George Herendeen

[Tommy Moore]

Can you tell me more about George Herendeen.  Is he generally considered reliable?  I'm interested since his hometown is near me.  Thanks

[Dead I]

Can you tell me more about George Herendeen.  Is he generally considered reliable?  I'm interested since his hometown is near me.  Thanks

Yes, he is.  His description of his part of the battle is an excellent one.  He survived and made the top of the buffs sometime after Reno did.  If you go to his hometown you might find his grave.  If they have an historical society you might find info there too. 

[shrapnel]

I belong to the Pioneer Museum in Bozeman, MT and they publish a quarterly bulletin. I believe it is the issue before last that John Russell wrote about George Herendeen and his participation in the Custer battle. I am in Arizona now, but if you can'r find any information by researching the "Pioneer Museum" in Bozeman, let me know and when I get back, I may be able to muster up a copy of the magazine...

[Tommy Moore]

Thanks for the information.  I just emailed the Pioneer Museum to see if the issue is available.  I'm curious to discover how someone goes from a small town in Ohio to a frontier scout.  My family moved to this County (geauga)  in 1846, the year he was born.  Some parts of Ohio were still fairly remote, but this area was relatively settled.  I'm also checking with our local Historical Society for information they might have.

[Dead I]

The quotes from Herendeen's testimony at the Reno court martial are excellent, very clear and organized.  He was an excellent observer.  He had been sent by Gen. Terry to coordinate the movements of Custer and Terry.  He was kind of a go-between.  He accompanied Reno's troops into the valley and retreated into the woods and then up the various gulches to Reno Ridge. 

I am not sure, yet, the identity of the officer who Reno observed being mutilated down by the river.  I read the story and now I can't find it again.  I'll keep looking.

I have found historical societies to be a wealth of information.  People in the community donate things to them so that they'll be kept for prosperity. The trouble is many people who run them don't give a darn about history.  It's just a city job with benefits. So things are misfiled, ignored and stolen.  A guy in our local historical society ran off with a whole bunch of valuable stuff.

I spend a lot of time in cemeteries.  When you find someone's grave it's a pretty sure bet (not always) that they lived in that town.  Then you can sometimes find an obituary and from there you'll get good leads for further research.  You can also search tax records to see if they owned a house.   Sometimes you can even go to that house and knock on the door and ask the people if they've found anything in their attic.  It's kind of fun, but you dig a lot of dry wells.

[Tommy Moore]

Thanks Shrapnel.  I just received the Pioneer Quarterly Spring 2010.  Thanks for the lead.  They were very prompt.