Identify all of James Henry’s ten children.

·      James Henry served in the Mexican War and his widow, Alphurnia, received a pension. He may have had a pension too since he was feeble and helpless prior to his death. His tombstone notes his service from 1847–1848 in the Ark. Mounted Inf. Vol.

·      Who were the parents of Harvey Webb, nephew, in 1880?

·      Was Luke Henry in 1900 the stepson of James Henry?

 

Next up: Continuing the research on Mary Jane Henry and her husband, James, as noted in “Future Research” above.

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[1] Jane M. Henry tombstone, Original Cemetery Section, Friendship Cemetery, Springdale, Arkansas; photographed by Debra A. Hoffman on 26 August 2024.

[2] See obituary attached to memorial. See Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 8 December 2025), memorial 32241713, James Henry (23 Sep 1822–5 Jun 1910), maintained by contributor 46510018, Rosa Cline; citing Friendship Cemetery, Springdale, Washington County, Arkansas, USA; accompanying marker photo from contributor 47287035, Gerry Stanley, added 16 May 2014.

[3] 1880 U.S. census, Washington County, Arkansas, population schedule, Springdale Township, p. 13 (penned), p. 538 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 205, dwelling 118, family 118, James Henry; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 December 2025).

[4] Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 1 JA), memorial 44977126, Eliza Henry (15 Jun 1837–16 Jul 1893), maintained by contributor 46510018, Rosa Cline; citing Friendship Cemetery, Springdale, Washington County, Arkansas, USA

[5] See obituary attached to memorial. See Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 8 December 2025), memorial 32241713, James Henry (23 Sep 1822–5 Jun 1910), maintained by contributor 46510018, Rosa Cline; citing Friendship Cemetery, Springdale, Washington County, Arkansas, USA; accompanying marker photo from contributor 47287035, Gerry Stanley, added 16 May 2014.

[6] 1900 U.S. census, Washington County, Arkansas, population schedule, Springdale Township, enumeration district (ED) 116, sheet 24-B, dwelling 502, family 506, James Henry; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 December 2025).

[7] 1870 U.S. census, Washington County, Arkansas, population schedule, Clear Creek township, Fayetteville post office, pp. 1–3 (penned), dwellings 1-22; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 October 2025).

[8] 1870 U.S. census, Washington County, Arkansas, population schedule, Clear Creek township, Fayetteville post office, pp. 1–3 (penned), dwellings 1-22; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 October 2025). 1880 U.S. census, Washington County, Arkansas, population schedule, Springdale Township, p. 13 (penned), p. 538 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 205, dwelling 118, family 118, James Henry; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 December 2025).

[9] 1910 U.S. census, Washington County, Arkansas, population schedule, Springdale Township, enumeration district (ED) 149, sheet 5-B, dwelling 107, family 110, James Henry; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 December 2025). Lena’s relationship to James Henry is based on my knowledge and is documented in my files.