William Harvey Herrin was born in the Dixon Area or Little Zion of Webster County, Kentucky. He was the son of George Washington Herrin who was born October 9, 1823 in Rushing Creek, Tennessee and Elizabeth Curry Thompson Herrin born in 1835 in Kentucky.
He was a brother to James b. February 11, 1873, Benjamin b. 1879, and Ressie Herrin b. June 1, 1889; and a half brother to Katheryne Thompson, David Herrin, b. 1851; Beverly Herrin, b. November 4, 1852, Nancy Herrin, b. 1855, Henry H. Herrin, b. 1857, William W. Herrin, b. 1860, George W., Jr., b. 1862; Frances Herrin, b. 1865; Jacob Herrin, b. 1868; and Robert Herrin b. May 1870.
As a child, Harvey said that he could remember seeing his mother's footprints in the snow inside their house in the mornings. Harvey was born on the farm owned and cultivated by his father. The principal crop raised on this farm, as on others, in that section, was tobacco.
Harvey's father was a widower with a family from his first marriage. At age 22, George Washington Herrin joined three of his brothers to make the migration from Benton County, Tennessee to Western Kentucky. Being single he probably lived with either Beverly or Wesley, his older brothers, when he first arrived. He moved a little farther to the east during the first 3 years, however, because the 1850 Census shows him in Henderson County, Kentucky rather than Hopkins or Union, County, Kentucky.
These sons of Abimlech and Sarah Herrin had moved north to Ken- tucky in 1846 and joined other members of the Herrin family in Western Kentucky along the Shawnee Trace. The brothers were part of a group of settlers led by William Watson who made their way from Benton County, Tennessee to the area around Jonesstand in Henderson County, Ken- tucky. William Watson, who later established the community around Oak Heights, was the father-in-law of two of the Herrin brothers, Beverly and Wesley, at the time of the migration and later a third brother, Enoch, married one of his daughters.
The brothers settled on land in and around Boardly that was prob- ably owned by either Daniel or William Herrin while other members of the party went a few miles farther to Jonesstand and Oak Heights. The rea-son for the move to Kentucky is not known, but it is apparent that the group knew exactly where these other Herrin family members were loc- ated and that was their destination.
The reason for George Washington's move to the east is fairly clear. Her name was Sarah A. Crews, the 17-year-old daughter of Williamson and Margery Crews, whom he married late in 1849 or 1850. The young couple is shown located just east of Hwy 41-A at the junction of Hwy. 56 so in actuality, George and Sarah lived only about 5 miles or so from Jonesstand and probably less than a mile from Rueben Herrin's family.
Sarah A. Crews was born in 1832. Her father Williamson, a farmer and Baptist minister, was born in 1793 in Virginia and came to Kentucky with his parents shortly before 1800. His father, William was also a minister and is credited with establishing one of the first churches in what was then Christian County, Kentucky. His wife, Margery Marks, was born in Loudon County Virginia in 1796 and came to the area when her father, John Marks, Jr. brought his family to homestead a grant of land which was awarded to him for services in The Revolutionary War.
In the 1860 Census, George and Sarah Herrin are shown with 5 children; David, age 9; Beverly, age 7; Nancy, age 5; Henry H., age 3; and William W., age 5 months. They are also shown with personal property valued at $300.00, but no real estate. The lack of real property indicates that the family was still living on land owned by Sarah's father, who was Williamson Crews.
Four more children were born to George and Sarah before her death in 1870 or 1871. These four known children were: George W., Jr., Frances, Jacob, and Robert. It is believed that they were living with Williamson Crews and his family.
After the death of Sarah, George W. married Harvey’s mother Elizabeth Rebecca Thompson Curry, the widow of John F. Thompson. She had married in Union, Kentucky January 13, 1858. Elizabeth’s daughter, Kathleen Thompson was born during her first marriage. Elizabeth’s parents were James S. Curry and Rebecca Morgan from Webster County, Kentucky.
George and Elizabeth moved to Dixon, Kentucky following their marriage around 1872 and are shown in the 1880 Census with three of the four children born to the union. The listed children are James, age 7; William Harvey, age 5, and Benjamin, age 1. Their fourth child, a daughter named Rissie was born in 1888.
