Our Biggerstaff Family History

This is our family line and at this time not inclusive to all Biggerstaff Ancestral Lines. 

Some notes and information are collected from other researches on this family line.  There are, as to be expected, differences in dates, locations and even children names, so while I present some information, please note that continued work is needed to complete and correct information that may not be correct!

Also, according to another researcher, I found it to be interesting is that the lineage of William b. 1720 married to Rebecca (Friend) is pretty clear as the Biggerstaff in West Virginia and his will proved 1803. His parents were William and Nancy Pope. But here is the confusion..the Irish line claims William and Nancy Pope also. They also claim the same William in West virginia d. 1802 will proved 1803.

Definition: “beekeeper”; landing place

Surname Origin: This interesting surname, of Anglo-Saxon origin with variant spellings Bickerstaff, Bickerstaffe, Bickersteth and Bicksteth, is a locational name from a minor place called Bickerstaffe in the parish of Ormskirk, Lancashire, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "beocere", meaning beekeeper, and "steth", landing place.

 Biggerstaff has been spelled many different ways, including Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Bickerstaffe, Bickerstaff, Bickerstath, Bickerstathe, Bickersteth and many more. 

First found in Lancashire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The place name was recorded as "Bikerstad" in the Cockersand Chartulary of 1190. The surname dates back to the mid 12th Century (see below), and one Henry Bekerstaff was recorded in the 1397 "Calendar of Inquisitiones Postmortem". Locational surnames, such as this, were usually acquired by a local landowners, or by the lord of the manor, and especially by those former inhabitants of a place who had moved to another area and were thereafter best identified by the name of their birthplace. Recordings of the surname from London Church Registers include: the christening of Robert, son of Robert and Sarah Biggerstaff, on March 26th, 1686, at St. Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, and the christening of Edward, son of Edward and Judith Biggerstaff, on June 3rd, 1694, at St. Paul's, Covent Gardens, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alan de Birkestad, which was dated 1246, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families, hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Biggerstaffs to arrive on North American shores: Sarah Bickerstaff who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682.

·         William Bikersteth m to Nancy Pope

·         Samuel Biggerstaff m to Elizabeth Moore

·         Samuel Biggerstaff m to Martha Lytle

·         Aaron Biggerstaff m to Henrietta Moore

·         George Washington Biggerstaff m to Didama M Jackson

·         Alice Elizabeth Biggerstaff m James Samuel McMurry

·         Cleo Cleofus McMurry m to Mary Hale

·         Choice Ray McMurry m to Patricia Ann Kelley

·         Kelly Ray McMurry m to Donna Lou Dyer

William BICKERSTETH m Nancy Pope

William Bickersteth  was born in 1675 in Of, , Essex, England. He died  in Exeter, Devon, England. He was buried  in Exeter, Devon, England.

It is not known when or precisely where William Bickerstaff was born, but records in the University College, Nottingham, England, state that 'Bickerstaff, formerly "Bickerstath" (whence Bickersteth) is a Lancashire Parish near Ormskirk in England.' He sailed to America in 1720, and his first son was born at sea.

WILLIAM married NANCY POPE  about 1719 in England. NANCY was born about 1698 in "Of", Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. 

What was England life in the 1600 like?

During those days London was known to be really smelly, this was mainly due to the butchers throwing garbage in the seas or just leaving them on the road. Following people started to throw their garbage in the seas where there were many houses nearby.

The fashions in the 1600 hundreds were broad lace or linen collars for the men and for the woman slashed sleeves and tall or broad hats with brims. The waistline rose through time for the both the women and the men. Other famous fashions included breeches for the men.

Life was hard during the 1600 you were either the extreme poor or the rich. If you were poor you would be begging not have a house but if you were lucky you would get a 1 bedroom house which you would have to share with many families.

The most popular job of the time were Blacksmiths although there were other popular jobs like tailors, farmers, weavers, gunsmiths, jeweler, soldier, maid, wig maker etc… 

   Samuel BIGGERSTAFF m Elizabeth Moore

SAMUEL BIGGERSTAFF (WILLIAM) was born in 1720 in , Essex, , England. He died  on 19 Aug 1764 in , Rutherford, North Carolina. A weaver by trade who arrived in Philadelphia, PA about 1740. They migrated to N.C. in the 1750's.

