Early-Muir Marriages: Ralph Early (1863-1909) and Elizabeth Hamilton Muir (1867-1902)

Three children of my three times great uncle, Robert Orr Muir (1839-1917), married siblings. I wrote about Robert Muir and his wife, Janet Early, last week as they were the first of the three Muir siblings to marry Early siblings. Two years later Robert's sister, Elizabeth Hamilton Muir, married Ralph Early, the brother of Janet Early. Elizabeth and Ralph's lives were tragic and all too short.

The Early-Muir marriages; created using Microsoft Powerpoint

Elizabeth Hamilton Muir was born on 3 April 1902 in Stonehouse, Scotland, to Robert Orr Muir and Jane Paton Loudon. She was their third child and first daughter. Elizabeth's mother died when she was two years old. Her father married Mary Watson Shaw in 1871 when Elizabeth was four years old. Mary had two illegitimate children who joined the family in Lesmahagow where Robert worked in the coal mines.

In 1878, at the age of 12, William Brown Shaw followed his step-father, Robert Orr Muir, into the coal mines. He worked at the Auchlochan Mine near Coalburn. On 5 October, William was ascending the shaft of the No. 2 pit, known as "Major Pit," when he fell out of the cage used to raise and lower miners. He sustained fatal injuries but survived 18 hours after the accident. He died the next day at home. This tragedy seemed to set the tone for the remainder of Elizabeth's life.

Elizabeth Hamilton Muir married Ralph Early[1] on 7 March 1890 in Hamilton, Scotland. Ralph was born on 26 July 1863 in Dalziel, Scotland, to Ralph Early and Catherine McNair White. He was their eldest known child, and his father was also a coal miner. He joined his father in the mines at the age of 12 or 13. Ralph's father died in 1881 of heart disease and dropsy at the age of 42, and his mother remarried in 1884.

Ralph and Elizabeth settled in Hamilton parish at 74 South Windsor Street in Burnbank where they were enumerated when the census was taken during the night of 5 April 1891. Elizabeth was pregnant with their first child, Jane Loudon Early, who was born on 5 June. Son, Ralph Early, was born 15 February 1893 in Hamilton parish at the same address. Daughter, Catherine White Early, was born on 25 March 1895 in Kirkfieldbank parish at Tillework Cottage. The youngest known child, Elizabeth Hamilton Muir Early, was born on 26 March 1897 Newtown, which was in Lesmahagow parish.

When the 1901 census was taken, Ralph Early lived with this four children in Hamilton. His wife, Elizabeth, was a patient at the Hartwood Asylum in Shotts. The census form indicated she had been a lunatic since birth. Elizabeth died at the asylum on 3 April 1902 of tuberculosis. She was 35 years old at the time of her death. I suspect Elizabeth may have suffered from epilepsy, which due to the seizures, was considered a mental disease at the time.

Ralph married Margaret (Martin) Taylor on 15 July 1902 at his home in Hamilton at 8 Hall Street. She was a widow and her first husband, Robert Taylor, died the previous year. A 1914 government housing report described the housing in which Ralph and Margaret lived as follows:

"This is a scattered group of houses belonging to the United Colleries, Ltd. They are situated on the outskirts of the Quarter district, and consist of 10 one-apartment and 6 two-apartment houses. The houses are very old, and are of a rather mean type. The sanitation and other conveniences can only be described as wretched. We are of the opinion that these houses are wholly unfit for human habitation."

Miners' housing at Low Quarters; courtesy of Scottish Mining Website

Margaret died on 8 January 1904 at their home in Airdrie of chronic bronchitis and cardiac failure. She was 42 years old. Ralph Early died on 4 August 1909 of apoplexy at the poorhouse in Airdrie. He death registration entry said he had been removed to the poorhouse from Hamilton. His mother registered his death. I wondered what became of Ralph and Elizabeth's children, who at the time of his death ranged in age from 18 to 12. I certainly don't have all the answers yet.

The Children

Jane Loudon Early was named for her maternal grandmother. In 1911 she was a patient at the Hartwood Asylum as her mother had been a decade previously. She was listed on the census as a lunatic. She died there 29 August 1913 at 22 years of age of epilepsy. The disease is hereditary and her cause of death made me wonder if her mother, Elizabeth Hamilton (Muir) Early also suffered from the disease.

Ralph Early was named for his paternal grandfather and father. In 1911 he served as a private in the Army Special Reserve at the Hamilton Barracks on Almada Street in Hamilton. I have not been able to find any records about Ralph after 1911.

Catherine White Early was named for her paternal grandmother, who she lived with when the 1911 census was taken. She married Edward Hunter 13 October 1916 in Lesmahagow at the home of her grandmother. Edward was the son of Harry Hunter and Agnes Halliday. He worked in the mines and Catherine worked as a shop assistant at the time of their marriage. I do not yet know if they had children. Catherine died 26 March 1954 in Douglas, Scotland, of polycystic kidney disease. Edward, her widower, still worked as a coal miner.

Elizabeth Hamilton Muir Early was named for her mother. In 1911 she was a boarder in the home of David and Maggie Munro. The home was next door to her aunt and uncle Robert and Janet (Early) Muir. Robert was the brother of Elizabeth's mother and Janet was the sister of her deceased father, Ralph. I have been unable to find Elizabeth after 1911.

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[1] The Early surname was spelled in a variety of ways in the records on ScotlandsPeople, including Airlie, Airley, Earlie, and Earley.

Early-Muir Marriages: Robert Muir (1863-1927) and Janet Early (1868-1939)
Fatal Coal Pit Accident

Early-Muir Marriages: Robert Muir (1863-1927) and Janet Early (1868-1939)

Three children of my three times great uncle, Robert Orr Muir (1839-1917), married siblings. For the next three weeks, I will be exploring the similarities and differences between these three married couples. Each of the men were miners and each of the women were daughters of miners, yet each of the three couples made different choices when it came to immigration -- to stay in Scotland or leave.

