HIGGINS, WILLIAM
, was born Sept. 7, 1770, in Virginia. His parents moved to Fayette county, Ky., when he was a young man. He was married there to a Miss Young, who died, and he was married March 2, 1804, in Boone county, Ky., to Mary Moseby, who was born July 10, 1781, in North Carolina. They had twelve living children in Fayette county, Ky., and the family moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving Oct. 1, 1830, in what is now Woodside township, seven miles south of Springfield. Of their twelve children--DRUCILLA W., born Jan. 1, 1805, in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county in 1836 or 1837.
BEDFORD, W., born May 6, 1806, in Kentucky: came to Sangamon county with his parents; went back to Kentucky and married Susan Dozier. They had one living child, ROBERT, born Nov. 22, 1835, in Montgomery county, Kentucky; married in Sangamon county Oct. 3, 1860, to Lydia Stair. They have five living children, CHARLES W., FRANK H., ELMER E., DORA B., and CATALINA, and reside in Pawnee. Mrs. Susan Higgins died, and B. W. Higgins was married July 27, 1841, to Mary A. Norris. Of their seven children, ELLEN married John L. Parker, and lives in Cotton Hill township. WILLIAM A. enlisted Aug., 1862, in Co. E, 114th Illinois Infantry; served until Feb., 1865, when he was discharged on account of physical disability, and now draws a pension. He was married Dec. 16, 1873, to Sarah Durrell, and lives in Palmer. MARTHA S. married John Lockwood, and lives near Oconee. JOEL T., ANNA, BENJAMIN H., and EMMA F. live with their parents in Cotton Hill township.
ELIZABETH, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to James M. Haley, and died, leaving one child, ELEANOR, who married Joseph Lockridge. See his name.
ROBERT O., born July 4, 1811, in Fayette county, Kentucky; was serving an apprenticeship when his parents came to Sangamon county, and he arrived in 1832. He was married in Franklin, Missouri, to Camilla A. Donaldson, a native of Baltimore, Maryland. They had one child in Missouri, and then moved back to Sangamon county, where they had six living children. EDWIN L., born March 24, 1840, at Booneville, Missouri, and brought up in Sangamon county; enlisted April 24, 1861, in Company I, 7th Illinois Infantry, for three months; served full term, and was honorably discharged. He enlisted Aug. 21, 1861, for three years in Company K, 33d Illinois Infantry-Normal. He was wounded June 18, 1863, at the siege of Vicksburg. The wound was a remarkable one. A musket ball entered his face below and forward of the right ear, passed over the roof of the mouth, and came out of the left eye. He recovered without totally losing the sight of that eye. He re-enlisted Jan. 1, 1864, as a veteran in the same company and regiment. He was promoted through all grades from private, and was commissioned as Captain Nov. 16, 1864, and served to the end of the rebellion, and was honorably discharged Dec. 7, 1865. He was appointed by Gov. Palmer, March 24, 1869, Assistant Adjutant General, and was appointed by Gov. Beveridge, Jan. 20, 1873, Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, which he held two years. Gen. E. L. Higgins was married Sept. 7, 1870, to Mrs. Mary J. Hoskins, whose maiden name was Huntington. She was born July 30, 1847, at Geneva, New York. She had one child, Charles H. Hoskins who died July 26, 1874, in his sixth year. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins have one living child, FLORA BELLE, and reside in Springfield. ALEXANDER D., born Dec. 21, 1844, in Sangamon county, Ill., enlisted August 15, 1862, in Co. G, 114th Ill. Inf., served three years, and was honorably discharged, August, 1865. He was married in Springfield, Nov. 29, 1872, to Lizzie Nottingham. They have one living child, RALPH, and live in Springfield. JULIA E. and ROBERT ALONZO live with their parents. EMMA married Justus Graves, and lives at Evanston, Ill. FRANK and WALTER L. live with their parents. Robert O. Higgins and wife reside in Springfield, Illinois.
VIRMANET, born in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county, aged thirty-one years.
WILLIAM E., born in Kentucky, went from Sangamon county to Missouri, and from there, in 1849, to California. He was on his way home, and died on shipboard, on the Pacific ocean in 1851.
SINAI MELVINA, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Thomas J. Haley. They had two children. BENJAMIN H., born in Sangamon county, enlisted May 29, 1861, in Co. A., 3d Ill. Cav., served full term, and was honorably discharged Sept. 5, 1864. He is married, and lives at Palmer, Ill. EDWARD enlisted May 10, 1861, in Co. A, 3d Ill. Cav., for three years, served until May 11, 1864, when he was discharged on account of physical disability, and died, in 1865, at Woodside. T. J. Haley and wife live at Palmer, Christian county, Illinois.
JOEL V., born Oct. 8, 1817, in Fayette county, Ky., came to Sangamon county in 1830, and was married June 16, 1850, to Margaret B. Womack, who was born Nov. 13, 1822, in Butler county, Ky. They had eight living children in Sangamon county, JAMES N., GEORGE B., SINAI M., JOEL E., MARY A., ANNIE E., JOHN A. and IDA L., live with their parents on the farm where Mr. Higgins father settled in 1830. The house in which he lives was built by his father in 1831, entirely of black walnut lumber; the frame, doors, door and window casings, sash, weather boarding, shingles, and everything else. It is two stories high, two rooms long, and stands seven miles south of Springfield.
THOMAS W., born March 2, 1819, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Mary Husband, have five children, and live in Bates county, Missouri.
ALONZO, born in 1822, in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county, in 1844.
CAROLINE, born July 31, 1823, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, June 24, 1847, to Thomas A. Rogers, who was born June 16, 1822, in Kentucky. They have seven children--ALONZO H., born Aug, 6, 1848, married Eliza Adams, and reside in Cotton Hill township. The other six moved with their parents, in 1873, to the vicinity of Gerard, Crawford county, Kansas.
BENJAMIN died, aged ten years.
William Higgins died Aug. 7, 1840, and his widow died Dec. 7, 1866, both on the farm where they settled in 1830.