An American Family History

Henry (Hal) Massengill was born in 1758.

Hal was in the Fincastle County, Virginia militia.

He married Penelope Cobb, daughter of William Cobb. William Cobb and his wife, Barsheba, left Rocky Mount to their daughter, Penelope.

Rocky Mount Piney Flats, Tennessee Originally built by William Cobb. Served as the territorial capital from 1790 to 1792.  The present house was buiilt in the late 1820s.

He married Mary McCorkle. They divorced.

James Massengill was born in 1795.

In 1799 Abraham Blevins made a bet for $500 with Moses Humphreys that Henry Massengill's horse, The Collector, could beat any other horse. Humphreys claimed his brother, Richard Humphreys', horse, Paul Jones, could beat The Collector.

Abraham had to buy Massengill's horse for $500, but Humphreys failed to appear on the appointed day of the race because Paul Jones had become lame in an earlier race. Abraham sued Moses and won for the amount of the bet.

He married Elizabeth Emmert.

Elizabeth and Hal's children included:

Felty Devault Massengill (1815, married Deborah Webb),
John Massengill (1816, married Mary Scott, Nancy Ann Cross Smith, and Mary Jane Colbaugh), and
Joseph Massengill (1817, married Rachel Webb).

At the time of the 1830 census, Henry was living in Piney Flats, Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Henry died on September 17, 1837

Watauga Pioneer Neighbors