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

_______________
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?

52 Ancestors #31: Alice (Muir) Jennings (1906-1993): Grandma Jennings

Ancestor: Alice (Muir) Jennings, grandmother

Alice Muir was born on 16 March 1906 in Novinger, Missouri, to Robert Muir and Ida Mae Riggin. She was their second and last child as her mother died of tuberculosis in 1909. Alice was born blind in her left eye, having a detached retina. In 1910 newly widowed Robert Muir lived in Nineveh, Missouri, with his two young children -- Henry and Alice. The children's paternal grandmother, Margaret (Semple) Muir and her youngest daughter, lived next door.

Alice's father remarried in 1911 and Alice and Henry were sent to live with their grandmother, Margaret Muir, while their father raised a new family in East St. Louis, Illinois, and he worked in nearby coal mines. Robert Muir moved his family to West Virginia some time before 1920 as one of his daughters was born there that year.

When the 1920 census was enumerated, Alice continued to live with her grandmother in Nineveh, but her brother had left and joined his father in West Virginia. Grandmother Muir died on 31 May 1920 three days after an operation. At the age of 14 Alice Muir was on her own. She lived for brief periods of time with various Muir aunts and uncles.

According to an article in the Troy Call, she attended the fifth annual Riggin family reunion held at her maternal grandmother, Clementine (Wells) Riggin Collins' home on 19 August 1921 in Troy, Illinois. Eventually, she made her way to West Virginia, and worked with a family as a maid/governess in War. There she met Marvin Edward Jennings, a clerk with the Norfolk & Western Railroad. They met at a silent movie. Alice was reading the movie to her employer's young son and Marvin and his friends sat behind Alice and mimicked her during the movie.

Marvin and Alice dated for a few months but eventually Alice moved back to East St. Louis. When she discovered she was pregnant, Marvin quit his job with the railroad, traveled to Illinois, and married her on 13 May 1924 in East St. Louis.

Alice Muir standing on the station platform of the East St. and Suburban
Railway, which was an electric commuter train, circa 1925; personal
collection

Their daughter Pearl was born on 19 September 1924 but died a few months later on 30 December 1924. The coupled lived at 870 North 80th Street in East St. Louis, just a few houses away from a house her father owned. Her husband worked for the Illinois Central Railroad Company.

Marvin and Alice's oldest son was born in 1927. Alice, my grandmother, used to say after Uncle Marvin was born, she was unable to get pregnant and went to a doctor in St. Louis. He told her that her womb was twisted. So she went every week for 26 treatments, which apparently consisted of untwisting her womb a little bit at a time. Two months after her last treatment, she was pregnant. Their youngest son was born in 1931.

Marvin and Alice (Muir) Jennings with their sons; personal
collection

When the Depression struck, Marvin Jennings lost his job with the railroad. He did odd jobs to make a little money but the family was on Relief for a period of time. In 1941, Marvin took a job with the federal government and the family moved to Washington, DC, where they lived for a year before buying a house in Arlington County, Virginia.

Marvin Jennings died in 1961. Alice was left with a mortgage and a $1,000 in the bank. She got a job as an accounting clerk with the U.S. Navy and worked on expense reports submitted by Naval officers. However, to get to work, she had to buy a car and learn to drive. My father, her youngest son, always said teaching her was quite an experience.

Alice sold the family home and lived in a series of apartments until she retired. She and Marvin had bought a fishing shack on a tidal creek of the Chesapeake Bay in Deale Beach, Maryland, just before his death. Her youngest son, winterized it and built an addition, and she retired there.  She also began wintering in Saint Petersburg, Florida. When her sons moved to North Carolina, building homes next door to each other, Alice bought a mobile home and had it placed on their property, living there until her death.

Alice (Muir) Jennings died on 14 December 1993 of a cerebrovascular accident in Pamilco County at Britt Haven Nursing Home, where she had been treated for two months prior to her death. She was interred beside her husband at National Memorial Park in Falls Church, Virginia.

Alice and her husband were active in the Odd Fellows and the Daughters of Rebekah lodge organizations and both held offices in their local chapters. After her retirement, Alice indulged her love of travel visiting Europe several times, the Middle East, Hawaii, and took several cruises.

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

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, Alice (Muir) Jennings, is Ancestor number 5 on my family tree:

5 Alice Muir was born on 16 March 1906 in Novinger, Missouri, to Robert Muir and Ida Mae Riggin; died on 14 December 1993 in Alliance, North Carolina; married Marvin Edward Jennings on 13 May 1924 in East St. Louis, Illinois.

5.1 Pearl Marie Jennings born 19 September 1924 in East St. Louis, Missouri; died 30 December 1924 in East St. Louis.

5.2 Marvin Edward Jennings, Jr. born 23 July 1927 in East St. Louis, Missouri; married Rachel Mildred Lange, daughter of Gustav Lange and Wilhelmina Schalin, on 5 April 1952 in Arlington County, Virginia.

