March 10, 2011 11:40:19 AM EST
This story was sent to me by an acquaintance in the local historical society. It can be found in a book called:
Tragedy at Devils Hollow: And Other Kentucky Ghost Stories
By Michael Paul Henson
Hope you enjoy this.
Question: could this have anything to do with the high levels of quartz, limestone and ley lines in the area from where this story came?
When the earliest settlers began to build cabins and take up land grants in eastern Kentucky during the late 1700s and early 1800s, they found a Negro man already living on the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River. He said his name was George Madison Henry and that he had moved from the tidewater country of Virginia to eastern Kentucky in 1790.
Henry seemed to have plenty of money for supplies and spent his time trapping and fishing. He did go on trips that would last from a week to a month, but no one ever know where he went or what he did. For the first 30 or 40 years, as the area was filling up with people, no one noticed that Henry seemed not to age. Although he seemed to prefer the solitude of the woods, Henry was jovial and made friends with all his neighbors. He was always on hand to help anyone in trouble.
Years passed and several people made lasting friendships with Henry. When he was in a conversation with a neighbor sometimes Henry would refer to the General, James, Patrick, and Tom. When someone asked him who these men were, Henry replied, "Why, General Washington, Mr. James Madison, Patrick Henry and Tom Jefferson. I knowed them all." The neighbor thought that Henry had spent too much time alone in the woods and was fantasizing or was just plain crazy.
Henry made a trip to Washington, D.C., in 1836. When he returned home, he told his neighbors that he had attended the funeral of Mr. James Madison, the last of the men he had served. This information raised the eyebrows of Henry's acquaintances.
After two generations, the older settlers began to die. The younger ones began to wonder about Henry. He looked the same to them as he had to their grandparents, but no one questioned him about his age. In 1900, Henry opened a small general store frequented by old-timers in the area. One of the aged white men, having known Henry for over 70 years, finally asked him how old he was.
Henry answered, "I wuz born in August 15, 1755, on a plantation in Virginia. I wuz a body servant to General Washington during the war with England. I served Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison. I knowed Mr. Patrick Henry and a lot of them other folks what wuz in the war. I even took care of Mr. Lafayette's hoss one time. He gave me a brace of his pistols."
The old-timers did not question Henry's integrity since some had heard great-grandparents say they knew Henry, and that was over 100 years before.
Henry continued to live and operate his story until 1930 when he was found dead in his small house behind the store. An investigation was made by the sheriff's department and a doctor. They stated in their report that Henry had apparently grown tired of living and had just gone to sleep.
A locked leather truck was found in a closet of the house. None of the local folks had ever seen it. When it was opened the officers were dumbfounded to find letters form Washington, Madison, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. There were also antique pistols inscribed "To George Madison Henry from George Washington," a letter freeing Henry from slavery dated October 20, 1782, from Thomas Jefferson, and a book autographed by Jefferson.
Another letter, dated October 27, 1772, had been written by Judge Elias Adams ands tated that Henry had been given a tract of land in the western country. At that time, it was Fincastle County, Virginia, and later became Kentucky. There was a well-born Bible with Henry's birth date, August 15, 1755, written in it, a pair of expensive cuff links, a ring, several bills of Continental currency, English coins and another pair of pistols inscribed "Marquis de Lafayette." A suit of clothes from the period 1750-1800 was found. It included a ruffled shirt, long coat, wig, gold snuff box and silver-buckled shoes. All the items had been packed neatly in the leather trunk, and since Henry had no relatives, these antiques were sent to a museum in Washington, D.C.
My grandfather had spoken about George Henry, saying that Henry claimed to have been in the Revolutionary War. Nobody had believed him since he didn't look to be over 50 years old when he died, but my grandfather had known Henry for over 60 years.
Several people still living can remember when Henry died, and occasionally the story of Henry's longevity is mentioned by old-timers in the area. Incredibly, the evidence points to the fact that the man named George Madison Henry served in the Revolutionary War as a slave, earned the respect of its leaders and was given his freedom by Thomas Jefferson. This man then lived utnil 1930, which made him 175 years old.