George Washington Herrin died as a result of an accidental fall from a horse in 1891. The most credible version of the accident is that George was an avid coon hunter and that he was hunting at night on the edge of his brother, Beverly's property in Clifty Bottoms near Clay, Kentucky. The horse he was riding ran too close to a tree and he fell from the horse and broke his hip. Other members of the party went to Beverly's home for help and he was taken to his home near Little Zion. Complications developed as he was recovering and he succumbed to pneumonia. He is buried at White Oak Church Cemetery.
Following George's death, his family had a very difficult time. The children from his first marriage were grown and apparently "on their own". But, the second set of children were still all at home.
Harvey told of staying with his cousin Fannie Herrin Nesbitt and her husband William for a period of time after his father died. Fannie was the daughter of Enoch C. Herrin and she was born in 1868 and died in 1952. They enjoyed a close relationship for many years.
A year or so after George's death, James and Harvey moved to Cave in Rock, Illinois, where they worked for their brother in law, Dr. George Warren Hill who had married their half sister Kathleen Thompson. Dr. Hill at that time was conducting a drug business in Cave-in-Rock. As Dr. Hill also owned a farm near the village, he informed the boys that he would give them work there, so they packed their few clothes into a suitcase and started for the Cave from Corydon, Kentucky.
The boys crossed the river at Caseyville and set out on foot across the rough country roads. Putting a stick through the handle of the suitcase, they took turns in carrying it as they trudged on toward the village destined to play so important a part in their future. Mr. Herrin recalls their meeting with Thomas Blakely and of their inquiries as to how they could reach town. He carefully directed them and they had no difficulty in finding the way. Later, Elizabeth Herrin and the younger children also moved to Illinois and continued to live there.
Harvey Herrin may well be termed a “self-made man,” due to the fact when he was a lad of only eleven years, and the father having died and leaving the mother with four young children. The death of the father placed the burden of the family’s support upon the two older brothers and they responded nobly to the task. Necessarily, the amount of schooling, which they were able to obtain, was somewhat limited, but that might have been a dire misfortune in the case of some, did not prove to be so with these lads.
James Herrin born February 11, 1873 was also a well-known citizen of Hardin County, IL. who married Myrtle Jenkins in 1917. She was the daughter of William G. and Mary W. Jenkins. They had 2 daughters, Kathleen and Norma Herrin. James also owned a sizable farm on Saline Creek, The Herrin Funeral Home, The Ohio Theater, and was president of the Hardin County State Bank. Biographical records indicate that Jim was the first in Cave-in-Rock to have a “horseless carriage”, the first to have electricity and first to have running water piped into his house.
Kathleen and her husband Porter Rose later ran the funeral home and it was called The Rose Funeral Home. James died July 22, 1942. Rissie became the wife of John H. Tyer on September 5th, 1897, an implement dealer, whose parents were John Tyer, and Rufina Vinyard. She died at the age of 20 on January 13, 1903.
Benjamin Herrin, the youngest brother was an outstanding salesman for International Harvester, he also served in the Spanish American War during the Cuban Invasion with Teddy Roosevelt and The Rough Riders. He was married to Triny whose last name is not known at this time.
The latent qualities of grit and determination to succeed, an innate ability to see the needs of men and the ways to supply those needs, the capacity to acquire knowledge and profit by experience, combined with the necessity for making a living developed in them a self reliance which made Harvey and James successful business men. They acquired an education by contact with working individuals enabling them to stand on equality with those who may possibly have received a greater amount of academic education.
Harvey Herrin owed a half interest in the Grain Elevator at Shawneetown and assisted in conducting its business at that place. He also owned a controlling interest in the St. Thomas Coal Mines in Gallatin County. Harvey and his brother James were successful merchants in Kentucky and in their Illinois home, Cave-in-Rock, for a number of years, dealing in hardware, livestock and grain. They owned and ran The Farmers Implement Store in Cave-in-Rock. The family ran this business for over fifty years.
Harvey made an admirable County Commissioner for Hardin County and through his persistency the present County Court House stands as a monument to him.
He united with the Methodist church of Cave-in-Rock and was one of its most loyal members. For about twenty-five years he was the efficient teacher of the Men’s Bible Class of the Methodist Sunday School. He was also chairman of the Board of Trustees of that church. His staunch and liberal support has contributed largely to the erection of the newer church building.
