One of my favorite maxims – “genealogy is not for the faint of heart” – is the underlying premise of this multi-part article, a collection of challenges I’ve run across in my “research adventures” in pursuit of my own family history or that of my clients. Genealogy is fraught with challenges and the all-too-often need to untangle twisted history, but untangle I must (or at least try!) – whether it’s a client with family lore they wish to prove (or disprove) to scaling brick walls built on years of misleading information via either genealogical fraud, inheritance scams or Internet speculation. In recognition of October being Family History Month, this article has been excerpted from the May-June 2020 issue of Digging History Magazine.
We’ve Always Been Told: Family Lore (Part 2)
After completing a research project and producing a custom-designed family history chart for one client, he approached me the following year with a request to help prove (or disprove) a family story.
The “legend” he asked me to investigate was a long-held family story about his great uncle, J.T. Henderson, and how he had escaped the brutal Bataan death march. It was said that the Japanese machine-gunned his troops and another man fell on top of him taking all the bullets meant for J.T. After dark he crawled out of the pile of bodies, escaped and somehow made his way to New Zealand, later repatriated with other American soldiers.
Allegedly, J.T. only once spoke of the incident, preferring to keep the story to himself. Family members respected his wishes, but his great nephew wanted to know more. I agreed to take a look. Here is my report:
J.T. Henderson was born on June 28, 1921 to parents William Leroy and Maggie Myrtle (Hughes) Henderson in Zephyr (Brown County), Texas. Strange as it might seem it appears “J.T.” was his given name. His birth certificate seems to indicate his parents had not picked out a name.
In census records, newspaper mentions and other public records he was always referred to as “J.T. Henderson”. In fact, his World War II draft registration card indicates the same.
In July 1941, J.T. married Pansy Rosaline Perry. J.T. and Pansy had been married less than a year when he registered for service in World War II. The registration card is dated February 16, 1942. J.T. entered the Army and served with (according to his grave stone) “BSM PH Company D 36th Armored Infantry Regiment”.
Here is a brief history of this regiment through the end of WWII:
- Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 36th Infantry
- Organized 27 July 1916 at Brownsville, Texas
- Assigned 5 July 1918 to the 12th Division
- Relieved 31 January 1919 from assignment to the 12th Division
- Inactivated 13 October 1921 at Fort Jay, New York
- Assigned 24 March 1923 to the 9th Division
- Relieved 1 August 1940 from assignment to the 9th Division
- Activated 15 April 1941 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, as the 36th Infantry (Armored) and assigned to the 3d Armored Division
- Re-designated 1 January 1942 as the 36th Armored Infantry
- Inactivated 10 November 1945 in Germany 6
The regiment was active during the war in Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe. No mention of any Pacific action.
In regards to the story about J.T. and the Bataan Death March, records simply do not support it. The march began in April 1942. J.T. had registered in February 1942.
Attempts to locate J.T.’s service records at Fold3 (Ancestry.com affiliated site for military records) were futile (not even the record of the one medal he received, a Purple Heart). This may be due to his records likely being part of those destroyed during a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis on July 12, 1973. Approximately 80% of Army records were lost. His obituary mentions he received a Purple Heart and that he served in Europe:
J.T. Henderson, 89, of Waco, passed away at a local hospital surrounded by loving family Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010. Services will be 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 30, at Pecan Grove Funeral Home, with Alan Ritchie officiating. Burial will follow at 3 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Goldthwaite, Texas. The family will receive visitors 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
J.T. was born in Zephyr, Texas, the 9th of 10 children, of the late Willie and Myrtle Henderson. J.T. married Pansy Perry on July 28, 1941. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, where he received the Purple Heart. After returning from the war, he worked as a ranch hand and ranch manager in Greyford, and Eliasville. In 1953, J.T. moved with his wife and daughter, Geralda, to Oregon. He went to work for the Phelps Lumber Company, which shortly thereafter became Davidson Industries. While there, J.T. learned the electrical trade and continued as a Davidson employee until he retired for the first time in 1986. Restless in retirement, he started J.T. Henderson Electric as a contractor and continued to work even after a heart bypass surgery in 2002 at age 80, finally retiring in 2004 at age 82. J.T. loved to read, and study God’s word. Although without a lot of formal education, he preached, performed numerous weddings and funerals, and for many years served the Florence, Oregon, Church of Christ as an Elder. The members of the church were family to J.T. and Pansy. After moving to Waco in 2008, they were gratified by the way they were embraced and loved by his last church family, The New Road Church of Christ in Waco.
He was preceded in death by a son, David Henderson; sisters, Bertha Henderson, Velma Thompson, Ruby Duke Carter, Marie Singleton, and Maggie Mae Cummings; and brothers, Roy, Donald, and Joe Henderson.
He is survived by his wife and partner of 69 years, Pansy Henderson; daughter, Geralda Moore; son, Terry Henderson and wife, Maria; four grandchildren; three great-grandsons; brother, Conrad Henderson and wife, Orene; brother-in-law, Charlie Perry; beloved sister-in-law, Dorothy Davee; and numerous nieces, nephews and countless friends, especially their beloved friends of almost 60 years, Merlin and Polly Petty of Florence, Ore., and Thelma Wilson of Jay, Okla., and his little dog, Shadow.1
The obituary was found at Find-A-Grave. Here is a picture accompanied by a source which doesn’t include any mention of service in the Pacific theater: (Source: Men & Women WWII Mills County. Son of W O Henderson. Sailed for ETO in Dec 1944, spent 14 months and took part in 3 battles. Wounded at Bastogne, Belgium Jan 3, 1945. Received Purple Heart. Discharged Feb 1946.)
How the story about his being present during the Bataan march was conceived and perpetuated is unclear, but what records can be found indicate J.T. served in Europe (although not impossible parts of the regiment saw Pacific action as well). While the facts don’t support the family “legend” of J.T.’s military service, his obituary (and tributes written online) indicate he lived a long and honorable life. He and Pansy are buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Mills County (she passed away in 2015).
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