Riggs

Origin of the Riggs Surname

"Riggs is a northern English and Scottish topographic name of Anglo-Saxon origin denoting a person who lived on or by a ridge, deriving from the Old Norse word hryggr, Olde English work hrycg, and Middle English word rigge. It may have also referred to a person from a town or village named Ridge, which was named after the geographic feature, such as the village of Ridge in Hampshire or the lands of Rigg in East Lothian, Scotland. Another meaning theory is the name means rich or wealthy, from the Danish word rig." (Source)

GENERATION 1

Edward Riggs I was born abt. 1589 and died in 1672. He married Elizabeth Holmes. His parentage is uncertain.

GENERATION 2

Edward Riggs II, son of Edward and Elizabeth was born bef. Oct 17, 1619 in Nazeing, Essex, England and died on June 1, 1668 in Newark, Essex, NJ. He married Elizabeth (c1621-c1670).

GENERATION 3

Ensign Samuel Riggs, son of Edward and Elizabeth was born abt. 1642 in Massachusetts Bay and died abt. 1738 in Derby, CT. He married Sarah Baldwin (1649-1712), daughter of Richard Baldwin (1622-1665) and Elizabeth Alsop (1622-1683). Her mother Elizabeth is a Gateway Ancestor with lineage going to King Edward I and several of the Magna Charta Sureties. This WikiTree page provides more details on this earlier lineage.

GENERATION 4

Capt. John Riggs, son of Samuel and Sarah was born on Apr 1, 1676 in Derby, New Haven CT and died on Sep 24, 1755 in Derby. He married Elizabeth Tomlinson (1684-1747), daughter of Agur Tomlinson and Elizabeth Judson.

GENERATION 5

Capt. Joseph Riggs, son of John and Elizabeth was born on Feb 13, 1709 in Derby, New Haven, CT and died on Mar 31, 1792 in Derby. He married Mabel Johnson (1719-1806) on Feb 20, 1740, daughter of Gideon Johnson and Abigail Chatfield.

GENERATION 6

Capt. Joseph Harvey Riggs, son of Joseph and Mabel was born on Jul 20, 1746 in Derby, New Haven, CT and died on May 15, 1822 in Derby. He married Rachel Chatfield (c1745-1778), daughter of Solomon Chatfield and Hannah Pierson.

GENERATION 7

Samuel E. Riggs, son of Joseph and Rachel was born on Jan 27, 1771 in Derby, New Haven, CT and died on Apr 1851. He married Polly Wildman (c1774-). Her parentage is unknown.

GENERATION 8

Starr Benedict Riggs, son of Samuel and Polly was born on Oct 16, 1802 in Derby, New Haven, CT and died on Mar 22, 1892 in Eddyville, IA.

He married Almira Short (1803-1874), daughter of Peter Short and Frances Mallory. His father Peter has a gateway ancestor in Obadiah Bruen with lineage going to several Magna Charta Sureties.

GENERATION 9

Alfred Stanford Riggs, son of Starr and Almira was born in Oct 1832 in Kirtland, OH and died on Jun 13, 1900 in Puyallup, WA.

He married Frances Varnelia Armstrong (1831-1900) whose parentage is unknown.

GENERATION 10

Clarence Eugene Riggs, son of Alfred Riggs and Frances was born on Dec 2, 1858 in Salem, IA. He died on Sep 19, 1927 in Puyallup, WA.

Clarence married Alice Dora Chiek (1858-1943) on Nov 11, 1883 in Mahaska, IA.
Alice is the daughter of Charles M. Chick (1834-1910) and Elizabeth L. Myers (1840-1865)

They had 7 children:

1	Clarence Irvin Riggs (Aug 16, 1884 in Mahaska, IA - Aug 31, 1934 in Tacoma, WA) Married (1) Ussie M. Chidester (1881-1907) Married (2) Nellie Agenes Whalen (1883-1971)
2	Jessie Alma Riggs (See Below)
3	Thomas Burl Riggs (Jul 8, 1887 in Mahaska, IA - Sep 24, 1959 in Yakima, WA) Married Izetta Pearl Helen Brassfield (1891-)
4	Ollie Merle Riggs (Apr 1890 in Mahaska, IA - Feb 27, 1935 in Puyallup, WA) Married Raymond Charles Gregory (1888-1948) 1. Howard Dale Gregory (Dec 23, 1911 in Puyallup, WA - Oct 9, 1978 in WA) Married Valette Lorraine Steen (1911-1976) in 1935
5	Floyd Elmo Riggs (Sep 3, 1891 in Mahaska, IA - Jul 21, 1965 in Yakima, WA) Married Mabel Ruth Seitsinger (1892-1957) in 1909 1. Clarence Elmo Riggs (Sep 7, 1910 in Canada - Dec 7, 1963 in Los Angeles, CA) Married Alma Neva Smith (1910-1988) in 1945 2. Viola Bell Riggs (May 17, 1912 in Canada - Jun 24, 1988 in Tacoma, CA) Married Gerald Frederick Clements (1918-1984) 3. Walter Leon Riggs (Dec 27, 1913 in Canada - Dec 28, 1990 in Puyallup, WA) Married June C. Johnson (1917-1974) in 1941 4. Catherine Cleo Riggs (May 4, 1918 in WA - Jun 22, 1985 in Ukiah, CA) Married (1) Eugene Victor Foucault (1913-1985) in 1934 Married (2) Stephen Patrick Tierney (1906-1976) in 1965 5. Richard William Riggs (Apr 13, 1924 in WA- May 10, 1966 in Tacoma, WA) Married (2) Marjorie Mildred (1916-2003) 6. Jack Wilbur Riggs (Oct 26, 1942 in WA - Oct 27, 1997 in Union, OR) Married Margaret Eloise Benjamin Ekman (1936-1990) in 1980
6	Harry Dale Riggs (Jun 3, 1896 in Wapello, IA - Jun 28, 1944 in Seattle, WA) Married Marjorie (1902-)
7	Infant Riggs (Abt. 1898 in IA - Abt. 1899 in IA)

GENERATION 11

(Jessie and her husband James William Warner)

Jessie Alma Riggs, daughter of Clarence Riggs and Alice Dorah Chiek was born in May 1886 in Mahaska, Iowa and died on January 11, 1937. She married James William Warner (1874-1940) on October 7, 1902.

See James William Warner's surname page for the continuation of this line.

Surnames that married into the Riggs family
Armstrong	Baldwin	Chatfield	Chiek
Holmes	Short	Johnson	Tomlinson
Warner	Wildman

	Riggs Nobility
	View The Royal Genealogy of Donald Eugene "Gene" Shaw
	The Riggs line connects through the Baldwin line to Elizabeth Alsop (1622-1683). The Riggs line connects through the Short line to Obadiah Bruen (c1606-c1680). Both are Gateway ancestors whose descendants can apply for membership in "The Baronal Order of Magna Charta."