Arson or Tragedy?

Ada "Addie" Wells was a niece of one of my great great grandmothers, Clementine (Wells) Riggin Collins. Addie married Edward Grotz, who immigrated to the United States from what is now Baden, Germany. They had six children[1] before Addie died some time before the 1910 census was enumerated.

One of her daughters, Edna Grotz, was born on 4 June 1895 in Collinsville. Her mother died before she was 10 years old. When the 1910 census was enumerated, Edna lived with her father, who was a coal miner, and siblings. Her maternal grandmother, Sarah (Smith) Wells, also lived with the family.

Edna married Charles Griffith Neathery on 8 June 1916 in Greenville, Illinois. Charles was a widower with two small children. In 1917 Edna, her husband and his children lived with her father. Charles was a cook at the Bay Avenue restaurant in East St. Louis. In 1920 they had purchased a home on St. Francis Road in Caseyville and Charles owned a restaurant.

1876 map of Edwardsville, Illinois, courtesy of the Illinois Digital Archives

On 11 December 1923, the couple owned a restaurant in Edwardsville on Purcell Street opposite the courthouse. They lived in an apartment over the restaurant. About 4:30 in the morning a fire was discovered. The fire spread to a connected building and destroyed a general store named Schneider & Poole. Edna and Charles were thought to be asleep upstairs when a gas stove in their restaurant exploded. Their remains were found in the fire debris later that day. Charles' children were out of town visiting their grandparents.

Members of Charles' family reported he was active in the Ku Klux Klan, which had about 8,000 members in Madison County at the time. According to his family, he had received a threatening letter about his Klan activities and was considering selling the restaurant so he could leave town. "It was a case of sell out and go away or lose his life." In fact, Charles Neathery had sold his restaurant to Walter Loarts the day before the fire, according to an article in The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

The investigation into the fire lasted several months. State and local fire marshals were never able to determine the cause of the blaze. During the March 1924 term, the grand jury determined no murder had occurred. The foreman stated, "We have wasted a lot of time investigating this fire but there is absolutely nothing on which to base an indictment charging murder. Probably it is for the best that the fire was taken up and the public will be more satisfied."

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[1] Ada "Addie" Wells and Edward Grotz married 22 September 1890 in St. Clair County, Illinois. Addie had one daughter Jessie Helms in 1883. After her marriage to Edward, Jessie used the Grotz surname. She later married a Mr. Thies.

Who's Your Daddy, Dorothy?

Dorothy Grotz was the granddaughter of my first cousin three times removed, Ada "Addie" (Wells) Grotz. Addie was the niece of my great great grandmother, Clementine (Wells) Riggin Collins. I learned about Dorothy while researching Addie's husband, Edward Grotz. He died in Collinsvile, Illinois, in 1940 after having been a widower for over three decades. He died intestate and his daughter, Augusta, administered the estate.

On 17 October 1953 a list of Edward's legal heirs was published in The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

List of Edward Grotz' heirs;
courtesy of Newspapers.com

How did Dorothy Beaman fit into the family group? Was Beaman a married name or her surname at birth? I've learned a lot about Dorothy yet still have many, many questions. If you know more about her, please leave a comment on this post.

Dorothy was born about 1914 in Illinois to Matilda "Tillie" Maria Kopp and one of Edward Grotz's sons -- either Fred, Frank or Donald. Tillie's marriage didn't to the Grotz son didn't last long. By 1917 she was married to Adlai Stephenson Dixon and had a son with him that year.

In the 1920 census Dorothy was listed as Dorothy Dixon and her relationship to Adlai was listed as daughter, but in 1930, she is listed as Dorothy Grotz and her relationship is step-daughter. Her step-father worked as an electrician at an aluminum ore company and the family lived on Summit Avenue in East St. Louis.

When the 1940 census was enumerated, Dorothy was married to Victor Delmus Beaman, a 30-year-old Kentuckian, who worked as a clerk in the sales department of a tin can company. We know from Victor's World War II draft card, that "tin can company" was Continental Can Co.

Victor and Dorothy remained married at least through 1950 when they were listed in an East St. Louis city directory. Victor was a salesman for John Morrell & Co. Some time after that, Victor married Julia Marvin Gill. He died in 1998 and was interred beside Julia at the Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.

I have been unable to trace Dorothy after 1950. So much of her life remains a mystery.

I reviewed Fred, Frank and Donald's World War I draft cards to see if any of them claimed a child as an exemption for serving, but each of them stated they were single at the time they registered for the draft, which was true as the marriage with Tillie was over by then.

Fred Grotz was born on 6 February 1891 in Collinsville, Illinois and married Ida Louise Jackson some time after 1926. They lived in Maywood, Illinois, and Fred worked in Chicago for many years. They had one son, Glenn Forrest Grotz (1926-2017).

Frank Grotz was born on 15 November 1892 in Collinsville, and lived in California by 1914. He entered the Army Air Service on 18 Jun 1918 and was assigned to the Signal Corps in Vancouver, Washington. He married Myrtle Scott on 17 Apr 1919 in Los Angeles County. They had no children. Frank died in 1966.

Donald Grotz was born on 7 September 1896 in Collinsville. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on 23 June 1918. He was assigned to Company A, First Battalion, 13th Marine Regiment, which shipped out to Brest on 25 September 1918. The regiment was responsible for guarding supply depots throughout France. After the war, he moved to California, where he co-owned the Grotz Bros. Cafe, with his brother, Frank. He married Mary Roberta Ridout sometime before 1940. They had no known children. He died on 14 February 1959 in Los Angeles 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.

