Samuel Godfrey Henkel was born around 1807 in Virginia. He married Susan Coiner in Augusta County, Virginia, on December 1, 1832, and they had at least eleven children: Rebecca, born around 1834; Casper, born on April 17, 1835; Julia, born around 1836; Mary, born around 1838; Susan, born around 1842; Abraham, born around 1844; Emily, born around 1847; Ida, born around 1850; Hellen, born around 1852; Cora, born around 1855; and Anna, born around 1857. They lived in New Market, Virginia, and Henkel worked as a doctor. By 1850, he owned $16,000 of real estate. A decade later, he owned $18,200 of real estate and $4,192 of personal property. He died on March 8, 1863.