John Rigsby Genealogy
Record modified: 2023-01-23
This is my ancestor 6 generations back.
Born: about 1787-00-00 Wake Co, North Carolina USA
Died: (unknown)
Marriages:
1. 1804-04-14 Elizabeth Howard
Children of John Rigsby and Elizabeth Howard:
Notes:
[R05.2]
He was born between 1780 and 1790, probably in Wake Co NC.
Somewhere I read that he is buried in Allen Co KY, but it didn't give his death date. I'm pretty sure he
actually died in Monroe Co MO. Possibly he was buried there, or was brought back to Allen Co.
married in Wake Co NC
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Bondsmen for John + Elizabeth's wedding were John Medearies and William Hudson. The witness was S Turner. I wonder who they were.
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He served in the War of 1812, as a Private in the 14th Regiment (Mitchisson's) of the KY milita.
He enlisted in KY in 1815.
[There were three John Rigsbys in KY at that time. One was only 12, one was in his 40s, and this John was about 28. He is the one most likely to have enlisted.]
Samuel Miller (father of the wife of this John's son John W) served in the same company, so I'm fairly
certain it was this John.
John, Samuel, and the family of Cuthbert Burton seem to have all left SC for Allen Co KY at about the
same time. Did they know each other before enlisting, or did they meet in service?
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This page has:
ALLEN CO, KY
DEED BOOK D 1826-1831
Pg 462-463 Know all men ... that I ABEL STRAIT of the county of Allen and
state of Kentucky for and in consideration of one dollar ... and JAMES
STARK... to secure the payment of the following described debts due by
note to said STARK ... convey unto the affsd JAMES STARK the following
Described Property Sixty four acres of Land were on the said ABELL STRAIT
now lives and Deeded to the said STRAIT by GEORGE HEETER also one other
Tract Containing Sixty acres adjoining the above Tract and Pattented to
the said STRAIT by the commonwealth of Kentucky ..(follows is a list of
crops, livestock, furniture, farm implements) ... note for Seventy five
dollars and twenty five cents ... the last mentioned note having JOHN
RIGSBY attached there to as security now if said ABELL STRAIT ... shale
within Two years ... pay off ... all the Principal and interest of said
notes then this ... mortgage to be null and void.... Wit: SAMEUL WICHWARE,
WILLIAM STRAIT Signed: ABEL (x his mark) STRAIT ...
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Ancestry.com message board message 84 says this John was born in Scotland and came to the US in 1804. It also says he had a son Edward who moved to Walla Walla WA.
There was no Edward Rigsby in Walla Walla WA on the census up to 1900. However, two nephews of this John (James and Walter) were there in 1870, and John had a son Edward who went to CA apparently in the gold rush.
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I am not positive that this John was the father of the Mary A Rigsby who married John Miller. However, there are no other Rigsbys who could be Mary's father, and this John had a son John who married Ann Miller. It appears John Miller and Ann Miller were siblings.
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I am not positive that this John was the father of the William Jesse Rigsby who moved to Monroe Co MO. However, all the Rigsby males under 5 on the 1830 census in KY are accounted for except for one for this John. Also, note that Hartwell also moved to Monroe Co MO at about the same time.
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Sarah Ann has to be his daughter. She married in Allen Co KY in 1849. The only Rigsbys there on the 1840 and 1850 censuses were this John's family. He had some granddaughters born about 1828, but they are all accounted for. The only other Rigsby in that part of the country was his brother Wright in Smith Co TN (just across the state line). Wright had only one daughter around 1828, and she wasn't Sarah. John still had one daughter I hadn't identified, so she must be the Sarah who married Columbus Clark.
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Also in Allen Co KY were these marriages:
1815-12-04 Susannah Rigsby + John Sears
1817-12-23 Dydy [sic] Rigsby + Henry Sears
1815-07-13 Elizabeth Rigsby + James E. Buchanan
Genforum message 127 says Dicy (the above Dydy) was a sister of this John. It seems likely that she was also a sister of Susannah.
Could Elizabeth be the woman with John in SC in 1810?
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Dicy above seems to have been born 1789-02-01 in SC or NC. Henry Sears was born in Raleigh, Wake Co NC, or in King and Queen Co VA. I haven't found John and Susannah yet.
On the 1800 census for Wake Co there are 4 Sears families and 5 Rigsbey families.
I would guess the Sears/Rigsby couples above were all born in Wake Co, which suggests this John also was.
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It appears the Sears family came from VA to Wake Co. I wonder if the Rigsbys also came from VA?
There were Rigsbys in King George, Augusta, Louisa, and Frederick Cos VA in the mid 1700s.
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South Central KY maillist
ALLEN CO TAX LISTS 1824
RIGSBY, John, B Creek
ALLEN CO TAX RECORDS 1831
RIGSBY, John, B Fork
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"History of Monroe Co MO, 1884"
[as quoted on the Monroe Co MO Genweb site]
These are the names of the old settlers:
...
