William James Henley
ID # 1874, (1846-1883)
| Father | Richard Henley (1805-1869) |
| Mother | Margaret Russell (1805-1882) |
| Birth | William James Henley was born in 1846. |
| Marriage | He married Elizabeth Porter in 1880. Thus far, the only marriage information that we have for William Henley and Elizabeth Porter is William's obituary in the Niagara Falls Gazette. It states that he married the oldest daughter of R. D. Porter some three years previously and that she died about a year after their marriage. |
| Death | He died on 23 January 1883 at Niagara Falls, New York State. |
| Burial | He was buried on 3 June 1883 at Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York. |
| Note | He We find William's middle name, James, in his application for Letters of Administration for the estate of his father Richard Henley. William Henley was the informant in the death of his mother in 1882, per her death registration. He is shown as a hotel clerk in Niagara Falls, New York. The 1880 census reflects this as well, for he is also shown there as a hotel clerk. With him in the census, apparently his wife, is Elizabeth. No marriage registration has been found for them in available Ontario or New York records. Thanks to familysearch.org, we now have available the Niagara County, State of New York, Record of Wills, Vol. 26, page 295 (image 588), a copy of the will plus relevant executor statements. William Henley's property was evidently all in Welland County, Ontario. His death is stated to have occurred in Niagara County, New York State on 23 January, 1883. Probate was apparently applied for in Welland County, but these records plus further application were made in Niagara County, New York State. The Canadian records appear on microfilm GS1 reel 680, Welland Surrogate Court, Welland county, wills. It tells us nothing of his wife, other than the fact that she is deceased and that he wishes to be buried with her (see below.) He leaves property to his half sister Margaret Cole and his half brother Edwin Tucker. The following information is available by searching the web site for Old Fulton NY PostCards fultonhistory.com. They provide an excellent range of editions of the Niagara Falls (New York) Gazette in which the following mentioned pages appear. Wednesday January 24, 1883: This edition provides us with an obituary that states William J. Henley died of consumption on Tuesday (the previous day). It states that he was an only child - not quite accurate as he had a half brother and half sister - and that he was born in Drummondville, Ontario. It says that his father was dead some years and that his mother had died 'July last'. About three years previously, he had married the oldest daughter (unnamed) of R.D. Porter and that she had died in June of 1881, about a year after their marriage. Tuesday June 5, 1883: This edtion tells us that the remains of W.J. Henley who died 'at the Niagara house some months ago' were taken from the vault at Oakwood (cemetery) and consigned to their final resting place at the cemetery 'on Sunday last'. Again, it describes him as the son-in-law of R.D. Porter. Based on this description, we may say that the burial took place on Sunday June 3, 1883. |
| Last Edited | 28 Jun 2020 |