McDonough ILGenWeb

HERNDON, Baxter D. — Born May 6, 1864, on the place where he now lives, the subject of this sketch is one of the best known farmers and stock-raisers in Scotland Township, McDonough County, Ill. He is a son of Madison Herndon, who was born near Richmond, Va., and Margaret (Rexroat) Herndon, a native of the State of Kentucky. Her father, Peter Rexroat, was also a Kentuckian. Madison Herndon and his wife moved to Macomb, Ill., after the first marriage of their son, Baxter, and there the father died in December, 1900, the mother having passed away two weeks before.

Mr. Herndon is the youngest of a family of five children who were the offspring of his father's second marriage. In boyhood he attended the public school in his vicinity, and lived on the home farm until he was twenty-eight years old. Then he went to Adair, Ill., where he was engaged in the general mercantile business for six years. At the end of that period he sold out and returned to the farm, which he has since conducted. This property, consisting of 190 acres, he purchased before the death of his parents.

On September 1, 1884, Mr. Herndon was married to his first wife, who bore him two children: Charles and Bessie. The mother died September 12, 1890, and on November 1, 1891. Mr. Herndon married as his second wife Louise Pointer, who was born and educated in McDonough County. The offspring of this union is one child, — Mabel.

Mr. Herndon is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in politics, a Democrat, and fraternally, is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America.

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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McDonough County, compiled by Dr. Newton Bateman, and Paul Shelby, 1907, volume 2, pages 906-907, extracted 09 Mar 2019 by Norma Hass.