HERRING FAMILY ANCESTRY
"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches" - Proverbs 22:1
"GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
Hello! My name is Eddie Herring and this Herring Family Ancestry site is dedicated to the ancestry of my family and the continuing search for my ancestors. Many of my ancestors were here before the founding of the United States, and some of them were even involved in the founding, serving as Revolutionary soldiers. Perhaps we share common ancestors. If so, please feel free to contact me with additional information, or to correct any mistakes I may have made. I have been pursuing my interest in genealogy for about ten years. It is something I can remember wanting to do as a young teenager and regret now that I did not take action to get involved then. Much information has gone to the grave in that time period!
I have also added pages concerning other Herring lines that provide information that is intended to be of help
to other Herring researchers. Some of this information I have researched and some of it has been provided
to me from others. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information provided to me from other
researchers. If you discover mistakes or errors or assumptions in it that should be corrected please
let me or the researcher who provided it know. I have provided links below to contact those researchers.
Additionally I have added a page that provides names of various researchers of the Herring lines.
This is simply to provide a means for the various researchers to contact each other. I hope you
enjoy the site.
THE SEARCH FOR JOHN HERRING
This site will also be used to provide information on the search for John Herring, currently the earliest known ancestor of my particular Herring line. I, along with several others that I know of, have been searching for John's origins for several years now. It is our hope that we will be able to use this site as a focal point to provide clues, hints, or notes for all that are involved in this search to use and to obtain or submit information. Those that have additional information that may be of use in this search are encouraged to send their information to Eddie Herring, email address: [email protected]. Send me Mail!
John Herring was an early North Georgia resident, living in Wilkes, Oglethorpe, and Morgan Counties, in Georgia. There were also several other Herring families in the North Georgia area. While there were many spelling variations in the records for the different Herring families, I have primarily spelled all names with HERRING. Many of the records used the spelling of Herin, Herrin, Herrand, Herren, and Heron. I have spelled them all using Herring primarily to be able to sequence the information in the tables contained on these web pages.
I also want to give credit for information I have received from other researchers who are also descendants of John Herring, and who have contributed to this search. Without these researchers generous help, much of this information would not be provided here. These other researchers are:
Ted Brooke - provided Upshaw information;
Gail East - provided Berry information;
Carole Griffin - provided Willingham information; Send Carol Mail!
Jim R. Herring - provided Herring information;
Debra Tumlin - provided Willingham information; Send Debra Mail!
Kathy Gregory - provided Patton information;
It is our hope that this site will be a clearing house and focal point for all interested researchers to send their information to as well as to receive information and assistance in the search for John Herring's origins.
JOHN HERRING was a BAPTIST.
From OLD CHURCH MINUTES, Abstracted by Elijah Clarke Chapter, D.A.R., Mrs. Henry Reid, Chmn., Genealogical Records, and certified as a correct copy of the original records of the Bethany Baptist Church, Oglethorpe County, GA., by Mrs. Frances W. Reid, is the following.
Bethany Baptist Church (1788-1866), Oglethorpe County, GA. - 1922 - Bethany Baptist Church by W. H. Faust. "Around 1788 a long list of Baptist churches were organized in Northeast Georgia, among them being Sardis, Bethesda, County Line, Salem, Millstone, Doves Creek, Big Creek, Bethlehem on Browns, Clarks Station, Bethany and others, that are still in existence. Bethany was constituted October 1788, by Rev. Silas Mercer, the father of Jesse Mercer, assisted by help from Huttons Fork, now Sardis, Charles Fin of Doves Creek, John Gilbert of Phillips Mill and Robert Jackson of Doves Creek. The church was originally in Wilkes County. Negroes held membership along with the whites, and a gallery is still in the present church building, placed there for the accommodations of the colored members. Thus whites and blacks, masters and servants, met together as brothers and sisters in God’s house and worship together in Christian fellowship."
The two pastors during the period that John Herring would have been there were Isaiah Hales, 1788-1804, and Noah Lacey, 1804-1825. Noah Lacey was ordained to preach while there, evidently under the pastorship of Isaiah Hales. Also, listed as clerks during this period was Noah Lacey and Mark Ragan.Listed as deacons included, among others, Johnathan Herring and John Herring.
The Bethany Baptist church evidently was somewhat similar to the Pentecostal churches of today. Under date of May 22, 1830, the church held a footwashing. This was customary in many Baptist churches of that time, and some Baptist historians say that much of the split between the Primitive and Missionary churches was due to this observance of what was regarded by many as no church ordinance.
"Near the beginning of the nineteenth century it is said that the membership of the church had dwindled down to three women. One of these, Mrs. Hudspeth, the wife of a representative from Oglethorpe county in the legislature, died, and after months, her funeral was conducted by Rev. Jack Lumpkin. At this funeral the Spirit of God fell on the crowd assembled to pay their respects to this good woman. Some five hundred people were reached and a great revival was on throughout the entire section surrounding this church. This occurred in the grove to the rear of the church building.
Some of the members of the church, shown on the rolls of the church, included: William Goolsby, joined June 20, 1812, by experience, and left December 16, 1815, by letter. Sally Goolsby, joined August 31, 1828, by experience, no further record.
John Herrin(g), joined before August 1799, called to ordination August 17, 1799, chosen as deacon on May 18, 1805, and left on November 17, 1821, by letter. Immediately below this entry is listed simply (wife) Herrin, left November 17, 1821, by letter, and immediately below this is simply the name Herrin, no other name listed, no date left but under how left is the word "dead." Immediately after this name is listed Holly Herrin, joined November 15, 1800, by experience, and it shows she left by letter but gives no date. It is my opinion that the named listed as (wife) Herrin and Holly Herrin is one and the same.Polly Herrin is listed after Holly, and she joined on May 16, 1801, by letter, and left on February 20, 1802 by letter.Jinney Herrin is listed after Polly, and Jinney joined on April 14, 1810, by experience and it does not show when she left. David Herrin comes next after Jinney, and David joined on August 14, 1812, by experience, and left on December 20, 1817, by letter.
Go to Chronological List of Various Herring's in the North Georgia Area
Go to Descendant list of John Herring
Go to Things To Consider in Researching John Herring
Go to My Ahnentafel Chart
Go to Table of Miscellaneous Herring's
Go to The Moses Herrin and Moses Gresham Herrin timeline
Go to Research Contacts for Herring and Related Lines
Last Updated 8 July, 2013.
". . . they were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. . ." - 1 Chronicles 9:22