Chart 1

1. William William HIGGINS[1]  (b. unknown  d. 1784 Caroline Co., VA) m.  Ann (Durrette) YARBOROUGH 1745, Stafford Co., VA (b. 1716 Amelia Co., VA) (see William YARBROUGH and Ellenir CHANDLER).  

Notes on William: I do not know when or where William Higgins was born, nor if he was the first generation in this country, or whether he descends from possibly the MA Higgins families who moved into NJ and VA in the 1700's. From what I have gathered, William is the first generation in America, coming before this from Ireland to Virginia. Some researchers speak of a father for this William, however the data I have seen seem to mix dates, making me believe they are confusing him with a possible son of his, and I have yet to find his father, either in the States or accross the water.

Notes on Ann: This was Ann's second marriage. She was married first to William Durrett. In 1747 Richard Yarborough of Caroline Co. married Sarah Weller, Widow of William Weller. Sarah's son asked for his guardian to be Ann Yarborough Durrett.

History of the Name: On the website http://world.std.com/~ahern/higgins.htm, authors present a history of the Higgins name as follows:  Although there are also Higgins of British origin in Ireland, the name is an ancient one, O'hUig'in, meaning "knowledge". From the 13th to the 17th century there were eight O' hUig'in poets, including one who was a bishop. Following the decline of poets and bards, the O'Higgins changed to medicine and the sciences, where they excelled. One of the Meath O'Higgins was an 18th-century Viceroy of Peru and his son Bernardo O Higgins was the liberator of Chile and its first President.

Gary Higgins at his webstie http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/6132/geneal.htm reports on the history of the surname HIGGINS thus: The name Higgins is a native [gaelic] name which would have been O'Higgin in English, the Gaelic form is O'h Uigin and pronounced "O'Higgeen". The name originated as a branch of the O'Neills of the midlands of Ireland and spread westward as far as Co. Sligo where they held large estates. The family produced a number of distinguished poets during three centuries, from Tadhg M'or O'hUig'in who died in 1315 through to Tadhg Dall, who died in 1617. At the present time the name is chiefly found in Connacht (especially counties Mayo and Roscommon). There are some eight thousand persons of the name in Ireland today, very few of which still use the prefix O.

Children notes: William HIGGINS and Ann (Durrette) YARBOROUGH had the following children:

          2                i.   John HIGGINS (born on 11 Jan 1747).

          3               ii.   Joel HIGGINS (born in 1748).

          4             iii.   Jesse HIGGINS (born in 1750).

          5               iv.   Moses HIGGINS  (born about 1748).

          6                v.   Capt. James HIGGINS (born about 1754).

          7               vi.   Molly HIGGINS.

          8              vii.   Elizabeth HIGGINS.

          9             viii.   Ann HIGGINS.

      +10              ix.   Aaron HIGGINS (born about 1763).

         11                x.   William HIGGINS. The only mention of this son I have yet found is  from a biography [see grandnephew Charles V. ] mentioning the name. "Legend" has it,though, that there were supposedly seven sons of William and Ann, so it may make sense that there is another, possibly William.

Chart 10

10. Aaron HIGGINS[2] (- William) (b. 1763, Lincoln, Kentucky d. Killed by the indians at Sinclair's defeat, per some) m. (1) Margaret CHAPMAN (b. 16 Feb 1766 in Spotsylvania Co., Va. d. unknown) (see George CHAPMAN and Dianna DURRETT) m. (2) Nancy CHAPMAN (b. 7 May 1763 Spotsylvania Co., VA d. unknown) (George CHAPMAN and Dianna DURRETT) 2 Jun 1785 Lincoln,

Kentucky notes:  In July of 1785, Aaron Higgins was granted 1000 acrres "around his settlement on Buck Lick Creek (Fayette Co., KY) according to the Land Office Patents & Grants/Northern Neck Grants & Surveys, Library of Virginia Archives, and on the same date, 400 acres on the waters of said creek. September 1 1785, 1106 acres on Buck Lick Creek, and another 3093 1/2 acres on the waters of Bank (probably Buck) Lick Creek, and which he apparently shared with Robert Johnston. On 15 Mar 1790, 1000 acres on the waters of Station Camp Creek ajoining John Doleys Survey was granted to Aaron Higgins.

