Chapter 10 of Some Jasper County Pioneers Jacob and Mary Herring L. Kenyon

Chapter 10 of Some Jasper County Pioneers Jacob and Mary Herring L. Kenyon

This chapter is one of a series if 18 chapters which cover the ancestors and descendants of jasper county pioneer settlers, all of whom are related in various ways. Chapter Number Chapter name 1. Loren and Iris (Kenyon) Milligan 2. A Milligan Album 3. Josephine Josie (Scott) Schmidt/Chinn 4. William H. and Estella (Beals) Milligan/Gibson 5. John and Mary (Carey) Scott 6. Jacob and Maria (Hopton) Milligan 7. David and Chelley (Herring) Beals 8. David and Sophia (Torrance) Scott 9. William T. and Anne (Dawson) Carey 10. Jacob and Mary Herring 11. Benjamin Franklin Bleakney 12 A Bleakney Album 13. Madison S. Kinyon 14. Vallejo Kinyon 15. Ira Kinyon 16. Francis/Frank Vallejo Kinyon 17. Don and Jean Kenyon 18. Ruth (Kinyon) Deer

Chapter 10 Jacob and Mary Herring Richard L. Kenyon e-mail: rlkenyon@cox.net October 16, 2008 Introduction Jacob Herring and his family moved to Jasper County, Iowa, about 1848, only 5 years after a treaty with the Indians opened the territory to settlement. Jacob was a farmer living on Section 8 of Buena Vista Township. His daughter Chelley married David Beals and is the subject of chapter 7. Jacob Herring was born January 16, 1817, in North Carolina. Herring was sometimes spelled Herron or Herring in early records. The surname First marriage: Mary Coatney Jacob married Mary Coatney on January 15, 1838 in Bartholomew County, Indiana. She was born in Tennessee, on or about March 28, 1822. Their first three children were born in Indiana. They moved to Iowa about 1848. Two more children were born in Iowa. Mary died at age 33 on May 9, 1855, and was buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery, in Buena Vista Township, Jasper County. Second marriage: Mary Wren After the death of his first wife, Jacob Herring then married Mary Elvira Wren on July 26, 1855, in Jasper County, Iowa, J. B. Hiles officiating. Mary was the daughter of neighbors Washington and Maria Wren. Mary was born January 15, 1834 in Hendricks County, Indiana, and moved with her parents to Jasper County in 1854. Her father was born about 1801 in Indiana, and her mother was born about 1805 in Kentucky. Six children were born to this marriage. Children of Jacob Herring Children by first wife Mary Coatney: 1. Sarah Jane Born Jun 27, 1838 in IN and died Nov 4, 1917. Married Pleasant W. Trotter Jun 8, 1854 in Elk Cr, Jasper Co, IA. He was born about 1835 in Hendricks Co, IN, and died by 1868 in Jasper Co, IA. Second marriage to Samuel Allen Aug 10, 1868, Jasper Co, IA. 2. Chelley Born Oct 8, 1842 in Bartholomew Co, IN and died Dec 22, 1922, in Jasper Co, IA. Buried at Union Chapel Cemetery, Jasper Co. Married David Alexander Beals Oct 14, 1858 in Ira, Jasper Co, IA. He was born Oct 20, 1835 in Washington Co, TN and died Oct 26, 1917 in Independence Twp, Jasper Co. Buried in Union Chapel Cemetery. 3. Nancy Ellen Born 1845 in IN and died at an unknown date. Married Daniel

Paul Swank Sep 15, 1861 in Jasper Co. 4. Susan Frances Born Apr 22, 1848, Jasper Co. Died Jun 15, 1921 in Thermopolis, Hot Springs Co, WY. Buried in Monument Cemetery, Hot Springs Co, WY. Married Charles Luce 1871-1874 in Jasper Co, IA. Second marriage to Ira B. Beals Dec 8, 1875 in Jasper Co, IA. 5. Isaac Henry Born 1852 in Jasper Co, IA, and died at an unknown date. Married Josephine H. Martin Feb 2, 1881 in Jasper Co. Children by second wife Mary Elvira Wren: 6. Mary Elizabeth Born 1855 in Jasper Co, IA, and died at an unknown date. 7. Jacob B. Born 1859 in Jasper Co, IA, and died Mar 8, 1862 in Jasper Co, IA. Buried in Slagel Cemetery, Jasper Co, IA. 8. William Born 1862 in Jasper Co. Iowa, and died Jun 8, 1869. Buried in Slagel Cemetery, Jasper Co, IA. 9. Anna Maria Born 1863 in Jasper Co, Iowa, and died at an unknown date. 10. Laura Elmira Born Oct 27, 1868, in Jasper Co, IA, and died Feb 16, 1903 in Pagosa Springs, CO. Buried in Slagel Cemetery, Jasper Co, IA. 11. Margaret B. Born 1870 in IA, and died Aug 6, 1871, in Jasper Co, IA. Buried in Slagel Cemetery, Jasper Co, IA. Grave of Jacob and Mary (Wren) Herring, Slagel Cemetery, Jasper County, Iowa. photo by Lois J. Hinshaw 10 Jacob and Mary Herring Page 4

