A PIONEER COLLIN MOTHER
Resided in or Near McKinney for 56 years
MRS. CYNTHIA HERNDON
Courier Gazette
February 2, 1912
Witnessed Wonderful Development From Virgin Wild to Present Growth.
Mrs. C. A. Herndon, the aged
widow of the late George Herndon, is visiting for a few days at the home of her
son, James R. Herndon, in West McKinney. Mrs. Herndon will be 85 years old Sept.
10 and enjoys perhaps better health than usual just at this time. She makes her
home with her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. And Mrs. H. E. singleton, three miles
southwest of McKinney. Mrs. Herndon's maiden name was Cynthia McGarrah, daughter
of Col. Jake McGarrah, founder of Old Buckner, the old county seat of Collin
county, which village was moved about three miles southeastward about sixty
years ago and renamed McKinney, which town has been the county seat ever since.
Mrs. Herndon has the following living children: H. C. Herndon of Mineral Wells;
Tom J. Herndon of McKinney; James R. Herndon of McKinney; Mrs. John Montgomery
of Foncine; Ben Z, Herndon of Greer County, Ok.; Mrs. Henry E. Singleton of near
McKinney; Mrs. H. C. Addison of Snyder, Ok.; George A. Herndon of Ekalaka,
Montana; Mrs. Sam Breechen of Prosper, and Ed Herndon of Oklahoma City.
Mrs. Herndon was a sister of
Mrs. Dr. G. A. Foote, Mrs. Capt. Ed. R. Stiff, Mrs. James (Uncle Jimmie) Herndon
and Mrs. Tola Dunn, all now dead, but were wives of Collin county pioneers,
whose children and grandchildren are among our most prominent citizenship of
today.
This honored old Collin
county pioneer mother came here when a young woman of only twenty years of age
and for the long period of sixty-five years has continuously resided in or near
McKinney. Within the span of this one life in its borders, Collin county has
been literally transformed from a wild, undeveloped, sparsely settled frontier
region to the position of the richest agricultural county in the United States,
with a population of nearly 60,000 souls. The wild Indians roamed over the open
prairies and virgin forest land of our fertile county when she first came here
and land could be had for a mere song and sing it yourself. But this old mother
has watched the shifting of the sands of time from that day to this, until now
she sees the teeming thousands move to and fro in their busy pursuits and
varying avocations of our industrial development and phenomenal growth. Several
hundred school houses, as many church edifices and thousands of substantial
homes dot the surface of grand old Collin now where none existed when she came
here, while land values have climbed to an average ranging price from $60 to
$125 per acre, and this wonderfully productive county has taken its place as the
most densely rural populated county of all the nearly 250 counties of Texas, the
imperial state of the Union in matter of vast domain.
Truly, Mrs. Herndon is a
remarkably well preserved old mother, who is blessed beyond the lot of most
people in the length of days allotted to her, as well as in matters of health
and happiness. May many more such years be in reserve for this good old mother
of pioneer days who still lingers with us a living link of the present to
connect us with historic days of the fast receding past.
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"Mrs. Cynthia Herndon,
EARLY SETTLERS OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin County, Texas History
and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].
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