Elijah
Wiggins born on February 8, 1814 in Spartanburg, SC. He was the son of Unknown
Wiggins
Rhoda Elizabeth Collins was born on June 2, 1817 in Hopkinsville,
Christian Co., KY. She was the daughter of John
Collins & Rhoda Lampkins
 |  | Elijah Wiggins & Rhoda Collins | Elijah Wiggins
& Rhoda Elizabeth Collins were married on April 19, 1842 in Christian Co.,
KY and they had 10 children. In 1847 they traveled to Mercer Co., Missouri
in a covered wagon. The site they chose for their home was about a mile and one-half
west of Little River, a branch of Weldon Fork. Here they built a double-sized
log cabin. It was a beautiful location and was to remain Elijah's home until his
death in 1891. The family is on the 1850 census of District 56, Mercer Co., MO.
In May & June of 1857, Elijah went to Christian Co., KY to get Rhoda's father
John Collins, and brought him back to Mercer Co., Missouri along with a negro
woman that John owned. John Collins & the negro woman lived with Elijah &
Rhoda until John died on November 13, 1858. When John Collins died in 1858, Elijah
Wiggins filed for reimbursement from the estate for $100 in expenses for moving
John from Kentucky to Missouri, and for an additional $540 for boarding and clothing
of John & the negro woman for 72 weeks. Elijah owned a saw mill on the west
bank of Little River - it became Mercer County's eleventh United States Post Office
on March 23, 1858. Elijah was appointed postmaster, and the office was named Wiggins
Mill. The family is listed on the 1860, 1870 & 1880 censuses of Lindley Twp.,
Mercer Co., MO. Elijah G. Wiggins died on February 03, 1891 in Lindley Twp,
Mercer Co., MO. Rhoda is on the 1900 census of Lindley Twp., living by her
married daughter Ursula Waldron & her family. Rhoda Collins Wiggins died
on March 13, 1909 in Lindley Twp, Mercer Co., MO. Elijah & Rhoda are both
buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Lindley Township. When their old log house
was torn down about 1909, a cache of $400 in gold coins was found under the hearth
stones. It had been a "rainy-day" savings account. Notes for Elijah Wiggins Notes for Rhoda Collins Photo of Rhoda Collins in her log cabin about 1900 - This photo and photos of Elijah & Rhoda Collins Wiggins from Lawrence May Collins & Wiggins Records |
The children of Elijah Wiggins & Rhoda Collins:
 | Emily Wiggins | Emily Catherine Wiggins was born on January
08, 1843 in Christian Co., Kentucky. Her parents moved from Kentucky to Missouri
by covered wagon in 1847 when she was about age 4. She is listed at age 7 with
her parents on the 1850 census of District 56, Mercer Co., MO. Emily married Joseph
Peace in 1858 in Mercer Co., MO and they had 8 children. The family is listed
on the 1860, 1870, 1880 & 1900 censuses of Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. In
1880 they are living next door to Emily's sister Louisa Wiggins Hodges & her
family. Joseph & Emily are on the 1910 census of Morgan Twp., Mercer Co.,
MO. On both the 1900 & 1910 censuses, Emily is listed as having had 8 births
with 7 surviving children. Joseph died in 1915, and he is buried in Princetone
Cemetery, Mercer Co., Missouri, although I have not been able to find a death
certificate for him in the online records on the Missouri State site. Emily is
on the 1920 census of Morgan Twp., Mercer Co., MO, listed as widowed. Emily
C. Wiggins Peace died on December 26, 1924 in Morgan Twp, Mercer Co., MO.
She is buried in the Princeton Cemetery, Mercer Co., Missouri. Notes for Emily Wiggins Peace Photo of Joseph & Emily (Wiggins) Peace - from Charles & Evelyn Peace Death Certificate Emily Wiggins Peace |
 | Almira Wiggins | Almira Ellen Wiggins was born
on August 10, 1846 in Christian Co., Kentucky. Her parents moved from Kentucky
to Missouri by covered wagon in 1847 when she was about age 1. She is listed with
her parents on the 1850 census of District 56, Mercer Co., MO as Esmy, age 5,
and on the 1860 census of Lindley, Twp., Mercer Co., MO as Almira, age 14. Almira
married Jesse Voy Dykes on September 18, 1864 in Mercer Co., MO and they
had at least 5 children. They are listed on the 1870 census of Lindley, Mercer
Co., MO, living next door to Almira's sister Lousetta & her husband. They
are also on the 1880 & 1900 censuses of Lindey, Mercer Co., MO. In 1900 they
are living in the household of their married son Ristine (Green) Wiggins, and
Almira is listed as only having had one birth and one surviving child at that
time. (I'm not sure why she is listed that way as she had at least 6 children,
and 4 of them were still living in 1900.) Almira Ellen Wiggins Dykes died on
December 16, 1909 in Mercer Co., Missouri. Her husband Jesse died in 1912.