2 Charles Theodore Jennings born 14 December 1931 in Centreville, Illinois; married Dorothy Ailein Lange, daughter of Gustav Lange and Wilhelmina Schalin, on 15 November 1957 in Arlington County, Virginia.

________________
'Alice Muir at train station,' personal collection
1910 Federal Census, Census Place: O'Fallon, Saint Clair, Illinois; Roll: T624_323; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0155; Image: 641; FHL microfilm: 1374336
1920 Federal Census, Census Place: Nineveh, Adair, Missouri; Roll: T-625_902; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 17; Image: 330
1930 Federal Census, Census Place: East St Louis, St Clair, Illinois; Roll: 557; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 61; Image: 55.0; FHL microfilm: 2340292
1940 Federal Census, Census Place: Signal Hill, St Clair, Illinois; Roll: T627_879; Page: 19B; Enumeration District: 82-35
Global, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, 1993 Alice Jennings
Riggin Family Reunion, Troy Weekly Call, 25 August 1929
Riggin Family Reunion, Edwardsville Intelligencer, 8 August 1948
Social News Notes, Troy Call, 19 August 1921
US, City Directories, 1822-1939, 1926 East St Louis, Illinois (Alice Jennings)
US, City Directories, 1822-1939, 1928 East St Louis, Illinois (Alice Jennings)
US, City Directories, 1822-1939, 1930 East St Louis, Illinois (Alice Jennings)
US, Illinois Marriage License,  No. H-11915
US, Illinois Marriage License 1924 Jennings, Marvin - Muir, Alice
US, Missouri Delayed or Special Certificate of Birth, No. 524307
US, North Carolina, Certificate of Death 060-482
US, North Carolina, Certificate of Death, Book 26, Page 181
US, North Carolina Death Index, 1908-2004, Deaths: 1993-96
US, Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume I, 1993 Arapahoe, North Carolina (Alice M Jennings)
US, Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume II, Alice M Jennings (St Petersburg, Florida)
US, Virginia, Find A Grave Index, 1607-2012, 1993 Alice M Jennings

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.

______________
[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

DNA Discoveries: Lillian Pearl (Wells) Porter Porter Walker (1889-1990)

As I was working on some new DNA matches, I got to "meet" Lillian Pearl Wells all over again. She been in my tree for years as the wife of of Joseph "Jesse" Isaac Porter, without known parents or death information. I knew Jesse and Lillian married sometime before 1930 and he had previously been married to and divorced from Emma Mabel Riggin, daughter of Theodore Augustus Riggin (1840-1910)[1] and Caroline (Vangundy) Pritchett, and my first cousin three times removed.

Because of my new DNA match, I did a lot more research into Lillian and I believe my working theory is correct.

Lillian Pearl Wells was born on 10 April 1889 in Chicago, Illinois, to George Washington Wells[2] and his first wife, Ida Logenia[3] Ewing, daughter of Sylvester Ewing and Mary A. Briggs. George and Ida married on 21 June 1885 in McLean County, Illinois, where Ida grew up. After moving to Chicago, George became a policeman and at least one more child was born to he and Ida -- Arthur Washington Wells, who died on 4 May 1894, the same day he was born. His mother died two days later. At the age of 36, George married Bessie Sackett on 9 September 1894 in Chicago.

George Washington Wells (1858-1920); courtesy of
Michelle (Wells) Ward

Lillian Pearl, who sometimes went by Lily, married Daniel Ethan Porter in 1906 in Monroe County, Illinois. He farmed on rented land in 1910 but by 1920 worked as a pipefitter. Together Lillian and Daniel had five children:

• Lorene Lillian Porter (1909-1992)
• Clara Porter (1916-1917)
• Eunice Porter (1917-1984)
• Nellie Porter (1919-2009)
• Nettie Porter (1922-2013)

Sometime before 1927 Daniel Porter was committed to the Alton State Hospital, a hospital for the insane built in 1917. He remained a patient until his death in 1955.

Lillian married Daniel's older brother, Joseph "Jesse" Porter[4] soon after Daniel was committed. They had one son, Robert George Porter in 1927 (died in 1991) and the family was enumerated together in 1930. Joseph was an engineer at a flour mill. This second marriage did not last.

By 1940, Joseph and Lillian divorced. Lillian married Francis Marion Walker, a widower, and lived in Henderson County, Kentucky. Her two youngest children lived with she and Marion.

Francis Marion Walker died in 1948 was interred in Fernwood Cemetery in Henderson, Kentucky, beside his first wife. Lillian Pearl (Wells) Porter Porter Walker died on 4 October 1980 in Henderson County.

I have several DNA matches to other descendants of common shared ancestors James M. Wells and Mary Hearelson through their children: Clementine, Daniel, and George. And these matches are also shared with this new match which allowed me to discover Lillian wasn't "just" the second wife of my cousin's husband, but also an ancestor. But before I sorted all the relationships out, I spend several hours very confused!