SAMUEL married ELIZABETH MOORE   daughter of BENJAMIN MOORE and ELIZABETH PARDIN on 10 Nov 1741 in Conococheague, , Pennsylvania. ELIZABETH was born in 1724 in  Pennsylvania. She died after Apr 1786 in , Rutherford, North Carolina.

They had the following children:

•        Aaron Troy Biggerstaff  was born about 1742. He died on 10 Oct 1780.
•        SAMUEL BIGGERSTAFF  was born in 1757. He died in 1825.
•        Benjamin Biggerstaff  was born in 1744. He died on 1 Feb  1782.
•       Martha Biggerstaff   was born  about 1754 in <Cana Shicken, Pennsylvania>. She died after 1805. Martha married⁷  (1) John Morgan   about 1777 in North Carolina. John was born in 1735. He died in Oct 1783. Martha married (2) William Jennings  .
•       Molly Biggerstaff   was born  about 1756 in <Cana Shicken, Pennsylvania>. She died  in 1800. Molly married Samuel McFadden . 

The date of Samuel's arrival in America is not known. Our first documented record of him was found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in the year 1740, he was described as being age 20 and a weaver by trade. 

18 AUG 1740 - From Franklin's Gazette :

Deserted then from Capt. Thomas Freame's Company, in the Hon. Col. Gooch's Regiment, viz.: Samuel Bickerstaff - Aged 20 years, 5 foot and 3 quarter high without shoes, brown complexion, well fed, by trade a Weaver, had on a light coloured gustian  jacket and breeches a good hat and cap,  an Englishman. James M"Neil - Aged 19 years, 5 foot 7 inches and a half high, a Husbandman, brown complexion, with large freckles in his face, dark brown hair, and a down cast Look, and is an Irishman. Whosoever secures any of the said Deserters and brings them to their Commanding Officer at Darby shall have forty shillings reward paid for each; and all Persons are to take Notice not to entertain or conceal them, on the penalties inflicted in the Act against Mutiny and Desertion

• Will dated Nov. 8, 1764 names wife and three sons. Married Nov. 10, 1741 at Conococheaque, MD, by Rev. Johann Casper Stoever, Lutheran Minister of York, PA. Franklin's Gazette Darby, August 18, 1740 deserted then from Capt. Thomas Freame's Company, in the Honorable Colonel Gooch's Regiment.

• Samuel and Elizabeth purchased or leased over 700 acres in N.C. near the Catawba river. OCCU Weaver    HIST To America about 1740. Will dated 8 Nov 1764

• Elizabeth, widow, deeded to son Benjamin her "land on the first large creek above the Indian path on the north side of second Broad River including the first large meadow below and joining the mountain, 100A." She signed with her mark, witnessed by John BEEMAN and Aaron BIGGERSTAFF

• The sons of Samuel and Elizabeth took an active part in public affairs of the county both before and during the REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Aaron took part in both the battles of RAMSEURS MILL and KINGS MOUNTAIN. He was wounded at KINGS MOUNTAIN and died a few days later at Union Court House, SC. Benjamin's war records indicate that he died by Feb 1, 1782, probably on JAMES ISLAND near Charleston, SC. Of the three brother, Aaron, Benjamin and Samuel, only Samuel Survived the War. Sometime later, Samuel and his family as well as the entire family of Aaron, migrated to KENTUCKY. Submitted by Virginia M. Humphrey Plummer.

More info can be found in the book "Bridges to the Past", which is a compillation of a newspaper column from Forest City This Week, (Forest City, NC,)

10APR1760 - Samuel Biggerstaff and Joseph Cloud leased from John Sloan of Rowan County his entire plantation for a period of one year. The location was on Vandlo ( sometimes written Caddo ) creek and has not been pinpointed. Inasmuch as the lease states that the plantation is not in Rowan County, it must be up the river in Burke or Catawba County.

