E. K. was born in Mississippi on June 15, 1865.
He was the son of Erasmus Rigney and Ann Elizabeth Pride Hill, Erasmus
Rigney's father was Joseph Fawcett. His grandfather was Benjamine.
His great-grandfather came to America before the American
Revolution. E, Rigney, like his father, was a tanner by trade.
He left his home in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and went to Alabama.
From there he went to the Scott Plantation near De. Calb, Kemper County,
Mississippi, where he became a cobbler. After the civil war he
moved his family to Texas near Yorktown. His children were Francis
Scott, Brancie, Curtis, Robert and Keyes (a small child). They
were not there long when E. Rigney and Ann Pride became ill and died.
The children stayed together until Frank (Francis) married Emma
Elder and settled near Cheapside, Texas. Brancie married John
Carson and they lived there until they died. Frank and Emma lived at
Cheapside for 50 years or more, then moved to Johnson City.
In 1883, E. K., with Eugene Buck, John
Gray and George Ames, left Gonzales County with George Ames' sheep for
the west. On July 24, 1883, midnight, they stopped on Devil's
River and Dolan Creek. On November 26, 1902, he married Frankie
Eliza Baker at Baker's Crossing, up the river from the cave.
Frankie and E. K. had six children, Brancie
Elizabeth married to O. D. Finegan, Horace Keyes married to Eika Mae
(Dedo) York, Elmer James married to Carlos Du Bose, Walter Robert married
to Jo Beth Palm, emma Frances married to Forrest Carl (Cotton) Whitehead
and Lee Baker married to Bobbie Mae Halbert. Horace and Lee are
deceased.
E. K. was a pioneer rancher and civic
leader. He was president of West Texas and South Texas chambers
of Commerce, the Sheep and goat Raisers Association, president of Southwest
Texas Council of Boy Scouts. Camp Fawcett Boy Scout Camp near
Barksdale, Texas is named for him.
Source: Photocopy contributed by Ruth Ratliff. Transcribed
to softcopy by Susan D. Chambless, October 9, 2000.