History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Henry B. Hendershott
HENRY B. HENDERSHOTT was born in Miami County, Ohio, May 15, 1816, and his youthful years were spent on a farm in Illinois. He earned his way through college at Jacksonville by labor on a farm. In 1837 he came to the “Black Hawk Purchase” and studied law in Burlington. He began to practice at Agency City in 1843 and two years later was appointed Prosecuting Attorney for the Seventh District. As clerk of the court, he organized the county of Wapello. In, 1847 he was appointed Deputy Surveyor-General of Iowa and Wisconsin under General Jones. In 1848 he was appointed one of the commissioners, with Joseph G. Brown, to settle the disputed boundary between the States of Iowa and Missouri. They, in conjunction with a similar commission from Missouri, established a boundary line which was finally adopted and confirmed by the courts as the true and permanent boundary. In 1850 Mr. Hendershott was elected to the State Senate from the district composed of the counties of Wapello, Lucas and Monroe, serving four years. He took a prominent part in the enactment of the Code of 1851. He was a member of the Iowa Geographical and Historical Societies and was a frequent contributor to their publications. In 1856 he was elected judge of the Third District. He was one of the early and influential leaders of the Democratic party of Iowa. He died at Ottumwa August 10, 1900.