Death of Jacob Jacob died at the age of 54 on February 24, 1871. His widow Mary was left with six children at home. The youngest, Margaret, was about 8 months old. Mary then married J. A. Williams on October 28, 1873, Reverend J. F. Rouse officiating. By the 1880 census, she was again known as Mary E. Herring, and her obituary does not mention any second marriage. Her surname is Herring on her grave marker. Were they divorced, or the marriage annulled? Death of Mary Mary moved to Newton in 1891, where she lived with her youngest daughter Laura. Mary died there at age 64 on March 6, 1898. She and Jacob are buried in Slagel Cemetery in Jasper County. Acknowledgements I am very grateful to Donna Clark for sharing her research on Jacob Herring, which formed the foundation for this document. Thanks to Helen Whannel for obtaining obituaries. Special thanks to Lois J. Hinshaw for photographing the gravestone for me. Sources A note on birth years and ages at death: The birth years for Jacob and his two wives must be considered approximate. They reflect what the family believed at the time of death. We could not find any way to verify the year. Most people remember their birthday, so the month and day are probably right. Jacob Herring birth: Gravestone inscription, Slagel Cemetery, Buena Vista Twp, Jasper Co, IA. Census gives place as NC, except SC in 1850. There is no known record from the time of birth, and ages reported in the census are inconsistent. Mary Coatney birth: Records of Mt. Zion Cemetery, Buena Vista Twp, Jasper Co. Birth date calculated from age at death of 33y 1m 12d. Age 22 in 1850 census. There is no known record from the time of birth. Place from 1850 census. Spelling of Herring: Jacob and Mary signed their names with X s (see deed citations below) which probably caused some of the variant spellings seen in original sources. Marriage to Mary Coatney: Indiana State Library, Marriages through 1850, online. Date moved to Jasper Co: From number of years in Jasper Co., 1856 IA State census. They sold land in Jasper Co in 1849 and 1852 (Jasper Co Deeds 1:154 and 2:367). Marriage to Mary Wren: Jasper County Marriage records 1: 16. Mary E. Wren birth: Date, place, maiden and middle name from her obituary. Same date from Slagel Cemetery records. Agrees with age 16 in 1850 census, age 22 in 1856 census. 10 Jacob and Mary Herring Page 5

Mary E. Wren parents: Living with parents in 1850 census, IN, Montgomery Co, Scott Twp, family of Washington W. Wren, p 528. Wrens move to Jasper Co: Obituary of Mary E. Herring. Agrees with years lived in Jasper Co in 1856 census. Mary E. Herring 2nd marriage: Jasper Co, IA marriage records 2:531, Mary Herring to J. A. Williams. The probate files of Jacob Herring give Mary s surname as Williams as of Jun 22, 1877. Death of Mary E.: Proof of death in the probate file of Mary E. Herring, Jasper Co., IA. Her will names her daughter Laura E. Herring as the sole heir. A detailed obituary was published in the Newton Herald, March 11, 1898, page 1. The online version of the Slagel Cemetery record (Jasper Co Genweb) is from a different source and gives an incorrect death date for Mary. The Slagel Cemetery record published by the Iowa Genealogical Society is correct. The family in the census: 1850 IN, Montgomery Co, Scott Twp, p 528: Family of Washington W. Wren. Mary E. Wren, age 16, with parents. 1850 Jasper Co, Dist. 16, p. 380-381: Family of Jacob Herring 1856 IA State Census, Newton Twp, p 392: Family of Jacob Heron [sic]. 1860 IA, Jasper Co, Buena Vista Twp, p 58: Family of Jacob Heran [sic] 1870 IA, Jasper Co, Buena Vista Twp, p. 190: Family of Jacob Herring. 1880 IA, Jasper Co, Buena Vista Twp, p. 86C: Mary E. Herring, widow. 1885 IA State census, Jasper Co, Buena Vista Twp, dwelling 149, family 154: Mary E. Herring, widow. 1895 IA State census, Jasper Co, 1 st ward: Mary E. Herring, 62, b IN (individual cards for each person not by family group) Children: Based on data from Donna Clark, 19887 State Hwy 116, Colcord, OK 74338. Her sources included 1) 1850, 1856, 1869, 1880 census records; 2) obituaries of Chelley Beals and Susan Beals; 3) death certificates of Sarah Beals, Alan Beals, Chelley Beals, David Beals; 4) marriage record of Jacob Herring to Mary Coatney; 5) Jasper Co. cemetery records; 6) Jasper Co. probate records for Mary E. Herring. A child John, age 13, appears in the 1860 census but was not present in earlier censuses. Donna Clark suggests that he may be the son of Jacob s brother Lewis Herring. The probate record for Jacob Herring (Jasper Co.) lists all of his children living as of Mar 1, 1871 and Jun 22, 1877. 10 Jacob and Mary Herring Page 6