_______________
[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?

McMullin Family: Where Did They Go? The Illinois Contingent

Mary (McMullin) Beard, one of my three times great grandmothers had been a brick wall for Dad and me for many years. We knew little beyond her name from a Bedford County, Virginia, marriage record and that she died some time before 1850 when her widowed husband remarried. Thanks to a few DNA matches with people who had the McMullin/McMullen surname in their trees and communications with one of those matches, I found two Chancery Court cases at the Library of Virginia, which unlocked Mary Mullin's family.[1]

Map of Botetourt County; courtesy of Etsy

My four times great grandfather, Matthew McMullen, Sr., moved his family to Botetourt County from Warrington, Pennsylvania (York County) sometime in 1790 or early 1791. One of his daughters, Elizabeth, married Joseph Withrow soon after arriving in Virginia. Joseph Withrow was born in 1772 in Pennsylvania. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Botetourt County, Virginia, likely traveling on the Great Wagon Road. The county was formed from the southern portion of Augusta County in 1770 and is situated where the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountain ranges run close together, separated by the James River.

Joseph and Elizabeth (McMullin) Withrow's first child was born in 1791. They had seven more children before moving to Washington County, Kentucky, near  Muldraugh Hill in 1811. Today Muldraugh Hill is a central Kentucky landmark, an escarpment which separates the Bluegrass region from the Mississippi plateau. In Kentucky, Joseph and Elizabeth had two more children. Elizabeth (McMullin) Withrow died after the 1820 census was taken.

List of 1822 marriages; courtesy Ancestry.com

On 5 June 1822, Joseph married again to Susan Landis. Joseph and Susan had a child in Kentucky before removing north to Sangamon County, Illinois. They settled in Woodside township in 1825 and had another child. Joseph deposited a certificate at the Springfield Land Office on 1 May 1826, proving he had fully paid for 163 acres of public land offered for sale by the federal government.

Back in Bedford County, Joseph Withrow's former brother-in-law, James Harvey Beard, who had married Elizabeth McMullin's sister, Mary, filed a cause in the county Chancery Court in his position as administrator of Daniel McMullin's estate. Daniel was a brother of Elizabeth and Mary. The case was quite complicated but did detail the McMullin family relationships.

Snippet of Bedford County Chancery Court cause 1832-067; courtesy of the
Library of Virginia

The relevant part for tracing the Withrow family was found in the initial filing by James Harvey Beard:

"...Elizabeth Withrow, widow and relic of Joseph Withrow, deceased; Peggy Withrow, William Withrow, _____ Cloyd and Ann his wife, late Ann Withrow; Robert Withrow; _____ Ferrell and Sally his wife, late Sally Withrow; Matthew Withrow; Harvey Withrow; Tabitha Withrow; and Caroline Withrow..."

So in 1831, the McMullin family knew that Joseph and Elizabeth Withrow had left Virginia and headed west. It seems the McMullin family thought Joseph was deceased. "Widow and relic" makes one think Elizabeth was still alive, but if she was, why name her children? They would have only been relevant to the Bedford County case if their mother was deceased as she was one of heirs in the case.

I also surmise Elizabeth and Joseph lost contact with their Virginia McMullin family. As they didn't know that Elizabeth predeceased her husband and the names of all their children or the fact that Joseph Withrow had remarried and moved to Illinois, where he died in 1850.

According to the Chancery Court cases and a book entitled History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: Centennial Record, Joseph Withrow had the following children:

1. Margaret "Peggy" Withrow, born in 1791 Virginia, married Daniel Hays on 21 June 1812 in Washington County, Kentucky according to a Kentucky marriage record. 
2. William Withrow, born 14 October 1793 in Botetourt County; will probated in Sangamon County, Illinois, on 25 January 1894; married 1) Rhoda B Prather, 2) Polly Smith, 3) Celia Turpin, 4) Ana "Ann" Wilson, and 5) Lucinda Combs
3. Anna/Ann Withrow, born 29 December 1795 in Virginia; died in 1882 in Sangamon County; married Thomas Cloyd
4. John Withrow, born about 1797; died about 1820
5. Robert Withrow, born on 27 January 1800 in Botetourt County; died 3 October 1842 in Sangamon County; married Mary T. Peter in Sangamon County
6. Polly Withrow, born about 1802; died about 1822
7. Matthew Withrow, born 12 August 1804; died 9 Dec 1891; married Pamelia Knotts
8. Sally Withrow, born about 1805 in Virginia; died 16 Feb 1885 in Quincy, Minnesota; married 1) Gabriel Ferrell and 2) John Sudduth
9. James Harvey Withrow, born 15 January in Botetourt County; died 26 September 1883 in Sangamon County; married Mariah Rice Beaucamp
10. Tabitha Withrow, born about 1812 in Kentucky; died after 1850; married Alvah "Alvey" Graves
11. George Washington Withrow, born about 1813 in Kentucky; died before 1860; married Sarah Ann Waterman
12. Caroline Withrow, born about 1813 in Kentucky; died before 1843; married Edward Shan

From History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: Centennial Record, published in 1876:

WITHROW, JOSEPH was born about 1772 in Pennsylvania. His parents moved when he was a young boy to Botetourt County, Virginia. He was there married to Elizabeth McMullin. They had eight children in Virginia, and in 1811 moved to Washington County, Kentucky, near Muldraugh Hill, where two children were born. Mrs. Elizabeth Withrow died there, and Joseph Withrow married Susannah Landis. They had one child in Kentucky, and moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, where they had one child. Mrs. Susannah Withrow died in 1844, and Joseph, Sr., died in 1850 both in Sangamon County, Illinois.

