Robert Boyd Herndon

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Hotel Clerk
• Occupation: Railroad Conductor (Frisco Railway)
• Cause of Death: Heart Attack
• Census: 13 Jun 1900, Justice Precinct 1, Lamar County, Texas, United States
• Census: Mar 1910, Ward 4, Hugo Township, Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States
• Residence: Jun 1917, Allen, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States
• Census: 26 Jan 1920, Justice Precinct #1, Wichita Falls City, Wichita County, Texas, United States
• Residence: Apr 1930, Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
• Census: 5 Apr 1930, Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States

Notes:

Sometime between 1917 and 1920, Robert Boyd Herndon and Tennie May Calhoun separated, as he is living alone in Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas in 1920. By 1930, he is living in Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. [US-1930-1i] has two entries for Robert. In the first he lists himself as “single”. In the second his is listed as “widowed”. The location of Tennie and of Robert Boyd’s sons, Robert Paul Herndon and William Pryor Herndon, in 1920 has not yet been established. Although it is known that the boys were not living with any of their immediate Herndon relatives in 1920.

[US-SS, 1917a], as well as [Anderson-1964], lists Robert Boyd Herndon’s birth place as Chicota, Lamar County, Texas, but this conflicts with other sources including information from the birth certificates of his two sons which list Paris, Lamar County, Texas. This database uses the former as Robert Boyd’s draft registration was actually filled out by him.

Robert Boyd Herndon’s headstone and [Anderson-1964] incorrectly list his death year as 1933.

[Anderson-1964] incorrectly lists the date of Robert Boyd Herndon’s marriage to Tennie May Calhoun as 20 Apr 1910.

In the 1930 US Federal Census, Robert Boyd Herndon was enumerated at the residence hotel where he worked as a clerk. Whether or not this was his actual residence is not known.

Residence:
225 East Third Street

Buried:
Block 2U, Lot 15, Space 3

Robert married Tennie May Calhoun on 12 Dec 1908 in Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. Tennie (daughter of James Marion Calhoun and Sarah Elizabeth Turpin) was born on 1 May 1891 in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas, United States; died on 7 Nov 1977 in Port Hueneme, Ventura County, California, United States; was buried after 7 Nov 1977 in (unknown). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• US SSN: 463-09-9887
• Occupation: Salesman/Accountant
• Cause of Death: Pneumonia/Emphysema
• Census: 12 May 1910, Ward 4, Hugo Township, Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States
• Residence: Aug 1932, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States
• Residence: 26 Apr 1937, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, United States
• Residence: Nov 1941, San Quentin State Prison, Marin County, California, United States
• Residence: Mar 1942, California Institution for Men (“Chino”), San Bernardino County, California, United States

Notes:

Robert Paul Herndon abandoned his first wife and sons late in 1936 or early in 1937. Family rumors indicate that he attended Elizabeth Marina Masten’s funeral, but since he was incarcerated in Ft. Worth, Tarrant County, Texas in 1937, this seems unlikely. From late in 1941 through 1956, he was incarcerated in California, and [Cobb-1992] indicates that he was a resident of West Memphis from 1986 through his death in 1992.

Robert Paul Herndon’s Social Security Application has a birth date of 19 Oct 1909, but this conflicts with his birth certificate and his marriage application.

Robert Paul Herndon was convicted on 5 counts of forgery in Modesto, Stanislaus County, California on, or just before, 7 November 1941. He was sentenced from 1 to 14 years and incarcerated at the California State Prison at San Quentin as prisoner 67459 on 10 November of that year. In March 1942, he was transferred to the California Institution for Men, a minimum security prison at Chino, San Bernardino County, California. Information gathered to date suggests that he served the remainder of his sentence, 14 full years, at “Chino” and was paroled on 24 February 1956.

[SanQuentin-1941b] and [SanQuentin-1941c1] note that Robert Paul Herndon also served 7 months for forgery in Fort Worth, Texas in 1937.

Residence:
3522 Lebanon Street

Residence:
Star Arms Hotel

Buried:
Block 7, Lot 98

Robert married Elizabeth Marina Masten on 13 Apr 1932 in Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. Elizabeth (daughter of Merlin Douglas Masten and Lois Miranda Stiles) was born on 5 Feb 1915 in Mimbres, Grant County, New Mexico, United States; died on 20 Sep 1937 in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States; was buried on 21 Sep 1937 in Restlawn Memorial Park, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Robert married Lois J Bidwell after 24 Feb 1956. Lois was born on 1 Jun 1922 in Luxora, Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States; died on 28 Dec 2021 in West Memphis, Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States; was buried after 28 Dec 2021 in Dogwood Cemetery, near Blytheville, Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Military Service: Y
• US SSN: 461-12-3134
• Occupation: Mail Clerk
• Occupation: US Navy Radioman (3rd Class), Service Number: 624-43-40
• Cause of Death: Colon Cancer/Pulmonary Disease
• Census: 11 Apr 1930, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States
• Residence: 3 Apr 1942, San Francisco, California, United States

Notes:

According to [Hugo-1934], William Pryor Herndon was living in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas at the time of his father’s death.

William Pryor Herndon had been a resident of Port Hueneme, Ventura County, California for 39 years at the time of his death in 1995.

William Pryor Herndon enlisted in the US Navy on 26 Feb 1942 at Houston, Texas and remained in the service through 1965.

In [US- 1930n] William Pryor Herndon is listed as “Bill P Herndon”.

Residence:
Aboard the USS LST 476

Family/Spouse: Helen Rose Tomko. Helen was born on 14 Jul 1921 in (unknown); died on 1 Dec 2012 in _______, _______, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Degree: B.S. Chemistry, Texas Western College, May 1955
• Degree: Ph.D. Chemistry, Rice University, May 1959
• Occupation: Chemistry Department Chairman and Dean of the College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
• Occupation: Professor of Chemistry
• Cause of Death: Alzheimer’s related complications
• Residence: Apr 1940, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States
• Census: 13 Apr 1940, Divisions 183 - 190, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas, United States

Notes:

Residence:
3231 Memphis Street

Buried:
Section D-3, Lot 4, Space 10

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Donald Stiles Herndon
• Residence: Apr 1940, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States
• Census: 13 Apr 1940, Divisions 183 - 190, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas, United States

Notes:

Robert Frank Herndon was officially renamed ‘Donald Stiles Herndon’ by his maternal grandmother, Lois Miranda (Stiles) Masten, upon his adoption by her in 1941, but she was using this name as early as 1940 as indicated by [US-1940-1b]. Family members continued to refer to Robert by the name ‘Don’, but he used his birth name professionally throughout most of his life.

Residence:
3231 Memphis Steet

Buried:
Section M1, Space 385

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: (Living). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]