Children notes: Aaron HIGGINS and Nancy CHAPMAN had the following children:

         30                      i.    William HIGGINS[3] b.  1785 in Spotsylvania Co., Va.

Kentucky notes: Taken from an old typed copy belonging to the late Eva Coe PEDEN. Submitted by Sandi Gorin.

Abstracts from Cumberland County Deed Book B (1810-1812).

                                            Elias BARBEE of Green Co to William & Dworett? HIGGINS.

                                            George PROCTOR of Fayette Co KY to William & Durrett HIGGINS.

                                            Charles THOMAS to William & Durrett HIGGINS.

                                            Abstracts from Cumberland County Deed Book C (1815-1816);

                                            William HIGGINS now of Bourbon Co KY to George CHAPMAN.

Illinois notes: Aaron's son William is noted as being an early settler of Sangamon Co., IL: (Early Arrivals in Sangamon County from Original Edition of the 1876 "History of Early Settlers of Sangamon County Illinois" By John C. Power, transcribed by Cherie Logan for the Sangamon County ILGenWeb Page:
1818, HIGGINS, William, St. Clair, IL, Barren, KY
1830, HIGGINS, William, Fayette, KY , VA;

      +31               ii.   Durrett HIGGINS (born on 18 Apr 1789).

 

Chart 31

31. Durrett HIGGINS[4] (Aaron, William) (b. 18 Apr 1789 in Spotsylvania Co., Va. d. 1850) m. to Mary (Polly) GRAVES b. 1795 Fayette Co., KY d. unknown (see Thomas GRAVES and Mary (Polly) CHILTON) on 20 Aug 1815 in Cumberland Co., KY.[5]  

 Census notes: He appeared on the census in 1830 in Cumberland County, KY. He died in 1850.  He has Ancestral File number NKH2-21.

Name note:  He was likely named for his maternal grandmother's maiden name. As well, his paternal grandmother was first married to a Durrett. His first name is often mangled, and sometimes appears as "Durant" Higgins

Illinois notes: He migrated from Cumberland County, KY to Tazewell County, IL in abt 1835 Researcher:   Don C. Higgins. In Illinois, Durrett Purchased 71.74 acres of  land in Tazwell Co.,  Illinois on 2/22/1836 at 1.25 per acre for $89.86 total.

Children notes: Names of children and birth dates are transcribed from information posted by Gretchen Mac Donald on the Rootsweb messabe board Higgins website. Durrett HIGGINS and Mary (Polly) GRAVES had the following children:

         32                i.   Nancy HIGGINS (b. 23 May 1816).

         33               ii.   William T. HIGGINS (b. 12 Jan 1818).

         34              iii.   Joanna HIGGINS[6] (b. 26 Oct 1819).  A Joanna Higgins married a Jacob H. Smith on 2/19/1838  in TAZEWELL    IL

         35               iv.   R.G. HIGGINS  (b. 16 Oct 1821).

         36                v.   Frances D.C. HIGGINS (b. 29 Jul 1823).

         37               vi.   John Pinkney HIGGINS (b. 8 Aug 1830). m. (possibly) Sarah "Sallie" Spicer from message board post at Ancestry.com: "Seeking information on John Higgins and Sarah "Sallie" Spicer, whomarried around the Civil Wa r and had one child Pinkney Monroe Higgins."

         38              vii.   Robert B. HIGGINS (b. 25 Dec 1832). m. Mary Ellen Hoisington 1 Sep 1859 Warren Co., IL

         39             viii.   George D. HIGGINS (b. 2 May 1835.) A George D. Higgins married a Mary L. Hershey in Knox co. IL12/13/1860

         40               ix.   Susan M. HIGGINS  (b. 2 May 1838.

      +41               x.   Capt. Silas C. HIGGINS (born about 1840).

 

2nd Illinois Cavalry Guidon Flag

Chart 41

41. Capt. Silas C. HIGGINS (Durrett-3, Aaron-2, William-1)  (b. 1840 Warren Co., IL d. about 1895 Douglas Co, Lawrence, KS m. Hester, last name unknown, unknown when or where.