MARGARET, born in Virginia, was married in Kentucky to Timothy Hays. They moved in 1824 to Vandalia, Illinois, and the next year to Sangamon County, where they both died, leaving several children.

WILLIAM, born 14 October 1793, in Botetourt County, Virginia, was married in 1818, in Washington County, Kentucky, to Rhoda B. Prather. They had twelve children, and moved with Thomas Cloyd to Fayette County, Illinois, thence to Sangamon County, in 1825, and settled in Curran Township, where two children were born...Mrs. Rhoda Withrow died in 1827 and William Withrow married Polly Smith. They had two children...Mrs. Polly Withrow died and William Withrow married Celia Turpin. They had eight children, and Mrs. Celia Withrow died, and William Withrow married [Mrs.] Anna Barbre. They had had two children, and Mrs. Ann Withrow died...William Withrow resides two and a half miles southwest of Mechanicsburg, Sangamon County, Illinois.

The Find A Grave memorial for Ann (Binion) Wilson Barbre Withrow includes a biography that contains this interesting insight into William Withrow's character:

Anna Barbre's husband, "Eli died 29 November 1839 in Waverly, Morgan County, Illinois, before their youngest son, Robert, was born. His obituary mentions that he 'leaves a widow and nine young children[2] in destitute circumstances.' His second son, William, apparently helped support the younger siblings and Anna after that time.

Anna married a third time on 7 May 1846 in Sangamon County, Illinois. This husband was William Withrow, whose son, Robert Harvey Withrow, would later marry her daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. Anna
was William's fourth wife, and she had two more children with him. William Withrow was reportedly 'so mean' to Anna's young sons, James and John Barbre that Anna 'gave them all the money she had -- 50 cents -- and sent them across the fields to live with their half-brother William.' The two boys appear in the 1850 census living with William Barbre and his wife, Lucy, in Sangamon County."

ANNA, born 29 December 1795 in Virginia, married Thomas Cloyd. Thomas, son of David, was born 14 January 1798 in Botetourt County, Virginia, and went with his parents to Washington County, Kentucky, in 1815. He was married there 27 April 1820 to Ann Withrow. They had three children in Kentucky, and in 1824 moved Fayette County, Illinois, where they had one child, and from there to Sangamon County, arriving October 1825, in what is now Curran Township, north of Lick Creek, where they had two children.

JOHN, died, aged twenty three years.

ROBERT, born 27 January 1800, in Botetourt County, Virginia, was married in Sangamon County, Illinois, 10 September 1826, to Mary T. Peter. They had five living children...Robert Withrow died 3 October 1842, and Mrs. Mary T. Withrow married August 1844 to Samuel Graham, who was born in 1811, in Pennsylvania. Samuel Graham died 1 October 1850, and Mrs. Mary T. Graham was married 23 August 1854, to Joseph McKinley. She resides in Loami, Sangamon County, Illinois.

POLLY, died in Kentucky, aged about twenty years.

MATTHEW, born in Kentucky, married Amelia Knotts. They have one child. Matthew Withrow lives eight miles west of Virden, Macoupin County, Illinois.

SARAH, married Dr. John Sudduth. They have one child, and live in St. Charles, Minnesota.

JAMES H., born in Botetourt County, Virginia, 15 January 1811, was married in Sangamon County, Illinois, to Maria R. Beauchamp. They had eight living children. James H. Withrow lives between Sherman and Barclay, Sangamon County, Illinois -- 1874.

TABITHA, was married in Sangamon County, Illinois, to Alvah Graves. They both died, leaving several children in Macoupin County, Illinois.

CAROLINE, married Edward Shane. They both died, leaving three children.

ELIZABETH H., the oldest by the second marriage, was born in Kentucky and married Joseph Drennan. Joseph Drennan was born in Kentucky and married in Sangamon County to Elizabeth Richardson about 1833. They had two children and he married Elizabeth Withrow. They had ten children. She died, and he married Sarah Purvis. They had six children, and he died in Macoupin County, Illinois.

ALMIRA, born in Sangamon County, Illinois, married Israel Coverdell, and lives in Gerard, Macoupin County, Illinois.

Note: There are some inconsistencies between the Sangamon history book and the available online records.

_______________
[1] There is a reference to a third case which was heard by the Chancery Court of Botetourt County, but it has not yet been indexed or digitized.

McMullin Family: Where Did They Go? The Ohio Contingent
Matthew McMullin, Sr. (<1765-c1816): Court Cases Tell the Tale

The Mysterious Rose Etta (Poole) Von Briesen Taylor...