Joseph Rigsby
...
John Rigsby
...
[I think Joseph must be William Jesse.]
[Monroe Co was founded in 1831. The Rigsbys didn't move there until after 1850, so the book's definition of "old settlers" is apparently fairly loose.]
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1850 census Monroe Co MO p153
Elizabeth Noel? household
John Rigsley or Rigsby 58 NC
He is a farmer.
He should be 63.
His sons William and Hartwell are also in the county.
1840 Allen Co KY census p 75 has
Jno Rigsby 1 M 10-15, 1 M 15-20, 1 M 20-30, 1 M 50-60, 1 F 10-15, 1 F 15-20, 1 F 50-60
[William 13, Edward 15, Hartwell 23, John 53, Sarah Ann 12, Mary 15, Elizabeth 55ish]
The next three families are:
Jas Rigsby 2 M 5 - 9, 1 M 30 - 39, 1 F 0 - 4, 1 F 10 - 14, 1 F 30 - 39 [James, s/o this John]
Thomas Shields [He was the father of Rial's wife Hannah Shields.]
R G Rigsby 1 M 0 - 4, 1 M 20 - 29, 1 F 0 - 4, 1 F 5 - 9, 1 F 20 - 29 [Rial Green Rigsby]
and on p 70 is
Henry J Rigsby 1 M 10 - 14, 1 M 30 - 39, 1 F 0 - 4, 1 F 5 - 9, 1 F 10 - 14, 1 F 40 - 49 [Henry, s/o this John]
My John W is on p 59.
There are no other Rigsbys in Allen Co.
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On the 1830 Allen Co KY census on p 46, there is
John Rigsby: 1 M under 5, 1 M 5 - 10, 1 M 10 - 15, 3 M 15 - 20, 1 M 40 - 50,
1 F under 5, 1 F 5 - 10, 1 F 10 - 15, 1 F 20 - 30, 1 F 40 - 50
[William 3, Edward 5, Hartwell 13, x, John W 18, Rial 20, John 43,
Sarah Ann 2, Mary 6, Susan 12, Priscilla 21, Elizabeth 45ish]
Who is the extra teenage boy? Why is he not on the 1840 or 1820 census?
There are no other Rigsbys in Allen Co.
John's sons James and Henry are in Sumner Co TN, which is just across the state line from Allen Co.
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On the 1820 Allen Co KY census, p 124, is
John Rigsby: 3 M under 10, 1 M 10 - 15, 1 M 16 - 18, 1 M 27 - 45,
1 F under 10, 1 F 10 - 15, 1 F 27 - 45
[Hartwell 3, John W 8, Rial 10, Henry J 13, James 15, John 33,
Susan 2, Priscilla 11, Elizabeth 35ish]
On p 126 is
James Rigsby 16 - 25, wife 16 - 25, 1 daughter 0 - 9
This is John's brother. He moves to Randolph Co MO.
There are no other Rigsbys in Allen Co.
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On the 1810 census for Pendleton Co SC, p140 is
Susannah Rigsby 1 M 10-16, 3 F 10-16, 1 F 45+
on p141 is
John Rigsby 2 M 0 - 9, 1 M 26-44, 2 F 0 - 9, 3 F 16 - 25, 1 F 45+
Wright Rigsby 2 M 0 - 9, 1 M 26 - 44, 1 F 26 - 44
and on p142 is
Daniel Rigsby 2 M <10, 1 M 16-26, 1 F 16-26
Wright and Daniel were brothers of John. Note that John had a daughter Susan Wright Rigsby. Susannah is their mother.
The entry for John should be: Henry 3 and James 5, this John (except he should be 23), Priscilla just born, Elizabeth 25ish.
There appear to be 4 extra women in his household, but I think the entry is in error.
The females for the line above his are entered as 2,1,3,0,1, in the age groupings for this census. John's
are 2,0,3,0,1. I think John may have had another daughter, making his entry 2,0,1,0,0, but whoever
copied the draft of the census to the official form accidentally put the end of the previous line on his.
Of course, it's also possible that the extra women are his wife's sisters and mother.
I don't know when he moved to KY. He could have been here when my John 1812 was born.
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Another researcher sends:
A land deed dated 1808-09-22 transfers 200 acres of land from John Rigsby of Pendleton Co SC, Susanna Rigsby, Daniel Rigsby, Wright Rigsby, and Jeremiah Smith to John Rigsby of Wake Co NC.
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1800 census for Wake Co NC has:
page 758: Susanah Rigsbey 1 M 0 - 10, 2 M 10 - 16, 1 M 16 - 26, 3 F 0 - 10, 1 F 10 - 16, 1 F 26 - 45
This John should be about 13. See notes for his parents.
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1790 census for Wake Co NC has:
James Rigby: 1 M 16+, 3 M 0 - 15, 2 F
This John should be about 3.
Hinds Site: Genealogy of Ken Hinds -- page 32318
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