Diagram depicting the relationships described in this blog post; created
using Microsoft Powerpoint[5]

_______________
[1] Theodore Augustus Riggin was a son of my three times great grandfather, Alfred Riggin (1811-about 1850). I descend from another son, John Wesley Riggin.

[2] George Washington Wells was the youngest son of James M. Wells and Mary Hearelson, my three times great grandparents and parents of Clementine Wells, the second wife of John Wesley Riggin (mentioned above).

[3] I had not known George Washington Wells had been married twice. Ida Logenia Ewing was a new discovery.

[4] Joseph "Jesse" Porter had been married and divorced two times previously. First to my cousin, Emma Mabel Riggin; and second, to Margaret (Bone) Purkhiser, whose first husband worked for the railroad and appeared to leave her in Illinois with two young children. He died in California in 1949.

[5] The correct surname of Lillian's third husband is WALKER, Francis Marion Walker.

I descend from James Wells and Mary Hearelson as follows:
Clementine (Wells) Riggin Collins
Ida Mae (Riggin) Muir
Alice (Muir) Jennings
Father
Me

New Wells/Murphy Family Tree Branch
Squabbling Siblings
The Wells Spinsters
New Wells Family Tree Branch

Robert Earl Bond: Lost Then Found

Robert Earl Bond was born on 20 March 1896 in Staunton, Illinois to William Francis Bond and Mary Alice Riggin, who was the half-sister of my great grandmother, Ida Mae (Riggin) Muir, making Robert Earl Bond my first cousin twice removed.

Relationship between Robert Earl Bond and me; chart created using
Microsoft Powerpoint

Robert's father was a teamster. Robert grew up in Staunton and when he registered for the World War I draft worked as chauffeur for his father's company, Bond & Son. He was drafted in 1918 and served as a private during the war assigned to Supply Company of the 347th Infantry Regiment, 174 Infantry Brigade, 87th Division. The division was in France, in the Pons area. They worked primarily as laborers while overseas. Robert was honorably discharged on 21 January 1919.

He returned to Illinois and continued working as a chauffeur. He was listed in the 1928 Staunton city directory with a wife named Minta, who was Araminta (Stewart) Johnson. She was the daughter of Green B. Stewart and Sarah Cockron and had been married previously and had two children. In 1930 Robert was farming a rented farm and lived with his wife, divorced step-daughter and step-son in Tyrone, Illinois. By 1940 Robert's step-children had moved out and he and Minta lived alone. The farm was also gone and Robert worked as a foreman for the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

In 1942 Robert lived in Mulkeytown and worked at the Illinois Ordnance Plant in Carbondale, Illinois. Minta was listed as the person who would always know his address.  She applied for a Social Security account in January 1943 as Minta Stewart Bond. But then I lost Robert when I first researched my Riggin line in late 2012 and early 2013.

Recently, a lot of my cousins have taken DNA tests and as I processed their matches, I decided to check the two matches most of us have with known common shared ancestors in the Riggin line. Those matches shared a third match with me I had not seen before. There were only 13 people in this new match's family tree, but the Bond surname was familiar.

DNA match pedigree chart; courtesy of Ancestry.com

It turns out the Robert E. Bond listed on this pedigree chart is the same Robert Earl Bond, who is in my tree. And he had a new wife! I don't know what happened to his first wife Minta. She was 14 years older than Robert so perhaps she died or perhaps they divorced.

On 24 May 1958 Robert married Ruby Elaine (Bailey) Sizemore, a divorced woman with three children in their early 20s in Gate City, Virginia. Robert lived in Cedar Bluff, Virginia, and worked as a coal miner. He was 62 years old at the time of their marriage and indicated when he applied for the license that he was single. Ruby was the daughter of James Bailey and Lepora Bumgarner and was 38 at the time of their marriage. They obviously had a child together as that person is a DNA match and from the looks of their family tree are either just beginning to research their family history or do not know much about their father's family.

Robert made a life claim on his Social Security account in 1959, perhaps he retired then. He died in Orange County, Florida, on 29 March 1962 and was interred at Grandview Memory Gardens in Bluefield, Virginia. Ruby married two more times before her death in 1998.

Squabbling Siblings

Mary (Hearelson) Wells died on 12 December 1882 in Troy, Illinois. She was the widow of James M. Wells and mother of nine children, seven of which were still living at the time of her death. She died intestate and the court appointed Frank A. Sabin as the administrator of her estate. Her estate was not completely closed until 26 July 1884.

Mr. Sabin filed the paperwork to probate her estate on 11 January 1882. Included in one of the initial filings was an affidavit from Mary's son, Daniel Boone Wells, which provided the death date and location; an estimate of the value of her estate, which was $500; a list of heirs; and a request to immediately probate the estate. The heirs were:

• Henry Wells, son
• Alexander Wells, son
• Thomas Wells, son
• George Wells, son
• Daniel Wells, son
• Caroline Murphy, daughter
• Clementine Riggin, daughter
• Addie Wells, granddaughter
• Frank Wells, grandson

Addie and Frank Wells were the children of Mary's son Madison Frank Wells and Sarah Smith. Madison died about a dozen years before his mother. Son, Perry Wells, was also deceased but left no children.

