George W. Biggs Sr ^{4 5 6 7}

  General Notes:

There seems to be quite a bit of misinformation about the marriages and children of George W. Biggs. One researcher, James Geoppinger, has posted the "Geoppinger Family Tree" on MyHeritage.com with lots of incorrect and misleading information. On his postings, it indicates that George was married 3 times: first to an un-named wife, and then to Mary Prather, and then to Mary Evans. He lists various children belonging to Mary Evans but they are actually the children of Mary Prather's first marriage to Peter Causey. The surname of those children are all incorrectly shown as Biggs instead of Causey.

In addition, the memorial page on Find-A-Grave.com for George W. Biggs references information from the "Geoppinger Family Tree on Ancestry.com (Owner: Clyockey)". I'm not sure if that is the same family file and owner as the file on MyHeritage.com but this one also states that George W. Biggs was married to Mary Phater and Mary Evans. It supposedly shows his first marriage was to Mary Evans in Saint Genevieve County, Missouri on March 8, 1862. It offers no date of the marriage to Mary Phater.

In reality, George W. Biggs was married only twice. The first was to Luvina McCammon on 29 Aug 1841 in Jennings County, Indiana. Luvina died on March 23, 1866 in Missouri. George was then remarried to Mary Prater (or Prather) on 14 Mar 1877 in Carroll County, Missouri.

George Biggs was never in Saint Genevieve County, Missouri and he never married a Mary Evans there. The census records from 1860 through 1900 show George remained in Carroll County, Missouri which is on the opposite end of the state as Saint Genevieve County, Missouri.

Now here is where the confusion to the names of his children from the two wives gets solved. The 1880 census shows George living with Mary (Prater) along with 5 children, all with a Biggs surname. However, Josephine, Asa, and Jennie Biggs were children from Mary Prater's first marriage to Peter Causey. Those children appeared with their parents, Peter and Mary Causey, in the previous 1870 census in Carroll County under the surname of Causey. It is not clear why these three children were listed with a Biggs surname on the 1880 census; was it an enumerator error or did George adopt them?
---------------------------------------------------

  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1860 US Census in Hurricane Township, Carroll, MO on June 1860. ⁶

Page 17, Family 2
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
George W Biggs..40..IN
(Living with 1st wife and 6 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1870 US Census in Hurricane Township, Carroll, MO on 10 August 1870.

Page 5, Household 33, Dwelling 31
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Geo W. Biggs..50..Indiana
(Living with 3 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Wood Township, Carroll County, MO on June 1880. ⁴

Page 345A, T9-0678
Wood Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Self..George Biggs..59..IN..Farmer
(Living with 2nd wife, 3 sons, and 3 stepchildren)
.

• He appeared on the 1900 US Census in Tina, MO on 26 June 1900. ⁵

Page 13A, Dwelling 251, Family 259, District 22
Tina, Carroll County, Missouri
Years Married: 22
Home owned with mortgage
Head..George W. Biggs..80..Oct 1820..IN..IN/IN
(Living with 2nd wife, daughter, and granddaughter.)
.

• He was buried after 28 February 1902 in the Coloma Cemetery in Coloma, MO.

Find A Grave Memorial #113393080
. ⁷

George married Luvina Ann McCammon on 29 August 1841 in , Jennings County, IN.¹ (Luvina Ann McCammon was born on 29 July 1823 in Kentucky ^{6 8} and died on 23 March 1866 in Carroll County, MO ⁸.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1860 US Census in Hurricane Township, Carroll, MO on June 1860. ⁶

Page 17, Family 2
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
George W. Biggs..40..IN
Luvina A. Biggs..37..KY
Sarah Biggs..16..IN
Robert M. Biggs..12..IN
Malissa A. Biggs..10..IN
Luvina A. Biggs..6..IN
Amelia Biggs..4..IN
George W. Biggs..1..MO
.

• They appeared on the 1870 US Census in Hurricane Township, Carroll, MO on 10 August 1870.