I am so fortunate to have a research buddy when working on my Semple line. Due to the time difference between New Zealand and New York, we are able to "tag-team" the research 24 hours a day. Lately, we have been researching James Taylor, my second cousin three times removed. His grandmother was the sister of my three times great grandfather, Peter Semple (1822-1904). James Taylor's first wife, Rose Etta (Poole) Von Briesen, has been a difficult research subject and we have several questions:

1. Where did she and her two older siblings, Noah Cornelius and Bessie Viola live in 1910?
2. Where did Rose live with her two children in 1920 after her first husband died?
3. Why was Rose in Chicago when she married James Taylor in 1921?
4. When did they divorce?
5. Did Rose marry again after 1940?
6. When and where did Rose die?
7. Where was she interred?

Here is what we know about Rose to date:

Rose (Rosa) Etta Poole was born on 9 November 1893 (or 1894) in Maryland, to William A. and Martha E. (maiden name unknown) Poole. Rose was the fourth of five children. In 1900 her family lived in Laurel, Maryland, where her father worked as a day laborer.

I suspect her parents died before 1910 or her father was deceased and her mother could no longer care for her children as I have only found two of her siblings in the 1910 census. Older sister, Susan "Susie" Mabel Poole boarded at the farm of John and Elta Stevenson in Carroll County, Maryland; and younger brother, William Ashby Poole, was enumerated as an orphan living with Adelaide Hatton on her farm on Fort Washington-Accokeek Road in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Marriage to Robert Von Briesen

On 6 October 1913 Rose Etta Poole and Robert Von Briesen, son of Oscar and Susanna (Wagner) Von Briesen, applied for a marriage license in Washington, DC. They were married in the same city the next day. He was a widower, who was 28 years older than Rose. His first wife, Roberta (Campbell) Von Brisen died seven months earlier on 9 March 1913, leaving him with ten known children ranging in age from 22 years old to 5.

Rose and Robert had two children during their marriage, both born in Baltimore, Maryland:

• Dorothy Von Briesen born 20 June 1914
• Oscar Von Briesen born 5 December 1915

Rose's husband, Robert, died on 2 November 1916 in Baltimore at the age of 51. Rose was 23 years old at the time of his death.

Robert Von Briesen (1865-1916) death notice as published in The Baltimore
Sun; courtesy of Newspapers.com

I think it is likely that after the death of Rose's husband in 1916, she moved to Chicago because her elder sister, Bessie Viola (Poole) Baugher lived there. Bessie had married Gideon Gilbert Baugher in 1911 and they were living in Chicago by 1915. I have been unable to find Rose or her children in the 1920 census. However, her ten step-children, the children of Robert and Roberta (Campbell) Von Briesen, have all be found in the 1920 census. They remained in Baltimore.

Marriage to James Taylor

On 29 October 1921 Rose married James Taylor in Cook County, Illinois. James was the son of John Taylor and Agnes Miller Morgan and had been born on 7 August 1896 at Carstairs Junction in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He arrived in the United States on 8 May 1920 in New York, having sailed on the White Star Line's RMS Celtic. He told immigration officials at Ellis Island his destination was Springfield, Massachusetts, where a paternal aunt, Margaret McNair (Taylor) Isbister, lived, as well as a paternal uncle, Robert Semple Taylor, the two youngest sibling's of James' father.

James Taylor filed a declaration of intention with the Naturalization Service in 1924. He and his family lived at 6319 Keeler Avenue in Chicago. He worked as a factory hand at the time and listed Rose as his wife. When his filed petition for naturalization in 1927, the family lived in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, and James worked as a factory foreman. He listed his step-children as his own children on his petition. In 1930 Rose, James, and her two children continue to live in Clarendon Hills. They owned their own home at 81 Chestnut Avenue, which was valued at $7,000.

Rose's marriage to James Taylor did not last. Sometime between 1930 and 1936, they divorced as James married again 10 May 1936.

Wedding announcement for James Taylor's
second marriage as published in the Dixon
Evening Telegraph; courtesy of Newspapers.com

Son's Death

Rose's son Oscar, who was named for his paternal grandfather, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on 30 November 1937. He completed his basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and by January 1938 had been assigned to First Signal Company in Quantico, Virginia, as a student at the Radio School. He was absent without leave (AWOL) from 6:00 a.m. 28 March to 9:00 p.m. 31 March. Oscar was tried on 1 April by a disciplinary court and sentenced to 10 days of confinement in the post prison with bread and water rations, with a full ration every third day and two months loss of pay, which amounted to $12.

On 25 April 1938 Oscar Von Brisen committed suicide by a self-inflicted rifle shot to the head in Rockbridge County, Virginia. His maternal aunt, Bessie Viola (Poole) Baugher and her husband had moved to Buena Vista, which at the time was a city in Rockbridge County. Her husband, Gideon, died in 1935. I have been unable to locate Bessie in the 1940 census but perhaps Oscar had gone to visit her and that is the explanation for his place of death?

When the 1940 census was enumerated, Rose and her daughter, Dorothy, lived in Chicago. Rose did not work and Dorothy worked as a computer operator. That is the last record I have been able to find for Rose Etta (Poole) Von Briesen Taylor.

Her daughter married Pedro G. Raz, who was born in the Philippines. She died on 26 December 1976 in Chicago. Her husband died the following year.

52 Ancestors #30: Robert Muir (1875-1956): Union Mine Organizer?

Ancestor: Robert Muir, Great Grandfather
Haplogroup: Unknown

Robert Muir was born on 16 March 1875 in Swinhill in the parish of Dalserf, Scotland to James and Margaret (Semple) Muir. He was the couple's second child together but their oldest son had died the previous year. When the 1881 census was enumerated Robert lived with his mother at the farm of his maternal grandparents, Peter and Janet (Torrance) Semple. His father was not at the home when the census was taken.

