Born in Scotland, James Henderson came out to Australia for health reasons, travelling with a party of Royal Engineers under EC Frome. He was engaged in numerous surveys, particularly around Lake Alexandrina and the north-west bend of the Murray River. During this time he developed a reputation as an artist. In 1841 he transferred to the Public Works Department  where he remained until returning to England in 1851. He was a member of Frome's Expedition to Lake Frome, 8 July to 29 April 1843 and a journal (D 7504 L) and sketchbook (B 2434) of 42 drawings.

Captain Edward Charles Frome, Royal Engineer, arrived in South Australia in September 1839 to take up the task of surveying South Australia. The country blocks were his immediate priority. This was a task that the first Surveyor-General, William Light had been unable to complete because of interference from London. Frome had a difficult task as the colonists were demanding land. He had to redo work that had been inadequately marked by George Kingston, Light's second-in-command, and also had to undertake the commencement of the Special Surveys of very large country blocks. By 1841 Frome had laid out roads and secondary towns and taken accurate trigonometrical surveys to the edge of settlement. Frome returned to England in 1849. He retired in 1877 with the rank of General.