Daniel W. Briggs    abt 1806 - 1888

 

 

 

 

Born: Abt 1806, Duanesburg (Nine Partners), Schenectady County, New York                                  

Died: 1888   While he has a lot at Riverside Cemetery (Block D, Lot 12) in Appleton, WI., they do not have a burial record nor any additional information.  Only his second wife is buried there.  It is most likely that he died in New York state, possibly near Gloversville, see Larry Akin’s research below.

 

Occupation: Stone Mason

 

1st Spouse:     Elizabeth (Akin) Briggs, Married abt 1828 in Ogdensburg, New York.  Elizabeth is the daughter of James and Elizabeth (Sheldon) Akin, b. abt 1804, d. November 5, 1866.  The Appleton Crescent newspaper reported her death as November 10, 1866. (Vol. 14, #20, pg 2.)

Children:         Ansel Bailey Briggs

                        Robert Cornell Briggs  

            Sarah A. (Briggs) Willson   

            Unknown female

            Unknown female

 

2nd Spouse:   Esther (Greenfield) (Lent) Briggs.  Married September 18, 1867 in Appleton, Wisconsin.

 

3rd Spouse:    Phebe (White) Briggs  See below.

 

Father’s name: Robert Briggs         Birth place:    

Mother’s name:  Abigail Cornell      Birth place:

Siblings:         Mercy Briggs  (1801)

Peleg C. Briggs  (1803)

                        Ann (Briggs) Bosworth  (1808)

                        Richard Briggs (1810) (m. 1st Carolyn, m. 2nd Agnes Rogers)

                        Lucy (Briggs) Doty  (1812) (m. B. Doty)

                        Francis H. Briggs  (b. 1813, d. October 4, 1856 in Chicago, IL of Typhoid Fever, as reported to the Appleton Crescent newspaper by Ansel Bailey Briggs on November 12.)

                        Robert Cornell Briggs Jr.

                        Abigail (Briggs) Forsyth (1817)

                        Jeremiah Briggs (1819)

 

 

Daniel brought his family from New York State to Wisconsin in 1845, helping to settle and establish the Town of Alto, near Waupun in Fond du Lac County.  Daniel was the first Assessor for this new community.  Later in 1849, the family relocated to Appleton.  (From Fox Valley Memories.)

 

The 1847 Wisconsin Territorial Census indicates D. W. Briggs in Alto, Wisconsin with 3 males, 4 females, for a total of 7 individuals in the household.  Daniel and sons Ansel and Robert make up the 3 males.  Wife Elizabeth and daughter Sarah are the only females I have found.  That is 2 out of the 4 indicated on the census.  Therefore I have added 2 unknown females to my list of children.  However, it could also be any 2 other females living in the household such as a sister or servant, too.  Please write me if you have any ideas of who these individuals may be.

 

Daniel and his son, Ansel, manufactured sashes, doors and windows and helped erect Lawrence University.  Their factory was called Briggs & Wambold.  A fire in February of 1873 destroyed the Briggs sash factory. From Fox Valley Memory, Ryan’s History of Outagamie County.  The business was rebuilt after the fire.  However, the Twin City Daily News of Neenah-Menasha, Wisconsin, reported that this business, now called Briggs, Whorton & Beveridges was completely destroyed by fire on June 30, 1886 at a loss of $25,000.

 

                                   

Appleton factory district: A view showing the                                            Photo Courtesy of Bill Briggs, c. October, 1874, when Daniel was back

flouring mills, also sash, door & blind factories                                          in Appleton upon his wife Esther’s death.  Business was rebuilt after the

(Prominent building in distant right.),                                                                    1873 fire.

woolen factory & foundry on the south side.                                             

Date: c. 1868.  From the Outagamie County Historical Society.

Wisconsin’s record of volunteers for the Civil War show a Private Daniel Briggs from Chautaugua, New York, serving with the Wisconsin 6th Regiment Infantry, Company G.  He enlisted July 12, 1861 and was discharged April 11, 1863 for disability.  This would have been after Fredericksburg, but before Chancellorsville.  This also would have put him serving while about 50 years old, so I’m not sure if those records are referring to our Daniel.  Daniel’s son, Robert C. Briggs, and nephew, Lewis Briggs, did serve.

 

 

  Facing East             Facing West

Note: Daniel’s side of the marker has completely eroded away.  (Yeah, I took the pictures in Spring and Fall.)

 

Daniel with his 2nd wife Esther were living in New York City, New York by 1870 according to the 1870 census. 

                       

Robert Larry Akin shares this research, “Then I found Daniel in the 1880 census living in Gloversville, Fulton Co., NY with a third wife, Phebe.  She was born about 1836 - 30 years younger than Daniel. I was able to figure out that she was the widow of Robert White of Duanesburg, Schenectady Co., NY.  I do not know what her maiden name was.  I deduced her previous husband by noting that two of the daughters from her previous marriage were living with Daniel and her in Gloversville in 1880.  So I was able to search for the daughters and found them in the 1860 census living with Robert and Pheby White.  These two sources are:  1880 U.S. Census - NY, Fulton Co., Gloversville, page 125.2000; and 1860 U.S. Census - NY, Schenectady Co., Duanesburg, p. 0.”  I thank Larry and highly recommend his website, http://www.akinfamilyhistory.com/.

 

 

Back to the Genealogy Main Page