Remains of Robert Muir's Sottish birth registration; personal collection

In June of 1887 James Muir immigrated to the United States. Margaret followed later that year with their living children.  They arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 30 September 1887 aboard the Allen Line's S/S Manitoban. The ship had sailed from Glasgow, Scotland, and made a brief stop in Ireland before reaching Philadelphia. Margaret, Robert, and his siblings likely took the train to Streator, Illinois, where James worked as a coal miner. Robert Muir became a naturalized United citizen on 10 October 1896 at the Livingston County Courthourse.

In 1900 he lived with his mother and two younger brothers in Reading, Illinois, where he worked as a coal miner beside his brother Peter. Each had been unemployed for six months during the previous year.

He and Ida Mae Riggin applied for a marriage license on 12 October 1902 in Collinsville, Illinois, and were married shortly thereafter. They lived in Troy for about a year after their marriage; then moved to Novinger, Missouri, where they were living when Robert's cousin, Peter Muir, listed him as his contact when he arrived in the United States in 1903. They moved to O'Fallon, Illinois, just before Ida Mae (Riggin) Muir died in 1909. The couple had two children, Henry and Alice.

In 1910 Robert and his two young children lived in O'Fallon, Illinois, next door to his mother. I imagine she helped care for his children as they were not yet school aged.

On 26 September 1911 Robert married Elizabeth "Liz" Fausz in St. Louis. They both claimed to be over 18 years old and that was certainly the case with Robert, but Liz was only 17 and pregnant. When Robert was required to register for the World War I draft in 1918, the family lived in the Edgemont Station area of East St. Louis, Illinois. Robert's appearance was described as being of medium height and stout build with blue eyes and partially gray hair. He and Liz had four children together. All but Henrietta was born in Illinois.

Robert was not enumerated in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. federal census. However, he was listed in the East St. Louis city directories between 1924 and 1930. He owned a home on 436 North 80th Street.

His daughter, Alice, my grandmother, always said her father was a union organizer and traveled frequently to coal mines across the country trying to get the workers to unionize. She said he'd been blackballed from several mines, threatened and even shot at. I always thought these stories were fantasies of a young girl who didn't know her father very well. However, not finding him in so many census records makes me wonder.

Robert Muir applied for the new Social Security insurance program on 4 December 1936. At the time he submitted his application he lived in Iaeger, West Virginia, and worked for the Pocahontas Red Bird Mining Co.

Social Security application with Robert Muir's signature; personal
collection

He divorced Liz some time before 1940. When he retired from mining, some time after 1942, he bought a small piece of property along a river in Van Buren County, Tennessee. On that property he lived in an abandoned bus.

Robert Muir's Coal Miner's Certificate from the West Virginia
Department of Mines; personal collection

He was hospitalized in September 1956 while in southwest Virginia visiting his family. He died on 23 September 1956 at the Clinch Valley Clinic Hospital in Richlands, Virginia, of a cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease. He was 81 years old at the time of his death and was interred at Iaeger Memorial Cemetery in Roderfield, West Virginia.

Robert Muir died without a will. His real and personal property was auctioned off in two separate sales on 11 October and 15 November 1956. When his estate was settled in 1957, each of his six children received $310.52.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The theme for this week was "Colorful," which I did not follow.

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, Robert Muir, is Ancestor number 10 on my family tree:

10 Robert Muir born 16 March 1875 in Swinhill, Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland, to James Muir and Margaret Semple; died on 23 September 1956 in Richlands, Virginia; married 1) Ida Mae Riggin, daughter of John Wesley Riggin and Clementine Wells, on 12 October 1902 in Collinsville, Illinois, and 2) Elizabeth "Liz" Fausz, daughter of Peter Fausz and Margaret Dietrich, on 26 September 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri (divorced)

10.1 Henry "Jack" Muir born 29 May 1903 in Adair County, Missouri, to Robert Muir and Ida Mae Riggin; died 24 May 1986 in Gretna, Louisiana; married 1) Mary Frances Canterberry, daughter of Howard Canterberry and Nancy Robertson on 3 July 1921 in Walls Creek, West Virginia, (divorced) 2) Armitar Ormmueth Alleman, daughter of Arrestide Alleman and Alice Istre, on 24 February 1930 in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, (divorced) 3) Eppa "Eppie" (Swan) Childs Swafford, daughter of William Henry Swan and Edna Sarah Norvell, before 1953, likely in Louisiana, and 4) Edith Mary (Davenport) Samples in May 1979 in St. Bernard Parish.

5 Alice Muir born 16 March 1906 in Novinger, Missouri, to Robert Muir and Ida Mae Riggin; died 14 December 1993 in Pamlico County, North Carolina; married Marvin Edward Jennings, son of Charles Edward Jennings and Effie Beard, on 13 May 1924.

10.3 Robert Muir, Jr. born 7 January 1912 in O'Fallon, Illinois, to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 22 February 1959 in Welch, West Virginia; married 1) Sadie Viola Cline, daughter of John Estil Cline and Maude Rasnake, on 1 November 1930 in Russell County, Virginia, (divorced) and 2) a woman named Carrie after 1949.

10.4 Verna Muir born 3 July 1917 in Illinois to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 18 April 2010 in Ravenswood, West Virginia; married Franz "Frank" Burglechner, son of Unknown Burglechner and Maria "Mary" Miller, before 1935.

10.5 Henrietta Muir born 14 January 1920 in Tralee, West Virginia to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 23 February 2008 in Eglin, Illinois.

10.6 Margaret Elizabeth Muir born 26 September 1924 in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 14 June 1988 in Richlands, Virginia; married Cecil Roy Hess, son of Charles Robert Hess and Jessie Mae Fitzgerald, on 24 October 1942 in Buchanan County, Virginia (divorced).

_________________
'Remains of Robert Muir's Scottish Birth Registration,' personal collection
'Robert Muir's Coal Miner's Certificate,' personal collection
'Social Security Application,' personal collection
1881 Scotland Census, 03/04/1881 Semple, Peter (Census 1881 638/02 002/00 018)
1900 US Federal Census, Census Place: Reading, Livingston, Illinois; Roll: 318; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0114; FHL microfilm number: 1240318
1910 US Federal Census, Census Place: O'Fallon, St Clair, Illinois; Roll: T624_323; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0155; Image: 641; FHL microfilm: 1374336
Alice (Muir) Jennings' Genealogy Notebook, page 4, 8
Scotland, Statutory Registrations, 1855-2013, 1875 Muir, Robert (Statutory Births 638/02 0037)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1924 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1926 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1928 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1930 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, Illinois, Livingston County Court, Naturalization Application, 10 Oct 1896
US, Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, 1911 Muir, Robert - Fausz, Elizabeth
US, Pennsylvania, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1800-1963, 1887 Muir, Robert
US, Social Security Application, Number: 235-10-9644
US, Social Security Card, Number 235-10-9644, State: West Virginia
US, Tennessee, Van Buren County Court Administrator, Settlement of and with C. C. Greer, Administrator, 27 Jun 1957
US, Tennessee, Van Buren County Court Administrator, Goods and Chattels Sale, 11 Oct 1956
US, Tennessee, Van Buren County Court Administrator Estate Sale, 11 Nov 1956
US, Virginia, Death Certificate 1956, Muir, Robert, No. 22810
US, West Virginia, Department of Mines, Coal Miner's Certificate No. 93665
US, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, State: Illinois; County: St. Clair; Roll: 1614579; Draft Board: 1

52 Ancestors #29: James Muir (1848-1926): Scoundrel

Ancestor Name: James Muir, great great grandfather
Haplogroup: Unknown

James Muir was likely the twelfth child of Robert and Henrietta (Brown) Muir. No parish church record exists for his birth. His birthday, 13 June, is listed on his death certificate and in my Grandmother's genealogy notebook. The birth year is more confusing. My Grandmother believed it was 1847. James' second wife believed it was 1845. I have settled on 1848. The closest record to his birth is the 1851 Scotland Census. That census was enumerated on the night of 30-31 March, which would make James Muir 2 years old, and that is his age as recorded on the census. He would turn three in June, hence 1848 as his year of birth.

When the 1851 Scotland census was enumerated, he was living with several siblings in Kirkton village, but his parents were not at home the night the census was taken. It is likely his mother had died by this time. We know she died before 1856.

Ten years later, James was living at 2 Birkenshaw in Larkhall with his father and several siblings. He was 13 and already working full-time in the coal mines. His father was no longer working in the mines but his older brothers still living at home were also miners. I have been unable to definitively locate James Muir in the 1871 census.

He married Margaret Semple on 4 Jul 1873 in Swinhill, Dalserf, Lanarkshire. She was the single mother of a young girl named Janet "Jessie" Semple. Margaret was pregnant with their first child at the time of their marriage, and that child was born on 4 October 1873. Their first son was named Robert Muir, after his paternal grandfather. Sadly, little Robert died on 25 January 1874 of hydrocephalus, which is the build up of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. It is commonly called "water on the brain."

Parish church in Dalserf; photograph commissioned by me and taken by
Andrew Scorgie in 2013

My great grandfather also named Robert Muir was born on 16 March 1875. After my great grandfather, six more children were born in Scotland:

• Peter Semple Muir (14 February 1877 -- 23 March 1877)
• Peter Semple Muir (5 July 1878 -- 8 September 1878)
• Peter Muir (12 July 1879 -- 23 July 1879)
• Henrietta Brown Muir (29 July 1882 -- 9 January 1884)
• Margaret "Maggie" Muir (6 May 1884 -- 29 August 1966)
• Peter Semple Muir (3 February 1886 -- 30 October 1947)

Peter Semple was Margaret's father's name and naming a child in his honor was obviously important to her.

On 27 May 1887 James boarded the Anchor Line steamship Ethiopia in Glasgow and sailed to the United States. He arrived in New York City on the 6th of June and traveled to Streator, Illinois. Because the 1890 census was destroyed by fire, I do not know if he had relatives or friends who had already immigrated and settled in Streator or if he saw advertisements for Streator at the train station. 

James' wife, Margaret, and the living children followed him to Illinois, arriving in the U.S. on 30 September 1887. Margaret's daughter, Jessie, also traveled with her mother and half-siblings.  Margaret and James had two more children in Illinois: Alexander Muir (13 May 1889 -- 6 May 1957) and Jane "Janie" Muir (29 November 1894 -- 23 January 1990).

