Our Family
 Genealogy Pages

Edmund C. RIGGS

Edmund C. RIGGS[1]

Male 1819 - 1876  (57 years)

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Photos
    Miller County Typical House 1850's
    Miller County Typical House 1850's

  • Name Edmund C. RIGGS 
    Born 13 Jan 1819  New Martinsville, Wetzel, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Gender Male 
    Alt. Birth 13 Jan 1819  New Martinsville, Wetzel, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    FamilySearch ID GC94-2PJ 
    _UID 97BD5FEDBC2F4DBDB8E6F87F26860951B01C 
    Died 15 Feb 1876  Miller County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I29419  Carney Wehofer Feb 2024 Genealogy
    Last Modified 15 Dec 2022 

    Father Edmund S. RIGGS,   b. 25 Dec 1783, Colerain, Bedford County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Feb 1876, St Marys, Pleasants, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 92 years) 
    Mother Elizabeth Susannah ROBY,   b. 22 Apr 1788, Washington County, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 11 Jan 1857, Tyler, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 68 years) 
    Married Feb 1806  Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F14038  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Nancy Ann VARNER,   b. 27 Mar 1841, Sedalia, Pettis County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 Jul 1934, Camden County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 93 years) 
    Married Not Married Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. John Lawrence VARNER,   b. 17 Oct 1866, Miller County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 11 Dec 1951, Independence, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 85 years)
     2. William Owen VARNER,   b. 8 Feb 1869, Tuscumbia, Miller County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 7 Nov 1937, Macks Creek, Camden, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 68 years)
     3. Eurelda (Ida) "Relda" VARNER,   b. 15 Nov 1871, Osage City, Miller, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 11 Jan 1959, Russell, Camden County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 87 years)
     4. Mary Francis VARNER,   b. 5 May 1874, Dallas County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 7 Jun 1956, Marshall, Saline County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 82 years)
    Last Modified 29 Aug 2016 
    Family ID F7323  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Mary Ann Elizabeth PILES,   b. 22 Feb 1826, Bellville, St. Clair, Illinois Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 27 Jun 1903, Olympia, Thurston, Washington Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 77 years) 
    Married 4 Jun 1844  Miller, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Elisabeth RIGGS,   b. 1845, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     2. Owen Robey RIGGS,   b. 1848, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1918  (Age 70 years)
     3. Callie RIGGS,   b. 1852, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     4. Okey RIGGS,   b. 23 Dec 1852, Tuscumbia, Miller County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Sep 1925, Olympia, Thurston, Washington Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 72 years)
     5. James Carroll RIGGS,   b. 7 May 1854, Tuscumbia, Miller County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 3 May 1936, Alhambra, California Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 81 years)
     6. Lizzie RIGGS,   b. Abt 1857, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     7. Robert RIGGS,   b. Abt 1859, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     8. Clark RIGGS,   b. 1861, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     9. Anna E. RIGGS,   b. 1863, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     10. William Henry RIGGS,   b. 8 Jan 1959, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 May 1937, Portland, Mulnomah, Oregan Find all individuals with events at this location
    Last Modified 29 Aug 2016 
    Family ID F536727711  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Found in 1850 Census: Edmund Riggs, age 31, Born 1819 in Virginia, District 13, Miller Missouri, Farmer, real estate value $1000, with Elizabeth Piles age 55, Edmund Riggs age 24, Pherby Piles age 14, Ferdinand Piles age 13, Elizabeth Riggs age 5, Owen Riggs age 2.

      From Bruce Varner's work:
      Nancy Ann Varner (1841-1934) had four children, all of whom grew up with Nancy's maiden name Varner. Family members never openly spoke of why this was the case, and none of the long dead early descendants passed on any clues.
      Therefore everyone who descends from any one of Nancy's four children falls into the same category. Nancy's four children were:
      John Lawrence Varner (1866-1951)
      William Owen Varner (1869-1937)
      Eurelda Varner Newton (1871-1959)
      Mary Varner Clemons Cove (1877-1956)
      Y-DNA tests were conducted in 2012 by Bruce T. Varner (1951-), father Edwin Dale Varner, grandfather Bert Lonzo Varner, great-grandfather John Lawrence Varner, son of Nancy Ann Varner. This test revealed that genetically, John Lawrence Varner was fathered by a Riggs. Therefore all direct male to male descendants from John Lawrence carry Riggs Y-DNA.
      Y-DNA tests were conducted in in 2013 by William Ray Varner (1943-), father Otto George Varner, grandfather William Owen Varner, son of Nancy Ann Varner. This second Y-DNA test revealed that genetically, William Owen Varner was also fathered by a Riggs.
      Bruce T. Varner and William Ray Varner are a zero deviation Y-DNA match to each other.
      Subsequent research into the Riggs families of Miller County, Missouri revealed that three brothers lived in Miller County during the same timeframe as Nancy.
      Calvin Riggs (1810-1863)
      Owen Riggs (1813-1875)
      Edmund Riggs (1819-1877)
      Since the completion of testing, evidence has proven that John Lawrence and William Owen were both fathered by a Riggs, one might assume that the two girls (Eurelda & Mary) could have been fathered by a Riggs also.
      Since both Calvin and Owen Riggs were dead by the time the final daughter Mary was born, that leaves Edmund Riggs as the most likely father of the four.
      Estate documents for Edmund Riggs proved that Nancy Varner worked for Edmund Riggs up until Edmund's time of death.
      Antidotal evidence from family lore has long stated that Nancy Ann's parents, George and Harriet Varner were living "on the old Riggs place" when they were killed around the start of the Civil War.
      Additional Y-DNA results surfaced from four descendants of James Riggs (1662-1744). These four James Riggs descendants showed close Y-DNA matches to Bruce & William Varner. The four Riggs descendants are:
      Fredrick L. Riggs (1937-) [1 deviation]
      Charles L. Riggs (1954-) [2 deviation]
      Lawrence B. Riggs (1932-) [1 deviation]
      Michael D. Riggs (1958-) [0 deviation]
      Fredrick and Charles Riggs MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) is William Riggs (1750-1833).
      Lawrence and Michael, along with our Edmund Riggs MRCA is James Riggs (1742-1815).
      Both William Riggs and James Riggs are two generations descended from the Riggs family patriarch James Riggs (1662-1744).
      Edmund Riggs first marriage to Mary Ann Elizabeth Piles produced 11 Children, and then they seperated, which led to the Varner children out of wedlock.

  • Sources 
    1. [SAuth] Jim Carney, compiled by James H Carney [(E-ADDRESS), & MAILING ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Buderim, Queensland 4556 AUSTRALIA.

    2. [S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 15 Dec 2022), entry for Edmund C. RIGGS, person ID GC94-2PJ. (Reliability: 3).

    3. [S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 5 Dec 2021), entry for Edmund C. Riggs, person ID GC94-2PJ. (Reliability: 3).