A Local Pioneer: Aliff Henley was first African American to buy land in Howard County

Mar. 6—The intersection of County Road 400 and County Road N. 600 W. is a fairly typical rural Indiana spot. There's farmland for as far as the eye can see, only interrupted by the occasional house.

But its place in history is anything but ordinary.

On Nov. 11, 1844, Aliff Henley, a former slave from North Carolina, bought 80 acres at the northwest corner of the intersection for $280 in cash in a land office in Delphi, Indiana. She was issued certificate number 1416 and, with it, became the first known African American to buy land in Howard County.

Not much is known about Henley herself. She had two children, a son named Case and daughter named Lucinda, and eventually married a man named Samuel Henley, though it is unknown when they married.

There are no known photos of her and since she could not read or write, there are no known writings of hers either.

What is known of her comes from what can be found in historical records, which were poured over by the Howard County Historical Society and local historian Gil Porter the past year and resulted in, admittedly, an incomplete but still fascinating life story.

FROM SHACKLES TO INDIANA

On Nov. 2, 1801, in Randolph County, North Carolina, a landowner named Edward Fentriss, representing his brother, George, entered the county's courthouse located in Ashboro with a petition of manumission (a release from slavery) in his hand.

George Fentriss owned two slaves at the time — Aliff, who was originally from Virginia, and her son, Case. On that day, though, they were no longer property of George Fentriss.

The exact reasons or their release is not known, but anti-slavery sentiment was strong in the region at the time, with the founding of the Manumission Society of North Carolina just a little more than a decade away in 1816.

The gaps in Henley's life story begin shortly after her release from slavery. She next pops up in the 1830 U.S. federal census, which shows she and her growing family still in Randolph County, North Carolina. But they would soon be on the move into the Northwest Territory, which would eventually become the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Northwest Territory had seen Black migration since its early days, but that number would increase significantly over the first six decades of the 19th Century, and by 1860 nearly one-eighth of the U.S.'s free Black population had come to the territory.

By the mid-1830s, Henley and Lucinda had reached Indiana. We know this because Lucinda married David Rush on June 29, 1837, in Ripley Township, Rush County, Indiana, where a Quaker settlement with a large community of African Americans (400 by 1835) was nearby.

They wouldn't stay long, though.

Research done by Porter and the 1840 census shows Henley and her family in Wayne Township in Indianapolis's west side. But, once again, they'd be soon on the move in search for land.

At that time, Indiana was close, geographically at least, to what we know now as the Miami Indians relinquishing the remainder of their lands in the state, including the Big Miami Reserve, which included all of Howard County, and parts of Tipton, Cass, Grant, Clinton, Wabash, Miami and Madison counties.

It would be there that Henley and her family would travel next.

"They had access to convenient travel — the Michigan Road was close by, which would take them almost directly to their destination," Porter writes in the August issue of the county historical society's "Footprints" issue. "They were pioneers in the true spirit of the word, among those seeking a new life and land of their own. So sometime in 1843 or early '44, they decided to move once again, gathered their belongings, and headed north to the Miami reserve."

'One of the most interesting people'

For Porter, there's little doubt on the significance of Henley to the history of the county.

"I think she's one of the most interesting people to ever live in Howard County," he said. "She didn't invent anything, she didn't serve office, but her life, the story we're sharing now, is a testament to perseverance, fortitude and is really just an example of incredible human strength because of her background."

Henley lived in Howard County for nearly 20 years as part of the Rush settlement, one of three African American settlements in the county. Rural Indiana was once littered with dozens of African American settlements, which "forged a sense of community" and autonomy for African Americans as schools, writes Porter, as churches and fraternal institutions were built in and around the settlements.

The Rush settlement, according to archival accounts, had a church, a cemetery and a school, which survived demolition until at least the mid-20th Century, Porter writes.

Henley died on Oct. 3, 1861, at the age of 110. She was buried in the church cemetery just north of her 80-acre plot of land. The church building is long gone, but the cemetery and her tombstone remain, which features a rose above her epitaph.

She was known to later archivists and historians though, according to Porter's research, it appears they were confused of her sex, the spelling of her name, sometimes having her first name spelled as "Alief," and maybe even her race.

"Archivists attempting to sync the name with other records apparently couldn't decide if it was a man or a woman," Porter writes in "Footprints." "Its earliest appearance outside of government documents is the 1877 Kingman Bros. Combination Atlas of Howard County. The name Alif Henly appears twice, though amazingly not with the descriptions of 'Colored' people, churches or schools. First reference is among a list of early settlers, all white men, and Alif Henly. A subsequent reference repeats the tombstone age (110) but uses a male pronoun and an inaccurate age for 'a son' still living.

"County history combination atlases of the day were popular (still are) commercial products that relied on both official transcripts and unverifiable testimonies from aged residents." Porter continues. "It's remarkable that the name was remembered and recorded (with the white guys, no less!), even if details of the actual person were cloudy. That someone at least remembered her, suggests she was notable in meaningful ways."

While Henley's name wasn't forgotten or buried in local history, it wasn't until recently that the discovery of her being the first African American to buy land in the county was made.

Porter said the historical society made it a priority last year to begin looking at the county's African American history, and that he knew of her name due to past research.

Having an expertise in local land records, Porter looked for Henley in those records and found the certificate she was issued in November 1844 — the same year the county was formally incorporated — and couldn't find any earlier record of an African American buying land in the county.

"Stories like this do tend to be forgotten, but in this case, we just didn't know," Porter told the Tribune.

HER LEGACY LIVES ON

Henley's legacy is more than being just the first African American to buy land in the county.

Being a devout religious woman, her will deeded the land she owned to be used to "Erect or cause to be Built thereon a house or place of Worship for the use of the Members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church."

The A.M.E. church started by the Rev. David Rush, Henley's son-in-law, who lived and worked east of Henley as part of the African American Rush settlement, would be the county's first. The congregation eventually relocated to Kokomo and became the Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church, which still operates to this day at 920 N. Apperson Way.

William Gary, pastor of Wayman Chapel A.M.E., said the church was aware of Henley but was not aware of the fact that she is the earliest known Black landowner in the county.

"It's a remarkable story," Gary said. "It lets people know that the church and the African American experience has been a vital part of this community and have made the community what it is."

Gary said Henley's life story can and should be used as inspiration for people to learn from.

"Faith played a large role in her life, and she stayed focused," he said. "She did not let the situation and other people get in the way of what she wanted to accomplish. You can't let other folk determine and label you and put you in a box. She preserved a rough part of time in our country's history. It just speaks a lot to her character. She must've had enormous faith in God and must have seen beyond her present circumstance."

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich