William Henry, who would later call himself Jerry, was born into slavery in North Carolina in 1811 by a slave named Ciel on the property of their owner, William Henry, in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Ciel came to be in William Henry's possession when he inherited her through marriage of a widow from the nearby McReynolds family. Although there is no documentation to prove so, “Jerry, with his red hair and light skin tone, was most likely the son of William Henry”. In 1818, when Jerry was seven years old, William Henry pursued manifest destiny and moved his operations to the town of Hannibal in Marion County, Missouri. Here Jerry would grow up and hone his skills as a carpenter and a cooper. Jerry was especially known for his skill crafting chairs.
