Henderson Lafferty was the older brother of old Lorenzo, born in Georgia in 1798. As a young man, he moved with his family to Arkansas. He became a Methodist minister, and as such was called to service in the Texas Conference in 1846. Just prior to his leaving Arkansas, he is noted as having performed several marriages in Indian Territory — the part of [now Oklahoma] adjacent to Arkansas which was previously settled by the Cherokee people. He is found in this area with Rev. John Carnihan, a Lafferty family friend, who christened many of the children.
“On 1 November 1833, by act of the Territorial legislature, Carroll County, Arkansas, was formed. The County at that time included, Boone County, and a Part of Newton, Madison, Marion Searcy Co. Henderson Lafferty, a pioneer Methodist preacher and shrewd businessman, was the first merchant of Carrolton and Carrol County. Lafferty had extensive knowledge of the Carroll Co. Territory. He successfully impressed the County Commissioners Henry Keys, John S. Blaire, and Barnett Cheatham that Carrollton was the logical location for the new county seat. He purchased 80 acres of land from James Jones. The Commissions paid Lafferty $1,000.00 for the land for the county seat center. This was considered a big sum for the land. Henderson Lafferty held church services in the Court House before a church was built. Carrollton Methodist church was organized in 1836. This Circuit included more than a dozen preaching places.”
Source: Independence County Chronicle/contributed by Mary Lafferty Wilson
Henderson and wife, Nancy Craig Lafferty, are liberally sprinkled in the pages of Texas history, from their arrival in 1846 until his death in June 1870. There are numerous references to him in Methodist publications as well as local historical resources.
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