George Washington Herring and Josima McNerva Allen


George Washington Herring Jr. (my great grandfather) was a farmer in Callaway County Missouri. He retired from farming and moved with his wife Josima, to Fulton Missouri in 1912, at the age of 66.

G.W. Herring Jr. was the son of George Washington Herring Sr. and Lucy Simco. He was born February 14, 1846 in Callaway Co. Missouri. He married Josima McNerva Allen on February 19, 1871. G.W. was 25, Josima was 16. He went by the nickname of Wash. They had 13 children, their oldest son, Dolor Herring, was my grandfather.

Josima McNerva Allen was born 16 Apr 1854 in Callaway County. She was a daughter of John Karah and Mary Walker Allen. John K. Allen was born 23 Nov 1813 in Kentucky, and died June 5, 1875 in Callaway Co. Missouri. He is buried in the Allen Whittington Cemetery, Callaway Co. Missouri. Mary L. Walker was born 15 July 1828 in Tennessee and died July 25, 1910. She was a daughter of Thomas Walker and Bettie Langley of Tennessee. She is buried in the Mt. Tabor Cemetery, Callaway County Missouri. Josima Allen Herring was a grandaughter of Joseph Darby Allen b: 1765 d: 1860 Callaway Co. Missouri, and Mary Margaret Murphy b: 1785 North Carolina, d: Nov 8, 1855, Callaway Co. Missouri. Mary is buried in the Allen Whittington Cemetery, Callaway Co. Missouri.

Josima is often listed as Josephine Minerva, however her real name was Josima, and McNerva was a family name. She went by the name of Jo, and most people probably assumed her name was actually Josephine.

George Washington Herring Jr. and Josima Allen had 12 children:
  1. Dolor Washington Herring b: 19 Dec 1871 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 13 Jan 1937 Callaway Co., Missouri. (my Grandfather)
    • married 24 Jun 1909 Callaway Co., Missouri. Josephine Carter b: 15 Oct 1881 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 3 Oct 1961 Callaway Co., Missouri.
  2. Clyde (Bob) Herring b: 24 Aug 1873 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: Jan 9, 1980 Callaway Co., Missouri. 107 years old
    • married 28 Apr 1901 Callaway Co., Missouri. Sarah Ann Cave b: Oct 3, 1878 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: June 21, 1969 Callaway Co., Missouri.
  3. Seth (Jack) Herring b: 11 Nov 1875 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 11 Nov 1948 Callaway Co., Missouri.
    • married 16 Aug 1910 Callaway Co., Missouri. Myrtle Qualls b: 1 Mar 1887
  4. Myrtle Herring b: 1878 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 10 Apr 1970, Lakewood Ocean, New Jersey
    • married 21 Feb 1901 Callaway Co., Missouri. William P. Divers b: abt 1856
  5. Mayme Herring b: Apr. 1, 1880 Callaway Co., Missouri, d: 21 Jun 1971, Fulton, Callaway Co., Missouri, buried Mt. Carmel cemetery, Callaway Co., Missouri.
    • married February 25, 1903 Callaway Co. Missouri (Divorced). Scott Waters b: abt 1878
  6. Brent Herring b: 1882 Callaway Co., Missouri, d: 1 Jan 1969, Florida.
    • 1st married Georgia unknown, b: abt. 1880, Iowa, d: Mar. 16, 1925, St. Louis, Missouri. Georgia spent the last three years of her life in a sanitarium in St. Louis, suffering from Epilepsy.
    • 2nd married, Oct. 1, 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri, Tina Lee Dillard, b: Mar. 1896, Callaway Co., Missouri. She was a daughter of John Milton Dillard and Elizabeth Humphreys. She was previously married to Brent Herring's brother, Allen J. Herring.
    • 3rd married, unknown.
  7. Grover Herring b: 11 Dec 1884 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: Jul 1967 Melbourne Florida
    • married _ Callaway Co. Missouri. Rose Baysinger b: 20 May 1887 Callaway Co Missouri. d: Nov 1968 Melbourne Florida. Daughter of Thomas C. Baysinger and Virginia Holmes.
  8. Herbert V. Herring b: Apr. 26, 1887 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: Nov 1968 Kansas City Missouri. W.W.I veteran.
    • married abt. 1922, Ruth unknown, b: abt. 1898, Missouri. They lived their lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
  9. Norman (Pete) Herring b: 12 Aug 1888 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 1 Jul 1987, Florida. W.W.I veteran.
    • married Meryl Laudel, b: Apr. 13, 1897, d: Oct. 1984, Florida.
  10. Allen J. Herring b: 1890 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 19 Feb 1920, Dallas, Texas, buried St. Louis, Missouri. WWI Veteran. He was murdered by Bill McVay in Dallas, who later said he shot the wrong man.
    • married 2 Nov 1913 Tina Lee Dillard, b: Mar. 1896, Callaway Co., Missouri. She later married Allen's brother, Brent Herring. She was a daughter of John Milton Dillard and Elizabeth Humphreys.
  11. Ruby Herring b: 1892 Callaway Co., Missouri. d: 8 Feb 1895 Callaway Co., Missouri.
  12. Woodson Herring Callaway Co., Missouri. b: 28 Aug 1895, Callaway Co., Missouri, d: 18 Sep 1979 Craig, Moffat Co. Colorado. W.W.I veteran. Buried Craig Cemetery, Craig, Moffet Co., Colorado.
    • 1st. married Anna Margaret Ingwiversen, b: Aug. 16, 1893, d: May 19, 1927, buried Morgan Twp. cemetery, Crawford Co., Iowa.
      • Children:
      • Woodson Herring, Jr., b: Mar. 20, 1923, California, d: May 18, 1944 Injured in Italy in WWII, died of injuries in hospital in South Carolina.
      • Bobby Lee Herring, b: Jun. 19, 1925, Colorado, d: Oct. 11, 1983, California.
        • 1st. married, Feb. 5, 1966, Denver, Colorado, Living
        • 2nd. married, Living.
    • 2nd. married, Mildred Smith.
      • Children: Mary Louise Herring, b: Dec. 29, 1943, Craig, Moffat Co., Colorado, d: Feb. 4, 2019, Alameda, California.
For most of his life, George W. Herring owned and farmed land south of Fulton Missouri. Click here for info and plat maps of land owned by Herrings in Missouri.