Mr. Sabin filed a bond of administration then hired three appraisers to assess the value of Mary's personal property. The appraisal was filed in February. Her personal property was valued at $521 against liabilities of $790. Mr. Sabin informed the court that the estate's personal property and chattel would not cover the liabilities and the real estate must be sold. He told the court that Clementine Riggin and her brother Daniel Wells lived in the deceased mother's home.

It should be noted that Clementine Riggin's husband died sometime in 1881 and she had six children 10 years old or younger. Daniel Wells was also married and had one infant son at the time.

Exceptions to allowance of award, courtesy of Ancestry.com

The first hint of trouble came after the appraisal was filed with the court. On 14 March 1883 attorneys for Daniel Wells filed an exception to the allowance of award. Three reasons were listed in the exception:

1. No child lived with his mother at the time of her death; therefore no allowance should be paid to any of his siblings.
2. The amount of the allowance was excessive in view of the estimated value of the estate
3. Other good reasons

Because Clementine lived with their mother at the time of her death in order to care for her, she was entitled to an extra allowance over and above their portion of the estate. Daniel was objecting to the amount his sister received.

Thomas Wells and his wife, Mary; Henry Louis Wells and his wife, Alice; and George Washington Wells and his wife, Ella, agreed with the administrator of their mother's estate should sell the one-acre lot and house in Troy. Alexander Wells and his wife, Eliza; and Sara Caroline Murphy and her husband, John Henderson Murphy, lived out of state and apparently never responded to the court. However, Daniel Wells; the widow of Madison Frank Wells, Sarah (Smith) Wells; and her children, Addie and Frank, had issues with the proposed sale and joined Daniel in his protest.

First page of defendants' response to petition to sell the estate's property;
courtesy of Ancestry.com

Transcription
The joint and several answer of Daniel Wells, Sarah Wells, Addie Wells, and Frank Wells, defendants in the above cause, to the petition filed therein; these defendants for answer therein to say they admit the petitioner was appointed administrator of said estate, that an inventory and appraisement bill have been returned, but deny any sale bill has been filed.

They also deny that a just and true account of the personal estate and debt of said deceased has been rendered to said court by said petitioner, and these defendants allege that more than the sum of five hundred dollars can be realized out of the personal assets of the estate. They also deny that the just debts and demands against the estate amount to seven hundred and ninety dollars as alleged by said petition; that said sum is made up, in part, of the sum of six hundred and fifty dollars which was allowed to a co-defendant, Clementine Riggin, a daughter of the deceased Mary Wells, as an award.

And these defendants aver that the said Clementine Riggin was married fifteen years before the death of said Mary Wells, and she and her husband lived together in their home separate from the said Mary Wells, and so continued to live up to the time of the said husband's death which occurred about one year prior to that of said Mary Wells. That after the death of her husband the said Clementine Riggin lived and kept home with her children at her own home until about two months prior to the death of the said Mary Wells when she and her family moved to the house of the said Mary Wells, taking all of her household goods with her at the request of her mother and for the purpose of keeping house for her and taking care of her. And these defendants aver that the said Clementine Riggin was not residing with said Mary Wells at the time of her death in any such sense as would entitle her in law to an award as a child of the said Mary Wells.

These defendants therefore deny that there is any deficiency of personal estate to pay the debts against said estate, but in the contrary that a just and proper settlement of said estate then would be personal estate to distribute among the heirs.

That said the real estate should not be sold and that the petitioner is not entitled to any of the relief prayed for in said petition and that said petition should be dismissed.

***

The court responded by denying the petition filed by attorneys for Daniel Wells and ordered Mr. Sabin, the estate administrator, to publicly advertise a public auction of the real estate held by the estate of Mary Wells.

About two years after the death of Mary (Hearelson) Wells, Mr. Sabin filed a final accounting with the court.

Final accounting of the estate of Mary Wells; courtesy of Ancestry.com

No money was left for the heirs and only Clementine Riggin, my great great grandmother, received any money from her mother's estate because she supposedly lived with and cared for her mother during the final few months of her life. How the siblings got along after this is unknown.

In a final twist, Theodore Augustus Riggin, brother-in-law of Clementine Riggin, bought her mother's house and one-acre lot in Troy.

Unrelated Riggins?

I had considered my three times great grandfather Alfred Riggin a space alien for some time. He dropped into Madison County, Illinois, in 1836 when he bought land, then pulled a disappearing act after the 1850 census was enumerated. The scant records about him indicated he was born in Tennessee about 1811 and that he married Sarah "Sally" Piper in Madison County.

I had one DNA match to a living descendant, and after communicating we both confirmed through records we had collected our shared common ancestor was Alfred, the space alien. I had four other matches that included the Riggin surname in their pedigree charts.

