Wait, what? Who is this Henry Bembry?

Recently, Family Search threw me a curveball. While doing my periodic search for any new references to Miles Bembry, an entirely new early Bembry popped up!

Henry Bembry appears twice in estate records for a Whitmell Wilkins in Bertie county, NC. In 1828 he is mentioned as a debtor, owing the deceased $5.00.

And in 1831, he is listed on an estate inventory as owing $5.90 (or $5.00 plus interest).

I would suspect that this Henry is actually a stray Benbury, but no “Henry Benburys” come up any searches. His name is clearly written twice as “Bembry.” Not only that, but Miles Bembry is listed on the same page in 1831. He is representing William McKenzie Clark, so he is definitely my ancestor, who had a long-term connection with the Clark family.

If the estate administrator knew how to spell Miles’ surname, he certainly knew how to spell Henry’s. So, this is indeed a completely new (to me) Bembry, popping up unexpectedly like a mushroom in this document.

Henry Bembry does not appear on any census or in any other record that I can find (yet). He is not one of Miles’ four sons, born between 1794 and 1799, because they are all accounted for the census records, with no extra boys listed. He must be an adult by 1828 in order to be listed as a debtor, so neither is he young enough one of Miles’ grandsons. Yet his appearance on this estate record indicates that he lived somewhere near this Halifax County Whitmell Wilkins for at least some period of time.

It is just possible that Henry is Miles’ father, but as Miles was born about 1766, he would have to be quite old by 1828 for that to be the case–in his 80s. And it would be really strange for a man in his 80s to have left no trace in any census, property or court records.

By process of elimination, I therefore believe that Henry Bembry must be of Miles’ generation, possibly a cousin, but most likely Miles’ brother.

Well, well, what to make of this information?

For a start, I can be pretty sure that that Miles was born with his odd surname. It must have belonged to either his father or his mother because someone else had it too.

With that in mind, and reading back over my copious notes from previous research, I have a new working theory for Miles’ origins. More on that shortly.