Military Notes: He was a Captain in Co. H. 2nd Illinois Cavalry for the Union Army between 1861 and 1865, entered the war  Aug 12 1861 as a first Lt. and recieved a  battlefield promotion to Capt. on Jan.17 1862. He resigned as Captain Company H July 20, 1864. and re-enlisted as a D&S Recruit in 1865.
HIGGINS, Silas C 1st Lt. Galesburg Aug 12, 1861 Promoted [Jan 17, 1862
HIGGINS, Silas C ., Captain Galesburg Jan 17, 1862 Resigned July 20, 1864
HIGGINS, Silas C.,  D&S Recruit Quincy Oct 3, 1864 Sub. MO July 10, 1865
 
His company (H) may have served under the 13th Corps of Major General Grant's Army of the Tennessee, 2ndDivision Cavalry under Bussy, 2nd Brigade under Clayton, according to information on the website http://www.kiva.net/~bjohns on/corp.html decribing the history of these units.

There is also a Silas C. Higgins status as follows, who was a "D&Srecruit" with the 3 years o f Service 13th Infantry Regiment, Co G who may well have also been "our" Silas, and may describe what he did imediately following his resignation with the Cavalry in July 1864, however that is a theory of mine, and I do not fully understand the designation "D&S REC", nor his disposition as "Sub. MO" in 1865 enough to know if this theory makes any sense. There is a rank called "Drafted and Substitute" which may fit this lable of "D & S". Sub MO may mean Substitutes Mustered Out (July 10, 1865). Follows is a number of definitions which may help sort out these questions:

A Regiment consisted of four, fiv e or six squadrons, asquadron of 2 companies. 2 squadrons receive a Lt-Colonel and and 4squad rons receive a Colonel and a Major and become a regiment. Four regiments become a Brigade, headed by a Brigadier General.

LINE OFFICERS Leaders in command of a company of men. These include in decreasing rank: CAPTAIN, FIRST LIEUTENANT, SECOND LIEUTENANT

SUBSTITUTE When drafting of troops was initiated, the regulations allowed for the draftees to send a suitable subsitute in their place. Substitutes were generally paid by draftees in order to avoid army service. Abbreviation: Sub.

MUSTER The process of taking roll and determining fitness for service. Muster was performed every two months and the results kept on a muster roll. It was used by the army to determine th e precise number of soldiers in each rank in a unit. Twice each year at muster, the Articles o f War were also read to all the troops. See also Mustering In and Mustering Out. (more information)

MUSTERING IN The first muster for a regiment. By completing the mustering in process, soldiers are accepted for service in the army and are considered under military law for their term of service. Also known as Date of Muster in the AGR

MUSTERING OUT The last muster for a regiment after which the soldiers are released from the army. This is abbreviated as M.O. in the AGR.

RESIGNATION Officers in volunteer regiments held commissions from their Governor. Officers were allowed to resign their commissions if they no longer wished to serve. In the early part o f the war, a number of commissions were given for political reasons and to others who were not suited for combat commands. By 1862, review boards were set up and all volunteer officers we re examined to weed out those not suited for command positions. Those not suited were allowe d to resign their commissions honorably. Abbreviation: Res.

Illinois Notes: His father moved into Tazwell Co., IL in 1935 and Silas was likely born in possibly Warren Co., IL in 1840. He joined the IL cavalry out of Galesburg, IL. I do not know when he moved into Kansas, but assume that it was after the war (Civil) that he settled there. I have not found the family in the Censuses naming Silas or his siblings, and do not yet know where they might have lived or their patterns of moving.

