Background
Born in Cambridge, Lamoille County, Vermont, McHenry was a direct descendant of William Brewster, a Mayflower passenger who later became a leader and preacher in Plymouth Colony.
Born in Cambridge, Lamoille County, Vermont, McHenry was a direct descendant of William Brewster, a Mayflower passenger who later became a leader and preacher in Plymouth Colony.
His family moved from Vermont to Ohio in 1833, where he enlisted in the Army but later deserted during the Mexican-American War. When Modesto, California, was established, McHenry bought property on 15th and I streets there for the purpose of building his new residence which was closer to his work as cashier of the Modesto Bank. The house, called the "McHenry Mansion," was described by local newspapers as one of the finest residences ever built in Modesto at the time.
Robert McHenry died of stroke in 1890 in Modesto and is buried in the Acacia Memorial Park in Modesto.
Robert McHenry"s son, Oramil, moved into the McHenry Mansion after the death of Robert"s wife Matilda. In 1902, Oramil married Myrtie Conneau and they had one child, Merle, in 1903.