In 1900 James was living in Mystic, Iowa, a lodger at the home of Mrs. Margaret Greenbank. Appanoose was described as "one continuous mining camp" when James arrived. He claimed he was divorced. His wife, Margaret (Semple) Muir, however, was living in Reading, Illinois. According to her census records, she still believed she was married.

James married Margaret (McIntosh) Greenbank on 9 January 1913 in Princeton, Missouri. Princeton is in Mercer County, Missouri, which borders Iowa. I am left wondering after looking at the map, if Mercer County was a "Gretna Green" county, meaning it was possible to get a quickie marriage. Or perhaps county officials didn't look too closely at your documentation. I've found no evidence that James Muir actually divorced his first wife, nor can I find any evidence that Margaret Greenbank was divorced from her husband, Thomas, who was still alive, though living in the Mount Pleasant Hospital for the Insane.

Proximity of Appanoose County to Mercer County; image courtesy of
FamilySearch.org

I have not found James in the 1910 census. When the 1915 Iowa state census was taken, James claimed he had lived in Iowa since 1895. If that is true, then he left his first wife when their youngest child was barely a year old. In 1920 he lived in Nineveh, Missouri, and was a boarder in the home of Mrs. Ida Logsdon. Her home was very close to the home James' first wife and the home of their daughter, Maggie, and her husband, Robert Caswell.

The 1925 Iowa state census indicated James was still married and back in Mystic, Iowa, and lived with his second wife. At the time two of Margaret's sons by her first husband also lived in the home as well as 11-year-old Robert H. Muir, who was listed as a grandson. I believe he was actually the son of Ethel Greenbank, one of Margaret's daughters by her first husband. James Muir did have a grandson named Robert Muir, Jr. He was born in 1912 so it is possible he was living with his grandfather in 1925 though I do not know why this would be.

James Muir died on 18 March 1926 at his home in Mystic of arteo-sclerosis and chronic bronchitis at the ripe old age of 81. He was miner, retired from the Egypt Coal Company. He was interred in Highland Cemetery in Mystic on 20 March 1926. His second wife was the informant listed on the death certificate. She is also buried in Highland Cemetery.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The theme for this week was "Music," which I did not follow.

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, James Muir, is Ancestor number 20 on my family tree:

20 James Muir born 13 June 1848 in East Kilbride, Scotland; died 18 March 1926 in Mystic, Iowa; married 1) Margaret Semple, daughter of Peter Semple and Janet Torrance, on 4 July 1873 in Dalserf, Scotland, and 2) Margaret (McIntosh) Greenbank, daughter of William Keir McIntosh and Christian Brown and wife of Thomas Greenbank, on 9 January 1913 in Princeton, Missouri. Interred at Highland Cemetery in Mystic, Iowa.

20.1 Robert Muir born 4 October 1873 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 25 January 1874 in Dalserf.

10 Robert Muir born 16 March 1875 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 23 September 1956 in Richlands, Virginia; married 1) Ida Mae Riggin, daughter of John Wesley Riggin and Clementine Wells, on 12 October 1902 in Collinsville, Illinois, and 2) Elizabeth Fausz, daughter of Peter Fausz and Margaret Dietrich on 26 September 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri (divorced between 1930 and 1940).

20.2 Peter Semple Muir born 14 February 1877 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 23 March 1877 in Dalserf.

20.3 Peter Semple Muir born 5 July 1878 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 8 September 1878 in Lesmahagow, Scotland

20.4 Peter Muir born 12 July 1879 in Lesmahagow, Scotland; died 23 July 1879 in Lesmahagow.

20.5 Henrietta Brown Muir born 29 July 1882 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 9 January 1884 in Dalserf.

20.6 Margaret "Maggie" Muir born 6 May 1884 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 29 August 1966 likely in Vermilion County, Illinois; married Robert Caswell, son of John Caswell and Elizabeth Russell, on 3 August 1902 in St. Joseph, Michigan.

20.7 Peter Semple Muir born 3 February 1886 in Dalserf, Scotlankd; died 30 October 1947 in Detroit, Michigan; married Mame Zebio, daughter of Louis Zebio and Mary Frey, on 1 July 1908, according to my grandmother's genealogy notebook.

20.8 Alexander Muir born 13 May 1889 in Streator, Illinois; died 6 May 1957 in Seattle, Washington; married Bertha I. Cloren, daughter of John Patrick Cloren and Janet Ann Milnes on 13 June 1914 in Adair County, Missouri.

20.9 Jane "Janie" Muir born 29 November 1894 in Reading, Illinois; died 23 January 1990 in Centralia, Washington; married Herbert Bartist Beck, son of John B. Beck and Christina Beyerle, on 20 Jun 1912, according to my grandmother's genealogy notebook.

Margaret Semple had a daughter, whose father is unknown, before she marred James Muir. Jessie was raised as part of the Muir family.

20.10 Janet "Jessie" Semple born 25 November 1871 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 23 February 1942 in Adair County, Missouri; married Alexander Hutchison, son of Alexander Hutchison and Lilias Ewings, on 2 January 1889 in Streator, Illinois.

