THIRD GENERATION

7. Henry Hunter was born in 1783 in South Carolina. He appeared on the census in 1820 in Franklin County, Illinois.⁽⁶³⁾ He appeared on the census in 1830 in Franklin County, Illinois. ⁽⁶⁴⁾ He appeared on the census in 1840 in Williamson County, Illinois. ⁽⁶⁵⁾ He appeared on the census on 1 Oct 1850 in Williamson County, Illinois.⁽⁶⁶⁾ He appeared on the census on 11 Jul 1870 in Township #11, Range #2E, Johnson County, Illinois.⁽⁶⁷⁾ He died on 13 Apr 1876 in Williamson County, Illinois.


Henry is listed only as a "probable" son of Dempsey; however, it is possible that he was a son of Allen or Thomas T. Hunter.


From "The Hunters of of Williamson County, Illinois" by Lettie and Lawrence Hunter:


..... Henry Hunter, ...., also served in the War of 1812 in the Battle of New Orleans under Andrew Jackson. Earl's father was ten years old when Uncle Henry died, and remembered Henry's stories of this War. In his old age, blind and feeble, Uncle Henry lived with Jacob 2nd, Emmanuel's son. His hobby was whitling out walking canes. Henry was 90 years old at the time, and would tell of the day, in the Battle of New Orleans, when the American forces were pinned down, behind the breastworks, Indian fashion, while the British forces in their red costs, white pants, and shining boots, paraded back and forth, being contemptuous of the raggle-taggle American forces. Henry's officer, Andrew Jackson came to Henry and, pointing out General Packenham, leader of the English Army, asked "Do you think you could hit him from here?" "Well, I've shot down many a deer on Half Pone Mountain as far away as he is," Henry told him. "Load your gun", the officer told him." So Henry said he loaded up "Old Betsy" with a full charge, took careful aim, and General Packenham fell, mortally wounded. Henry said, "I heard afterwards that he had a bullet hole where I held, but others were firing, too. I'd hate to know, for sure, that I killed a man." The added part of the story was that Packenham, scorning the American country, had made his men promise that, should he be killed, they would take his body back for burial in England. His death posed a problem, for the sailors were superstitious and felt that a dead body on board meant certain disaster. Someone came up with the suggestion that a barrel of rum stored in the hold be emptied out; Packenham's body be put in the barrel, then the barrel filled again with rum to preserve the body during the trip. This was done, and worked very well until the ship hit stormy weather that delayed the ship for quite a long time. During this, supplies and water grew scarce, and since rum was the mainstay for drinking, it grew scarce too, and was rationed. However, one sailor, messing around in the hold, found a full barrel of rum, and he and his ship mates drained it dry. By the time the dry body of Packenham reached England, it hadn't kept well at all with the rum drained off it. Word of this finally leaked out, and I suppose many an old sea dog turned green and lost his dinner when he heard of what he had drunk. From. that time to this, that particular kind of Jamaica Rum has been known as "Packenham Rum." Mama recalls that, when the study of the War of New Orleans was studied at school, the Teacher always made her and her brothers rise and stand before the class while the teacher told the story of the War, and said that, had it not been for a relative of theirs, it was very probable that America would still be a part of England.

My grandmother, Lucina Evelina Hunter Newton, well remembered her Great-uncle, Henry Hunter when he lived with her father, Jacob 2nd when she was a child. She always regretted one of the tricks she and her sisters used to play or, the frail, tiny, blind man. He dearly loved to be led out on the porch on a sunny day and sit with his chair tilted back or the two back legs so that it leaned against the wall of the cabin. Grandma and her sisters would carefully lead him out, sit him in his chair, and then he would throw himself backward against the wall to lodge his chair so it would be firmly settled. But these mischievous children would move his chair out a bit; then when he threw himself backward the chair would just miss the wall, and Uncle Henry would land on his back on the floor, thin old legs waving in the air, helplessly, crying out, "Gals'. Don't laugh, come give me a hand."


PENSION FILE OF HENRY HUNTER - WAR OF 1812

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION - SC-1663

(Condensed)

State of Illinois, County of Johnson, ss:

On the 18th day of March A. D. 1871 personally appeared before me B. S. Smith, Clerk of the County Court, Henry Hunter aged 83 years, a resident of Johnson County, Ill. unmarried, that he married Lucy Teaseley in Montgomery County, Tenn. March 30, 1809, and who died January 15,1850; that he served in the War of 1812 in Captain Bird Nance's Company, Second Regiment of Tennessee Infantry in General Carroll's Brigade, General Jackson's Division, being drafted November 12, 1814 in Robertson County and honorably discharged April 1, 1815. Was in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815 and several minor engagements including that in which Colonel Henderson was killed.

Appoints John S. Crum (?) of. Vienna, Ill., his attorney; that he resides at Cedar Bluff, 9 miles north of Vienna.

J.H. Barnett
P.T. Chapman Henry Hunter

He was married to Lucy Teasley (daughter of John Teasley and Lucy Hunt) on 30 Mar 1809 in Montgomery County, Tennessee. Lucy Teasley was born in 1790. She died on 15 Jan 1850 in Illinois. Henry Hunter and Lucy Teasley had the following children:

+28 i. Lewis Washington Hunter.
+29 ii. John Hunter.
+30 iii. Henry J. Hunter.
+31 iv. Margaret Jean Hunter.