He was a veteran of the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, and surrendered at Shreveport, La. in 1865. Click Here for GWH Jr.'s military information.

Click Here for image of 1880 census page. St. Aubert, Callaway, Missouri. showing occupation of farmer.

Click Here for image of 1900 census page. St. Aubert, Callaway, Missouri. showing this family.

Click Here for image of 1910 census page showing the family living in Caldwell township, listing occupation as farmer and general carpentry

G.W. Herring Jr. and Josima Allen Herring are both buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Fulton Missouri. They are buried next to their son, Dolor Herring, however, their original headstone is missing. I was able to have the V.A. give me a Civil War confederate veteran headstone and on October 7, 2007, this headstone was dedicated in a ceremony by the Missouri Son's of the Confederacy. For pictures of this ceremony, Click Here.

From the Missouri death index:
HERRING, George Washington (Wash) Jr b: 14 FEB 1846 in Callaway Co., Missouri d: 15 JUN 1929
buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Fulton, Missouri
Name: Mrs. Jo M. Herring Age or Birth Date: abt 68 Death Date: 13 Dec 1922 Issue Date: 15 Dec 1922 Name: Mrs. G. W. Herring Age or Birth Date: abt 68 Death Date: 13 Dec 1922 Issue Date: 15 Dec 1922