The eldest of those three Muir siblings and the first to marry a child of Ralph Early[1] and Catherine McNair White was Robert Muir. He and his wife, Janet Early, also chose to immigrate to the U.S. when they were in their 50s.

The Early-Muir marriages; created using Microsoft PowerPoint

Robert Muir was born on 23 October 1863 in Birkenshaw, a village in Larkhall parish, Scotland, to Robert Orr Muir and Jane Paton Loudon. His father was a coal miner. Not long after Robert's birth, the family moved to Stonehouse where Robert was joined by two younger siblings, John and Elizabeth Hamilton. Between 1868 and 1869 the family moved back to Larkhall, where his mother gave birth to a fourth child. She died six days later of "congestion of the brain," which doctors now believe was scarlet fever or meningitis. Robert's youngest sister, died four months later. Young Robert was just five years old.

His father kept the his children with him and boarded at the home of a widow in Lesmahagow. He married Mary Shaw Watson on 23 June 1871 in Lesmahagow. Mary was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Rennie) Shaw. She worked as a servant on the Auchenheath Farm and had two illegitimate children. She and Robert's father had nine children of their own during the course of their marriage.

Robert's family continued to move around south Lanarkshire and he joined his father in the mines when he finished his compulsory schooling at age 12. His step-brother, William, was killed in mining accident in 1878 at age 12.

On 13 July 1888, at the age of 24, Robert married Janet Early[1], daughter of Ralph and Catherine McNair (White) Early. She had been born on 29 February 1868 in Dalziel and like Robert her father was a coal miner. He died in 1881 when Janet was 13 and her mother remarried in 1884. Janet worked as a domestic servant at the time of their marriage.

Robert and Janet (Early) Muir had 12 children during the course of their marriage:

1. Robert Orr Muir born 26 July 1889 in Bothwell; died in 1970 in Hove, England; married Katie Kerr Morrison on 29 June 1912 in the Blythswood district of Glasgow
2. Alexander Muir born 9 March 1891 in Lesmahagow; died 7 March 1892 in Bothwell of convulsions
3. Catherine "Katie" White Muir born 26 February 1893 in Lesmahagow; died 3 December 1961 in the Kelvin district of Glasgow; married John Falconer on 25 November 1921 in Dalserf
4. Mary Shaw Muir born 31 March 1895 in Lesmahagow; died in 1969 in Motherwell and Wishaw; married Robert Stewart Struthers on 31 December 1919 in Larkhall
5. John Muir born 10 May 1897 in Lesmahagow; died 19 March 1938 in Larkhall; married Jeanie Hastie Hawthorn on 7 December 1922 in the Blythswood district of Glasgow
6. David Early Muir born 25 December 1898 in Lesmahagow; died 14 March 1900 in Lesmahagow of enteristis, and infectious intestinal disease
7. Nathaniel Muir born 24 June 1900 in Lesmahagow; died in December 1985 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; married Margaret Weir Nixon on 19 June 1925 in Wellsburg, West Virginia
8. Andrew Airlie Muir born 26 August 1902 in Lesmahagow; died on 19 October 1929 in Larkhall 
9. Thomas Muir (twin) born 16 November 1904 in Lesmahagow; died 23 February 1908 in Lesmahagow of measles and pneumonia
10. Ralph Earlie Muir (twin) born 16 November 1904 in Lesmahagow; died in May 1980; married Sarah Ann Roberts 22 October 1932 in Wellsburg, West Virginia
11. James Muir born 19 April 1906 in Lesmahagow; died 20 March 1981in Fulton County, Georgia; married Eleanor Henderson before 1930
12. Alexander McLure Muir born 12 March 1908 in Lesmahagow; died 1989 in Nottingham, England

Robert and Janet's son, John, enlisted in the British Army in 1916 and was called into service in 1917. He was wounded in action on 29 September 1918. 

On 29 August 1923, Robert Muir and his sons, Nathaniel and James, boarded the White Star Line's RMS Olympic in Southampton. They arrived in New York City on 5 September. Their destination was Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, to a cousin of Robert's, also named Robert Muir. He was the son of Robert's uncle, Nathaniel Muir, and had immigrated to the U.S. in 1902.

Robert Muir's declaration of intent to become a naturalized
citizen of the U.S.; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Robert's wife, Janet, and her sons, Andrew, Ralph and Alexander, boarded the Anchor Line's SS California, in Glasgow on 6 January 1925. They arrived in New York on 15 January. They joined Robert, Nathaniel and James in Homestead, Pennsylvania.

Son, Andrew, remained in the U.S. for a year and half before returning to Scotland aboard the Anchor Line's SS Caledonia. He was killed by mining accident in a stone fall. He never married.

Son, Alexander, lived with his brother, James, was unemployed in 1930 when the census was taken. He returned to Scotland on 30 April 1939 aboard the Anchor Line's SS Cameronia. His intended destination was to his sister, Katie's house.

Robert Muir died on 24 December 1927 of apoplexy at his home in Fredericktown, Pennsylvania. He worked as a miner for Clyde Coal Company at the time of his death. He was interred at the Beallsville Cemetery in Beallsville, Pennsylvania. No stone marks his grave. His widow, Janet, lived with her son, James, who had recently married. Janet (Early) Muir died at her home in West Homestead on 21 April 1939 of a coronary occlusion. She was interred at an unknown cemetery in Homestead, Pennsylvania.

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[1] The Early surname was spelled in a variety of ways in the records on ScotlandsPeople, including Airlie, Airley, Earlie, and Earley.

The Children of John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell

As I wrote earlier this week, John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell disappeared into the ether about 1895. They left four children behind:

Howard Campbell was born on 15 January 1890 in Mystic, Iowa. When the 1895 Iowa state census was taken he lived with his maternal grandparents, Adam and Margaret (Scott) Wilson in Mystic. His grandfather died in 1906 and his grandmother in 1911.

