September 29, 1842

John Charles Henley Sr., known as one of Birmingham’s founding fathers, was born on Sept. 29, 1842. Henley was a real estate investor, merchant and president of the Birmingham Insurance Company. His father-in-law, Charles Linn, was among the Magic City’s earlier business operators. Raised in Montgomery, Henley attended public schools and entered the business world as a bookkeeper. At the start of the Civil War, Henley joined Hilliard’s Legion at Mobile, which was enrolled as the 59^th Alabama Regiment. He was commissioned a captain and spent the war in the field. Though wounded at Drewry’s Bluff on the James River, Henley survived and returned to Montgomery after the surrender. Henley moved to Birmingham and was among bachelors at Charles Linn’s “Calico Ball” in 1873. The landmark celebration was hosted by Linn at his newly completed National Bank of Birmingham building on New Year’s Eve 1873. The gala marked the end of a woeful year in the city, which had faced cholera and other issues, and set a positive tone for the coming year. Henley married Linn’s daughter, Annie Linn Matthews, in 1878, and worked as a bookkeeper for Linn’s National Bank of Birmingham. Henley helped organize First National Bank. When First National Bank consolidated with City National Bank to form the First National Bank of Birmingham, Henley was made vice president. His decision-making helped the bank prosper through the years.

Read more at BhamWiki.

Portrait of John Henley. This painting hangs in the Henley Room at UAB’s Sterne Library. (UAB Archives, BhamWiki)

The Linn-Henley Research Library, formerly the Birmingham Public Library, was named in honor of the Linn and Henley families. (Alabama NewsCenter)

The Linn-Henley Research Library, formerly the Birmingham Public Library, was named in honor of the Linn and Henley families. (Alabama NewsCenter)

The building that housed the central Birmingham Public Library from 1927 to 1984 was renamed the Linn-Henley Research Library to honor two of the city’s founding families. The structure now houses the library’s administrative offices, as well as its government publications and special collections. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Southern Progress Inc.)

Henley Park, next to the Linn-Henley Research Library. (Alabama NewsCenter)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.