Herndon, John Rowan

Born: 1807-04-13 Kentucky

Died: 1882-11-23 Galesburg, Illinois

Known commonly as "Rowan" and cousin to William H. Herndon, Herndon opened a store with James Herndon in New Salem, Illinois, in 1830. Together with Abraham Lincoln, he piloted the steamer Talisman, the first such ship to reach New Salem, back to Beardstown. In 1832, Herndon sold his share of his store to Lincoln. In 1833, while cleaning his rifle, he accidentally shot and killed his wife. He later moved to Island Grove.

Gravestone, Hope Cemetery, Galesburg, IL; Benjamin P. Thomas, Lincoln's New Salem (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1934), 6, 53, 60-61, 70-71, 76; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 26 January 1833, 3:2.