He did not extenuate or suppress his words and thereby made an excellent Village Trustee, a School Board member as well as a church member when he was chosen and acted in these capacities.
Elizabeth, Harvey’s mother, died at the age of 88 in 1923 in Cave in Rock where she was known as "Old Grandma Herrin". She is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery.
Harvey was first married to Flora Hunter in 1904 and to this union two sons were born, Otis Turner March 21, 1901 and William Clarence (Dud) Herrin March 24 1903. The marriage ended in divorce for reasons not said to be any fault of Mr. Herrin by the story he told to his grandson Bill. Dud and Otis lived with their grandmother, Elizabeth Herrin.
His second marriage was to Elsie Taylor Brown, a widow, who owned the farm at Bend of the River and born in Hardin County. The farm is about 10 miles north of town on a gravel rode still. They met while Elsie had been to Cave-in-Rock to sell some corn. Mr. Herrin was a buyer for a grain and corn company. She was 29 years old. Mr. Herrin went to call on Elsie for the first time at her house and take her for a buggy ride and remarked that it was an exciting ride. It seems that the horse hooked up to the buggy took off into a run while they were suppose to be on a leisurely ride. They were married November 15, 1908 at her house. Witnesses were Ethel Hensel and Lily Plew. Rev. J. B. Driskelle conducted the ceremony. Her parents were William Daniel and Clara Lanier Taylor originally from Tennessee. Elsie was born December 7, 1877 in Hardin County and died May 22, 1961 in Lawrenceville, IL. After two years of marriage, they purchased the Henry Bossett Farm and lived there for two years. Then they purchased the Bob Hill property in Cave-in-Rock, a beautiful two story house overlooking the Ohio River and surrounded by twenty-two acres. To this union was born James Harvey Herrin c. October 20, 1909, Wilford Horace Herrin c. May 12, 1912, Walter Earlo c. November 11, 1915, Clara Bernice c. October 19, 1913, and Erthel Ruth Herrin c. 1920. Young Harvey died at age nine from the flu during an epidemic on October 30, 1918. He is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery just north of Cave-in-Rock.
In The Flood of 1937, the Herrin House was flooded by the rise of The Ohio River and several pictures of it were taken, but the house still stands.
During the time that the house was flooded, Mr. and Mrs. Herrin took their family and servants with them to live with his brother James Harvey and his family had been living on the second floor of the house, but the Coast Guard told them they had to vacate the house.
Harvey and Elsie raised their grandson Billy Herrin Oxford, the son of Bernice Herrin and Ray Oxford. Billy was born in the large home across the street from the Methodist Church where Mr. and Mrs. Herrin lived. Later, Bill worked on the farm at Bend of the River and helped his grandparents with the management of the farm. In December of 1954 Bill was married to Naomi Hobbs of Cave In Rock and was living in the country home in January of 1955 when the house was totally destroyed by fire and grandpa passed away.
For the last several years of his life, Harvey supervised and managed the rich bottom farm in Bend of the River. Thereon, was a modern country home consumed by fire a few minutes before Mr. Herrin was called to his Heavenly Home to be relieved of all pain incurred in his last big battle. He had tried to save some items from being burned in the house fire and told his grandson, Bill, that his chest was hurting. Bill drove him to Dr. Oxford’s at Cave-in-Rock and carried him into the office and laid him on the couch, then ran out to notify the fire department that their house was afire. When Bill returned to Dr. Oxford’s after a few minutes Mr. Herrin had passed on.
Mr. and Mrs. William Harvey Herrin and two of their children, Harvey, Jr. and Bernice Herrin Smith are buried at Cave Hill Cemetery with a grandson Robert Harvey Herrin, son of Earlo and Cleo Mason Herrin. The plot is toward the front of the cemetery and appropriately next to his mother, Elizabeth and his brother James Herrin and his family.
As Harvey Herrin’s grandchildren, we feel such pride in our grandfather that we wanted to share his memory with all others by compiling this biography of his devoted Christian life. He is a testament to being able to overcome dire obstacles and being able to accomplish The Great American Dream.