Obit - Callaway Gazette, June 30, 1929
Civil War Veteran is Dead
George W. Herring, 83 Years Old, Native of Callaway County, Passed Away Saturday.
     George Washington Herring, 83 years old, a native of Callaway county and a veteran of the Civil War, died at 3:00 o'clock Saturday morning at the Callaway Hospital in Fulton, where he was taken Friday evening. He had suffered an attack of influenze in May which caused complications resulting in his death.
      A short funeral service will be conducted at the grave at 1:00 o'clock Sunday afternoon by the Rev. W. Garnet Alcorn, paster of the First Christian Church, and burial will be in Hillcrest cemetery.
     Mr. Herring was born on a farm six miles south of Fulton in the U.B. Church neighborhood, February 14, 1846, his parents being the late George W. and Lucy Simcoe Herring. He spent the greater part of his life on the farm, but moved to Fulton seventeen years ago, where he had since resided.
     During the Civil War he served as a member of the Confederate Army. At the close of the was he returned to Callaway county and on February 19, 1871 was married to Miss Josephine Allen, who died December 6, 1922.
     Ten children survive. They are: Judge D.W. Herring, C.B. Herring and Seth Herring of Fulton, Herbert Herring and Norman Herring of Kansas City, Brent Herring of Louisville Ky., Woodson Herring, Three Lakes, Wis., Grover C. Herring, Flint, Mich., Mrs. Scott Waters, Fulton and Mrs. Joseph W. McCormak, Kansas City. There are also 13 grandchildren. One brother, Dabney W. Herring, south of Fulton, and one sister, Mrs. Mary Gannaway of St. Louis also survives. One son and one daughter preceeded.... rest of page is missing

obit - Missouri Times weekly Sun December 7, 1922
(Front page, top of page).
Death of Mrs. Herring
Life Long Resident of Callaway County Passed Away at Five O'clock Wednessday Evening
     Mrs. Josephine M. Herring, wife of G. W. Herring died at 5 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, at her home just south of Fulton. She was sixty-seven years old. Mrs. Herring suffered a stroke of paralysis about two years ago and she had been in poor health since then. Shortly after she was paralized she lost her voice. About a year ago she began to get better and her speech partially came back to her but three months ago she suffered another stroke, and her condidtion gradually grew worse until the end. When she suffered the last stroke, her vocal cords were paralized and she was never able to speak before her death.
     The funeral will be held at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon at the Herring home. Burial will be made in Hillcrest cemetery.
     Mrs. Herring was born in Callaway county and she had lived here her entire life. Her maiden name was Miss Josephine Allen. She was married in 1871 to Mr. Herring. Twelve children, ten of which are living, were born into this union. They are: D.W. Herring, C. Robert Herring, J. Seth Herring, and Mrs. Mayme Waters of Fulton, Grover C. Herring of Detroit, Brent Herring of St. Louis, Norman and Herbert Herring and Mrs. Myrtle McCormak of Kansas City, and Woodson Herring of Los Angeles, Calif. Allen Herring, a son was killed sometime ago in Dallas Texas and another child died in infancy.
     Deceased was a member of the Baptist church and she was a true christian character. During her life time residnece in this county she acquired a large lowwoing of friends who will regret to know of her death.
     Besides her husband and the children named above, Mrs. Herring is survived by a brother, John W. Allen of near this city.

Second obit - Evening Gazette, Friday December 8, 1922
Mrs. G.W. Herring is Dead
Native of Callaway Passed Away at Her Home Just South of Fulton, Wednesday Afternoon
     Mrs. Josephine M. Herring, 68 years old, died at her home just south of Fulton, on the Mokane road, at 5:00 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, after a lingering illness with paralysis with which she was stricken about two years ago. She never entirely regained her speech after she became ill, and for the last six weeks had not been able to talk at all.
     Funeral services were held at the home at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon, and burial was in the Hillcrest cemetery.
     Mrs. Herring was born in Callaway county April 16, 1854, and had spent her entire life here. She was married February 19, 1871 to G.W. Herring, who with ten children survives: Judge D.W. Herring, C. Robert Herring, J. Seth Herring, Fulton: Mrs. Scott Waters, near Fulton, with whom Mrs. Herring made her home; Grover C. Herring, Detroit; Brent Herring, St. Louis; Robert Herring, Norman Herring, Mrs. Myrtle McCormack, Kansas City; Woodson Herring, Los Angeles, Calif. Twho children are dead, a daughter, Ruby, dying in infancy, and a son, Allen, about three years ago. Four of the sons were in the World War, and two of them saw service in Europe. One brother, John W. Allen, six miles west of Fulton, also is living.
     Mrs. Herring was a member of the Fulton Baptist church. She was a faithful Christian, putting into her daily life the practices of her religion. Friends in Fulton extend sympathy to all those who are bereaved by her death.


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This page updated 2:24 PM 12/30/2010