7.

EDWARD RIGGS (EDWARD, EDWARD)

Edward Riggs was allegedly born in Roxbury MA about 1636.

Neither Wallace nor Abbott [S48] found any record of a marriage, but both reported that Edward's wife's name was MARY. Torrey [S45] reported her as "MARY [MUNN]?". This is probably based on the fact that a 'Daniell Munne' of Milford made an oral will prior to 13JNE1666 leaving his estate to Mary 'Rigs' [S72] which, if one makes the reasonable assumption that Mary was Daniel's married daughter, implies that Edward married MARY MUNN(E) prior to 13JNE1666.

This casts doubt on a statement made by a recent researcher [S33] that Edward married twice: that a MARY BROWN, born in 1639 at Roxbury, was the mother of his ten children and that MARY MUNN his second wife, also born in 1639, died in 1689. The first child was born about 1662 and the last about 1685 (see below), so if MARY MUNN married Edward prior to 13JNE1666 and did not die until 1689 as the researcher states, she would have been the mother of at least 7 of these children. The statement may have been an attempt to reconcile the probability that Edward married MARY MUNN with a possible reference elsewhere to him marrying a Brown (if so, he could have been confused with his brother Joseph who married Hannah Brown).

In 1667, Edward and his family followed his father Edward's family from Derby CT to Newark NJ, where they were amongst the original settlers - he and his brother Joseph were the first to obtain grants of outside lands from the town authorities. He was assigned a home lot in Newark and, though he was not as educated as his two younger brothers, he succeeded in accumulating other landed property there, which he subsequently distributed among his children. In his land conveyances, he was often designated as a "planter"

No record has been found of his death, but he was still alive in 1700 when he was party to a deed.

Wallace states that "In Mr Conger's collections he gives the following children from tradition, but their order and approximate dates are arranged here as circumstances and a few known facts seem to direct":

11.	ANNA RIGGS Born about 1662, presumably in Derby, New Haven Co. CT. Married J.GAGE.
12.	JAMES RIGGS Born about 1664, Wallace states in Newark NJ (but see below).
13.	MARY RIGGS Born about 1666, presumably in Derby, New Haven Co. CT. Married JOSEPH LINDSLEY.
14.	EDWARD RIGGS Born about 1668 in Newark, NJ.
15.	? LYDIA RIGGS Birth date not known, or whether Lydia was definitely the daughter of Edward. A Lydia Riggs is shown as marrying JOSEPH COOPER in 1688 in a list of "Marriages of Friends who were members, or who married members, of Newton Meeting," Gloucester Co, NJ.[S64] She is unlikely to be the daughter of Edward's brother Joseph, because Wallace states that Joseph's four children were named in Joseph's Will in 1689. Admittedly, this is the year after Lydia's marriage and Joseph might therefore have considered that Lydia was already well provided for, but I would have thought he would still have made reference to her in that Will if she had been his daughter. Since Wallace acknowledges that his information is based on Mr Conger's collections which gives the details of Edward's children from tradition, it is more probable that Lydia (who may well have been named after Sgt Edward's sister, Edward's aunt) is one of Edward's daughters.
16.	JOSEPH RIGGS Born about 1675 in Newark NJ.
17.	MARTHA RIGGS Born about 1677. Married S. FREEMAN.
18.	ELIZABETH RIGGS Born about 1678. Married JOHN LYON
19.	JOHN RIGGS Born about 1679, or possibly 1669 (see below).
20.	SAMUEL RIGGS Born about 1681 "near" Newark, NJ.
21.	CHARITY RIGGS. Born about 1685. Married JOHN BOWERS.

8.

SAMUEL RIGGS (EDWARD, EDWARD)

Samuel Riggs was allegedly born in Milford CT about 1640.

Samuel and his father Edward are both listed by Abbott [S49] amongst the "Founders of Early Milford". Samuel took over "Riggs Hill" farm and other property in Derby CT after his father Edward moved to Newark NJ in 1666. On 1667Jne14 [S49][S45], he married SARAH BALDWIN of Milford, who had been baptised 1APR1649 [S50] as the daughter of Richard Baldwin [S48]. After Sarah's death, which Torrey [S45] quotes as occurring in 1712, Samuel subsequently married MRS SARAH WASHBURN on 6MAY1713, there being no children by this second marriage.

Samuel was proposed as a Freeman of Milford in 1671 [S5], he was a Justice of the Peace and a Representative in the Legislature for several years. - a recent researcher [S51] states he was Deputy in Derby from 1692-95 and 1696-1701, according to excerpts from "Old Families of Fairfield County". He also held the commission of Ensign from the Colonial Government for a number of years.

