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Edmund S. RIGGS

Edmund S. RIGGS

Male 1783 - 1876  (92 years)

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  • Name Edmund S. RIGGS 
    Born 25 Dec 1783  Colerain, Bedford County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Residence 1820  Centerville, Tyler, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Census 1830  Tyler Co., WV Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Roll 200, p. 180 
    Residence 1830  Tyler, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Residence 1840  Centerville, Tyler, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Residence 1850  Tyler county, part of, Tyler, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Residence 1850  District 61, Tyler, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Census 3 Sep 1850  Dist. 61, Tyler Co., West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Roll M432_979, p. 368 
    Occupation 3 Sep 1850  Dist. 61, Tyler Co., West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    farmer 
    Residence 1860  Pleasants, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Census 28 Jun 1860  Pleasants Co., WV Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Roll M653_1371, p. 651 
    Occupation 28 Jun 1860  Pleasants Co., WV Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    farmer 
    Residence 1870  Union District, Pleasants, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Census 30 Jun 1870  Union Dist., Pleasants Co., West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Roll M593_1697, p. 484 
    FamilySearch ID 2DXR-MG2 
    Military Service   [2
    War of 1812 
    Name Edmond RIGGS  [2
    Name Edmund S RIGGS  [2
    Occupation 30 Jun 1870  Union Dist., Pleasants Co., West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    farmer 
    _UID 6CE8206120A847EF928A1575FD305A323271 
    Buried 1876  Long Reach Cemetery, Sistersville, Tyler, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Died 15 Feb 1876  St Marys, Pleasants, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I29831  Carney Wehofer 2024 Genealogy
    Last Modified 8 Sep 2024 

    Father James RIGGS,   b. 15 Sep 1742, Rock Creek, Montgomery, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 Feb 1815, Grandview, Washington, Ohio Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 72 years) 
    Mother Mary Ann JOHNSON,   b. 10 Jul 1748, Clarksburg, Montgomery, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 Nov 1818, New Matamoras, Monroe, Ohio Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years) 
    Married 1768  Frederick, Frederick, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F14039  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Elizabeth Susannah ROBY,   b. 22 Apr 1788, Washington County, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 11 Jan 1857, Tyler, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 68 years) 
    Married Feb 1806  Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Bazel RIGGS,   b. 1806, Virginia (now West Virginia) Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1865  (Age 59 years)
     2. Susanna RIGGS,   b. 1808,   d. Yes, date unknown
     3. Arvilla RIGGS,   b. Abt 1809, Washington County, Ohio Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1840, Pittsfield, Pittsfield, Somerset, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 31 years)
     4. Calvin RIGGS,   b. 1810, Tyler County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1863, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 53 years)
     5. Mary Ann RIGGS,   b. 12 Jan 1812, Pleasants County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1887  (Age 74 years)
     6. Owen RIGGS,   b. 1814, Tyler County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1875, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 61 years)
     7. Lorenzo Dow RIGGS,   b. 1815,   d. 1818  (Age 3 years)
     8. Ruth B. RIGGS,   b. 1815,   d. 1818  (Age 3 years)
     9. Edmund C. RIGGS,   b. 13 Jan 1819, New Martinsville, Wetzel, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Feb 1876, Miller County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 57 years)
     10. Elizabeth RIGGS,   b. 18 Jan 1822, Tyler County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Dec 1903, St. Marys, Pleasants County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 81 years)
     11. Josiah RIGGS,   b. 7 Feb 1824, Tyler County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 Jun 1855, Ohio RIver, Pleasants County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 31 years)
     12. Oakey RIGGS,   b. 12 Feb 1826, Tyler County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 11 Jan 1858, Ohio RIver, Pleasants County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 31 years)
     13. Emaly RIGGS,   b. 14 May 1828, Tyler County, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1870  (Age 41 years)
    Last Modified 8 Apr 2019 
    Family ID F14038  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Photos
    Edmund Riggs.jpg
    Edmund Riggs.jpg

