Complex sentence: Hensley told his children he was from West Virginia and that his family's roots were in Pennsylvania; but in reality, his family had lived in Hawkins County, East Tennessee in 1880, the year historian David Kimbrough argues Hensley was born.
Split into simpler sentences: Hensley told his children he was from West Virginia and that his family's roots were in Pennsylvania. In reality, however, his family had lived in Hawkins County, East Tennessee in 1880, the year historian David Kimbrough argues Hensley was born.