They are both buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Lindley Township, Mercer Co.,
Missouri. Notes for Almira Wiggins Dykes Photos of Almira Wiggins & Jesse Dykes - from Lawrence May Tombstone Jesse & Almira Wiggins Dykes - Photo by George Thackeray. Scanned & enhanced by his granddaughter Beth Thackeray |
 | Louisa Wiggins | Louisa Angeline Wiggins was born on September
15, 1848 in Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. She is listed with her parents on
the 1850 census of District 56, Mercer Co., MO and on the 1860 census of Lindley,
Twp., Mercer Co., MO. Louisa married James Robert Hodges on Sept.1 (14?),
1865 in Mercer Co., MO and they had at least 7 children. The family is on the
1870 & 1880 censuses of Lindley, Mercer Co., MO; in 1880 they are living next
door to Louisa's sister Emily Wiggins Peace and her family. James died in 1886,
and Louisa remarried to Ira Dalphus Snow on September 30, 1890 in Mercer
Co., MO and they had at least 2 children. Ira & Louise are listed on the 1900,
1910 & 1920 censuses of Morgan Twp., Mercer Co., MO. On the 1900 census Louise
is listed as having 8 births with 6 surviving children, and in 1910 she is listed
as having 12 births with 8 surviving children. Ira died in 1926, and in 1930 Louisa
is listed as widowed and still living in Morgan Twp. In 1920 & in 1930 her
grandson William Ellis Hodge is living in the household. Louisa Angeline Wiggins
Hodges Snow died on August 21, 1938 in Mercer Co., MO. James Hodges is buried
in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Lindley Twp, Mercer Co.,MO. Ira & Louisa are
buried in the Princeton Cemetery, Mercer Co., MO. Lawrence May, who is the g-grandson
of Louisa Wiggins & James Robert Hodges, has been researching the Wiggins
Family for over 20 years. Notes for Louisa Wiggins Hodges Snow Photo of Louisa Wiggins & Ira Snow - from Lawrence May |
 | John Wiggins | John Wesley Wiggins was born on April 16, 1850
in Mercer Co., MO. He is listed with his parents on the 1850 census of District
56, Mercer Co., MO, and on the 1860 & 1870 censuses of Lindley Twp., Mercer
Co., MO. John married Mary Ann Karnes in 1875 and they had at least 4 children.
Based on birthplaces of their children, they emigrated to Kansas about 1879, and
the family is on the 1880 census of Oberlin, Decatur, Kansas. They returned to
Missouri by 1882, and they are on the 1900 census of Lindley Twp., Mercer Co.,
Missouri. John & Mary Ann are on the 1910 & 1920 censuses of Morgan, Mercer
Co., Missouri; in 1920 they are living next door to their married son Richard.
In both 1900 & 1910 Mary Ann is listed as having 9 births with 8 surviving
children. Mary Ann died in January 1928, and John Wesley Wiggins died September
2, 1928 in Morgan Twp, Princeton, Mercer, Missouri. His death certificate
on the Missouri state site is mistakenly indexed under last name Higgins. John
& Mary Ann are both buried in the Princeton Cemetery, Mercer Co., Missouri.
Thanks to Caryn Hood for the gravestone photo. Notes for John Wiggins |
 | Lousetta Wiggins | Lousetta S. Wiggins was born on July 14, 1852 in
Mercer Co., MO. She is listed as Lucetta, age 8, with her parents on the 1860
census of Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. Lousetta married Preston F. Holton
about 1870, probably in Mercer Co., MO, and they had one daughter. Preston
& Lousetta are listed on the 1870 census of Lindley, Mercer Co, MO, living
next door to the family of Lousetta's sister Almira Wiggins Dykes. Lousetta
Wiggins Holton died on September 29, 1871, probably in childbirth. She is
buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Lindley Township, Mercer Co., MO. Preston
Holton remarried after Lousetta died, and he is listed at age 30 on the 1880 census
of Lindley Twp with wife Sarah, age 18, and no children. Rosetta Holton, who was
the daughter of Preston & Lousetta, is living with her grandmother Holton
in 1880. Notes for Lousetta S. Wiggins Holton |
 | Evaline Wiggins | Mary Evaline Wiggins
was born on May 08, 1854 in Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. She is listed as
Evaline, age 6, with her parents on the 1860 census of Lindley Twp. Evaline married
Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Goodin on they had 4 children. They are
on the 1870 census of Lindley Township as Thomas Goodwin, age 23, and wife Mary
L.E. age 16. They are living next door to Tom's brother James Goodwin & family
at that time. Tom went to Kansas in 1879 and obtained a homestead in Rawlins Co.,
KS. He is listed on the 1880 census of T2 R32, Rawlins Co., KS as T.J. Goodin,
age 32, selling goods. Evaline is on the census that same year with the children,
living by her parents in Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. I do not know if the separation
was originally due to difficulties in the marriage, but Tom remarried in 1882
and had a second family. Evaline was remarried to Fernando Cortez"Cort"
Humphrey about 1884. Fernando was a widower with at least 4 children from
his first marriage. Fernando & Evaline had one daughter named Maud, born in
October 1885. Mary Evaline Wiggins Goodin Humphreys died June 1, 1887 in Lindley
Twp., Mercer Co., MO. She is buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Lindley
Township,Mercer Co.,MO. Her tombstone says Mary E. Humphreys, age: 33y 23d.
