Higgins, Thomas 1837-1912 and Bridget Reed Family

HIGGINS, REED, READ, ODAIR

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 1/3/2022 at 14:56:57

Higgins, Thomas 1837-1912 and Bridget Reed Family

This story was taken from the ‘Rock Valley Records & Recollections’ book (p. 67) written about 1976 in honor of the two hundredth birthday of our nation. It was a revision of the history written by Lottie Thomas in 1955. It was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society and some research notes were added.

Thomas Higgins came from Canada to eastern Iowa, then to Rock Valley. In June of 1887 he bought land in Sioux Township South ½ Section 12, from William and Sarah Knight for $12.50 per acre. This 320 acres has always remained in ownership of the Higgins family and is known as the Higgins Family Farm.

Thomas Higgins also purchased two other pieces of land which are now no longer in the Higgins family; they were Southwest ¼ Section 11, now farmed by Henry Veltkamp, and Northwest ¼ Section 14, now owned by Mrs. Francis McNamara, and farmed by Martin McNamara and Dick Post.

Thomas had two sons, Thomas Frances (T.F.) and John. In 1896 he gave Thomas Frances the Southwest ¼ Section 12, and John the Southwest ¼ Section 11.

Around 1907 Thomas moved to Rock Valley, 1710 14th (the home of O.C. Liaboe now). Because his wife had passed away, his niece Catherine Higgins (who later became Mrs. Pat Rielly) came from Canada to keep house for him, until his death in 1912. Upon his death he bequeathed to his son, Thomas Frances, the Southwest ¼ Section 12, and to his son, John, the Northwest ¼ Section 14.

Thomas Frances Higgins married Martha Spain and they had three daughters, and one son, Thomas Ambrose, known as Ambrose. In 1922, Thomas Frances built a new brick house on the family farm, and the old house was sold and moved to Rock Valley. The family spent one year in California while Charley Kempema did the farming. While there, Ambrose graduated from the eighth grade of school.

In September of 1933, Ambrose married Leona Ripperda from Larchwood, Iowa (a sister of Joe Ripperda). They lived on the eighty just south of the Higgins farm and helped Ambrose’s parents with the farming.

In 1953, Thomas Higgins died, and in 1954 Ambrose became the owner of the land, and he and his family moved to the family farm. Ambrose built a new corn crib and repaired the original barn which was built by his grandfather and which is still in use today.

Ambrose and Leona had four children, namely; Robert of St. Paul, Minnesota; Thomas Frances of Rock Valley; Judith, Mrs. Preston Davis of Wilmington, N.C.; and Mary, a student at Briar Cliff, Sioux City, Iowa.

In 1959, Ambrose passed away, and at that time his wife and his four children became the owners of the farm. Recently, in 1975, Mrs. Leona Higgins moved to Rock Valley, and her son Thomas is on the farm doing the farming.

It is interesting to note that each generation of Higgins had a Thomas, and that it was always Thomas who stayed on the family farm. To date, the Higgins have been on the farm for eighty-nine years.

Above submitted to the book by Mrs. Leona Higgins

RESEARCH NOTES: added by Wilma J. Vande Berg
From a family report on ancestry.com , done by others,
Thomas Higgins Sr. was born Jan 1837 Kemptville, Ontario, Canada and died 1 Jan 1931 Dunlap, Harrison, Iowa (Death date in error as his obituary states he died 1912 at his home in Rock Valley IA)
His parents were Anthony Higgins born about 1809 Ireland and died 15 Jun 1873 Leeds Grenville Ontario, Canada; and Bridget O’Dair born abt 1811 Ireland and died 5 Aug 1867 Kemptville, Ontario Canada.
Thomas’s wife Bridget Reed was born Dec 1837 Ireland (no death date) see death date in obituary given below. In the 1880 census of Read, Clayton Iowa, Bridget’s mother was living with them, Mary Reed age 76. In the 1870 census of Read Clayton Iowa, John Reed 61 born Ireland and wife Mary Reed 56, along with daughter Bridget Reed 24.
Children: Three listed Mary, John and Thomas. Two daughters listed in mother’s obit.
From the obits obtained the name of the eldest daughter Agnes who died at only a few years old. . Stella Higgins died at 18 years per obit of mother.
Mary E. Higgins born 1867
John J. Higgins 1872-1940
Thomas Francis Higgins 1874-1953