30JAN1764- Francis and Martha Beatty agree to sell to Samuel Biggerstaff 400 acres of land on the headwaters of Paw Creek and Gum branch granted to the said Francis Beatty by a patent bearing the date of 19APR1763. The deed on the following day is a two page document giving full details, witnessed by Thomas and samuel Beaty. ( mecklenburg Deed Book 1, pages 603-604 ) Mecklenburg County was formed from Anson County in 1762. Note: 1. This farm would be 15 or more miles southeast of the first farm and on the eastern side of the Catawba river. 2. Although land was cheap, Samuel seems to have been a man of some means, now owning over 700 acres of land. Sons Benjamin and Samuel were apparently farming the land at Long Shoals. Samuel and Elizabeth were living at Paw Creek ( See vendue later ).

Fashion in 1750 North Carolina, heavily influenced by British and French trends, featured structured, layered clothing designed to showcase social status. Wealthy settlers wore silk gowns with hoops and tailored suits, while the majority favored practical linen, wool, or linsey-woolsey. Key staples included stays (corsets), petticoats, and breeches.

Samuel BIGGERSTAFF m Martha Lytle (SAMUEL, WILLIAM)

 SAMUEL was born in 1757 in Pennsylvania. He died in 1825 in Cumberland, Harlan, Kentucky. 

SAMUEL married (1) MARTHA LYTLE   daughter of THOMAS LYTLE and ELIZABETH JAMES in 1777 in Richmond, Madison, Kentucky. MARTHA was born in 1762 in , Madison, Kentucky. She died in 1819 in Cumberland, Harlan, Kentucky.

They had the following children:

• William Paul Biggerstaff was born on 23 May 1783. He died on 25 Sep 1831.
• Moses Biggerstaff   was born in 1778 in , Madison, Kentucky. He died on 6 Jul 1807. Moses married Sally Moore on 4 Apr 1803 in, Madison, Kentucky. Sally was born estimated 1785 in , Madison, Kentucky.
• Hiram Biggerstaff   was born in 1780 in  Kentucky. Hiram married Mary Polly Watts .
• Samuel Lytle Biggerstaff was born in 1782. He died in 1825.
• AARON BIGGERSTAFF was born on 14 Mar 1784. He die on 25 Jan 1860.
• Cornwallis Biggerstaff   was born in 1786 in  Kentucky. He died in Chalks Bluff, Missouri.
• John Jefferson Biggerstaff   was born in 1788 in  Kentucky. He died  on 22 Nov 1881 in Bonham, Fannin, Texas. John married (1) Lovina Rebecca Jackson. John married (2) Zipla Lainhart .
• Benjamin Biggerstaff   was born in 1790 in <, Madison, Kentucky>. Benjamin married Elizabeth Hicklin .
• David Biggerstaff was born in 1792.

 SAMUEL married (2) Mary Mays   about 1770 in, Kentucky. Mary was born about 1747 in Cumberland, Harlan, Kentucky.

Samuel was a “land dealer”.  It is noted in some documents that by Harold Rollins that there was war going on at this time.  He called it The First Civil War.  In 1781 it is written in an affidavit of Henry Dellinger that Samuel II Biggerstaff in company with other Tories in the British Service did come to his house and took, destroyed and carried away the following article, to wit:  300 gallons of brandy and other articles mentions in the affidavit.  On the 17^th of May 1783, Samuel was ordered to appear in court on the first Monday in July next. Samuel lost in that court and his goods were ordered attached and his farm on Buffalo Creek was sold.  His appeal was denied. 

Samuel was born during the time frame of the French and Indian War.  He was married one year prior to the American Revolution (1775-1783) when the conflict between 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America and their parent country, Great Britain began.  France later intervened as an ally of the independent states, and the war resulted in the colonies becoming a separate nation.  They all lived to see the Constitution of the United States created.

By 1783, Great Britain admits the loss of its 13 Colonies and recognizes the new United States of America. This speeds the trend towards stronger parliaments, less effective monarchs, and eventually improved representation. The slave trade is delivering 100,000 slaves to North America each year, with slaver ships following a triangular trade path from Europe (especially Britain and France) to Africa, to America and back to Europe. Anti-slavery attitudes grow.