Howard registered for the World War I draft on 5 June 1917. At the time he worked for Lodwick Brothers as a coal miner. The company operated several mines in Mystic and were one of the top coal producers in the state. Howard was drafted on 27 May 1918 and served as a private in Battery F, 337 Field Artillery. His unit was attached to the 163rd Field Artillery Brigade, 88th Division. The division trained at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa. Then transferred to France between 8 August and 9 September 1918. Once in France, the artillery units were sent to Bordeaux for training. On 14 September the 88th division was placed under the command of the 4th French Army and moved by rail to the Hericourt training area near Belfort. On 23 September they relieved the 38th French Division in the center sector of Haute-Alsace. The division held this sector until 2 November when it was placed under the 4th American Corps and moved to the Lagney area as part of the 2nd Army Reserve where it was located when armistice was declared. The division participated in no major operations while in France. Howard was honorably discharged 5 February 1919.

When the 1920 census was enumerated Howard lived in the Cedar Falls precinct of King County, Washington and worked as a laborer at a mine. Howard worked as a construction laborer in 1940 and lived in a rented home on South 8th Avenue with several other men. He died on 7 March 1951 and was interred in Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle. He never married.

Howard Campbell headstone; courtesy of Find A Grave
volunteer, Karen Sipe

John Campbell (Crawford) was born on 17 March 1891 in Mystic, Iowa. When the 1900 census was enumerated, he lived in Thurston, Washington, with his father's sister, Mary, and her husband, John Crawford. He and his sister were enumerated as their children and with the Crawford surname. John's aunt died sometime before the 1910 census was taken as her husband lived alone and his marital status was listed as widower.

John, using the Crawford surname as he did for the remainder of his life, boarded at a large rooming house in Tacoma operated by George Miller and worked as a laborer for a railroad. However, the 1911 Olympia city directed listed him at the same address as his uncle.

He married Edith Elizabeth Eggleston on 8 November 1916 in North Yakima. She was the daughter of Thomas Eggleston and Minnie Bombard and had been born in Franklin County, New York. She and her family moved to Washington State between 1910 and 1916. John registered for the World War I draft in 1917. He worked as a mixer for Pacific Coast Gypsum Co. and claimed an exemption from the draft on the grounds that he had a crippled wife to support. John and Edith never had children and moved to Everett, Washington, by 1930. They lived there until their deaths. Edith died on 23 November 1967 and John on 29 December 1968. Both were interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Everett.

John Campbell/Crawford headstone; courtesy of Find A Grave volunteer,
Graving with Jenn

Margaret Campbell was born on 8 December 1892 in Mystic, Iowa. When the 1895 Iowa state census was taken she lived with her maternal grandparents, Adam and Margaret (Scott) Wilson in Mystic. Her grandfather died in 1906 and Margaret continued to live with her grandmother until her marriage.

On 17 January 1911 Margaret married Bernhardt Thoms (also known as Benjamin George Thomas) in Mystic. An article published on the same day in the Centerville Daily Citizen, described their marriage:

"Mr. Ben Thomas, formerly a miner at Mystic but now residing in Kansas, came back to Appanoose County and claimed as his bride Miss Margaret Campbell, with whom he became acquainted during his residence at Mystic and the happy couple left for their future home in Kansas. The ceremony was performed by the Esquire R. Henderson at his office. Mrs. Amanda Murray, of Mystic, who accompanied the young couple recalled that Esquire Henderson, when Mayor of Centerville had married herself and her husband, now deceased, eighteen years ago but that as his honor has officiated at more than 1,000 marriages he could not now easily remember the event. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were of prepossessing appearance and doubtless many friends are interested in their happiness."

Margaret and Ben had two children:

1. Leslie Howard Thomas born on 24 October 1911 in Harrington, Kansas.
2. Doris Bernice Thomas born on 2 November 1913 in Marshall, Iowa.

By 1920 Margaret and Ben apparently parted company. She and her daughter, Doris, were living in Seattle with Jack and Louise Allan. She was listed as a sister-in-law of Mr. Allan's, but I have not yet been able to find how Jack and Louise fit into the family group. Meanwhile, on 13 January 1920 Ben Thomas lived in Ames with his widowed mother and son, Leslie. Ben was hired by Northern Pacific Railway on 15 April 1920 as a first class carpenter in Seattle.

On 19 February 1930, Margaret Wilson (Campbell) Thomas married Fred Leonard Campbell in Olympia. He was a divorcee with two teenaged daughters. This marriage lasted less than a decade as Margaret married John William Westcott on 11 December 1939 in Pierce County, Washington. John worked as a crane man for Northern Pacific Railway and was divorced. They remained in Pierce County the rest of their lives. John died on 8 February 1977 and Margaret on 27 February 1983. Both were interred at Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, Washington.

Margaret Wilson (Campbell) Thomas Campbell Westcott headstone; courtesy
of Find A Grave volunteer, Kathy Stroope Veasey

Marion Campbell (Crawford)

Marion Campbell was born on 22 December 1894 in Mahaska County, Iowa. She was the youngest child of John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell. By 1895 her family had split up and she and her brother, John, were sent to live with their paternal aunt, Mary (Campbell) Crawford and her husband, John. Marion was enumerated in the 1900 census living in Olympia, Washington as the daughter of John and Mary Crawford. She used the Crawford surname as her maiden name for the remainder of her life.

Her aunt died before 1910 and when that decennial census was taken she lived in the home of Harvey and May Bechtel as their ward in Tumwater, Washington.

She married Charles Washington Fowler on 6 March 1918 in Tacoma, Washington. He was the son of William R. and Ola (Odell) Fowler and was born on 14 January 1889 in West Plains, Missouri. In 1920 the couple lived with Charles' parents in Tacoma and Charles worked as a barber while Marion worked at the Mars Candy factory as a dipper helper.

