Herndon Family Gateway

Information shared by Rose Herndon Bonnell

I have been researching my HERNDON line of Stewart Co., TN, for nearly three decades. My Herndon family branches into the families of Pearce/Pierce, Breeden, James, Champion, Vinson, Graham, Son, Curry, Boren, Dawson, among others. Print copies of my 3-volume, 700-page, self-published work on my Herndon family are with:

Additionally, the books are available online, having been digitized by the Family History Library. To access the online volumes, go to https://books.familysearch.org/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=FHD_PUBLIC, type rose bonnell in the search box, which will return links to the 3 volumes: Be aware, that these aforementioned three volumes contain all my typed research (to that point, with its many dated hypotheses and their work-throughs, in sequential chronological order of oldest to newest, recording my analytical processes to enable future generations the ability to weigh evidence in light of new discoveries as more records are digitized, indexed and made available). Therefore, to learn my final conclusions on the family, it is crucial to read the later entries (closest dates, nearest current time) of any names being researched. I hope to provide a fourth, more-polished volume in the future with the family groups typed up.

Since then, I've been working on proofs of Younger Herndon's father Benjamin Herndon's service in the Revolutionary War.

I began intensive research on my Benjamin Herndon in January 2010, and just last night (in preparation for DAR submission) I found another Rev War record for his service (via Library of Virginia accession # 22547) when on 17 Jan 1779 he was listed as living in Caroline Co VA, a member of Capt Upshaw's Company 2d VA Regiment with Col Baylor's Light Dragoons!!! ("A Return of Armes & Acritrements ... Men Listed in Camp for Col. Baylor's Regt Light Dragoons 17 Jan 1779---Benja Herndon, 2d VA Regt, Capt. Upshaw's Compy, living Caroline Co VA." REF: VA Gen Soc Qtrly, Vol. 31, No. 2; VSLA Personal Papers Coll Acc #22547. Source citation: Virginia Office of the Quartermaster General, Fredericksburg. Returns of Colonel George Baylor’s Regiment, 1778-1779. Accession 22547. Personal Papers Collection. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219; Transcript viewable at http://interactive.ancestry.com/6131/VGS_1993_01_01_0106/520651882?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/53440451/person/13510502479/facts/citation/1160064347859/edit/record.)

This is another proof of continuity of residence in Caroline Co VA which proves my ancestor is the one who joined from Caroline Co VA by May 1777, and who is traceable from residence there in (now Jan 1779) as well as Dec 1782 when he purchased land in Charlotte Co VA witnessed by his father-in-law Giles Newton, and is provable from then till death by continued relationship and land dealings and probate with his Newton in-laws. So this new info confirms interlaced evidence for the Dec 1777 Muster Roll (2d VA Regiment Capt James Upshaw Company commanded by Col Christian Febigar Esq) showing he enlisted in the Horse Service on 30 Dec 1777 in Valley Forge, along with 2 corporals and 3 other privates from his unit.  Providentially, one private survived to identify the specific Horse Service as Col Baylor's Light Dragoons in his sworn statement applying for 1818 pension, Private Obadiah Carter W8585 (transcript viewable at revwarapps.org: "enlisted in Col Baylors [George Baylor's] Regt of Horse called Light dragoons"). I now have the proof that by 17 Jan 1779, two of the four privates (Benja. Herndon & Obdia, Carter), and both Corporals (George Muse & William Carter) were still with the unit, and their places of abode were stated as all four living in Caroline Co VA.

And in the meantime, (to make documentation more accessible) the generations I have proof for, which pertain to Stewart County, Tennessee, (coming from Marlboro/ugh District/County, South Carolina, and continuing to Humphreys County, Tennessee, and/or Trigg County, Kentucky), I've put on a publicly accessible website by creating a small webpage (learning as I go) with all my Herndon case studies. It is currently viewable for free at: https://familydisambiguation.wordpress.com/.  Note:  the case studies are found at the very bottom of the page.  Current contents of the website include:

Find-A-Grave entries: