Friday, March 16, 2012

Herring Plantation House
Franklin County, MS

Picture circa 1950

This is a typical plantation house built during the late 1820s. David Herring and his wife Mary Leggett owned this home near the Homochitto River in Franklin County, MS. It was a two story oblong shape with chimneys at either end, a one story lean-to across the back and a porch across the front. It was made of hand hewed logs and covered with dressed lumber. The doors and flooring are hand hewed, and are about two inches thick.

Members of my family were slaves on the Herring farm. They worked the land, cooked the meals, maintained the house. Steve Herring was the fiddler and entertained the guests on the front porch and in the parlor. David Herring died in 1842, leaving a widow with several children. When the children reached their majority, the slaves were distributed causing rifts within slave families.

The enslaved men left the plantation to serve in the Civil War. A few enlisted with the Colored Troops and others worked for the Troops as cooks and laborers. A couple of the men's widows applied for pensions from the United States government, giving informative testimonies about their lives on the Herring place.

Below are recent photos of the home. The second story was taken off and the house still stands. The last picture is of the building that housed the kitchen. Kitchens were built separately from the main house for safety reasons, to protect from kitchen fires.





Pictures Courtesy of Freddie Johnson
House description from the research notes of Freddie Johnson.

36 comments:

Andrea Kelleher said...

Great Pictures! The stories those walls could tell.

LindaRe said...

If those walls could talk...

Kristin said...

Must have been so hot in that windowless kitchen.

LindaRe said...

Warm and cozy in the winter, sheer misery in the Mississippi heat which is seven, eight months out of the year.

Anonymous said...

hey my name is allen everhart i live in natchez ms i am a historian and love this stuff i also metal detect and would like to get permissin to detect this propery will give you what is found my number is 601 493 0353 if no answer leave voice message with number.

LindaRe said...

Sorry, Allen, I can't help with your request. The cousin who took the pictures was not allowed on the property, took pictures from the road, did not meet current occupants.

Anonymous said...

My name is Charlie Cameron, my grandparents grew up around this area in Meadville,MS. My grandfathers name was Charlie Cameron as his dad had the same name. My Grandmother was Margie Hickenbottom. I'm interested in learning more about my family.

LindaRe said...

Contact me at LRudd @ aol dot com and I will connect you to a cousin who is a direct descendant of the Cameron from Franklin County.

Manski54 said...

My grandfather's name was Charles Miller and Edgar Davis from Franklin County and Roxie, Miss. If anyone knows of these people I would love to know more. Thank you

Manski54 said...

My Grandfather's name was Charlie Millier from Franklin County, Miss. I would love to know more. Thank you

Manski54 said...

My grandfather's name was Charles Miller and Edgar Davis from Franklin County and Roxie, Miss. If anyone knows of these people I would love to know more. Thank you

Unknown said...

What a great old house. I wonder what it looked like in its "time", whitewashed and painted. That its still standing is a true testimony to its workmanship. Wow.
Like the previous comments said, I know it was hot as hades in spring & summer And during hot flash "seasons", - whew! Those poor cooks!

cleo ashbee said...
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cleo ashbee said...
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LindaRe said...

I would need to step outside to breathe some cold air after going through a "hot flash season" on a cold Mississippi day. Those older cooks have my sympathies.

LindaRe said...

Freddie Johnson shared the photos of the Herring house with me. The older picture was found in a book about the Newman family also shared by Freddie...Local libraries of the area where the families lived are good resources. They often have good local histories contributed by those who families lived in the area.

LindaRe said...

Thank you for visiting. What was the name of your husband's 3x great grandmother.

cleo ashbee said...
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cleo ashbee said...
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LindaRe said...

Try familysearch - https://familysearch.org/search/image/index?owc=M7MF-836%3A344534601%3Fcc%3D2036959 - I find slave names in probate records - I believe Franklin County had one of those infamous courthouse fires but you might find something useful.

cleo ashbee said...
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Diana Hewlett said...

I am a descendant of David Herring. I heard my grandparents mention this property but don't know anything about it. Thank you for providing the history of this property.

LindaRe said...

You are welcome. I have Herring cousins whose ancestors were enslaved on this plantation. Come back and visit anytime.

Diana Hewlett said...
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Diana Hewlett said...

I sincerely appreciate your welcoming spirit. You have done an amazing amount of work compiling history.

Unknown said...

Hi I was reading your article and got pulled in .. ive been doing research on my family history since my great grand mother died she left with a lot of secrets tucked away .. before she left us she was telling me about how she and her mother lived on a plantation ... I am a great descendant from the leggetts family and ive also been reading that the herring family enslaved a couple of my family members .. I'm just looking for answers to add into my generational book anything will do thank you !

Please email me: baabeyouagoddess@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Hi, we may. we may be related then. I am Ruth Herring. David is my fourth great grandfather.

Unknown said...

Ms LindaRe plz email me concerning this and related topics, my grandparents owned a store and 200 acres miles from the Herring Plantation, off hwy 98 just past Fenns Grocery.

Unknown said...

Hello!
My name is Tryna Herring Knox....
This is a fascinating blog. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I just learned about these relatives - I am a Herring family member. I would love to learn more about your family. David Herring (1794-1842) and Mary Leggette (1800-1842) had 11 children; one son, Thomas Ashley Herring was my father's grandfather. I'm just learning about the extensive genealogy records that exists for my father's side of the family. Both my father's parents died when he was quite young. I would love to hear from you! I can be reached at knoxtryna20@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I would love to hear about the midwives. Surely, there must've been some.

Unknown said...

I am interested in the African American Herring family, particularly, Rebecca Herring (abt 1863). There is a story that she was killed by a mob. I am looking for newspapers or anything that might verify that story. She lived in the McCall Creek area. Also, what African American cemeteries are in the area. I would really appreciate any help.

Unknown said...

I am interested in the Tom Herring line as well. You may email me at eozpearl @yahoo.com.

Unknown said...

I am grand daughter of Spivey herring an have lots of direct members of herring on ancestry but I get a dead end 3rd cousin is white an a herring ???

Unknown said...

There were a bunch of Miller's in Freewoods (North bank of Homochitto & South of Garden City and East of HWY 33). I would check in the Freewoods Cem. which is kept pretty well. When the gardenias are in bloom it smells great. Also Gibson's there.

Unknown said...

Have you ever heard of William herring

bayouhealer said...

Hello. I'm a descendant of Dafney Herring born in SC(1812), died In MS(1900)... her daughter Mary Jane (1834) was born in MS. It seems The Herring Family had plantations in SC and MS and slaves were "moved" around at some point.