Henderson was born in Granville County, North Carolina on October 6, 1772.

[1] His father, Richard Henderson, was a pioneer, state Superior Court judge and politician.

His brother, Archibald Henderson, was a state legislator and member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Henderson was also a trustee of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Judge Henderson died in Williamsboro, in what is today Vance County, North Carolina, on August 13, 1833.