Kansas Notes:  He resided, during some of the later 1880's, in Wichita, Sedgewick Co., KA.  He was buried there, although later he was moved to be reburied inLawrence, Kansas, according to my father, who saw his stone in Lawrence when his own dad was buried. The family had a farm in Kansas, where my dad was sent to live during the war, although this farm from his stories may actually be that of the Cheney side of the family. Regarding Silas, what my dad wrote me was this: "He received a battlefield promotion to Captain (according to my mother and my father's cousin, Helen Thorpe. He lived in Wichita after the war and was known to Wyatt Earp and the Earp family [according to them]. Wichita was at that time still a frontie r town. His wife's first name was Hester, but maiden name not known. Do not know if there were other children thanWilliam Edward. Will Higgins wife was Ella Anderson."     Silas' son William Edward seems to have married in Morganville, Chase Co., KS, according to Andreson records of Kelly Pettit. WE's children were born in Lawrence, Dad's father buried there, though he died in NY, so the family may have centered themselves in Lawrence.

In the Witchita city directory for 1887, there is a listing for a Higgins, S.C. as follows:

Higgins, S. C., fr Ill, rlest, [real estate] rms 312 n Water. This probably indicates that he ws from IL and his occupation was in Real Estate, as my father also remembers he was. Dealing early Witchita Real Estate may have been quite an adventure then. He would have been 47 years old in 1887, ms" n 312 North Water Street.

Other Higgins listed at the same time in Witchita were

Higgnis, F. J., fr Ky, clk 108 n Main, r 713 n Fourth
Higgins, J., fr Ill, lab, r 226 s Fourt h
Higgins, J. B., fr Ind, carp, bds 437 n Main
Higgins, John, fr Ky, lab, r 713 n Fourth
Higgins, John, fr Ill, lab,r 226 s Fourth
Higgins, J. W., fr Ill, plasterer, r 226 s Fourth
Higgins , J. E., fr Ky, money order clk p o , r 307 w Third
Higgins, Miss Kate, fr Ill, r 226 s Fourt h
Higgins, Pat, fr St L, lab, bds Exposition
Higgins, P. J., fr Ill, plasterer, bds 226 s Four th
Higgins, S. C., fr Ill, rlest, rms 312 n Water

The city directory for 1888 records the following Higgins:

Higgins, Frank J, (Higgins & McDonald) rms 713 n Fourth 
Higgins &McDonald, confectionery & f ruit, 201 s Topeka 
Higgins, Silas C, rlest, 120 w Douglas, rms Commercial

Silas' name does not appear in the 1891 directory

Marriage notes: His wife's name was Hester, but it is unknown to date what her last name was.

Children notes:   Capt. Silas C. HIGGINS and Hester (unknown?) UNKNOWN had the following children, it is unknown whether there were any other than William Edward:

      +42                i.   William Edward HIGGINS.

Chart 42

42. William Edward HIGGINS  (Silas C., Durrett, Aaron, William)  (b. unknown d. 1924.) m. Ella Marie Anderson (b. 2 Apr 1875 Morganville, Chase Co., KS d. 28 Oct 1966 Springfield, OH) (see Lars Andersson UTÃ¥KER and Helga\Helen Sjursdtr NELSON) on 27 Dec 1899 in Morganville, Chase Co., KS.  

Anderson notes:  Ella Anderson's family information was found on the internet in a gedcom file created by Kelly Pettit. It collects the ancestry ofo Ella Anderson from Norway, and metions the parentage and siblings of Helen Thorpe, my dad's father's cousin. Helen Thorpe's mother was Elle Anderson's sister, Jane. Kelly Pettit's data included the Higgins line from William Edward down to the second marriage of my father, Don Cheney to Sue Ann Dagle and their son, my half-brother, Don Andrew. She does not have his first family, mine! I hope to connect with her to provide her that information soon. I do not know where she fits into the family, likely from the Anderson line.

Children notes: William Edward HIGGINS and Ella Marie ANDERSON had the following children:

         43                i.   Severt Edward HIGGINS (b. 6 May 1901 Douglas Co, Lawrence, KS.  He died in 1927 in U.S.A.

      +44               ii.   Donald Anderson HIGGINS (born on 15 Oct 1902).

         45              iii.   Dorothy Hester HIGGINS (b. 15 Oct 1902 in Douglas Co, Lawrence, KS.  She died in 1956 in Springfield, Ohio, USA.