Wallace was mistaken when he stated that Samuel's death is recorded in 1738. Abbott [S48] states that Samuel's Will was dated 1732 and was proved in 1734, and Torrey [S45] quotes the year of his death as 1734. If he was born about 1640, this would mean he would have been aged about 95 when he died, but Savage quotes many examples of settlers living into their nineties.

The known children of SAMUEL and his first wife SARAH are as follows.[S3] All were presumably born at Derby, which came under Milford, CT until 1675, after which it was a town in its own right [S26]:

22.	ELIZABETH RIGGS Born 13JNE1668 [S49] and baptised 17JLY1670 [S50] at Milford, New Haven Co. CT. Married ROBERT BASSETT of Derby, New Haven Co. CT circa 1687 and their first child was born 1689. [S45] Died 1746. [S48]
23.	?JOHN RIGGS May have been born about 1669 (see below).
24.	SAMUEL RIGGS Wallace states Samuel was born 8OCT1670 (but see below).
25.	SARAH RIGGS Born 1672, and died the same year. Not included in Abbott's list of Samuel's children. [S48]
26.	SARAH RIGGS Born 3MAY1674 [S3] and baptised 14JNE1674 [S50] at Milford, New Haven Co. CT. Married JONATHAN LUM 10OCT1700. [S45] (Both Abbott [S48] and Torrey [S45] spell the surname as LUM whereas Wallace spells it as LUMM).
27.	JOHN RIGGS Born 1APR1676.
28.	EBENEZER RIGGS Born 15OCT1678.
29.	EDWARD RIGGS Born 7OCT1680.
30.	HANNAH RIGGS Born 24FEB1683. Married ABRAHAM HARGER.
31.	JOSEPH RIGGS Born 22FEB1686. Not included in Abbott's list of Samuel's children. [S48]

9.

JOSEPH RIGGS (EDWARD, EDWARD)

Joseph Riggs was allegedly born in Milford CT about 1642.

In 1667, Joseph and his brother Edward followed their father Edward from Derby CT to Newark NJ, where they were amongst the original settlers - he and his brother Edward were the first to obtain grants of outside lands from the town authorities. He was still single and living with his parents, and therefore no home lot was assigned to him. But, after his father's death, his mother was contemplating remarriage and in 1671 conveyed to him one half of the home lots originally assigned to Edward and his family.

Soon after, he married HANNAH BROWN [S54] or BROWNE [S3], whose father John had also been a planter at Derby CT with Edward before both families moved to Newark NJ [S3]. Hannah had been baptised on 02MAY1658 [S5].

Wallace states that the advantages of an early education showed in Joseph's management of the busimess affairs of the new plantation at Newark NJ. He also states that Joseph was made commander of the local military organisation, and was involved in the moral and religious welfare of the community, being on record as having put "the floor in the Meeting House". In reality, the Town Meeting of 02JLY1670 records that:

"Item--the Town Agreed with Thos. Johnson About his Floaring Half the Meeting House for Four Pounds, of Good Chestnut or Oak, of 2 Inches and a Half Plank, and they are to find and do all, to Edge and Lay down the floar on Seven Good Sleepers; and in like Manner they Have Bargained with Jno. Brown, Mr. Burwell, Jno. Baldwin, and Jos. Riggs to do the other Half."[S69]

Torrey [S45] quotes the year of his death as 1689. His Will dated January 1689 names his four children and made provision for them when they reached maturity.[S3] A recent researcher [S51] states that, according to the descendants of Edward Ball, the will is dated 1JAN1689N, was proved 27NOV1689, and the probate "in solemn form" is dated 16MAY1711 and is filed at Trenton NJ. After his death, his widow re-married to an AARON THOMPSON. [S45][S3]

Wallace documents the known children of JOSEPH and HANNAH as follows [S3], presumably all being born in Newark, Essex Co. NJ:

32.	JOHN RIGGS Born about 1674.
33.	SAMUEL RIGGS Born about 1676.
34.	ZOPHAR RIGGS Born about 1678.
35.	ELIZABETH RIGGS Born 1681, in Newark, Essex Co. NJ. She married 17JNE1702 to DANIEL DOD, a surveyor who was born in 1679 at Guilford, CT and who died about 1748 at Doddtown, Newark, NJ. The eldest of their three sons and one daughter was born in 1703 and the youngest about 1715. [S54]