GEORGE WASHINGTON BIGGERSTAFF  

1823– 1906

George Washington Biggerstaff  was born on June 20, 1823, in Tompkinsville, Kentucky. His father, Aaron was 39 and his mother, Henrietta was 35. He married Didama Melissa Jackson, the daughter of Olive Ivan Jackson and Mary Ann Livingston,  when he was 29 years old and Didama was 17.  They had 14 children together: Aaron Lyttle, Oliver Madison, Susan Jane, Harvey Wilson, Joseph Kennedy, Robert Collins, Mary Retta, Samuel Houston, Amanda Zelema, William Eli, Simeon Pickens, Alice Elizabeth (Betty), George Woodson, & Aubrey. 

We learn from the 1880 & 1900 Census that George’s occupation was a farmer.

 George & Didama Biggerstaff and 4 daughters. 

Standing from left to right:

Susan Jane, Mary Retta, Amanda Zelema

Seated from left to right:

George, Didama, Alice Elizabeth

 George Washington Biggerstaff and his sons."The Biggerstaff Boys"

Top Row from left to right.. Aaron, Harvey, Robert Collins, William Eli Sr.,

 Simeon Pickens "Pick", George Woodson "Wood" (Pete).

Bottom row left to right.. George Washington, Oliver Madison "Mattie", 

Joseph Kennedy "Grant", Samuel "Sam

Biggerstaff Bros Store in Clinton County, Missouri

In the early 1830's, several Jackson and Biggerstaff families moved from Monroe County, Kentucky, to land near Plattsburg, Missouri.  There they received some of the first land grants in Clinton County, Missouri, from the U.S. Government.  President Andrew Jackson, who signed some of these grants, was a cousin of the Jacksons who had moved west from Kentucky.

While still in Kentucky, George’s mother , Henrietta Moore, passed away in 1847 at the age of 59. George was  24 years old.    Some time after that George moved to Missouri  in 1852, George married Didama and they had their first child, Aaron in 1853 who was born in Plattsburg, Clinton, Missouri. 

In 1854, two families immigrated from Clinton County, Missouri, to Fannin County, Texas.  They were Oliver Ivins Jackson and his wife Mary Ann Livingston with daughter Didama Melissa Jackson and her husband  George Washington Biggerstaff, and their infant son Aaron.  Didama Melissa was the oldest daughter of Oliver Ivins Jackson and Mary Ann Livingston.

Joe Jackson, brother of Oliver, George's father in law,  who had gone to the California Gold Rush, preceded these two families to Texas in 1852 and purchased land in Fannin County. He influenced the two families to follow him to Texas.  In fact, he gave 160 acres of land to Didama and George Biggerstaff to help them get started.  The Jacksons and the Biggerstaffs settled on adjoining farms west of Hale, Texas, and northeast of Gober, Texas. Soon after arriving in Fannin County in 1854, a cemetery was started on the Biggerstaff property, thereby establishing the cemetery name.

Oliver Ivins Jackson hauled lumber by ox cart from Jefferson, Texas, with which to build the family homes.  On the Jackson farm a school building was erected which was also used for Sunday worship.  Several descendants recalled sitting at Sunday worship on split log "pews".  Church services were later moved into the village of Gober, to the site that is now the Gober Church of Christ, one of the older churches in Fannin County.

Their second son, Oliver Madison was born in 1855.  Their daughter Susan Jane was born tin 1856 in Gober, Texas  followed by son Harvey Wilson in 1858 and son Joseph in 1860. 

George’s father Aaron died in 1860 at the age of 75  just a few weeks after son Joseph was born. George was 37 years old.

Texas, Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900  Enlisted 6 Jul 1861

George served in the military on July 6, 1861, in Texas when he was 38 years old.  He saw  service as a member of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

Their son Robert Collins was born in 1862.  Two years later  in 1864 when George was 40 years

old. they had a daughter, Mary Retta., then Son Samuel Houston was born in 1965., with daughter Amanda Zelema born in 1868.  By now George is  45 years old.  The following year son William Eli is born, 1869.

Simeon Pickens was born in 1872,  daughter Alice Elizabeth 1874 (our line) was born and would later marry James Samuel McMurry parents to Cleo Cleofus McMurry.  George had 2 more children George Woodson 1875 and son Aubrey 1877 who was less than a year old when he passed away.  George was  54 by now and  Didama was 42 years of age.