When the 1930 census was taken, Charles and Marion lived in a home they owned, valued at $1,200. Charles still worked as a barber, but Marion no longer worked. Their marriage broke up sometime before 1934 as Marion married George Anthony Craig on 9 April 1934 in Pierce County, Washington.

George was born on 11 August 1888 in New Castle, Washington, and was the son of William and Mary J. (Dales) Craig. His father, William, immigrated to the U.S. about 1883 from England. George's first wife, May Curran, died on 27 March 1934, leaving him with a 16-year-old daughter. He worked as a shipping clerk for a grocery wholesaler.

Marion died on 8 February 1937 in Tacoma, Washington, and was interred at Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, Washington.

Marion (Campbell/Crawford) Fowler Craig headstone; courtesy of Find A
Grave volunteer, Tara Finnie Curley

George Craig married Dora Erma (Colvin) Manwaring Weber on 6 August 1937. She had been widowed twice previously and had a son from each marriage. George Craig died on 14 April 1975 in Pierce County, Washington, and was interred beside his parents at the New Tacoma Cemetery in University Place, Washington.

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What Happened to John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell? 

What Happened to John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell?

Susan Wilson was a great granddaughter of my four times great grandparents, John and Margaret (Grainger) Semple and my second cousin three times removed. She was born on 24 June 1871 at her parents' home on Rankin Street in Carluke, Scotland, one of thirteen children born to Adam Wilson and Margaret Scott. Adam worked as a coal miner. Sometime between 1872 and 1874 Adam moved his family from Carluke to Dalserf, where Susan spent the first decade of her life.

Her brother, Robert, left Scotland in 1880 and made his way to Mystic, Iowa, in Appanoose County. Mystic was in the Walnut Creek area of the county and was described as "one continuous mining camp." Susan's father, Adam, followed his son to Iowa the following year, arriving in New York City on 5 July 1881 aboard the Anchor Line's SS Circassia. Susan, her mother, and siblings followed later in 1881.

At the age of 19, Susan married John Campbell on 31 December 1889 in Mystic. John Campbell was born on 4 January 1859 in Auchinleck, Scotland, to John and Mary (Carlyle) Campbell. His father was a laborer who worked at the bottom of a coal pit, at an ironstone works, and toward the end of his life on a farm. John's sister, Mary Campbell, immigrated to the U.S. sometime between 3 April and 24 December 1881 when she married in Marion County, Iowa. Perhaps, her brother, John, traveled with her?

John and Susan had their first three children in Mystic but sometime between 1892 and 1894 the family moved to Mahaska County, Iowa. Coal mining was the major industry in the county. Their youngest child was born there in 1894. That birth record is the last record I can find for Susan (Wilson) Campbell. The children were:

1. Howard, born 15 January 1890 in Mystic, Iowa
2. John, born 17 March 1891 in Mystic
3. Margaret Wilson, born 8 December 1892 in Mystic
4. Marion, born 22 December 1894 in Mahaska County, Iowa

John was listed in the 1895 Iowa State census as living in Spring Creek, in Mahaska County, but his wife and children no longer lived in the county. It is the last record I have been able to find for him.

We know that in 1895, two of John and Susan's children -- Howard and Margaret -- lived with their maternal grandparents. And two -- John and Marion -- were enumerated in 1900 in Olympia, Washington. They lived with their father's sister, Mary, and her husband, John Crawford and were listed in the census as their children. Were they informally adopted? They continued to use the Crawford surname for the remainder of their lives.

So what happened to John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell? And why were their children split up and living with relatives?

Susan's mother consistently told census enumerators she had 13 children, of which 8 were living in 1900 and 7 were living in 1910. Susan's sister, Jane, died in 1903, which accounts for the change in the number of living children between 1900 and 1910. Since we only know about 11 of those children, it makes impossible to definitively say Susan died before 1900.

The children of Adam and Margaret (Scott) Wilson; created using Microsoft
Excel

My Semple research collaborator and I have two different theories and yet there is probably at least three:

Theory 1: Susan died shortly after her youngest daughter, Marion, was born and the children were split up among their maternal grandparents and paternal aunt and uncle. And John died sometime between 1895 and 1900. The trouble with this theory is those two unknown children Susan's mother consistently said she had. In order for Susan to have died before 1900, they both would have to be living either in Scotland or the U.S. and no record of either of them has been found.

Theory 2: Susan had to be institutionalized for some physical or mental illness after her youngest daughter, Marion, was born and died sometime after 1910. With this theory, the two unknown children died as infants or very young children, which is much easier to explain.

Theory 3: Susan ran off with another man, abandoning her husband and children. And John sent his children to live with relatives so he could continue to work.

We both assume that John Campbell died sometime after the 1895 Iowa State census was enumerated and before 1900. But it is possible that he left Iowa and was enumerated in another state. His name is quite common and we have not eliminated all the possibilities.

What do you think happened to John and Susan (Wilson) Campbell?

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Anchor Line: Scottish Ships for Scottish Passengers
Mining Coal in Appanoose County

Last Wills, Testaments and Codicils of James and Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin

Last will and testament of James Riggin (1794-1858); courtesy of Ancestry.com

Will of James Riggin

I, James Riggin, of the county of St. Clair in the State of Illinois, do hereby make and declare this my last will and testament, in manner and form as follows to wit:

First, it is my will that my funeral expenses and all of my just debts to be paid.

Second, that after the settlement of my debts, I give and bequeath to my beloved wife, Elizabeth M. Riggin all my real and personal property of whatever means or kind it may be to be used and disposed of by her as she may think proper with the exception of ten dollars to my son, James H. Riggin and ten dollars to my grandson, Edward Elden Riggin -- only child of my son William B. Riggin, deceased. Said bequests to be paid immediately after the will is put on record.

And lastly, I hereby appoint my said wife Elizabeth M. Riggin, Executrix, to execute this my last will and testament and have the same put upon record in the proper probate office, and the provisions of the same carried out without giving bond and security for the performance of the same, as the law requires, when not otherwise prohibited, having full confidence in her honesty and capability.