  • Notes 
    • From Bruce Varner's work:
      Nancy Ann Varner (1841-1934) had four children, all of whom grew up with Nancy's maiden name Varner. Family members never openly spoke of why this was the case, and none of the long dead early descendants passed on any clues.
      Therefore everyone who descends from any one of Nancy's four children falls into the same category. Nancy's four children were:
      John Lawrence Varner (1866-1951)
      William Owen Varner (1869-1937)
      Eurelda Varner Newton (1871-1959)
      Mary Varner Clemons Cove (1877-1956)
      Y-DNA tests were conducted in 2012 by Bruce T. Varner (1951-), father Edwin Dale Varner, grandfather Bert Lonzo Varner, great-grandfather John Lawrence Varner, son of Nancy Ann Varner. This test revealed that genetically, John Lawrence Varner was fathered by a Riggs. Therefore all direct male to male descendants from John Lawrence carry Riggs Y-DNA.
      Y-DNA tests were conducted in in 2013 by William Ray Varner (1943-), father Otto George Varner, grandfather William Owen Varner, son of Nancy Ann Varner. This second Y-DNA test revealed that genetically, William Owen Varner was also fathered by a Riggs.
      Bruce T. Varner and William Ray Varner are a zero deviation Y-DNA match to each other.
      Subsequent research into the Riggs families of Miller County, Missouri revealed that three brothers lived in Miller County during the same timeframe as Nancy.
      Calvin Riggs (1810-1863)
      Owen Riggs (1813-1875)
      Edmund Riggs (1819-1877)
      Since the completion of testing, evidence has proven that John Lawrence and William Owen were both fathered by a Riggs, one might assume that the two girls (Eurelda & Mary) could have been fathered by a Riggs also.
      Since both Calvin and Owen Riggs were dead by the time the final daughter Mary was born, that leaves Edmund Riggs as the most likely father of the four.
      Estate documents for Edmund Riggs proved that Nancy Varner worked for Edmund Riggs up until Edmund's time of death.
      Antidotal evidence from family lore has long stated that Nancy Ann's parents, George and Harriet Varner were living "on the old Riggs place" when they were killed around the start of the Civil War.
      Additional Y-DNA results surfaced from four descendants of James Riggs (1662-1744). These four James Riggs descendants showed close Y-DNA matches to Bruce & William Varner. The four Riggs descendants are:
      Fredrick L. Riggs (1937-) [1 deviation]
      Charles L. Riggs (1954-) [2 deviation]
      Lawrence B. Riggs (1932-) [1 deviation]
      Michael D. Riggs (1958-) [0 deviation]
      Fredrick and Charles Riggs MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) is William Riggs (1750-1833).
      Lawrence and Michael, along with our Edmund Riggs MRCA is James Riggs (1742-1815).
      Both William Riggs and James Riggs are two generations descended from the Riggs family patriarch James Riggs (1662-1744).

      Transcription of text in Obituary for Edmund Riggs:
      Riggs— February 15th, at his residence, foot of Long Reach, Pleasants county, W. Va., EDMUND RIGGS, in the ninety-third years of his age.

      Mr. Riggs was born in 1783, in Bedford county, Pa. He came in October, 1799, to the Ohio with his father, who settled in what is now Washington county, Ohio. This region was then literally a "howling wilderness." He has killed eighteen panthers, and bears and wolves without number. In 1815 he came to his late place of residence, then Ohio county, Virginia. Of his eleven children only four survive him. He was a man of the strictest integrity, and was universally respected.

      Grape Island, W. Va., Feb. 16, 1876

  • Sources 
    1. [S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 8 Sep 2024), entry for Edmund S. RIGGS, person ID 2DXR-MG2. (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 15 Dec 2022), entry for Edmund S. RIGGS, person ID 2DXR-MG2. (Reliability: 3).