mary Ellen Turner Herndon

Headstone of Mary Herndon, interred at the Odell Pioneer Cemetery in Dayton, Oregon.
  • Born: 1854 | Scio, Oregon
  • Died: 24 December 1880 | Chehalis, Washington
  • Parents: Thomas Alvin & Stacy Haman Shelton Turner
  • Spouse: Dr. Joseph Steven Herndon
  • Married: 12 April 1874 | Scio, Oregon
  • Children:
    • Atherton Herndon (1875–1957)
    • Verona Herndon Reynolds (1876–1958)

Early Life and Family Background

Mary Ellen Turner Herndon was the eldest of seven children born to Thomas Alvin Turner and Stacy Haman Shelton Turner. Both Thomas and Stacy crossed the plains to Oregon with their families in 1847 and later settled in Scio, Oregon, where they married in 1853.

Marriage to Dr. Joseph Herndon

In April 1874, Mary married Dr. Joseph Steven Herndon, also of Scio. A Civil War veteran, Joseph had enlisted just before his 18th birthday on July 18, 1865, in Yoleville, Arkansas. He served as a private in the  6th Regiment Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia, which later merged into the 16th Missouri U.S. Cavalry. Reflecting on his service years later, he wrote:

“6th Mo. PROVISIONAL Enrolled Militia, was made up by special order of President Lincoln, to fight the Notorious Quantrel Guerrilla and his followers, in South Mo. Northern Ark. etc. In all, I stopped four bullets for Uncle Samuel, but was never entirely disabled by any.” 

(Ancestry.com, 2023)

It is unclear when Joseph emigrated to Oregon or whether he came alone or with family. He earned his medical degree from the Willamette University Department of Medicine in Salem in 1874, the same year he and Mary were married. He practiced as an allopathic physician (M.D.) and later held medical licenses in Oregon, Washington, and California.

(Oregonian, 1874)

Family Life

Mary and Joseph welcomed their first child, Atherton, in January 1875 in Scio. Before the birth of their daughter, Verona, in August 1876, the family relocated to Dayton, Oregon. During their brief time there, Joseph served as the Dayton postmaster from November 1876 to January 1877.

Later Years and Death

By June 1880, the Herndon family had moved to Lewis County, Washington. Tragically, Mary died in Chehalis on Christmas Eve in 1880 at the age of 26, leaving behind two young children. Her body was returned to Oregon, where she was laid to rest in the Odell Pioneer Cemetery alongside her mother and two siblings.

(Oregonian, 1881)

Children After Mary’s Death

Due to the destruction of the 1890 U.S. Census in a fire, it is unclear whether Mary’s children remained with Joseph and his second wife after her death or if they were taken in by other family members. By the time of the 1900 census, both Atherton and Verona were living separately as boarders. Verona was still in school, while Atherton, then in his mid-twenties, listed his occupation as a machinist.

Joseph Herndon’s Later Life

Joseph remarried three years after Mary’s death. In his later years, he resided at the Oregon Soldiers’ Home in Roseburg. He died at the age of 70 after being struck by a train during one of his daily nature walks.

REFERENCE

“Aged veteran killed by train at Roseburg.” (1918, December 17). Ashland Tidings, p. 8.

American Antiquarian Society. (1873). Willamette University, Department of Medicine (p. 42). Worcester, Massachusetts. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from Ancestry.com database: Ancestry.com. (2012). U.S., School Catalogs, 1765–1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Ancestry.com. (n.d.). Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804–1929: Joseph S. Herndon [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Original data source not specified. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from Ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com. (2023). Oregon, U.S., State Military Records, 1847–1977 [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Original data: Oregon State Archives. Oregon, Military Records, 1847–1977. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from Ancestry.com.

Turner, Mary E. Early Oregonians Database Index. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved March 22, 2025 from https://secure.sos.state.or.us/prs/profile.do?ancRecordNumber=36263

Find A Grave. Mary Ellen Turner Herndon. Findagrave.com. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11919476/mary_ellen-herndon

National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). Record of appointment of postmasters, 1832–Sept. 30, 1971 (Record Group 28, M841, Roll 106). Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from Ancestry.com database: Ancestry.com. (2010). U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters, 1832–1971 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Oregon State Archives. (n.d.). Oregon Soldiers Home Applications, 1894–1933 [Application file for Joseph S. Herndon]. In Ancestry.com. Oregon, U.S., State Military Records, 1847–1977 [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from Ancestry.com.

Oregon State Archives. (1918). Oregon, death records, 1864–1967 [Death certificate for Joseph S. Herndon]. In Ancestry.com. Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864–1971 [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from Ancestry.com.

Oregonian. (1874, May 2). Page 2, column 3. Retrieved April 7, 2025 from Newspapers.com.

Oregonian. (1881, January 1). Page 1, column 5. Retrieved April 7, 2025 from Newspapers.com.

U.S. Census Bureau. (1860). 1860 United States Federal Census. Linn County, Oregon, 366, Thomas Turner household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M653, Roll 1055. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from Ancestry.com.

U.S. Census Bureau. (1870). 1870 United States Federal Census. Scio, Oregon, 614A, Thomas Turner household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M593, Roll 1286. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from Ancestry.com.

U.S. Census Bureau. (1880). 1880 United States Federal Census. Lewis County, Washington, E.D. 019, 400A, Joseph Herndon household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication T9, Roll 1397. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from Ancestry.com.