Hereby revoking all former wills by me made satisfying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affix my seal this 13th day of March 1857.

James Riggin (signed and sealed)

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said James Riggin as and for his last will and testament in presence of us, who in his presence and in the presence of each other and at his request have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto.

Witnesses:

James Ranking
G. L. Moore

State of Illinois
St. Clair County

I, W. W. Roman, Clerk of the County Court for said county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, do hereby certify the foregoing to be a correct copy of the last will and testament of James Riggin, deceased, as it appears on file in my office.

Witness my hand and seal this 1st day of October 1858.

Last will and testament of Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin (1805-1875);
courtesy of Ancestry.com

Will of Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin

I, Elizabeth M. Riggin of the town of Lebanon in the county of St. Clair and the State of Illinois being in sound mind, do make and declare this my last will and testament:

1st, I direct that my executors to be below named shall, after my decease, pay out of my property, all the necessary expenses of my funeral and all my just debts.

2nd, I direct that they, my said executors, shall deliver to my niece, Elizabeth Riggin, all my wearing apparel or wardrobe, without appaisal, to be by her divided among my nieces and my daughter-in-law, Adaline Moore (including my herein named niece).

3rd, I give to my above named niece, E. M. Riggin, my gold watch and chain, and whatever jewelry I may leave, to be delivered to her without appraisal.

4th, I give to my above named daughter-in-law, Adaline M. Moore, the sum of five hundred dollars.

5th, I give and bequeath my house and the lots on which it stands viz. numbers one (1), two (2), three (3) four (4) and five (5) in Chamberlain's Addition to the Town of Lebanon together with all the furniture and silver plate and household utensils, to my grandson, Edward B. Riggin, and I appoint my executors as guardians and trustees of said house and lots with its furnishings and plate, to be by them held and managed til my said grandson shall come to his majority and then to be by them delivered to him the said Edward. And I further give and bequeath to him, my said grandson, the sum of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) to be also held and managed by my said executors as trustees till my said grandson shall be of age, and I direct them, my said executors, to see that he, my said grandson, shall have a good English, or if he shall so choose, a Classical education, to be paid for out of the annual income of the said house and lots and money above bequeathed to him.

6th, I give and bequeath to my said executors, as trustees, interest for my son, James H. Riggin, now unfortunately an inmate of the Illinois State Hospital for the Insane in Jacksonville, the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) in U.S. Bonds, to be by them, as trustees held, for the sole use and benefit of my said son James during his lifetime, and I direct that the annual interest -- and a portion of the principal, if needed -- shall be used to pay his quarterly bills at the above named hospital, or some other good hospital, asylum, or retreat for the insane -- and if said annual interest shall be more than sufficient to pay such bills, then I direct that the balance shall be, at the end of each year, added to the principal, and in case my said son James shall recover from his unfortunate condition and become of sound mind, I direct that the above named sum, increased or diminished, as the case may be, shall be, by the above named trustees, paid over to the said James, and in case my said son James H. shall never recover the use of his reason, then I direct that the said trustees, shall at his death, pay over the above named sum, so increased or diminished, to the Commissioners of the Endowment Trust of McKendree College to be by the said Commissioners and their successors in office held in trust forever for the use of said College according to the rules and regulations of said Endowment Fund.

7th, I give and bequeath to my friend Mrs. Hannah L. Lane the sum of two hundred dollars ($200.00) and to the daughter of Mrs. Lane -- Minnie -- the sum of fifty dollars ($50.00) and to Mrs. Lane's son. George, the sum of fifty dollars ($50.00).

8th, I give and bequeath to the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lebanon the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00) (in addition to the two subscriptions by me made to said trustees and now unpaid amounting to one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) for the purpose of aiding to complete the church which said trustees are now building in said Lebanon.

9th, And I give and bequeath the balance of my property, however much it may be, to the above mentioned Commissioners of the Endowment Fund of McKendree College to be by them and their successors in office, forever held in trust according to the rules and regulations of the said endowment fund of said college and for the use of said college.

And I hereby appoint and constitute Luther Brown and Robert Allyn both of said Lebanon, the executors of this my last will and testament and also as above said, constitute them trustees of the property bequeathed to my grandson Edward B. and to my son James H. for his use, and I request the judge of the Court of Probate for St. Clair county not to require of them, my said executors and trustees as aforesaid, bonds in a sum greater than forty thousand dollars ($40,000.00).

In testimony whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal and declare and published this my last will and testament, in the presence of the witnesses, whose names are hereunto also set, and who have signed the same in my presence and in the presence of each other this twenty-third day of November in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty eight.

E. M. Riggin (signed and sealed)

E. A Blair
M. E. Padon

(Both signing in presence of Mrs. E. M. Riggin and each other)

F. O. Blair
J. C. Robb

(Signing in presences of Mrs. Riggin and each other)

State of Illionis
St. Clair County

In the County Court of said county in Probate, July term, A. D. 1875

Personally appeared in open court, J. C. Robb and F. O. Blair, subscribing witnesses to the foregoing instrument of writing, purporting to be the last will and testament of Elizabeth M. Riggin, late of St. Clair County, deceased, who being dully sworn according to law, do depose and say, each for himself, that the foregoing is the last will and testament of the said Elizabeth M. Riggin, deceased, that they subscribed their names thereto as the attesting witnesses at the request of the said testator and in her presences and in the presence of each other on the 23rd day of November A. D. 1868. That he then and there subscribed her name thereto in their presence, and declared the same to be her last will and testament, and that the said testator is at the...[illegible] the same as aforesaid was of full age, of sound mind...[illegible] under no constraint.

J. C. Robb
F. O. Blair

Subscribed and sworn to in open court this 5th day of August A. D. 1875.

