Thomas County GaArchives Biographies.....Herring, Robert J. 1860 - living in 1913
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 20, 2004, 10:11 am

Author: William Harden
p. 834-835

   ROBERT J. HERRING, the prominent farmer and horticulturist of Thomas county,
is one of the men who, by study and the use of scientific methods in
agriculture, are showing the people of the locality the possibilities of south
Georgia. Although he has spent the greater part of his life in the Thomasville
district, Mr. Herring is a native of Sampson county, North Carolina, in which
place he was born on the 16th of January, 1860. His father, John Herring, was
born in the same county, and his father, Owen Herring, was a farmer and merchant
of the locality for many years. Owen Herring's store was at a point on the Black
river known as Herringville. When he had reached an advanced age, he sold out to
his son John, and lived in retirement for the rest of his life.

   Not only his father's business fell into John S. Herring's hands, but his
father's office as well. John Herring served as postmaster at Herringville under
both Federal and Confederate jurisdiction, and was actively engaged in business
there until the time of his death, which occurred in February, 1865, a few weeks
before Lee's surrender.

   At his death, Mr. Herring left a widow and four small children. His wife,
whose maiden name was Sarah Ellen Spearman, was born in Sampson county, North
Carolina, the daughter of John Spearman, and is now the wife of Oliver C.
Cleveland, a prominent resident of Thomas county, Georgia. Mrs. Cleveland, then
Mrs. Herring, remained in North Carolina for ten years, and then moved to Thomas
county, Georgia, where she has ever since resided. Her children were named
Robert J., Thomas E., William F., and Jefferson S. Of these, William F. died at
the age of three years, and Thomas E. passed away in 1881.

   Robert J. Herring was reared in the vicinity of his birth, attending the
common schools of Sampson county. He was fifteen years of age when he migrated
to Georgia with his mother, and after arriving at his new home, he continued to
make his home with her until his marriage, which took place when he was
twenty-five years of age. At this time, he settled on a tract of timbered land
south of Thomasville, which his mother had given him, and there he commenced his
career as an independent farmer. He had been well trained to habits of industry
and thrift, and he soon had his farm cleared and in successful operation. He
remained on his original property until 1895, in which year he sold out, and
moved to the farm on which he now resides. This is in lot No. 103, Oak Hill
district, Thomas county, and he had purchased it three years before he sold the
land his mother had given him.

   Since coming to his present farm Mr. Herring has been engaged in diversified
farming, stock raising, and horticulture. He keeps in touch with the latest
methods and ideas in agriculture by wide reading, and has been very successful
in raising a large variety of fruits and farm products. It is such progressive
men as he who are going to make the South a land of plenty.

   In 1885, Mr. Herring was united in the bonds of matrimony with Fannie Arnold.
She was a native daughter of Thomas county, her father, John P. Arnold, having
come to Georgia from Germany in his youth. Mr. and Mrs. Herring have been
blessed with four children, Frances Ann, a school teacher; John Oliver, a clerk
in Thomasville; Frank, with the Southern Express Company, at Thomasville office;
Josephine. Mrs. Herring died January 16, 1909. The family are members of the
Missionary Baptist church, and are valued workers in that congregation.



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

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