One DNA match particularly excited me as it was a descendant of a Teague Riggin, who came to the American colonies in the 1640s after he was exiled from Ireland by Oliver Cromwell. He married the boss' daughter and died a rich plantation owner in Somerset County, Maryland, in 1707. One of his descendants became a circuit-riding minister and settled in Sevier County, Tennessee. Three of his sons made their way to Madison County, Illinois -- one even founded the town of Troy where my space alien lived and another lost a state legislative election to Abraham Lincoln. Alfred must be the reverend's son. How many Riggin men would travel from Tennessee to one county in Illinois about the time the territory became a state and not be related? The exiting part for me was 1640 would be the furthest back in time for any direct ancestor in my tree. I even blogged about old Teague Riggin several times.

From the Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois; image
courtesy of Internet Archive

I would poke at the problem from time to time looking for definitive proof. I finally read about a reference to a book about the Riggin surname that was supposedly housed in the Los Angeles County, California public library. Unfortunately, they no longer had a copy. I did find it, however, on the FamilySearch.org website.

Harry Riggin, co-founder of Troy, Illinois, copyrighted image
purchased by my from Historic MapWorks for
non-commercial use in publications. It may not be reused
by others

The good reverend, who settled in Tennessee, had a son, who wrote a short biography about his father. It was included in the book! He had four sons, all were named...and none were named Alfred. This caused me to go back and review everything I had collected about the Riggin family. And staring out from my family tree was the proof that Alfred came from a different Riggin line. Since Rev. Riggin's son, John, married Elizabeth Reid, this had to be another John. And I knew Alfred's mother was Margaret Farris. I'd had that "proof" for several years! Argh!

Snippet from the Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois (John
Riggin and Margaret Farris are Alfred Riggin's parents); image courtesy
of Internet Archive

I now know who Alfred's daddy was and and I now know why one Riggin line disclaims the other (Alfred's daddy was more than a bit of a scoundrel), but I still believe the two lines are related in some way. How else do you explain the DNA match?

_______________
This post was written for the Little Bytes of Life May 18 blog party.

Finding Alfred's Daddy
Who's Your Daddy, Alfred Riggin
Lost an Election to Abraham Lincoln
On the High Road to Ruin
Indentured Servant to Landed Gentry

Successful Farmer: Theodore Augustus Riggin (1840-1910)

Theodore Augustus Riggin was my three times great uncle, son of Alfred Riggin and younger brother of my two times great grandfather, John Wesley Riggin. He was born on 15 September 1840 in Pin Oak Township, Illinois, to Alfred and Sarah "Sally" (Piper) Riggin.

The Portrait and Biographical Record of Madison County, Illinois: Containing Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, published by the Biographical Publishing Company in 1894, included a biographical portrait about Theodore which stated that his father died when he was nine years old, or in 1849.[1]

The biographical sketch continued...

"Our subject [NOTE: Theodore Augustus Riggin] carried on his studies in the little school house in his neighborhood, but received very limited educational training, the matter of education not receiving any other care at that time than is generally given it in all parts of the country. At the early age of fourteen he commenced to make his own way in the world, working out as a farm hand. He soon, however, was enabled to rent property and put in crops of his own. He is now the proprietor of one hundred and three and one-half acres under a nice state of cultivation, and as a farmer he has been quite successful.

Madison County, Illinois, townships. Theodore Augustus Riggin purchased
land in Jarvis Township, which is one of the southernmost townships in
the county; courtesy of Standard Atlas of Madison County, Illinois: Including
a Plat Book of Villages, Cities and Townships of the County

Theodore Augustus Riggin's 103-acre farm in Jarvis Township; created using
Microsoft PowerPoint

In 1865 our subject was united in marriage with Miss Myra M., daughter of Charles and Rebecca (Owens) Roselle. On the paternal side of the house Mrs. Riggin was of French descent, while her mother's people were natives of Illinois. By her union with our subject there were born four children, of whom the youngest, Sallie, died at the age of two years and ten months. Tressa U. (NOTE: Teresa Endora) is the wife of John Null, of this county; Eugene married Cora Pritchett and also makes his home in this county; Selva E. (NOTE: Sylvia E.) is now Mrs. John Hamilton and resides in Barton County, Missouri.

The wife and mother departed this life in 1878, and two years later Mr. Riggin was married to Mrs. Carolina Pritchett, daughter of John Vangundy, formerly a resident of Ohio. To them were born four children, Pearl (deceased), Emma M., Alfred and Mary J. Socially, our subject is a member of Lodge No. 588, A.F. & A.M., and Nelson Lodge No. 25, I.O.O.F. of Troy.[2] Politically he is a staunch believer in the principles promulgated by the Democratic party. He has been an eye witness of the rapid strides progress has taken in this county and township, and has won a host of friends by his interest in public matters and his willingness to assist in the advancement of all worthy causes."