Louis C. Starkel, County Clerk, by Thomas Rhein, Deputy

Last will and testament of Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin (1805-1875);
courtesy of Ancestry.com

I, Elizabeth M. Riggin, who subscribed to the above document and declare it to be my last will and testament in presence of the witnesses who are named also and are subscribed to it, being still in sound mind, and having further reflected on the final disposition of my property and having become convinced that my said property real and personal amounts in value to more than I had heretofore supposed and being desirous to further aid my daughter-in-law, Adaline Moore, named in my above written will and to remember favors done to me by other friends, do make and declare this codicil to my above last will and testament, viz.

1st, I give and bequeath to my above named daughter-in-law the additional sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00).

2nd, I give and bequeath to my beloved friend Mary B. Allyn the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00).

3rd, I give and bequeath to my beloved friend Hannah L. Lane, who is named in my above will, the additional sum of one hundred dollars ($100.00).

And these sums thus bequeathed in this codicil to my above last will and testament I direct my above named executors to pay before any monies paid over to the  Endowment Fund of McKendree College or to the Commissioners of said endowment fund, and I direct my said executors, if in their judgment, they shall think best, to retain in their hands all monies which may be realized for the above named Endowment Fund out of my property above bequeathed to it, and to manage said property or monies, always investing the annual interest received, until it shall have amounted to twenty-five thousand dollars and then to pay the total sum over to the said commissioners.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal and have declared this codicil to my last will and testament above written to be of equal force and virtue with amendatory of my last will and testament in presence of the witnesses whose names are also hereto subscribed in my presence and in the presence of each other this ninth day of December in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.

Elizabeth M. Riggin (signed and sealed)

In presence of...

F. O. Blair
E. A. Blair
J. C. Robb

State of Illinois
St. Clair County

In the County Court of said county in Probate, July term A. D. 1875

Personally appeared in open court, J. C. Robb and F. O. Blair subscribing witnesses to the foregoing instrument of writing, purporting to be a codicil to the last will and testament of Elizabeth M. Riggin, late of St. Clair County, deceased, who being duly sworn according to law do depose and say each for himself that the foregoing is a codicil to the last will and testament of the said Elizabeth M. Riggin, deceased; that they subscribed their names thereto as the attesting witnesses at the request of the said testator, and in her presence and in the presence of each other on the 9th day of December A. D. 1868; That she then and there subscribed her name thereto in their presence, and declared the same to be a codicil to her last will and testament and that the said testator at the time of executing the same as aforesaid was of full age, of sound mind and memory and under no constraint.

J. C. Robb
F. O. Blair

Subscribed and sworn in open court this 5th day of August A. D. 1875.

Louis C. Starkel, County Clerk, by Thomas Rhein, Deputy

I, Elizabeth M. Riggin, of the town of Lebanon in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, being of sound mind and memory, having reflected on the final disposition made by me of my property in my last will and testament, as signed and acknowledged by me on the twenty-third day of November A. D. 1868, and as modified by me in a codicil to my said will also signed and acknowledged by me to be a part of that my last will, on the ninth day of December and year aforesaid, and being desirous of making provisional disposition of so much of my property above mentioned as is by the aforesaid will given to my grandson Edward B. Riggin, in case of his death before he shll become of age and in case he shall die without issue, and being further desirous to remember the kindness to my me of my niece Elizabeth M. Riggin and to testify my affection for her and for others of my family connections do make and ordain the following as a second codicil to my above named will and thereby command my executors in my will named to receive and execute this additional codicil following, as a part and parcel of that my last will and testament and its accompanying codicil, viz:

1st, I hereby revoke so much of my said last will as is contained in Item Fifth thereof and as gives my entire house and grounds with its furniture and silver plate to my grandson Edward B. Riggin, and I heregy give and bequeath my said house and grounds with its furniture to my said grandson Edward B. and to my niece above named, Eliza M. Riggin, in joint and equal ownership on condition as to the said Eliza M. that she shall occupy and care for said house after my death, and I hereby direct that if my executors and my said niece shall deem it best before my said grandson shall be twenty four years old they shall sell or dispose of said house and furniture and divide the proceeds two-thirds to the said grandson to be invested in a farm for him, and one-third to my said niece, and in case my niece shall not occupy said house the whole...[illegible] shall be invested in a farm as above, for my said grandson...[illegible]

Last will and testament of Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin (1805-1875);
courtesy of Ancestry.com

the death of my said grandson before he shall be of age or without issue I then direct that his proper portion of said house or its proceeds shall be returned to my estate to be by my executors disposed of according to the terms of my above named will.

2nd, I give and bequeath to my nieces Eliza M. Riggin, Mary Hall, Arminda Jones, Julia Higgins, Elizabeth Raney, Caroline Yorcome and Mary Ann Rogers each the sum of two hundred dollars which sums I direct my executors to pay to them before they shall pay any monies to the commissioners of the Endowment Fund of  McKendree College provided in my above named last will.

3rd, I direct that my family portraits and sea shells be kept in my family meaning that in case of the death of my afore named grandson without issue they shall be delivered to my niece Eliza M. Riggin to be her property.

4th, I further direct that in the case of the death of my above named grandson before he shall be of age, the sum of five hundred dollars bequeathed in Item Fifth of my before named last will shall be returned to my estate to be by my executors disposed of according to the terms of that my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal and declared this additional codicil to my last will above written to be of equal force and virtue with said will and its appended codicil and amendatory of the same in presence of the witnesses whose names are also hereto set, who have subscribed the same in my presence and of one another this nineteenth day of October in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy.

Elizabeth M. Riggin (signed and sealed)

In presence of

Oliver V. Jones
Samuel H. Deneen

State of Illinois
St. Clair County

In the County Court of said county in Probate July term A. D. 1875

Personally appeared in open court Oliver V. Jones and Samuel H. Deneen, subscribing witnesses to the foregoing instrument of writing purporting to be a codicil to the last will and testament of Elizabeth M. Riggin late of St. Clair County, deceased, who being duly sworn according to law do depose and say, each for himself, that the foregoing is a codicil to the last will and testament of the said Elizabeth M. Riggin, deceased, that they subscribed their names thereto as the attesting witnesses, at the request of the said testator and in her presence, and in the presence of each other, on the 19th day of October A. D. 1870. That she then and there subscribed her name thereto in their presence; and declared the same to be a codicil to her last will and testament, and that the said testator is at the time of executing the same as aforesaid was of full age, of sound mind and memory, and under no constraint.

