Ida C. Hensley

​​​​(Printed in THE MILLER COUNTY AUTOGRAM-SENTINEL in the column, 'WINDOW TO THE PAST', Jan. 23, 2012)            

​Ida C. Hensley was born October 5, 1876 in Harrison County, Missouri, a daughter of Alfred Hensley (b. c/1854 in Missouri ) and Sarah Goodwin (b. c/1855 in Indiana). I found one record that gave her name as Nancy , so I’m not sure which is correct. Harrison County is in the extreme northern section of Missouri with the state of Iowa bordering it on the north. The county seat is Bethany, MO. Some of the children of Alfred and Sarah Hensley included:

​
1. Ida C. Hensley 1876-1929 m.(1) Samuel F. Chrisman 1896 (2) Richard J.Atwell 1914
2. Isaac/Ike Hensley 1876-1979 m. Cora Kerns in Harrison Co., MO
[NOTE: Isaac/Ike Hensley was a twin brother to Ida and he lived to the age of 103]
3. Charles E. Hensley b. c/1879 m.________________(lived at Nevada , MO)
[NOTE: His middle name may have been Elcannah]
4. Etta Hensley b. c/ 1877 m. _____Fannings (lived in Milo, MO )
5. Stella Hensley b.______ m. O. V. Davis (lived in Lamar, CO )
6. Joseph Hensley b._____m._________(lived in Denver, CO )
7. Walter Hensley b.______m._________(lived in Wise, MO)
8. Orville Hensley b.______m._________(lived in Milo, MO )

Ida C. Hensley married Samuel F. Chrisman 23 Sept 1896 in Harrison County, MO and they had several children born in that county before moving to Miller County in 1910. I have not been able to learn why they made the move from northern Missouri to the central part of the state in 1910. I have no idea if they had kinfolks already living here or not. There were families in Miller and Maries counties named Crismon which could have been a different spelling of the same family. That is only speculation on my part.

Ida and Samuel were parents of the following known children:
​
1. Virgie L. Chrisman 1898- m. Luther Henderson c/1925
2. Etta Mabel Chrisman 1899-1967 m. Claude Artimas Prater 1917 at Iberia
3. Ethel M. Chrisman b._______ m. Roscoe M. Lawson 1914 at Iberia
4. Adam Chrisman b. 1910
5. Alvin Chrisman b. 1911

NOTE: According to Ida’s obituary she had 4 other children who died in infancy.

In 1911, Samuel Chrisman died when a “wild, vicious horse trampled him to death causing a gastric perforation” (according to a death certificate I found online). The information was given by Ethel Chrisman (who I presume was a daughter) of Hancock, MO. Hancock is located in northern Pulaski County but in those years the folks who lived in southeastern Miller County had an address of Hancock, the nearest post office. He was buried at Walker Cemetery, which I think is known today as the Freedom cemetery.

On Nov. 24, 1914, Ida Hensley Chrisman married Richard J.Atwell (1873-1963) of the Alder Springs area. Richard was a son of Thomas Jefferson Atwell and Eliza Willis. Ida and Richard had one child, Eunice Atwell, but I have no information about her (i.e. date of birth, death, marriage, etc.) Richard was a widower with several children by his first wife, Martha M._____, including:

​​Wesley Atwell b. 1901, Virgil Atwell b. 1904, Edith Atwell 1905-1985 m. Olaf Otis Berry, Lewis Vern Atwell b. 1907, John Oscar Atwell b. 1909, and Ray Atwell b. 1910 m. Bessie__________.

Ida Hensley-Chrisman-Atwell died 11 Mar 1929 at the age of 53 years. She was survived by her husband, Richard Atwell, several children, grandchildren, and stepchildren, five brothers and two sisters. Her services here held at Freedom Church by Rev. H. H. Dietelkamp of Belle, MO and she was buried at Freedom Cemetery where her first husband was buried in 1911. According to her obituary she was first a member of the Methodist Church in Harrison County but later united with the Alder Springs Church of Christ in Richwoods Township .