BRUCE, Henry, born 30 Oct 1777 in Stafford County, Virginia; lost his father before his first birthday; moved with his mother to Culpepper County, Virginia in 1778; moved with his mother about 1781 to Botetourt County, Virginia, where they lived with his step- father Hugh Morrison (who did not welcome the task of raising Henry and his brother); later described himself at this time of his life as a poor, destitute orphan; moved in 1782 to Orange County, Virginia, where he lived with his grand uncle Charles Bruce; received schooling from John Goolrich, a famous mathematician; moved Jan 1789 to Stafford County, Virginia to live with his grandfather, William Bruce; lost his grandfather in 1792; returned to live with his mother and step-father in Botetourt County; left home and traveled with Benjamin Threlkeld’s family to Kentucky in the spring of 1793; worked on farms in Mason County and Fleming County; bought fifty acres of unimproved land in Fleming County, on Johnson Creek between the communities of Nepton and Johnson; married Eleanor Threlkeld 11 Jan 1798 in Mason County; lived with his wife at her mother’s house for fifteen months while constructing a large, one-room cabin on his property in Fleming County; took possession of three slaves in Nov 1798 as a part of his inheritance; completed construction of a ten-room brick home, the first brick home in Fleming County, Sep 1814; accumulated additional property until he owned nearly one thousand acres in 1829; worked in a variety of capacities including woodsman, trader, and farmer, the latter being his primary focus; drove hogs to Maryland and Virginia, eventually losing thousands of dollars in the panic of 1837; owned forty to fifty slaves over the course of his lifetime; advocated treating slaves with humanity, but nonetheless lost many who ran away to Ohio; associated with the old-time Baptist church; an avid student of the Bible yet never made a profession of faith; had occasion to hear the preaching of Alexander Campbell, founder of the Christian Church; affiliated with the National Republican Party (not to be confused with the Republican Party) and later with the Whigs; called upon, at times, to preside over local political meetings; served for many years as a Justice of the Peace; awarded the office of High Sheriff in 1834; said to be a charitable, cheery, good-natured man of firm principles, who was honored, respected, and loved by nearly all who knew him; admired for his unflinching integrity, determined energy of purpose, habits of industry, perseverance, public-spiritedness, patriotism, and hospitality; died of heart failure 10 Jul 1855 in Fleming County; interment in the Bruce Cemetery in Fleming County.