Judge Francis Henry was born in Illinois on Jan. 27, 1827. By the time he was a young man he had made his way to the Washington Territory. He had participated in the Mexican War and became a lawyer before mining brought him to the West Coast. In 1857, he began to practice law in Yam Hill County, OR. This is where he met and married his wife, Eliza B. Henry. After attempting mining a couple more times, he settled in Olympia, WA where his in-laws lived. He was awarded some surveying contracts from his father-in-law, who was the surveyor-general for Washington Territory. By 1865, he had resumed practicing law and started a land abstract business. Henry held many positions in Olympia, WA. Some included: serving three terms in the Territorial Legislature; elected probate judge for 8 years; city treasurer; clerk of Supreme Court; secretary of the Washington Pioneer Association and president of the Thurston County Bar Association. He served as a delegate to both of Washington's constitutional conventions. In both conventions he served on the committee which drafted the declaration of rights. Judge Henry is probably most remembered for the song, "The Old Settler", which he wrote in 1877. It was adapted to the popular tune, "Rosin the Bow." Judge Henry and his wife had seven children. Francis Dudley was their third child born about 1865. In 1920, Francis D. Henry was living in King County, WA with his sister and her family. He is listed in the U.S. Federal Census as a carpenter. In 1930, he had moved with the family to Snohomish County, WA. By 1938, when these letters were written, he was living in Black Diamond, King County, WA. Francis D. Henry passed away in Feb. 1953. He was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Thurston County, WA on April 9, 1953.
From the description of Correspondence of Francis D. Henry to C.M. Moore, 1938. (Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State). WorldCat record id: 192004516
