Joseph Henderson (Pilot)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Henderson was an early American harbor pilot. He was well known for being one of the oldest and wealthiest pilots in the New York Sandy Hook service.
. At sixteen, Joseph left Charleston to find passage to New York as a cabin boy on a ship traveling to New York City. By the age of twenty-one, he was captain of his own schooner and a New York and Sandy Hook pilot. He married Angelina Annetta Weaver in New York City on February 13, 1849. They had six children: Sarah R., Maurice D., Joseph Jr., Mary Ann, Angelina A., and Alexander D. Henderson (businessman)
.
Pilot in the New York Harbor
and along the Atlantic Coast during the Civil War
. On October 18, 1872, Captain Joseph Henderson spoke at a meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Pilots about how he and his boat Pet, No. 9, rescued the crew of the brig Emily. In 1883, Joseph was called upon as an expert seaman to determine the height of the water span of the Brooklyn Bridge
On June 20, 1885, Joseph was expressly selected to escort the French Steamer Isère, laden with the Statue of Liberty
into the New York Harbor to Bedloe's Island. This event and Pilot Henderson's appearance was printed in the New York Times: "Old Pilot Henderson, who jumped from the skylight down on the quarter deck of the Isère."
On May 8, 1887, Pilot Joseph Henderson was listed in a United States Supreme Court libel for a collision between the American barkentine Freda A. Willey and the British steamship Martello. The suit said "Henderson has been a New York and Sandy Hook pilot for nearly forty-two years."
newspaper carried a front-page article titled: "Captain Joseph Henderson Dead - An Old Pilot and a Long Resident of Brooklyn Passes Away". Joseph was buried in the Green-Wood Cemetery
at 500 25th Street in Brooklyn, New York at the family lot #13244 in section 8.
In 1929, Charles Edward Russell published the book, "From Sandy Hook to 62°", which is about the Sandy Hook pilots including references to Captain Joseph Henderson.
Early life
Joseph Henderson was born in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. At sixteen, Joseph left Charleston to find passage to New York as a cabin boy on a ship traveling to New York City. By the age of twenty-one, he was captain of his own schooner and a New York and Sandy Hook pilot. He married Angelina Annetta Weaver in New York City on February 13, 1849. They had six children: Sarah R., Maurice D., Joseph Jr., Mary Ann, Angelina A., and Alexander D. Henderson (businessman)
Alexander D. Henderson (businessman)
Alexander Dawson Henderson was a businessman, philanthropist, and Vice-President and Treasurer of the California Perfume Company , which later became Avon Products, Inc.-Early life:...
.
Sandy Hook Pilot
He was a notable Sandy HookSandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...
Pilot in the New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
and along the Atlantic Coast during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. On October 18, 1872, Captain Joseph Henderson spoke at a meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Pilots about how he and his boat Pet, No. 9, rescued the crew of the brig Emily. In 1883, Joseph was called upon as an expert seaman to determine the height of the water span of the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
On June 20, 1885, Joseph was expressly selected to escort the French Steamer Isère, laden with the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
into the New York Harbor to Bedloe's Island. This event and Pilot Henderson's appearance was printed in the New York Times: "Old Pilot Henderson, who jumped from the skylight down on the quarter deck of the Isère."
On May 8, 1887, Pilot Joseph Henderson was listed in a United States Supreme Court libel for a collision between the American barkentine Freda A. Willey and the British steamship Martello. The suit said "Henderson has been a New York and Sandy Hook pilot for nearly forty-two years."
Death
On October 8, Joseph Henderson died (64) at his family home at 633 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn EagleBrooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name...
newspaper carried a front-page article titled: "Captain Joseph Henderson Dead - An Old Pilot and a Long Resident of Brooklyn Passes Away". Joseph was buried in the Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
at 500 25th Street in Brooklyn, New York at the family lot #13244 in section 8.
In 1929, Charles Edward Russell published the book, "From Sandy Hook to 62°", which is about the Sandy Hook pilots including references to Captain Joseph Henderson.