John F. Herbert: Civil War Soldier and Influential Waco Political Leader (ca. 1832–1895)
By: William V. Scott
Published: January 15, 2026
Updated: January 15, 2026
John F. Herbert, soldier and Waco political leader, was born about 1832 and was the son of Richard Herbert, an English immigrant. Sources differ as to his place of birth. Some censuses list either Kentucky or Maryland. His marriage register gives Rhode Island as his state of birth. Herbert spent considerable time in Campbell County, Kentucky, where, on June 20, 1859, he married Martha “Mattie” E. Brimstone, daughter of William and Mary Brimstone of Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky. The 1860 census listed Herbert as a clerk in Newport, with his wife and four-month-old son, Samuel Pike Herbert.
During the Civil War, in 1862, Herbert served six months as a first sergeant in the Fifth Kentucky Battery. He then enlisted as a private in Company H of the Second Ohio Heavy Artillery on June 1, 1863. The regiment organized for a three-year term at Camp Dennison, Ohio, from June to September 1863, during which time Herbert was on recruiting duty for his company, and he was promoted to captain on August 26. During most of their service, the companies of the Second Ohio operated separately. Company H moved to Munfordville, Kentucky, where it was garrisoned at Battery McConnell until May 1864, then moved to Camp Sedgwick in Cleveland, Tennessee, engaging Joseph Wheeler's cavalry, joining in James B. Steedman's pursuit, and participating in subsequent operations. Captain Herbert was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, on August 23, 1865.
Following the war, Herbert moved to Texas in 1869 and lived in Austin. He may have been the J. F. Herbert listed in the U.S. War Department’s Quartermaster’s Department registry on September 30, 1869, as a “Veterinary surgeon” from Ohio, but no other documentation has surfaced to support that Herbert worked as a veterinarian. In the 1870 census, Herbert was serving as superintendent at the arsenal in Austin, while his wife, Martha, was keeping house and their son attended school. In 1877 he was listed in the city directory as city clerk in the Austin city government.
By the 1880 census, the Herbert family had moved to Waco, where Herbert worked as a mechanic. He became very active in civic affairs and served as superintendent of the Waco Cotton Compress from approximately 1886 to 1893. Representing his neighborhood of the Fifth Ward in the city, Herbert represented the region on the city council and served as alderman for a number of years into the 1890s. As such, he pushed for advancements in infrastructure for the city and advocated improvements in streets and the municipal water supply. He was chairman of the city’s fire committee in 1889 and apparently served with the Waco fire department. In 1890 he helped organize the Fifth Ward Levee Association and served as its president. Herbert served as mayor pro tem for several years in the 1890s. He made an unsuccessful run for Waco mayor in 1892. In January 1895 Herbert and his guests were invited to the Capitol in Austin for the inaugural ball of Governor Charles Allen Culberson. Later in life Herbert was addressed with the title of “Major.”
John F. Herbert died of dropsy in Waco on August 29, 1895. His funeral was held the following day with Revs. John Bateman and George W. Pruett of the Fifth Street Methodist Church officiating. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, where Chief Arthur M. Prescott and his fellow firemen served as pallbearers. Herbert was survived by his son and widow.
Bibliography:
“Maj John F. Herbert,” Find A Grave Memorial (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111297299/john_f-herbert) accessed December 17, 2025. Waco Daily Globe, January 22, 30, 1893; August 11, 1893. Waco Daily News, June 11, 1890. Waco News-Tribune, June 7, 1894. Waco Weekly News, April 8, 1892. Waco Weekly Stock & Farm News, May 18, 1889.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
William V. Scott, “Herbert, John F.,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/herbert-john-f.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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- January 15, 2026
- January 15, 2026
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