Oliver V. Jones
Samuel H. Deneen

Subscribed and sworn to in open court this 27th day of July A. D. 1875

Louis C. Starkel, County Clerk

I, Elizabeth M. Riggin, who made and signed the within document and declared to be my last will and testament, do hereby in consideration of the fact that since the making and signing of the within will, I have at different times through my agent, Robert Allyn, paid to the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lebanon named in the Eighth Item of this within will dated November 23rd 1868, the total sum of twenty-one hundred and fifty dollars, and having agreed to pay during the last half of the year 1874 the further sum of five hundred dollars, do hereby revoke and annul wholly and forever the said Eighth Item of my said last will and testament. In testimony of which I have hereunto set my hand and seal this eleventh day of August 1873 in presence of the witnesses whose names are also hereunto set in my presence and in the presence of each other.

Elizabeth Riggin (signed and sealed)

H. H. Horner
R. F. Cunningham

State of Illinois
County of St. Clair

In the County Court of said county in Probate, July term A. D. 1875

Personally appeared in open court, Henry H. Horner and R. F. Cunningham, subscribing witnesses to the foregoing instrument of writing purporting to be a codicil to the last will and testament of Elizabeth M. Rigging late of St. Clair County, deceased, who being duly sworn according to law do depose and say, each for himself, that the foregoing is a codicil to the last will and testament of the said Elizabeth M. Riggin, deceased, that they subscribed their names thereto as the attesting witnesses, at the request of the said testator and in her presence, and in the presence of each other on the 11th day of August A. D. 1873. That she then and there subscribed her name thereto in their presence, and declared the same to be a codicil to her last will and testament, and that the said testator at the time of executing the same as aforesaid was of full age, of sound mind and memory and under no constraint.

H. H. Horner
R. F. Cunningham

Subscribed and sworn to in open court this 27th day of July A. D. 1875

Louis C. Starkel, County Clerk

A true copy of the last will and testament and codicils attached thereto, of Elizabeth M. Riggin, deceased.

Attest: Louis C. Starkel, County Clerk, by Thomas Rhein, Deputy

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Riggin/Pesold House, Lebanon, Illinois

Riggin/Pesold House, Lebanon, Illinois

I was recently contacted by the current owner of the Riggin/Pesold House in Lebanon, Illinois. She wanted to know a little about the history of James Riggin's life. He was thought to be the man who constructed and first lived in the house.

Riggin/Pesold house; courtesy of Michele Hellstern

A description of the house from the National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form:

A description of the Riggin/Pesold House; courtesy of Michele Hellstern

"JAMES RIGGIN (FRED PESOLD) HOUSE
Southeast Corner St. Louis and Monroe
Built ca. 1838; alterations ca. 1847; present appearance probably dates from ca. 1866

James Riggin has been documented at this address beginning in 1838 and was assessed for a 2-1/2 story building -- the height of this structure -- in 1847. It is highly improbable that that 2-1/2 story building is, however, the same as the one now extant, unless that earlier structure was radically altered to become the present Italianate Villa. Most likely, the present appearance and/or building  dates from ca. 1866 when George Bernays, a prominent and wealthy St. Louisan removed from that city to Lebanon for reasons of health. One member of that family Augustus C. Bernays, later to become one of the most distinguished members of the medical profession in the St. Louis area. He graduated from McKendree in 1872 and then went to Germany to pursue medical studies at Heidelberg. After work in Berlin, Vienna and London, where he was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons, he settled in St. Louis. Dr. Bernays was a pioneer in abdominal surgery and in the introduction of antiseptic treatment, a noted teacher, and invented surgical instruments long in general use.

Around the turn of the century, this was the home of Fred Pesold, head of the musical department at McKendree College."

One of my great grandmothers was Ida Mae Riggin, born in Troy, Illinois. I have been researching the Riggin surname for several years. For a long time, I thought Ida Mae was a descendant of Rev. James Riggin (1756-1826), himself a descendant of Teague Riggin, an indentured servant sent to the American colonies after the Irish Civil War of 1641-1652, who became one of the wealthy planter class. But it seems two unrelated Riggin families came to Troy about the time Illinois became a state.[1]

So what do we know about James Riggin, the man who likely erected the first house at the location of the Riggin/Pesold house in Lebanon, Illinois?

According to a biographical sketch of Rev. James Riggin written by his son John C. Riggin, which appeared in Index of Riggins Families by Mrs. Daniel Stone Kelty, Rev. James Riggin's father died while he was young and he was bound as an apprentice to a tailor. He practiced this profession for several years and attended a Methodist revival, which affected him deeply. He became a minister and by 1784 was assigned to the Orange County, Virginia, circuit according to Minutes of Methodist Conferences, 1773-1813. For the next eight years he was assigned to circuits in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He married Mary Howard on 27 January 1791 in Washington County, Virginia. After their marriage, they removed to Tennessee and settled on the banks of Little Pigeon, now in Sevier County. He purchased 12 acres of land and began farming in order to better support his growing family. The family survived a war with the Cherokee by retiring to the nearby fort every night. After peace broke out, he sold his land and moved Waldrons/Waldens Creek in 1807, farming over 300 acres. It was on this farm, James and Mary Riggin raised eight children, four boys and four girls, all lived to adulthood.

