Decatur County GaArchives Biographies.....Herring, Patrick Henry 1845 - living in 1913 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 23, 2004, 11:38 pm Author: William Harden p. 942-943 HON. PATRICK HENRY HERRING. A former representative of Decatur county in the state legislature and a well-known citizen and business man of Cairo, Mr. Herring has had a long and honored career in this section of Georgia, and belongs to a family which did pioneer work in the development of this section of the state. Patrick Henry Herring was born on a farm near Calvary, in Decatur county, June 5, 1845. His father was Hanson William Herring, born in Sampson county, North Carolina, in 1808, and the grandfather was Jackson Herring, also a native of North Carolina, and so far as known a life long resident of that state. Hanson William Herring was reared and married in his native state, and then in 1836, soon after his marriage, migrated to Georgia, making the journey across the country with teams and wagons and bringing his household goods, slaves and other possessions. He settled in the south part of Decatur county and bought a tract of land in the woods. He hewed out the timbers and constructed a double pen log house, a structure in which Patrick Henry Herring was born. The father directed his own labors and those of his slaves and dependents in clearing up the woods and brush from a large estate, and was engaged as a prosperous planter and farmer until his death in 1880, at the age of seventy-two years. The maiden name of his wife was Amy Caroline Anders, who was born in Bladen county. North Carolina, and who lived until 1891, being also seventy-two years of age at her death. The eleven children in the family were named Thomas W., Mary C., Julia, Anne E., Patrick Henry, Miles C., John A., Margaret, Counsel, Joe and Amelia. Patrick Henry Herring grew up in Decatur county, attended the rural schools and the Calvary high school, and as a youth assisted in all the labors of the plantation. In 1863 when he was eighteen years of age he enlisted in the Confederate service and was stationed at St. Marks. He remained in the army until the close of the war and then returned home and assisted his parents until he was twenty-three years of age. At that time his father gave him a plantation situated two miles from the old homestead, and he turned his attention to its cultivation, and occupied his time until 1906. In that year he moved into Cairo, where he has since lived largely retired from strenuous activities, and enjoying the well earned competence of his early career. Mr. Herring was married September 24, 1868, to Margaret Ann Maxwell. Mrs. Herring was born on a plantation in the southeastern part of Decatur county, a daughter of James G. Maxwell, who was born in Sampson county, North Carolina. He was reared and married in his native state and with his young bride came overland to Georgia. His location was in the southeastern part of Decatur county and in the wilderness which existed at that time he built a log house in which his daughter Mrs. Herring was born. He operated his large estate with slave labor, and enjoyed a generous prosperity and the esteem and respect of the community until his death in his ninety-fourth year. James G. Maxwell married Molcy Butter of Sampson county, North Carolina. Her death occurred at the age of seventy. The eight children in the Maxwell family were John R., Elizabeth, Thomas, William, James, Daniel, Margaret Ann and Mary. The sons were all soldiers in the Confederate army, and Thomas died while in service. The eleven children including the large and happy family of Mr. and Mrs. Herring are named Thomas W., Ida Alice, Mary Ellen, Lillie May, Marvin, Ola, Pierce, Lochie, Maggie, Henry H., and Kedar. Thomas W. married Lucy Snider and has one son, George Ward. Ida Alice married A. E. Bell, and there are six children in this family, named Marion, Leta, Emery, Catherine, Elmer and Margaret. Mary Ellen is now deceased, and was the wife of Dr. George B. Carter, leaving one daughter named Margaret. Lillie May married Joseph Higdon and has five children named Grace, Lois, Sarah, Robert Henry and Thomas. Marvin married for his first wife Mattie Higdon, and for his second wife married Ida Waller, having one son named Ernest. Ola married Thomas Wight, and her five children are George, Henry, Carrie, Elizabeth and Mabel. Lochie married George L. Snider, and their three children are Leota, Lloyd and George J. Maggie married Ira Higdon, and they have three sons, John Buryl, Samuel Parrott and Patrick Henry. Henry H. married Annie May Maxwell. Mr. Herring's official career began a number of years ago, when he was made overseer of roads in his district. He was at that time a boy in his teens, and has ever since taken an active part in local government and has been an influential man in his community. He served in the office of tax collector of Decatur county two years, and was subsequently elected county commissioner, an office in which he was continued by reelection for twenty years. He was in that office until Grady county was organized in January. 1906, and is prominent in the first government organization of this county in connection with the office of judge of ordinary, and he is still judge, having been reelected to the present term. In 1897 Mr. Herring was further honored by his district in election to the state legislature, and he served during the session of 1898-99. Mr. and Mrs. Herring are active members of the Methodist church at Cairo, and he is affiliated with Cairo Lodge No. 299. A. F. & A. M., with Cairo Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., and with Cairo Lodge, Knights of Pythias. Additional Comments: From: A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA BY WILLIAM HARDEN VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/decatur/bios/gbs431herring.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 6.2 Kb