* CAL’S COLUMN *

THE HEROD FAMILY

The following account of the Herod family is meager, but it is all we have at present. It was given to the writer on February 16, 1927 by Dr. George W. Herod, who was then a retired physician living at Pleasant Shade, Smith County, Tenn. The oldest known ancestor of the family was a soldier in General Washington’s campaign in the French and Indian Wars. His name is not definitely known, but it is believed to have been William Herod. Later he is said to have served under Washington in the Revolutionary War. He was a native of Virginia, living in the vicinity of Mt. Vernon, according to family tradition. He died previous to 1808, in which year his sons, James and Peter Herod, came to Smith County, Tenn. James Herod settled on what is known as the Ellis Porter farm, about three miles northwest of Pleasant Shade, on Little Peyton’s Creek. Later, he removed to Denton, Texas, where he died at the age of 97 years.

The other son, Peter Herod, was born on March 31, 1787. He was a teacher when he enlisted in the War of 1812, under Jackson and fighting at Horseshoe Bend and in Florida at Pensacola. After the War of 1812, he began farming which occupation he followed until he was 40 years of age when he began the study of medicine. A third son of the Revolutionary soldier was William Herod, Jr., who married Sallie Settle. James Herod is said to have married a Miss Valentine. Peter married Miss Rebecca Key, daughter of Jonathan Key, commander of a privateer during the Revolutionary War. Rebecca Key’s mother was a

Miss Edwards, said to have been the niece of the Edwards whose property in New York was for years in litigation and for whose property a wide search was made for heirs. Jonathan Key was a relative of the many Keys about Monoville in Smith County, including Dr. R. E. Key. The Key family is said to have come to Tennessee from New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina.

James, William Jr., and Peter Herod had a number of sisters but none of their names is now known, so far as our information goes. James Herod had a son, James Jr., who married a Cunningham; a son, Hamp; and another son, Henderson Herod.

The family may be described as having black hair, Greek noses, were of medium size, farmers generally and were of English descent. Many of them lived to a ripe old age. Dr. G. W. Herod*, who furnished the information herein March 25, 1929, at the age of ** years.

Peter Herod and his wife, Rebecca Key, became the parents of the following: George W. Herod, born about 1816 and died of typhoid fever in 1840. He was a young physician and was never married. The second son of Peter and Rebecca was Ben Franklin Herod, born in 1819 and died in 1885, married Judith Haynie, a sister of Elder E. B. Haynie, a well-known Baptist minister of Smith County in the long ago. Martin Luther Herod was the third child of Peter and Rebecca Herod. He was killed as a small boy when a rolling log crushed him to death just about the P. D. Smith farm on Peyton’s Creek. There was a fourth child but the name is not known.

The children of Ben Franklin Herod were: Clarkie Rebecca, born in 1842, died 1925, married William Hale; Dr. George W. Herod, who was born May 17, 1846 and died as above given on March 29, 1929, married Bettie Clay; Morton Peter Herod, born in 1850, died in 1924, married a Duncan and a Johnson; John Franklin Herod, born 1854, died in 1924 and married a Burkhart; William Edward Herod, died young and unmarried; Casper Wister Herod, born 1861 and later removed to Oklahoma; and Louise, who died in infancy.

Clarkie Herod and her husband, William Hale, were the parents of: Mary, married a Dawson; Blanche, married a McGarr or McGuire; Henry, never married; and Willie, never married.

Dr. George W. Herod, married Bettie Clay and became the father of Peter C. Herod, married a Jones; Lilly, married a Donoho; and Belle, married a Dotson; by his second wife, Hattie Clay, he had: Virginia, married a Organ; Leslie Herod; George F. Herod, married a Kirby; and Wesley Herod, died in infancy.

Morton Peter Herod, son of Ben Franklin Herod, was the father of Cyrus Herod; Frank Herod; Mabel Herod, married a Robinson; Vallie Herod, married a Bowman; Louise and Pearl, the last-named dying in infancy.

Franklin Herod, son of Ben Franklin Herod, had one son, Joseph, and here our information ceases.

Casper Herod was the father of three children: Hollis, Galen, and Marietta.

If any readers of the paper have additional information, we shall be glad to have the same and to print it in a future issue of the Times. We are aware that the above sketch is far from complete, but it is the best we have to offer at this time.

Transcriber Note:

* George W. Herod

** unknown age there is a address label over this part of the microfilm.