James Riggin, the subject of our post, was born on 1 December 1794 in Sevier County, Tennessee. He was James and Mary's second son. He and his elder brother, Harry, came to Illinois in 1818, the year the territory became a state. Harry taught school for a couple of years. James Riggin and a man named David Hendershott purchased a tract of land in Madison County for $10 per acre. Hendershott surveyed and platted a town James Riggin named Troy. On one of the new lots, James and his brother, Harry, and Reid built a store. None of the men had previous experience in the mercantile business. With financial backing from Henry Hayes the partners bought $300 worth of goods and began their business. Soon afterwards, George W. Carr came out from St. Louis, and ran the store. Carr was a good businessman and taught James Riggin the mercantile trade.

Shortly after Troy was founded Colonel Matthew Rogers and his family arrived in Troy. He was a descendant of John Rogers of England, who was burned at the stake in 1555 for his Protestant preaching. He had served as a colonel in the 54th Regiment, New York Militia during the War of 1812. Matthew's daughter, Miriam Lee married Harry Riggin in 1820 and another daughter Elizabeth Morse Rogers married James Riggin. Harry Riggin and Matthew Rogers left Troy in 1821 and settled in Sangamon County. James Riggin and his new wife left Troy and settled in St. Clair County, in what became the city of Lebanon.

In Lebanon, James Riggin engaged in the mercantile business and accumulated considerable property. He was one of the 105 founding subscribers of the Lebanon Seminary, which became McKendree College; therefore James Riggin is considered one of the founders of today's McKendree University. He was on the Board of Trustees for the college and served as secretary for several years.

James Riggin died in 1858. When the 1860 census was enumerated his widow lived in Lebanon with her son, James, and stated her total estate (real and personal property) was valued at $20,000. Adjusted for inflation that would be almost $600,000 in today's dollars.

Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin died on 24 July 1875. She and her husband are interred in College Hill Cemetery.

James and Elizabeth had two known children:

• William Bolivar Riggin born 11 December 1826 in St. Clair County; died 8 August 1856 in Asheville, North Carolina; married Adeline Cumming(s) on 26 September 1852 in St. Clair County.
• James H. Riggin born about 1832 in St. Clair County; died after 1870 at the State Institution for the Insane in Jacksonville, Illinois.

The centennial yearbook of McKendree College, published in 1928 included brief biographies of James Riggin's sons:

Dr. William B. Riggin

William Bolivar Riggin was born in Lebanon, Illinois, 11 December 1826. He belonged to a prominent Lebanon family whose name appears in the story of the founding of McKendree. He was for several years a student in the college, and graduated in the class of 1851. He was a member of the Philosophian Society. He studied medicine, and received a degree of M.D., but was not permitted to practice his profession long. His career was cut short by his death in Asheville, North Carolina, August 8, 1856.

James H. Riggin

James H. Riggin was a native of Illinois. He was educated in McKendree; where he graduated in the class of 1850, receiving a B.S. He was a member of the Platonian Society, being one of the original founders of that organization. After his graduation, he engaged in mercantile business in the city of Belleville, but after a few years, having suffered some mental derangement, he was taken to the hospital for the insane at Jacksonville, where he died some years later. His remains lie buried in College Hill Cemetery.

We know from the wills of James and Elizabeth Morse (Rogers) Riggin, that their son, James' mental affliction began sometime after his father's death in 1858. His father's 1857 will leaves him a $10 bequest, but his mother's will, written nine years later, made provisions for his perpetual care after her death.

Elizabeth also left $23,000 to the endowment fund of McKendree College. This bequest was mentioned in The History of St. Clair County, Illinois.

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[1] I still think there is some connection between these two Riggin families but have not yet been able to prove it.

Indentured Servant to Landed Gentry
What Does the Headstone Say?
On the High Road to Ruin
Unrelated Riggins?

William "Fletcher" Claytor or Fletcher Claytor

A couple of days ago, I posted a biographical sketch of the Fletcher Claytor I already had in my family tree. However, as I reviewed my research prior to writing that post, I learned about two other men named Fletcher Claytor, both born in Floyd County. Many public trees have combined these two men into the same person. I began to realize they were different when I noted their birth dates on several records.

William Fletcher Claytor (1879-1955)
William Fletcher Claytor was born on 28 February 1879 in Floyd County, Virginia, to Jackson Claytor and his first wife, Jane Price, daughter of Chester and Clementine Price. He went by "Fletcher," instead of his first name, and his father is thought to be the brother of Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949). William Fletcher married Ida Jane Davis[1], daughter of Isaac and Malinda Davis on 19 September 1901 in Floyd County; they had several children. By 1906 Fletcher lived in West Virginia where he worked as a coal miner. Fletcher died 6 February 1955 in Fayette County.

William Fletcher Claytor's World War II Draft Registration Card; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

Fletcher Claytor (1878-1953)
Fletcher Claytor was born on 8 October 1878 in Floyd County, Virginia, to George Claytor and Serine Wilson. As a young man he made his way to Des Moines, Iowa. In 1925 he was enumerated there with a spouse named Lizzie. Also living with them was his father-in-law, Sam Jackson. However, he married Dorothy Turner, daughter of Arthur Turner and Julia Collins, on 25 May 1929. They had three known sons: Henry, Morris (also known as Ali Muhammad) and Freddie. Dorothy died in 1951 and Fletcher died in 1953.

Fletcher Claytor World War II Draft Registration Card; courtesy of Ancestry.com

At first I thought this Fletcher Claytor's father, George, was the third teen-aged boy living with Gloster and Irena Claytor in Floyd County in 1870[2]. However, that George Claytor married Frances Jane Reynolds, a sister of the wife of Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949). I feel sure all of these people are related to each other. I just don't know how yet.

The men named Fletcher Claytor, all born in Floyd County, Virginia;
created using Microsoft PowerPoint

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[1] Ida Jane's death certificate stated that her parents were Stephen and Linda Turner, but I believe her mother married Stephen Turner after Ida Jane was born.

[2] See Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949): Born Enslaved, Died Free

Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949): Born Enslaved, Died Free
In Celebration of Black History Month (or More DNA Discoveries)