Fernando Humphrey emigrated to South Dakota with daughter Maud. He married
at least twice more; to Lou about 1900, and to Henrietta Duxbury on September
14, 1903. Fernando died in McCook, SD on January 22, 1908. |
| Daniel Wiggins | Daniel Wiggins was born on March 22, 1856 in Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. He died at age 1-1/2. A family story says Daniel was flogged to death by an old gander while he was playing outside the cabin. Daniel Wiggins died on October 27, 1857. He is buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Lindley Township, Mercer Co.,MO |
 | Ella Wiggins | Ursula Elvira "Ella" Wiggins was
born on April 22, 1858 in Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., MO. She is not
listed with her parents on the 1860 or 1870 censuses of Lindley Twp., but on the
1860 there is a male named Earley, age 2, and on the 1870 there is a male named
Wesley, age 12 - I have wondered if those were errors and that was Ursula. Ursula
married Granville Cox in 1877 and they had at least one son, but probably
separated or divorced shortly after the marriage. Ursula is listed as age 22 and
widowed on the 1880 census with her parents & 2 year old son, and Granville
is living in the same town, also listed as widowed, and living with married cousin
Nancy Cox Griffey. The Griffey household is next door the the households of two
of Ursula's married sisters, Emily Wiggins Peace and Louisa Wiggins Hodges. Ursula
had another son, Ira, in 1883, who later went by the last name Waldron, and in
Ella's obituary it stated that he was one of the 10 children that Ella had with
Charles Todd Waldron. Ursula married Charles Todd Waldron in 1885 and they
had 9 more children. The family is listed in Lindley Twp., Mercer Co., Missouri
on all censuses. Ursula is listed as Ursley in 1900; as Ella in 1910 & 1930,
and as Ellie in 1920. Charles Waldron died in 1928. Ursula is listed as widowed
and living with her son Abner in Lindley Twp in 1930. Ursula Elvira "Ella"
Wiggins Cox Waldron died on March 06, 1934 in Morgan, Mercer Co, MO. Her death
certificate states that she stood too close to a "red hot stove" and
her dress caught fire, and that she died from severe burns. She was age 77 when
she died. Charles & Ella are buried at Fairview Cemetery, Lindley Twp, Mercer
Co., MO Notes for Ursula Elmira "Ella" Wiggins Cox Waldron Death Certificate of Ursula Elmira "Ella" Wiggins Cox Waldron |
| Richard Wiggins | Richard G. Wiggins August 20, 1860 in Lindley Twp.,
Mercer Co., MO. He is listed as Richard, age 10, with his parents on the 1870
census of Lindley Twp. Richard married Millie J. Mock in 1880 in Mercer
Co., MO and they had at least 4 children. They are listed as Richard, age 19 &
Millie, age 16, on the 1880 census of Lindley Twp. Millie died in September 1898.
Richard is listed on the 1900 census of Lindley Twp., widowed with 4 children
living at home. The 1900 census lists his birth year as August 1861, but his tombstone
later lists it as August 20, 1860. He is on the 1910 census of Lindley Twp., a
boarder in the household of John P. & Minnie E. McQueen. Richard was remarried
second to Florence Holmes Wilson Stanley on December 2, 1914 in Mercer
Co., MO. Florence had been married previously to Winfield Wilson in 1894 and Jonathan
(John) Stanley in 1906. Richard & Florence are listed on the 1920 census of
Lindley, Mercer Co., MO. Richard G. Wiggins died on October 2, 1920 in Mercer
Co., MO. Richard is buried with first wife Millie in the Tennessee Cemetery,
Mercer Co., MO. Notes for Richard Wiggins |