Page 5, Household 33, Dwelling 31
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Geo W. Biggs..50..Indiana
Amelia Biggs..13..Indiana
Geo W. Biggs..11..Missouri
James H. Biggs..9..Missouri
.

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage between George W. Biggs and Lavina/Luvina McCammon is proven through two documents. The first is a "likely" marriage record from Jennings County, Indiana where there were multiple Biggs family but this does not necessarily prove this is the correct George W. Biggs; and the second document is the 1860 census record that shows the two names together with the known correct George W. Biggs along with their daughter, Amelia, who was born in Indiana, proving that this George Biggs was from Indiana. This same George W. Biggs is shown on the next 1870 census in Missouri once again with his daughter, Amelia, born in Indiana.

Name: George W. Biggs
Spouse's Name: Lavina McCammon
Event Date: 29 Aug 1841
Event Place: Jennings, Indiana
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I00296-1
System Origin: Indiana-EASy
GS Film number: 549409
Reference ID: 183

Citing this Record:
"Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KMC3-B5V : accessed 13 Nov 2013), George W Biggs and Lavina McCammon, 1841.
----------------------------------------

1860 US Census
Page 17, Family 2
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
George W Biggs..40..IN
Luvina A. Biggs..37..KY
Sarah Biggs..16..IN
Robert M. Biggs..12..IN
Malissa A. Biggs..10..IN
Luvina A. Biggs..6..IN
Amelia Biggs..4..IN
George W. Biggs..1..MO

NOTE - This is the census which shows George and Luvina living together. All of the children except the youngest were born in Indiana.
------------------------------------

1870 US Census
Page 5, Household 33
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Geo W. Biggs..50..Indiana
Amelia Biggs..13..Indiana
Geo W. Biggs..11..Missouri
James H. Biggs..9..Missouri

NOTE - This is the census which shows George without a spouse; apparently his wife, Luvina, had died. This census shows his youngest two children that were born in Missouri.
-----------------------------------------------------------

George next married Mary Prather, daughter of Sampson, on 14 March 1877 in Ridge Township, Carroll County, MO.^{2 4 5 8} (Mary Prather was born on 4 November 1840 in Illinois,^{4 5 9 10} died on 20 April 1919 in Stokes Mound Township, Carroll County, MO ¹⁰ and was buried on 22 April 1919 in Coloma, MO ¹⁰.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Wood Township, Carroll County, MO on June 1880. ⁴

Page 345A, T9-0678
Wood Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Self..George Biggs..59..IN..Farmer
Wife..Mary Biggs..39..IL..IL/IL..Keeps House
Daughter..Josephine Biggs..16..MO..At Home
Son..Asa Biggs..13..MO.. At School
Daughter..Jennie Biggs..8..MO..At School
Son..Charles Biggs..3..MO..At Home
Son..Richard Biggs..0..MO..At Home

NOTE - Josephine, Asa, and Jennie Biggs were children from Mary's first marriage to Peter Causey. The children appear with their parents in the 1870 census under the surname of Causey. Mary was remarried to George Biggs in Mar 1877 so what is not clear if the father of Charles Biggs who was born in 1877 was Peter Causey or George Biggs. Because the marriage was in March of 1877, I suspect that Charles was probably born late in 1877 and therefore George Biggs was the father.
.

• They appeared on the 1900 US Census in Tina, MO on 26 June 1900. ⁵

Page 13A, Dwelling 251, Family 259, District 22
Tina, Carroll County, Missouri
Years Married: 22
Home owned with mortgage
Head..George W. Biggs..80..Oct 1820..IN..IN/IN
Wife..Mary Biggs...59..Nov 1840..IL..IL/IL..9/6
Daughter..Lena Biggs..19..Dec 1881..MO..IN/IL
Granddaughter..Bertha Redford..13..Feb 1887..MO..IN/IL..At School

NOTE - Based on the birth year of the granddaughter, her mother was probably one of Mary's children from her 1st husband. Lena Biggs could not have been the mother as she would have been less than 6 years old.
.