Didama and George Washington Biggerstaff lived all of their lives near her parents, the Oliver Ivins Jacksons, and reared a large family.  All of their children except Aaron were born in Fannin County.  Some were born in the Jackson house and some were born in the Biggerstaff house.

Their daughter Amanda Zelema passed away on October 25, 1894, in Fannin, Texas, at the age of 26.  

The earliest record for the Gober Public School was in a Gober Public School Catalogue, Session 1901-1902.  During that year the principal was A. P. Barrett, and the teachers were Eva Payne and Birdie Barrett.  The members of the Board of Trustees were Dr. W. D. Bridges, president; D. B. Blair, secretary; and H. W. Biggerstaff, treasurer.  Harvey was the son of George and Dedama.

 George’s wife of 49 years,  Didama Melissa passed away on July 19, 1902, in Gober, Texas, at the age of 67.  George was  79 years old.  He then married Amanda Elizabeth Brown (or Locke) in 1903 when he was 80 years old.  

He died on February 20, 1906, in Gober, Texas, having lived a long life of 82 years, and is buried in Fannin, Texas.  His brother Aaron would pass away this same year.

Didama Biggerstaff

George W Biggerstaff

~*~~*Life in the 1800's*~~*~

     Life in the 1800’s was very different than now.   The girls and boys would have to go and do their chores at 5:00 in the morning before they went to school.  Many students went to  school barefoot and in the same thing they wore the day before because most boys and girls had 1 or two outfits.  One was for Church the other one was for school and play.  They would wear them for up to three weeks.

     When they got to school, they would see their younger and older siblings and neighbors because the school taught children from grades one to eight.  Most boys would only go to school for three or four months out of the year, because during those other eight or nine months they would be helping their fathers in the fields.  Some days there would be forty kids in school and other days there would be only five.  If you got in trouble the school marm, or teacher would have you put your nose to the board, wear a sign, or hold books on your hands with your arms out. The kids had an hour lunch and two recesses a day.  After school, the school marm would go and spend the night at someone's house and would take them to school the next day.
 
   Some chores for boys were fetching water and chopping wood. The girls would churn butter and grind corn. The parents slept downstairs in a bed and the kids slept in the loft on the floor. The fire was burning almost all day.
 
   The blacksmith played a very important part in the town. He would make hooks to hang and dry the food so it would last longer.  They would also use the hooks to hold pots over the fire.

The work required for daily life in the early nineteenth century included felling trees, chopping firewood, churning butter, milking cows, slopping hogs, digging potatoes, plowing, planting and harvesting fields, hoeing weeds, husking corn, drying hay, spinning thread, and sewing -- just to name a portion of the necessary chores to maintain a household. This section deals with outdoor work, performed mainly by men. Much of the work typically performed by women is included in domestic life and fashion.

The split rail fence, wheat field, rooting pigs and log house represent a four-year-old farm, established when Iowa became a state in 1846. The farm site is in transition between subsistence agriculture (producing enough for the family to survive) and becoming a profit-making farm. Most farms in 1850 averaged 160 acres in size, with farmers cultivating anywhere from 25 to 40 acres. Corn, wheat and potatoes were the three major crops in 1850. Most farmers used their corn crop to feed the pigs that were then sold for profit. Wheat and hogs were cash crops for farmers, and potatoes were a staple with nearly every meal and lasted throughout the winter.

Until pioneer families earned enough money to purchase modern 1850 technology, they relied on older farming methods. For example, women prepared food over an open fire even though wood-burning cookstoves were available. The majority of people who settled in the 1840s and 1850s came from the Eastern United States and were eager to build a multi-room dwelling like they had lived in before coming west. Log houses were temporary structures that the pioneers improved or replaced once the farm was established.

Pioneer families relied on poultry for three major purposes: meat, eggs, and money. Most pioneers who raised pigs built a smokehouse to help preserve the pork. In 1850, barns were of less significance to the farm than in later years. Pioneers used barns to store tools and some crops, rather than to house animals.