Ned Edward Autry was somewhere around 30 years Ned Edmund Autry’s senior. What connection can there be between the two? Why would Ned Edmund change his name from Ned Herring to Ned Edmund Autry? Why were both families associated with the Herrings? Why would Ned Edmund and his sister Rose Johnson have the same names as Ned Edward and his wife Rose Autry? Why were (Ned Edmund’s mother) Edith’s other children named the same as Ned Edward and Rose’s children and grandchildren? Why would Flora Herring’s three daughters Mary, Sankie and Lula come and visit Ned Edmund and family and sometimes stay after Flora’s death? Flora lived with and was raised by Ned Edward in her youth. Flora’s father, Dennis Herring was also found living in Ned Edward’s household in 1870. Could he have been a brother to Ned Herring “AKA” Ned Edmund Autry or his mother Edith Herring-Johnson? Could Ned Edward’s wife Rose Autry have been a sister of Phyllis Herring or her daughter Edith?
Some of Ned Edward and Rose Autry’s descendants (the Boykins of Longview and Clinton) claims that there is a relation between the two families but none can clearly tell how. I have heard from more than one source that Ned Edward was the father of Ned Edmund. That could be a likely possibility but for more than a year I have been thinking that Ned Edward’s wife Rose and Ned Edmund’s mother Edith Herring-Johnson were also related. This was due to the fact of how the children of both families were named.
The Answers to all of the above thoughts and questions about the relationship between the members of the two Autry-Herring families have finally been found. It is truly amazing how the pieces to this puzzle have been lying around in front of me since the beginning of this research. There will probably be many members of these families that will dispute most of my findings but I have records that will support any answer to any question about any of the mysteries that surround the relationship of these two families.
One mystery solved has led to another. I accidentally found in 1880 that for some reason Edith Herring-Johnson’s mother (Phyllis Herring) was found living in Sampson County with a nephew named Daniel Moore and his family in the township of South Clinton. There was also another elderly lady named Hannah Peterson living in Daniel’s household during that time. This information did not show if Hannah was Daniel’s mother or if she was Phyllis’ sister but to my surprise, Hannah was found ten years earlier (1870) living with one of Ned Edward and Rose Autry’s sons and his family. He was also found living in the township of South Clinton during that time.
Now, it is looking like Phyllis Herring, Rose Autry and Hannah Peterson could have all been sisters of the very large Moore family that lived in the South Clinton area of Sampson County from 1870 on. There were also many brothers found in this family and it appears that Tenah Moore born sometime around 1780 was their mother. Strangely enough, I also found Tenah to be referred to as Tenah Herring in some of this same information. It is also very possible that all of this Moore family could not have been blood relatives. They could have been just as closely tied together by being slave members owned by the same slave holding family. It appears that Henry Moore was possibly their slave owner. Henry was the only Slave owner with the surname of Moore that lived in the entire southern district of Sampson County in 1850 and 1860 that owned more than one slave.
Note:Could Tenah and/or some of her children have been sold or traded to Henry Moore? Could Tenah have been visiting the Moores in 1880 just as Phyllis was doing? All of this is still very confusing and is being looked into. Click here and here to view some other facts and thoughts that I have came across during my research of Phyllis and her family of Herrings, Johnson’s and Autrys.
Archie and Dora Herring
Here is a little information on Dora McDuffie-Herring. Dora was first found in 1870 living in the turnbull township of Bladen county. She was living in Mattie McDuffie’s household. Mattie was born in some parts of Virginia sometime around 1800 and appears to be one of Catherine McDuffie’s slaves. Catherine was also found living in the Turnbull township of Bladen county.
Matties household consisted of:
Mattie McDuffie born abt. 1800
Dora Lucas McDuffie born September 1, 1864
James McDuffie born abt. 1869
Elley McDuffie born abt. 1849
I don’t know if Mattie was Dora’s grandmother, if Elley was her mother or if James was her brother. No information to that affect was listed.
I found Dora again in 1880 living with a white family in the Colly township of Bladen county. This family was the family of Mrs M. J. Tatem. Mrs tatem’s sons William L. age 7 and Leonard A. age 5 were also living in the household.
Archie was almost 35 years older than Dora. They were found in 1900 married and living in a home somewhere on or about the Susie Sandhill. No children were listed in this household. Archie must have died by 1910, because Dora was found living alone during this time. She still resided on or about the Susie Sandhill area. Dora was found dead in her garden on May 9, 1923. She is buried in the Marshburn Cemetery. The Marshburn is the cemetery that is located between Edward Autry and his daughter Elizabeth Autry-Brown’s home. She had to have surviving family members at the time of her death because she has a very nice headstone that is placed on her grave. God bless her.
Note: As mentioned above, Archie was almost 35 years older than Dora. Because of this I am assuming that Archie had been married sometime before he met and married Dora. I have noticed this all through my research in many of my ancestors families. Because of this I am also assuming that Shade Herring who was born in 1855 and lived in the same community was Archie’s son and not his brother. By 1900 Shade and his family had moved to the Lisbon township (Garland area) of Sampson county. Many of his descendants still live there today. As a matter of fact one of his descendants of Garland died and was buried in early February of 2005. His name was also shade Herring. I will fully research Shade at another time.