Source: The Herndon Family of Virginia, John Goodwin Herndon, Privately Printed 1947, The Engineers Publishing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Edward was born in 1678 in New Kent County, Virginia, but as a result of the creation of new counties, his home in St. Stephen's Parish was, from 1691 to 1728, in King and Queen and thereafter in Caroline County.
The records of King William County, of which only a few fragments have been preserved, show that in 1722 Robert Farish, of St. Stephen's Parish [King and Queen] conveyed to Edward Herndon, of the same parish, 46 acres being in King Wm Co and upon the South..Baylor and Francis Michael lands being part of a patent of the 18th day of April…with all messuages, houses, stables…standing or belonging together with all orchards gardens ways waters Profita priviledges Commodities advantages w t soever to the same belonging
In this fragment there are also the interesting words, "a Patent of Land in the fork of Mattapony", reminiscent of the words in the grants to Edward Digges in 1653 and William Herndon in 1673/4
June 16, 1727 "Edward Hernton, of King and Queen County" received a patent for 400 acres in Spotsylvania County. In the Caroline County records he mentioned as of Drysdale Parish. Robert Farish was a neighbor. There is no reason to believe that Edward's residence changed when Caroline Co was created, but merely that once more his old home was in a new county. His plantation was located at the intersection of the Main Road, down from Douge Town Bridge, and the Courthouse Road, as the latter turned up to the Maricosie Bridge. His home was also mentioned as on the road leading to the Spotsylvania Road. It was probably, therefore, near the dividing line between Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties.
Counties.
November 9, 1739, Edward we paid 60 pounds of tobacco out of the county levy "for erecting posts with inscriptions along the roadside" This is one of the early references in American records to the erection of signposts for the guidance of travelers.
Several times from 1736 to 1750 Edward was fined for not keeping his road in repair.
Two items of circumstantial evidence support that Mary Waller was Edward Herndon's first wife.
1. In 1739 Edward Herdon of Caroline gives a 400 acres tract in Spotsylvania for love and affection to his son Edward Herndon, Jr. The bound of the land are as follows: "beginning at a corner of Mrs. Mary Waller's (Now Mr. Zachery Lewis's) and Capt. Larkin Chew's (Now Hawkins) .......
The Mary Waller mentioned above was the mother of Edward Herndon's wife.
2. Excerpt from a letter written by Joseph Herndon, a grandson of this Edwards, being a son of the Edward who was the grantee-donee in the deed of gift above quoted, in which he speaks of his cousin Jack Waller
The record in the suit involving Edward Herndon and others against William Herndon, described in the sketch of the said William, indicates that Edward's second wife was probably a daughter of the Thomas Leftwich, deceased, whose estate was in the process of settlement. Her Christian name is not of record. They seem to have had only one child, Esther, from whose marriage date, Decem ber 23, 1742, would estimate her birth about 1722 or 1723 and Edward's second marriage about 1721.
Will probated March 9, 1758 Caroline Co, Virginia, will destroyed in fire to courthouse during the War Between the States.
Dr. John Goodwin Herndon states that due to the destruction of estate papers it is impossible to be sure of his children.
