| ||||||||||||||
| Henry County, Virginia | ||
| ||
 Location in the state of Virginia | ||
 Virginia's location in the U.S. | ||
| Founded | 1777 | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | Martinsville | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
384 sq mi (995 km²) 382 sq mi (989 km²) 2 sq mi (5 km²), 0.53% | |
| Population - Density |
53,795 150/sq mi (58/km²) | |
| Website | www.co.henry.va.us | |
Virginia state historical marker for Henry County
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2009, the population was 53,795.[1] The county seat is Martinsville.
Henry County is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History[]
Greenwood, built by Col. Joseph Martin, son of General Joseph Martin, namesake of Martinsville, at Axton, Henry County, 1808–1810
The county was established in 1777 when it was carved from Pittsylvania County. The new county was initially named Patrick Henry County in honor of Patrick Henry, who was then serving as the first Governor of Virginia after independence. Living on his 10,000-acre (40 km2) plantation called Leatherwood, Gov. Henry was a sometime resident of the county, where he had relatives already settled.[2][3][4]
Major John Redd, Continental Army, pioneer settler of Henry County
In 1785 the northern part of Patrick Henry County was combined with part of Bedford County to form Franklin County. In 1790, Patrick Henry County was split into two counties, the western part becoming Patrick County and the rest becoming Henry County.
Other notable early settlers of Henry County include Colonel George Waller,[5] Captain George Hairston and Major John Redd,[6] all of whom were present at the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown; Col. Abraham Penn, a native of Amherst County, Virginia, who led his Henry County militia troops with the intention of joining General Nathaniel Greene at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse during the Revolutionary War;[7] and Brigadier General Joseph Martin, for whom Martinsville is named.[8] Also prominent were Mordecai Hord, a native of Louisa County and prominent early explorer, who lived on his plantation called Hordsville;[9] and Col. John Dillard, born in Amherst County, Virginia in 1751, wounded at the Battle of Princeton during the Revolution, and later a member of the Committee of Safety and a colonel in the Virginia forces.
In 1902, the Henry County Historical Society was incorporated at Martinsville with its first officers being John W. Carter, J. Harrison Spencer and C. B. Bryant.[10]
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (994.6 km2), of which 382 square miles (989.4 km2) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.53%) is water.
Districts[]
The county is divided into six supervisor districts: Bassett, Blackberry, Collinsville, Horsepasture, Iriswood, Reed Creek, and Ridgeway.
Adjacent counties[]
- Franklin County, Virginia - north
- Pittsylvania County, Virginia - east
- Rockingham County, North Carolina - south
- Stokes County, North Carolina - south-southwest
- Patrick County, Virginia - west
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 8,479 | ||
| 1800 | 5,259 | −38.0% | |
| 1810 | 5,611 | 6.7% | |
| 1820 | 5,624 | 0.2% | |
| 1830 | 7,100 | 26.2% | |
| 1840 | 7,335 | 3.3% | |
| 1850 | 8,872 | 21.0% | |
| 1860 | 12,105 | 36.4% | |
| 1870 | 12,303 | 1.6% | |
| 1880 | 16,009 | 30.1% | |
| 1890 | 18,208 | 13.7% | |
| 1900 | 19,265 | 5.8% | |
| 1910 | 18,459 | −4.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,238 | 9.6% | |
| 1930 | 20,088 | −0.7% | |
| 1940 | 26,481 | 31.8% | |
| 1950 | 31,219 | 17.9% | |
| 1960 | 40,335 | 29.2% | |
| 1970 | 50,901 | 26.2% | |
| 1980 | 57,654 | 13.3% | |
| 1990 | 56,942 | −1.2% | |
| 2000 | 57,930 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 54,151 | −6.5% | |
View of the Smith River from bridge at Fieldale, Henry County
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,952 families residing in the county. The population density was 152 people per square mile (58/km²). There were 25,921 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.47% White, 10% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 3.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 23,910 households out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,816, and the median income for a family was $38,649. Males had a median income of $26,660 versus $20,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,110. About 8.80% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.
Communities[]
Town[]
- Ridgeway
Unincorporated communities[]
Virginia state historic marker for plantation of Patrick Henry, county's namesake, Leatherwood, Henry County
- Axton
- Bassett
- Chatmoss
- Collinsville
- Fieldale
- Horsepasture
- Laurel Park
- Oak Level
- Sandy Level
- Spencer
- Stanleytown
- Villa Heights
As an independent city since 1928, Martinsville is not part of Henry County, but exists as an enclave, surrounded by the county.
See also[]
- Henry County Sheriff's Office
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Henry County, Virginia
References[]
- ^ [1]. Weldon Cooper Center Population Estimates Retrieved January 26, 2011
- ^ Places Associated with Patrick Henry, virginiaplaces.org
- ^ National Register of Historic Places Form, dhr.virginia.gov
- ^ History, Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia, martinsville.com
- ^ A native of Stafford County, Virginia, George Waller lived on his plantation at what was once known as Waller's Ford, today's Fieldale. He was married to Ann Winston (Carr) Waller, first cousin of Patrick Henry. Col. Waller's wife's sister was married to Col. Mordecai Hord. [2] Col. George Waller's daughter, Mary Winston Carr Waller, married Major John Redd of the Continental Army.
- ^ General Joseph Martin, by John Redd, Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. VII, No. 1, January 1903, Washington, D.C.
- ^ Lord Dunmore's Little War of 1774, Warren Skidmore, Donna Kaminsky, Heritage Books, 2002
- ^ Henry County, The Carolina Road, virginia.org
- ^ Thomas Hord, Gentleman, Arnold Harris Hord, Thomas Hord, Philadelphia, 1903
- ^ Acts and Joint Resolutions , Passed by the General Assembly, of the State of Virginia, During the Session of 1901–2, J. H. O'Hannon, Superintendent of Public Printing, Richmond, 1902
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links[]
- Henry County, Official site
- Henry County Public Schools
- Patrick Henry Monument, Henry County, Virginia, virginia.org
- Henry County – The Carolina Road, Wilderness Road, virginia.org
- Architectural Survey of Henry County/Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society
|
Franklin County |
| ||
| Patrick County | 
|
Pittsylvania County | ||
   Henry County, Virginia | ||||
| ||||
| Stokes County, North Carolina | Rockingham County, North Carolina |
Template:Henry County, Virginia
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Henry County, Virginia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |
