Amos was named in the will of his father, Stephen.

1850. Amos Herring age 47, farmer, lives in Sampson County with 18 slaves, wife Mary age 45, and children George 22 laborer, Julia 15, Mary 9, Owen 7, Amos 5, Adolphus 3 and Ella 1.

1860. Between 1850 and 1860, a lot happened. Mary Jane died, Amos married second Elizabeth Chestnutt and they had two children, and then, in Jan 1860, Amos died. Amos is listed in the 1860 Mortality Table (people who died shortly before the Census was taken). He died suddenly January of heart disease, age 56. His children are now spread among two households. His youngest two are with their mother, Elizabeth. His older children are with his oldest son George W.

In the 1860 Census, he and his wife Mary Jane are both absent, as both have died. But his second wife is there with her children by him (Almond and James), his oldest daughter has apparently married and his younger children: Owen 17, Repition 15, Adolphus 13, Ella 11 and Thomas 9 are living with George W -- their older brother.

Amos Herring died (suddenly, apparently) 5 Jan 1860 at about age 57. He left no will but there is a very interesting estate file for various proceedings after his death. The dates on the papers range from 1860 to 1880.

The essence of the story told by these papers is that upon his death, his brother Hardy and son George W were named as the administrators of the estate and they settled it by 1864 or so. Then, in the mid-1870’s and continuing through 1880, the two youngest children -- sons of Amos and second wife Mary Elizabeth Chesnutt -- filed a suit saying that the estate was never properly settled and that they did not get their fair share. In the course of adjudicating that suit, it was stated that certain key documents from the 1860’s could not be found (lost when the Federal Troops pillaged on their way through the county in Spring 1865) and a reproduction (from Hardy’s memory) was introduced. Nonetheless, some of the papers in the estate file do date back to the early 1860’s, so I’m not sure whether they are different than the papers sought or were found later and placed in this file.

Based on these papers and other sources, the names of Amos’ heirs are as follows:

Mary Elizabeth Chestnutt. She was Amos’ second wife as his first wife, Mary Jane Fennell, died in 1851. At some point, not too long after Amos’ death, Mary Elizabeth married second Patrick Merritt.

Amos and first wife Mary Jane Fennell had these children:

George W Herring born 1828 married Mary E Carroll
Julia Herring born 1835 married Louis M Boykin. Julia pre-deceased her father
Mary Herring born about 1840 married Edward C Smith
Owen Fennell Herring born 1843 married Betsy Hargrove
Amos Repton Herring born 1845 married Katherine Folsom Davis
Adolphus Moseley Herring born 1847 married Melissa Merritt
Ella Herring born about 1849 married Christopher C Smith
Thomas J Herring born about 1851 married Cornelia Merritt

Amos and second wife Mary Elizabeth Chestnutt had these children:

James Richard Herring born 1855 married Minnie Robinson
Almond McKoy Herring born 1858 married Frances Eugenia Colwell

The Superior Court in the end ruled in favor of Hardy -- that the estate had been properly administered.

Amos Herring lived his entire life in Sampson County.

One other important detail about the life of Amos Herring is told through Census listings as well. The Herring book states that Amos married second Elizabeth Chestnutt and for a while I didn’t see how this could be since both Mary Jane and Amos are listed in the 1850 Census and neither in 1860 when their children including son Thomas born about 1851 are found living with their son George. But interestingly, another source, an old book on Sampson County history covers the Fennell family and states that Mary Jane Fennell, daughter of Nicholas, married Amos Herring and lists their children – but the list includes not just the ones found living with George in 1860 but two others: James R and Almond. So where are they in 1860? They are found living with Elizabeth Herring (nee Chesnutt, according to the annotated Sampson Census). This gives a lot of credence to the second marriage scenario. It means that Mary Jane died not long after (possibly simultaneous with) the birth of Thomas. Elizabeth, interestingly, is age 29 (Amos would have been 57). James is 5 and Allmond 2. So the second marriage presumably took place in about 1853 or 1854 and then Amos died in early 1860.

Amos Herring was the son of Stephen.

An article in the Fayetteville Observer 4 May 1857 cited an article in the Clinton Independent: “Mr. Amos Herring of this county sent us a chicken a few days since that had no eyes on the side of his head in the place where the eyes ought to be. In short it was a no-eyed chicken.”

Her mother Margaret petitioned for a widow’s Revolutionary War pension on 7 Sep 1839 and stated that she was the widow of Nicholas Fennell born 1762 and that among their children was Mary Jane Fennell born 13 Jan 1806 and married Amos Herring 3 Mar 1825. Margaret also mentions daughter Mary Jane Herring in her 1846 will, though I believe Mary Jane died before Margaret.

She can be accounted for in her father’s household in 1820 and with husband Amos in 1830-1850.

Her mother’s 1839 pension application is filled with wonderful facts including the birth date and marriage date of her daughter Mary Jane.

Mary Jane Fennell was the wife of Amos Herring, grandmother of Frank Herring and great-grandmother of Emma Wyatt. She comes from an interesting family. I learned all about the Fennell line from the records available on the New Hanover County website. I am not sure everything it says is accurate about the earliest generations of Fennells so I’ll only include in this family tree the Fennells I am certain about and simply comment on possible previous generations. I am quite certain her father was Nicholas Fennell, a Revolutionary War veteran. And I am certain that his father was also Nicholas Fennell although which one poses a bit of a mystery.

The ages of her children are quite interesting. She had George at age 22, Julia at 29 and then had six more children starting with Mary at age 34 and her last was Thomas at age 45. She died, I believe, the year Thomas was born and I suspect it was in or shortly after childbirth.

1860. Amos Herring is said to have remarried Elizabeth Chestnutt after his first wfe dies and there is an Elizabeth Herring (nee Chestnutt) listed in Taylor's Bridge in 1860 with two children: James ag, e 5 and Allmond 2. The earliest his first wife died is about 1851 so I believe Amos remarried in about 1853 and then he died in 1860.

1860. Between 1850 and 1860, a lot happened. Mary Jane died, Amos married second Elizabeth Chestnutt and then, in Jan 1860, Amos died. His son Thomas is 9 in 1860. Amos has died. But, he is said to have remarried Elizabeth Chestnutt after the death of his wife and there is an Elizabeth Herring (nee Chestnutt) listed in Taylor's Bridge in 1860 with two children: James age 5 and Allmond 2. The Sampson County History says Amos and Mary Jane had 9 children including James and Almond. I suspect that Mary Jane died in childbirth with Thomas in 1851, Amos remarried in about 1853 and then he died in 1860.