Names: Deakins, Higgins, Lester, Perry, Stableton White

Names: Deakins, Higgins, Lester, Perry, Stableton White

From: Laurie Huffman [[email protected]]

Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 10:18 PM

To: EDWARD WIESSING

Cc: Kenneth Huffman

Subject: RE: Higgins Family estate records

Dear Ed,

I'm sorry to say that I have no listing for probate or estate records for Robert Higgins or his wife, Sarah. There are a dozen or so Higgins listed in Cemeteries of Brown County 1825-1972, and one is for John (1821-1832), the son of Robert Higgins. However, there is no record that Robert died in or was buried in the county. I checked for Sarah's with the surname Wilson and the only two Sarah's with that surname at the time of death were not old enough to have been Robert's widow.

I also checked for a Sarah Stableton and found William Stableton, the husband of Sarah Higgins (see marriages below) who died in 1858. He has a probate listed with the Curcuit Court. A small paragraph on page 133 of Cemeteries of Brown County, IL 1825-1972 reads: "GRAVES ON LAND OWNED BY JAMES R. CLARK IN 1959. When James Ritchey bought the east 1/2 of section 18, Mt. Sterling Township in 1856 from William Stableton, who had entered it from the government in 1835, he promised never to plow over the graves on it. Since that date until 1962 the plot has been [a] locust grove. Known burials are: William Stableton and wife Sarah and a son ___; Norb Anson ____; ___ Vandosil and wife ___, and son Lon." There are no dates given for these individuals.

A little about Robert Higgins:

Robert Higgins is listed in the 1840 census, p. 158. The members of the family are listed in the following age groups:

Higgins, Robert: 1 male 5-10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 50-60; 1 female 15-20, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 30-40.

There is also a D. Higgins listed in the 1840 census, on p. 175:

Higgins, D. (initial J. or I.): 1 male under 5, 1 male 20-30; 1 female 20-30. (This may be a son of Robert)

You probably already have these marriages from the Illinois Marriage Index Online, but I will list them just in case you don't:

HIGGINS, CLARK B. md. LESTER, MARY ANN 02/16/1849 ( BookA&B Lic#489 BROWN Co, IL) HIGGINS, JAMES R. md. STEPLETON, HARRIET 10/22/1843 (Book A&B Lic#177 BROWN Co, IL) PERRY, SAMUEL A. md HIGGINS, ANGELINE 09/09/1841 (Book A&B Lic#89 BROWN Co,

IL)

WHITE, ALBERT md. HIGGINS, ELIZABETH 10/11/1843 (Book A&B Lic#176 BROWN Co,

IL)

DEAKINS, EVAN md. HIGGINS, MARY JANE 10/17/1839 (Book A&B Lic#15 BROWN Co,

IL)

STABELTON, WILLIAM md. HIGGINS, SARAH 06/05/1855 (Book A&B Lic#436 BROWN Co,

IL)

Is it certain that this Sarah Higgins is acutally the widow of Robert Higgins? Could she be his daughter, or even a sister? There are two women in Robert's household other than the wife who are of marriageable age in 1840.

I am also curious about who was the father of the Higgins brides listed above (Angeline, Elizabeth & Mary Jane).

I suggest that you check further for obituaries or death notices for Robert and members of his family with the Versailles Area Genealogical & Historical Society. They keep records from the local newspapers. Check for them at:

http://vaghs.tripod.com .

If you have any other questions regarding what I have sent, don't hesitate to ask. This is a rather complex family structure, made more difficult by the early dates in the county.

A quick note about the probate of William Stableton. If you send for his will & papers the request should include the following: William Stableton

(1858) Box #34.

I hope this will help you in some way.

Best wishes, be safe, and stay in touch.

Laurie Huffman

Co-Coordinator

Brown County ILGenWeb Project

========

END

-----Original Message-----

From: EDWARD WIESSING [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 9:41 AM

To: [email protected]

Subject: Higgins Family estate records

Laurie:

Enjoyed the io from the Brown County website.

I am very interested in estate records for the following. My interest surrounds the Higgins family.

Robert Higgins - probably died between 1840-1850

Sarah Rawlings-Higgins-Stableton-Wilson - she was Roberts widow. I believe she died between 1860-70.

Clark Higgins - died after 1850

I would very much appreciate any help you can give. I am in the US Army stationed overseas. I am originally from Springfield, Illinois, but as I am here, it is not possible for me to visit Brown County any time in the near future.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,