Frederick William Henck was born July 14, 1856, in Baltimore, Maryland. After his father’s death his mother sent him to live with his uncle when he was nine years old. He stayed with his uncle, a farmer who lived 35 miles outside of Baltimore, until he was 14. In 1877, Henck attended Wesleyan University in Athens, Tennessee. He later became involved with the local church conventions in the East Tennessee area, becoming a reverend and working for the Laurel Hill Circuit. He married Mary C. Curry in January of 1882 and the couple had six children (Nellie, Frederick IV, Charles, Sarah, Mary, and Bertha). Frederick Henck died on September 28, 1893. He is buried in Charleston Cemetery in Bradley County, TN.