OBITUARY OF THOMAS HIGGINS
Thomas Higgins, Sr.
Thos. Higgins Sr., one of the early settlers of Sioux County, died at his home in Rock Valley Wednesday morning [January 17] at the age of seventy-five years and sixteen days after a lingering illness extending over a long period of time. Mr. Higgins was numbered among the early settlers of this vicinity, having lived here about twenty-six years. He was an honest hard-working man and was highly respected by all who knew him. His death, although it had been looked for for some time was a great shock to [family?] and friends whom he [line of text missing].
The subject of this sketch was born at Kemptville[?], Canada, January [day blurred] 1837 where he lived until he was seventeen years of age. He came to Iowa in 1854 settling at [word missing] where he spent two years [moving?] from there to the Winnebago Indian reservation at Mankato, Minn. Three years later he went to Elkader, Ia., where he lived eleven years, coming from there to Rock Valley in the year 1886. Two years later he moved his family here and they lived on a farm near town until they retired and moved to town in 1890 to spend their remaining years.
The deceased was married in 1865 just at the close of the Civil war to Miss Bridget Reed at Elkader. To them were born four children, two girls and two boys. Both of the girls died several years ago before their parents came to this community to live. The two sons are still living, John who is clerking in the Foppe Pioneer Store, and Thomas, who lives on the old Higgins homestead.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at Garnaville, Ia., where the remains will be taken Friday. John and Thomas Higgins, sons of the deceased, and Miss Kathryn Higgins, a niece, will accompany the remains and attend the funeral. The bereaved ones have the sympathy of many kind friends and neighbors.
Source: Rock Valley Bee, January 19, 1912.
(The newspaper is in very poor condition, with numerous little chunks of text missing or blurred.)
(His wife's obit, posted separately, spells her surname Read.)

OBITUARY OF BRIDGET REED HIGGINS
Mrs. Thomas Higgins senior departed this life at her home in Rock Valley Sunday evening January twenty seventh of a complication of diseases in the seventy first year of her age. For days her demise was momentarily expected. She leaves a husband and two sons to mourn her departure. Mother Higgins was a good neighbor kind and amiable in disposition and as we verily believe a Christian woman. None knew her but to love her. Her friends are numerous. Precious is and will be her memory.
But while her body is consigned to the grave her noble spirit survives to assert itself in the lives of all who knew her. The relatives have the sympathy of the community in their bereavement. Her body was taken Tuesday morning to Clayton county for burial.
Source: Alton Democrat, February 2, 1907: Rock Valley News
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Mrs. Higgins Dead
Mrs. Thos. Higgins died at her home in Rock Valley at three o'clock Monday morning after a lingering illness. The deceased had been in ill health for a number of years. The aged husband and two sons accompanied the remains of wife and mother to their old home, near Elkader, Clayton county, Iowa, where burial services were held. Mrs. Higgins died as she lived a consistent Christian of the Roman Catholic faith. The Bee extends sincere sympathy to the bereaved ones. Further particulars will be published next week.
Source: Rock Valley Bee, February 1, 1907.
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Obituary of Mrs. Higgins
A Highly Esteemed Lady and Kind and Loving Wife and Mother Gone.
Bridget Read was born in West Mead, Ireland, in March 1837. She came to America with her parents when she was about eight years old. The family first settled in Connecticut, but came to Iowa about 186[?], settling in Clayton county. The deceased was married to Thos. Higgins in 1865. To them were born four children, two sons and two daughters. They resided on a farm southwest of Garnaville until about 1888, when they came to Rock Valley where they have since resided. The country hereabouts was comparatively new at that time and they are considered among the pioneers of this county.
They had a fine home and the deceased had enjoyed good health until about two years ago. Since then she had been in poor health, but was bedfast for a short time only. She was stricken January 21 with rheumatism, heart disease and a complication of other diseases, and gradually grew weaker until Sunday night, January 27, she passed peacefully away. She was taken to Garnaville, Tuesday, January 29, funeral services being held at St. Joseph's church the next day, Wednesday, January 30, at 10:00 a.m., Reverend Raedler conducting the obsequies. Interment was made in the Catholic cemetery. The pall bearers were T. J. Barrett of Castalia, John Stance, Frank Liddy and James Geraghty of Elkader and Ed Auer and Oscar Claus, of Garnaville.
Besides the husband, the deceased leaves two sons, Thomas Jr. and John, both of this place. The two daughters preceded the mother to the unknown shores, the eldest, Agnes, having died when only a few years old and Stella at the age of 18. She also leaves some nephews and nieces living in Dubuque. The only other relative left, in America at least, is a twin sister, Sister Mary Stella, in the Immaculate Conception Convent at Davenport, who was one of the chief founders of the Immaculate Conception Convent school for girls at that place.
Had the deceased lived until March she would have been 73 years old. She had seen many changes in the conditions of the people and country and throughout her long and useful life had always remained true and steadfast to her religion. While we were not personally acquainted with her, her neighbors speak of her as one of the noblest of women and mourn her loss as that of a sister. This was further attested by the large concourse that gathered to hear the last sad rites. The bereaved family have the sympathy of all their old neighbors and friends both at Garnaville and hereabouts in their affliction.
Source: Rock Valley Bee, February 8, 1907.
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The 1900 census of Rock Township (Rock Valley), Sioux County has:
Thomas Higgins, age 63, born Dec 1836 Canada, immigrated 1860, married 1865, no occupation; wife Bridget, age 62, born Dec 1837 Ireland, immigrated 1843; son John, age 28, born April 1872, a hardware clerk.
In the Rock Valley St. Mary’s church book there is a picture of Ambrose and wife Leona Higgins but couldn’t find a picture of the Thomas and Bridget. If anyone has a picture of the family please scan it and send it to our page coordinator.