The relationship between the Pritchett, Riggin, and VanGundy families was a little complicated.

Relationship between the Pritchett, Riggin and VanGundy family;
created using Microsoft PowerPoint

Step-brothers, Augustus Eugene Riggin and Stephen John Pritchett, married sisters, Cora Ann and Emma Pritchett. Since Stephen and Emma Pritchett's fathers were brothers, it was a marriage between first cousins.

Theodore Augustus Riggin died on 14 April 1910 and his obituary was printed on the front page of the 16 April 1910 edition of The Troy Weekly Call:

T. A. RIGGIN PASSES AWAY

Well Known Resident Succumbs After Siege of Pneumonia

T. A. Riggin, a resident of Jarvis township for over 50 years, passed away at his country home northeast of this city Thursday afternoon at 3:45 o'clock, at the age of 69  years, 6 months and 29 days. His death was due to a siege of double pneumonia of about three weeks' duration.

The funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 o'clock from the residence to the M. E. chuch, the service being conducted by Rev. N. D. Sweeny of East St. Louis, formerly pastor of the church in this city. The interment will be in the Troy cemetery and will be under the auspices of the local Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities.

Theodore Augustus Riggin was a son of Alfred and Sallie (Piper) Riggin and was born on a farm in Collinsville township on September 15, 1840. Soon after the family moved to this township where the subect of this sketch had resided ever since.

His marriage to Miss. Melinda Roselle took place December 1, 1864, and four children were born to their union. One of these died in infancy and the survivors are Mrs. Theresa Noll of Greenville, and Eugene Riggin and Mrs. Sylvia Hamilton of this city. The wife and mother passed away July 26, 1874.

Mr. Riggin's second marriage was on September 15, 1875, to Mrs. Caroline Pritchett, who survives him. Four children were also born to this union and of these three survive. They are Mrs. Emma Porter of East St. Louis, and Alfred N. Riggin and Mrs. Mollie Manley of this city. There are in all twelve grandchildren besides a number of other relatives.

Mr. Riggin engaged in farming during the whole of his active life and in that occupation achieved a marked measure of success. In late years, however, he had not been largely ingaged owing to his advanced age. He recently purchased the Deek property in this city and contemplated taking up residence in the same next fall.

Personally Mr. Riggin had many traits which characterized him as a man, a citizen, a neighbor and a husband and father. He was for many years a member of Troy Lodge No. 588, A. F. & A. M., and of Neilson Lodge No. 25, I. O. O. P. The memory of him will long endure, not only among those near and dear to him, but within the wide circle of his acquaintance.

_______________
[1] Alfred Riggin was enumerated in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, so I believe that he died in the early 1850s, but no record of his death or interment have been found. 

[2] A.F. & A.M. = Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and I.O.O.F. = Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Finding Alfred's Daddy

Last year in total frustration I wrote a post entitled Who's Your Daddy, Alfred Riggin? Alfred was my three times great grandfather who appeared out of thin air in 1833 in Madison County, Illinois, when he applied for a marriage license. He left evidence of a couple of land purchases, was listed in the 1840 and 1850 census...then disappeared never to be heard from again.

Well, I found my space alien's father! I found a family tree on RootsWeb that listed a John and Margaret (Farris) Riggin as the parents of Alfred. However, the tree had no source citations. I emailed the tree owner and got passed around to various people before connecting with a person who had done extensive research on our shared Riggin line. He sent me several documents which proved the relationship between James and Alfred.

Funnily enough, when I was just starting my research, I had James and Margaret as Alfred's parents. Somewhere along the line I deleted them when I realized there were two separate Riggin families floating around Madison County, Illinois, early in its formation -- my Riggin line and the one that descends from Teague Riggin of Somerset County, Maryland. I know these two lines are related in some way because I have a DNA match with a Riggin descendant from Teague's line; but no one has discovered the connection...yet. The Teague Riggin line has maintained for years the two lines are not related.

Alfred's Daddy, John Riggin, was born in 1780 in Warren County, North Carolina. His father may have been a William Riggin but this has not been proved. Margaret Farris was born on 4 April 1784 in Tennessee to James and Anne Farris. John Riggin and Margaret Farris married in 1807 in Tennessee. They followed Margaret's father when he brought his family to Madison County, Illinois, in the spring of 1818.

Farris family biography from the Centennial History of Madison County,
Illinois; courtesy of Internet Archive

John and Margaret had eight known children -- their names were included on a list of heirs his son, James, provided to the court in Gasconade County, Missouri:

1. Mahala Riggin born about 1808; married Joseph E. Gaskill on 13 March 1828, five children; died 1838.
2. Alfred Riggin born about 1811; married Sarah "Sally" Piper on 7 April 1833, six children; died soon after the 1850 census was enumerated
3. Thurza or Theresa Riggin born about 1812; married Elias Hays on 5 March 1828; died about 1860
4. Louisa Riggin born about 1814; married John Rankin on 22 November 1831
5. Delana Riggin born about 1818; married Nelson Daniels on 17 March 1836
6. James Riggin born about 1821; died 27 February 1887
7. William Riggin born about 1823
8. Lucinda Ann Riggin born about 1825

John owned a lot of land in Madison County and was in business with two gentlemen from Missouri. John apparently had a wandering eye and in the late 1830s had an affair with Eva Copenberger. He divorced Margaret in 1839 and married Eva on 9 March 1840 a few months after their daughter Susan was born. I am pretty sure this caused quite a scandal and may be the reason the Teague Riggin line does not acknowledge a relationship.