Severt Edward notes: On the Kansas State website, I found information mentioning Severt's college football 'carrer'. He was educated at Kansas State University.  Severt Edward was Capt and mentioned in All Time Letterwinners for 1921-1923 (football)  I have condensed somewhat the contents of a Kansas City Star Newspaper article: Nebraska vs. Kansas Sparks memory of a game gone by

                    (c) 1995 Copyright Nando.net

                    1995 Scripps Howard

                    Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE, Kan. (Nov 11, 1995 - 06:06 EST) -- A Kansas victory Saturday over top-ranked Nebrask a would be "monumental" for the program,according to Jayhawks coach Glen Mason....There were no rankings in 1920, and football was a one-platoon game.But for games played 75 y ears apart, the Kansas-Nebraska match-up onNov. 13, 1920, bore striking similarities to the b uildup of thisseason's game.
Even then, Nebraska was a powerhouse. It had put together three undefeated teams in the 1910's and had won or tied for five straight Missouri Valley Conference championships. In 1920, the Cornhuskers had lost to Penn State and Notre Dame but were considered much stronger than Kansas... "Trooping exultantly off the field at the end of the first half, the happy Huskers shouted to a small boy who was marking up the scores, 'Say, sonny, you had better lay in a fresh supply of chalk. You are apt to run out during the second half."'Missouri was Kansas' biggest rival, but the Nebraska game was drawing more interest than school officials had anticipated. McCook Field was built in 1892 and stood where the horseshoe portion of Memorial Stadium sits. The east-west field was bordered by sets of rickety wooden bleachers. By midweek, the school announced only a few tickets remained and morethan 10,000 fans were expected....Kansas had been thinking about a new stadium for a year. In 1919, acommittee of faculty, alumni and students had been formed to explore the possibilities of new structures. Their vision was a $1 million project -- a football stadium and student union that would stand as monuments to those who had fought and died in World War I.               One reason a new stadium was necessary, proponents argued, was to comfort alumni who were angry that the Missouri game had been removed from Kansas City in 1910. The Kansas City site had p rovided more seating. A Million Dollar Drive was in the planning stages when school openedin the fall of 1920. But a spark was needed to generate enthusiasm among the students.    "Andy McDonald! Ed Sandefur! Warren Woody! George Hale! Captain GeorgeNettles! Tad Reid! Dutc h Lonborg! Harley Little! Frank Mandeville!Jonnie Bunn! Kenny Welch! Severt Higgins! and Ca l McAdams! You are the men I am counting on! Out and after those red-shirted devils, who would run us out of chalk in the second half." Nebraska could have as many as 15,000 fans on Saturday in Lawrence. In1920, about 100 followers, a 45-member band, and -- gasp! -- coed cheerleaders made the trek with the team. They arrived in Kansas City on Friday. In Lawrence that day, a pep rally fired up fans in the school's gymnasium and that night a bon fire on North College Hill lit up the campus...

Chart 44

44. Donald Anderson HIGGINS (William Edward, Silas C., Durrett, Aaron, William)  (b. 15 Oct 1902 in Douglas Co, Lawrence, KS d. 14 Jan 1965 in New York, NY) m Dorothy Ann CHENEY (see Dr. Charles Milton CHENEY(dentist) and Mary Anne TALBOT) in 1925.  (b. 1 Jan 1904 in Eureka, Greenwood Co., KS d. 30 Apr 1985 in Downer's Grove, Il)

Burial notes: my father recounts his funeral in Lawrence, Kansas, where he saw his great grandfather's stone, that of Silas C. Higgins.

Notes:   My father's dad was a reporter for the New York Times, as I recall myfather's stories, durin g the '30's. At some point I was told that he and my grandmother Dorothy Cheney had divorced, yet I remember visiting them in Jackson Heights NYC when I was young in the early1960's. The y apparently got back together again. My father was sent to live on the family farm in Kansas - perhaps during the war? Iwill have to get a good history from Dad to write here about the family.

Children notes: Donald Anderson HIGGINS and Dorothy Ann CHENEY had the following children:

        46                i.   Don Cheney HIGGINS. Living. m. (1) Ruth Evelyn Lyndon Whitnah b. 1926 d. 1983 and (2) Sue Ann Dagle, living.

        47               ii.   Mary Anne HIGGINS. Living. m. Richard Knowles, Living.