William WIGGINS

                       A brief history of William and Nancy WIGGINS -Mason, Grant, Kentucky from
    1856.

    The William and Nancy Wiggins family came to Mason, Grant County, from Harrison
    County, Kentucky early in 1856 and acquired 50 acres of land.  William cleared
    some of the land and built a two-story log house.  Downstairs it had the
    kitchen, living room and bedrooms for the parents and the girls.  The boys
    slept in two rooms upstairs, which must have been sizable as there were
    eventually eight boys.  They also had a covered porch, the length of the house.

    William walled in a nearby spring to provide a basin to store a sizable amount
    of water for ease of "packin' water" for household use.  He planted a small
    tree to shade the spring.

    Joseph, the fifth child was the first to be born on the farm, during the next
    fourteen years six more children were born, eleven children in all.

    They were largely a self-sustaining family, raising all the feed for the
    numerous cows, horses, pigs, sheep and chickens as well as produce from the
    garden and orchard for the family.  They grew tobacco as a "money crop" for any
    extras they needed, which had to be gotten from Williamstown.  Williamstown was
    fifty miles away and an all-day trip by wagon team.  Since tobacco takes about
    fourteen months to mature they probably didn't have many "extras".

    William and the boys sheared the sheep, and Nancy and the girls spun it into
    thread and wove it into cloth for the homespun clothes that they made.  Uncle
    Billy and Aunt Nancy (as they were called by friends) were visited by people
    from miles around since Aunt Nancy had the only loom "for many a mile" and was
    very generous with it, weaving cloth for neighbors near and far.

    William was a typical "hill-man" tall, thin, and very quiet, not much given to
    talk of himself so nothing of what he did or where he lived previously is known
    to date.  Nancy was known as a "fleshy woman", although as a "hill-woman" that
    may have been "pleasingly plump".

    They were a strong Baptist people and the entire family was active in the
    "Grassy Run Baptist Church", which was also built of logs.  The family was
    baptized in the Grassy Run Creek and several of them served in various church
    positions over the years between 1882 and 1896.

    William and Nancy lived on the farm until their deaths in 1901 and 1904,
    respectively,  They were buried in the church owned Grassy Run Cemetery (near
    the old family homestead) as were all the family except "Newt".  This was
    confirmed by Martha (age 97) in 1960, who was living at the Louisville Masonic
    Widows and Orphans Home because she had a broken hip.  The only legible
    tombstone we found in the Grassy Run Cemetery was of George and his third wife.
    He was buried there in August 1950, so the stone, a beautiful red granite,
    looked nearly new when we were there in 1960.  To think we only missed him by
    ten years.

    Both the spring basin and the tree William planted were still there in 1960,
    although over a hundred years old, the tree was very large and a grown man
    could not encircle it with his arms.

    Oscar Scroggins bought the Wiggins farm to add to his own.  He ran cattle for a
    number of years and used the log house for his hired hands for many years.  He
    has since pulled the log house down as it was over a hundred years old and he
    was afraid it might fall in, but he said it was quite a job to level it.

    Mr. Scroggins said he shaved Uncle Billy and helped prepare him for burial.
    Although he was somewhat younger than the Wiggins boys, he hung around them a
    lot as young boys will do, so he had several tales to tell and helped in this
    biography, as did the clerk of the Grassy Run Baptist Church by allowing us to
    read some of the old records which we found in the handwriting of several of
    the boys as they served in clerical positions and on various committees over
    the years.

    Compiled by Edward E. Wiggins, Great Grandson, by personal research of civil
    records through the years.  Also interviewing many people living in the area in
    Kentucky, during the summer of 1960.

    William was listed in the marriage records of Nicholas County, Kentucky and
    the only family that he could have belonged to is Archibald Wiggins and Ann
    Clifton. This deduction was arrived at by placing all of the Wiggins families
    in Harrison, Nicholas, and Mason Counties on a flow chart that indicated the
    ages and sex of all the children.

    1850 Census Film #58040 pt 14, Harrison Co. Dist 1, page 116, family #958 on
    28 Sep1950

    Film 266218 FHL 20 Apr 1989:  Grant County Court:  Wm appointed Surveyor of
    roads, Grassy Run Road Meeting House, Feb term 1867.  13 Apr 1868 Add hands.
    12 Apr 1869(April Term) add hands, Henry Wiggins and William Faulkner on road
    crew.

    Harrison County KY Marriages: #216886 Index #4064 9 Jul 1848.  Copy of the
    Bonds in possession of Edward E. Wiggins.
    1860 Census: Grant Co KY Gouge P.O. #24