John and Eva had another child, John B. Riggin before John died in 1844. I had quite the time finding evidence of his death mostly because he died in Gasconade County, Missouri, and I was looking in Illinois where he had lived since 1818. The family rumor is that John successfully hid his assets from his first wife Margaret, selling most of his land in Illinois without her knowledge. He used that money to move he and his second family to Missouri.

Missouri Wills and Probate Records, 1766-1988, for John Riggin, courtesy of
Ancestry.com

_______________
Who's Your Daddy, Alfred Riggin?

52 Ancestors #34: John Wesley Riggin's Farm

Ancestor Name: John Wesley "Wes" Riggin (about 1835-before October 1886)

One of my great great grandfathers was John Wesley "Wes" Riggin. He was born about 1835 in Illinois, likely Madison County, to Alfred and Sarah "Sallie" (Piper) Riggin. He married Mary Ramsey in 1858. When the 1860 census was enumerated, they had a 5-month-old baby named Josephine and John owned a farm valued at $800. His personal property was valued at $135.

Ten years later, he was a widower with three children and lived with his younger brother, William, who was the head of the household, his widowed mother, Sallie, and sister, Mary Jane (Riggin) Horton, and her young son.

Wes married Clementine Wells later that year. During the course of their marriage, they had six children -- five boys and one girl, who was my great grandmother, Ida Mae Riggin. Wes was a farmer until his death, which likely was sometime in 1888 before October. That month Clementine went to court to become the legal guardian of her minor children.

In an earlier blog post, I described the family farm in this way:

"The Riggin farm in Pin Oak Township was 38 acres, which Wes rented for shares of products he produced on the land. While on the small side, the farm seemed to be a going concern, used primarily to raise cereal crops, such as corn, oats and wheat, and Irish potatoes. Only two acres were wooded. Farm stock included 2 horses, 7 swine, and 23 chickens. The farmed produced about $400 a year in income and Wes hired hands for two weeks out of the year during harvest time."

How did I get such a specific description of the farm worked by Wes Riggin?

That's where the 1880 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules came in handy. Wes Riggin's farm was enumerated in that schedule on 3 June. I use another document, Agricultural Census 1850-1900 to explain the various fields on the schedule, which helps me describe ancestors' farms when I write. It was critical to even reading the schedule for Wes Riggin as the image was so poor.

1880 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedule for Wes Riggin, a
farmer in Pin Oak Township, Madison, Illinois; image courtesy of
Ancestry.com

Let's break it down into the four parts of the schedule...

1880 Statistics of Agriculture: Schedule 2, first section of form; image
courtesy of Ancestry.com

The Census Act of 1879 provided for a more elaborate collection of statistics, and a new schedule for agriculture was adopted. This contained 100 questions related to 25 subjects. Although the sheets were of blanket form, but 20 farms could be entered, 10 on each page. The most important additions to this schedule were the questions of land tenure and those relating to the areas of the various crops. Inquiries for rice, cotton, and sugar cane were printed on the schedules for Southern states only.

For John Riggin, the following information was included:

• The Name: John Riggins
• Tenure/Owner:
• Tenure/Rents for fixed money rental:
• Tenure/Rents for shares of products: X (Yes)
• Improved: Tilled, including fallow and grass in rotation (whether pasture or meadow): [illegible], but I have settled on 38 after close examination of how enumerator wrote numbers and the number of acres planted in specific crops
• Improved: Permanent meadows, permanent pastures, orchards, vineyards:
• Unimproved: Woodlands and forest:
• Unimproved: Other unimproved, including "old fields" not growing wood:
• Farm value/Of farm, including land, fences, and buildings: $1,800
• Farm value/Of farming implements and machinery: $50
• Farm value/Of live stock: $100
• Fences/Cost of building and repairing in 1879:
• Cost of fertilizers purchased in 1879:
• Labor/Amount paid for wages for farm labor during 1879, including value of board: $10
• Labor/Weeks hired labor in 1879 upon farm (and dairy), excluding housework: 2 weeks
• Estimated value of all farm products (sold, consumed, or on hand) for 1879: $400
• Grasslands/Acreage, 1879/Mown:
• Grasslands/Acreage, 1879/Not mown:
• Grasslands/Products harvested, 1879/Hay:
• Grasslands/Products harvested, 1879/Clover seed:
• Grasslands/Products harvested, 1879/Grass seed:
• Horses of all ages on hand June 1, 1880: 2
• Mules and asses, all ages, on hand June 1, 1880:

