Herndon, John R.

Born: 1807-04-13 Kentucky

Died: 1882-11-23 Galesburg, Illinois

John R. Herndon, who was known commonly by his middle name, Rowan, was cousin to William H. Herndon. He 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.