Like any other family established in the New World for more than a few generations, the Hendershots have traditions of their origin in Europe. In the past, these were recorded in notes and by word of mouth, and later were recorded in notes and in print. Nevertheless, some of these tales were distorted and others were totally false versions of the facts.
One of the most persistent traditions in nearly every family is the claim to have had noble ancestry. Not surprisingly, this was the case with the Hendershots until just a few years ago. Research has shown that the claim was not made public until about the 1890s ... almost two centuries after the first Hendershot arrived in America.
It resulted from the frustrated researches of Cleveland B. Hendershot of Chicago. He was the eccentric son of Robert Henry Hendershott, who for a brief moment achieved national fame as The Drummer Boy Of The Rappahannock during the Civil War. Cleveland worked industriously and traveled frequently in search of genealogical information, much of which is preserved and is invaluable for the family. However, he also indulged in romantic theorizing and tried to prove that the Hendershots were of noble descent, and that intermarried families also had such backgrounds.
John Ruch, a family genealogist from Ontario, Canada, has done extensive study on the nobility myth and has concluded that the crest below has nothing to do with our Hendershot family. For more information on this issue, read Hendershot Ancestors by William E. Hendershott, published in 1988.
What Did The Mythical Crest Look Like?
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