1880 Statistics of Agriculture, Schedule 2, second part of form; image
courtesy of Ancestry.com

• Neat cattle and their products/On hand June 1, 1880/Working oxen:
• Neat cattle and their products/On hand June 1, 1880/Milch cows:
• Neat cattle and their products/On hand June 1, 1880/Others:
• Neat cattle and their products/Movement, 1879/Calves dropped:
• Neat cattle and their products/Cattle of all ages/Purchased:
• Neat cattle and their products/Cattle of all ages/Sold living:
• Neat cattle and their products/Cattle of all ages/Slaughtered:
• Neat cattle and their products/Cattle of all ages/Died, strayed, and stolen and not recovered:
• Neat cattle and their products/Milk sold or sent to butter and cheese factories in 1879:
• Neat cattle and their products/Butter made on the farm in 1879:
• Neat cattle and their products/Cheese made on the farm in 1879:
• Sheep/On hand June 1, 1880:
• Sheep/Movement/Lambs dropped:
• Sheep/Movement, 1879/Sheep and lambs/Purchased:
• Sheep/Movement, 1879/Sheep and lambs/Sold living:
• Sheep/Movement, 1879/Sheep and lambs/Slaughtered:
• Sheep/Movement, 1879/Sheep and lambs/Killed by dogs:
• Sheep/Movement, 1879/Sheep and lambs/Died of disease:
• Sheep/Movement, 1879/Sheep and lambs/Died of stress of weather:
• Sheep/Clip, spring 1880, shorn and to be shorn/Fleeces:
• Sheep/Clip, spring 1880, shorn and to be shorn/Weight:
• Swine/On hand June 1, 1880: 7
• Poultry on hand June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching/Barnyard: 21
• Poultry on hand June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching/Other: 2
• Eggs produced in 1879: 180

1880 Statistics of Agriculture, Schedule 2, third part of form; image
courtesy of Ancestry.com

• Cereals/Barley, 1879/Acreage:
• Cereals/Barley, 1879/Crop:
• Cereals/Buckwheat, 1879/Acreage:
• Cereals/Buckwheat, 1879/Crop:
• Cereals/Indian corn, 1879/Acreage: 21 acres
• Cereals/Indian corn, 1879/Crop: 1,000 bushels
• Cereals/Oat, 1879/Acreage: 4 acres
• Cereals/Oat, 1879/Crop: 100 bushels
• Cereals/Rye, 1879/Acreage:
• Cereals/Rye, 1879/Crop:
• Cereals/Wheat, 1879/Acreage: 10 acres
• Cereals/Wheat, 1879/Crop: 200 bushels
• Pulse/Canada peas (dry) in 1879:
• Pulse/Beans (dry) in 1879:
• Fiber/Flax, 1879/Acres in crop:
• Fiber/Flax, 1879/Seed:
• Fiber/Flax, 1879/Straw:
• Fiber/Flax, 1879/Fiber:
• Fiber/Hemp/Acres:
• Fiber/Hemp/Tons:
• Sugar/Sorghum, 1879/Acres in crop:
• Sugar/Sorghum, 1879/Sugar
• Sugar/Sorghum, 1879/Molassas
• Sugar/Maple, 1879/Sugar:
• Sugar/Maple, 1879/Molassas:
• Broom Corn, 1879/Acres:
• Broom corn, 1879/Pounds:

1880 Statistics of Agriculture, Schedule 2, fourth part of form; image
courtesy of Ancestry.com

• Hops, 1879/Acreage:
• Hops, 1879/Crop:
• Potatoes (Irish), 1879/Acreage: 1
• Potatoes (Irish), 1879/Crop: 20 bushels
• Tobacco, 1879/Acreage:
• Tobacco, 1879/Crop:
• Orchards, 1879/Apple/Acres:
• Orchards, 1879/Apple/Bearing trees:
• Orchards, 1879/Apple/Bushels, 1879:
• Orchards, 1879/Peach/Acres:
• Orchards, 1879/Peach/Bearing trees:
• Orchards, 1879/Peach/Bushels, 1879:
• Orchards, 1879/Total value of orchard products of all kinds sold or consumed:
• Nurseries/Acres:
• Nurseries/Value of produce sold in 1879
• Vineyards/Acres:
• Vineyards/Grapes sold in 1879:
• Vineyards/Wine made in 1879:
• Market gardens/Value of produce sold in 1879:
• Bees, 1879/Honey:
• Bees, 1879/Wax:
• Forest products/Amount of wood cut in 1879: 2
• Forest products/Value of all first products sold or consumed in 1879: $12

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge optional theme Non-Population.

_________________
Other posts about Wes Riggin's family include:

Photographs of My Great Great Grandmother
The Too Brief Life of Ida Mae (Riggin) Muir
An Adoption on a Train