William Hensley was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, around 1845 to Almanza Hensley and Elizabeth Frame. During the Civil War, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Union Army, serving with Company C, 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry from 1861 to 1864. His military service was interrupted by periods of illness, including a time at Camp Dick Robinson in Garrard County, Kentucky, in 1861, and later by being listed as absent without leave from 1862 to 1863. This absence resulted in his being sent to Nashville, Tennessee, where he served the remainder of his enlistment in a military prison. The specific reasons behind his AWOL status are not currently known, but further research into his military records and any possible court-martial records may provide answers.
After his release and return to Kentucky, William married Louisa Jane Bishop on April 30, 1868, in Powell County. The marriage record indicates that this was William's second marriage, though details about his first marriage have yet to be discovered. William and Louisa Jane made their home on Millers Creek in Estill County, Kentucky, where he worked as a farmer. They remained in Estill County for the rest of their lives.
William Hensley passed away at his home in Fitchburg, Kentucky, January 10, 1926. His death notice in the Clay City Times mentioned that he was in his eighties and a Civil War veteran. Sadly, the notice also stated that no relatives were known to have survived him. He was laid to rest in the Wireman Cemetery at Furnace, Kentucky, beside his wife, Louisa Jane, who had predeceased him by only a few years.