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Sources:

Alice (Muir) Jennings Genealogy Notebook, undated, personal collection
'Dalserf Parish Church,' personal collection
'Iowa and Missouri Counties' map, FamilySearch
1851 Scotland Census, Parish: East Kilbride; ED: 15; Page: 17; Line: 2; Roll: CSSCT1851_152
1851 Scotland Census, 30/03/1851 Muir, Elisabeth (Census 1851 643/00 015/00 016)
1861 Scotland Census, Parish: Dalserf; ED: 6; Page: 34; Line: 18; Roll: CSSCT1861_95
1861 Scotland Census, 07/04/1861 Muir, Robert (Census 1861 638/01 006/00 034)
1900 U.S. Federal Census, Census Place: Mystic, Appanoose, Iowa; Roll: 416; Page: 18A; Enumeration District: 0024; FHL microfilm: 1240416
1920 U.S. Federal Census, Census Place: Nineveh, Adair, Missouri; Roll: T625_902; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 17; Image 329
Global, Find A Grave, 144021172
Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, 1873 Muir, James (father)
Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910, 1873 Muir, James - Semple, Margaret
Scotland, Statutory Registrations, 1855-2013, 1873 Muir, James - Semple, Margaret (Statutory Marriages 638/02 0011)
U.S., Iowa Gazetteer, Appanoose County, page 93
U.S., Iowa Select Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990, 4-1537
U.S., Iowa Census Collection, 1836-1925, 1925 Muir, James
U.S., Iowa Census Collection, 1836-1925, Card No. A239
U.S., Iowa, Certificate of Death, 1926, Muir, James, 4-1537
U.S., Missouri Marriage License, 1913, Muir, James - Greenbank, Margaret, 4850
U.S., Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, License No. 4850
U.S., New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1857, Year 1887, Muir, James
U.S., Washington, Select Death Certificates, 1907-1960, Muir, James (father)

Thomas Albert Riggin: Spanish American War Veteran

Today is the 120th anniversary of the date on which President McKinley declared war on Spain. In commemoration of that anniversary, I am highlighting the service of Thomas Albert Riggin, my great uncle.

At the age of 21, Thomas Albert Riggin enlisted in the U.S. Army in St. Louis, Missouri. The date was 26 May 1898, one month and a day after President McKinley declared war on Spain. He was assigned to the Troop D of 2nd Cavalry. The Second Regiment of Cavalry had been organized in 1836, making the Second Dragoons the oldest continuously serving mounted regiment in the U.S. Army. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the regiment was quartered in New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas. They were assembled together in Chickamauga, Georgia, for the first time since the Civil War.

Troops A, C, D, and F entrained for Mobile, Alabama, and sailed to Cuba. They were assigned to Maj. Gen. William Shafter's Headquarters Troops and were the only horse-mounted regular Army troops under Shafter's command. The remainder of the regiment traveled overland to Tampa, Florida, and served as logistical support due to lack of transport ships to Cuba.

The mounted troops in Cuba fought along side Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and fought at the battles of El Caney (1 July), San Juan Hill (1 July), Aguadores (1 July), and the siege of Santiago (which began on 3 July). Teddy Roosevelt observed, "the Second Cavalrymen are everywhere. All day long you see them. All night long you hear their clattering hooves.”[1]

The Battle of San Juan Hill was the decisive battle of the short war. It was also the bloodiest and most famous. During the armistice, D Troop was responsible for feeding and policing 22,000 refugees in a town with a usual population of a few hundred. In January 1899, the entire regiment was assigned pacification duties in Cuba. They remained on the island for three years and eased access to public education and improved sanitation.

Clementine (Wells) Riggin Collins with three of her sons. Thomas Albert
Riggin is on the far left; Henry Wilburn Riggin, middle; and I believe
Lawrence Wesley Riggin is on the right. Photograph courtesy of William A.
Shaffer

Thomas Albert Riggin, however, was sent to Huntsville, Alabama, where he was discharged from the Army on 26 January 1899. It was noted in his file that he had been an excellent soldier.

Albert, or T. A., as he was known throughout his life was the uncle of my paternal grandmother, Alice (Muir) Jennings. He was born on 23 April 1877 in Troy, Illinois, and was one of six children of his father, John Wesley "Wes" Riggin and his second wife, Clementine Wells. His father died when he was four years old.

His mother married William Collins, a widower, who worked in the coal mines, the year before Albert enlisted. Upon his return from Cuba, he, his brother Henry and his sister Ida, my great grandmother, lived in East St. Louis, Illinois, and boarded in the home of Otto and Mary Davis. Albert worked as a grocery clerk.

On 2 November 1904, he married Triphosa "Fosie" Bowker, daughter of Richard "Dick" and Elizabeth Ann (Mallalieu) Bowker. The couple honeymooned in Iowa. Albert and Fosie had one daughter, Alberta Riggin. They lived in Collinsville, Illinois, their entire married life and Albert owned and operated a fruit and vegetable business for several years.

He and Fosie hosted several Riggin family reunions at their summer place. My grandparents attended often, driving to Illinois from Virginia. Albert died on 3 September 1952 at the Veterans Memorial Hospital in St. Louis of heart disease. His widow, Fosie, died in March 1975.

In 1972 my grandmother, father and I drove to the St. Louis area and I had the opportunity to meet "Aunt Fosie," as my grandmother called her.

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[1] Golden, Chris. 2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment: History, Customs and Traditions of the "Second Dragoons," 2d Cavalry Association, page 11 (accessed on 27 Apr 2017)

Remember the Maine