Robert Cornell Briggs, Jr.     1815-1855

 

Born:   August 15, 1815 in Lisbon or Schenectady County, New York.

Died:   November 8, 1855 in Appleton, Wisconsin. Likely died of pneumonia.

Place of burial:  Riverside Cemetery, Appleton, Wisconsin, Lot 65, Block D.

 

Spouse:          Mary Cutler (Bannister) Briggs m. December, 1839 in Syracuse, New York.

Children:         Theodore Wood Briggs 

Rozella Miranda (Briggs) Ketchum (m. George Ketchum, had 1 son named Friend. Rozella died at age 20.)        

                        Lewis Albert Briggs

                        Abigail Seraph Briggs

                        Almira Lucretia Briggs

                        Mary Elizabeth (Briggs) Long

 

Occupation:  Though he farmed in New York, he became a Mason in Wisconsin and worked on projects at Lawrence University and the Canals of the Fox River.

 

Father’s name:          Robert Briggs                       

Mother’s name:         Abigail (Cornell) Briggs                   

Siblings:         Mercy Briggs  (1801)

Peleg C. Briggs  (1803)

                        Daniel W. Briggs

                        Ann (Briggs) Bosworth  (1808)

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

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

                        Francis Briggs  (B. 1813, d. 1856 in Chicago.)

                        Abigail (Briggs) Forsyth (1817)

                        Jeremiah Briggs (1819)

 

Both bodies of Robert and Mary are in a single grave which is marked just with Robert’s name.  They were originally buried in the city cemetery in the north central part of Appleton.  “In March of 1889, trustees of Appleton Cemetery Association were authorized by the legislature to remove the dead…to the new cemetery [Present day Riverside Cemetery] and the city was required to pay the expenses.  The trustees were authorized to sell the old grounds.” (Fox Valley Memory, Ryan’s History of Outagamie County)  The land was used for a Chicago & Northwestern Railway depot.  Ironically, the depot is gone and the same land today is mostly unused.

 

Robert Cornell Briggs brought his family to Appleton, Wisconsin in 1853.  He was following his brother Daniel W. Briggs who likely told Robert of the growth and opportunities available in Wisconsin.  See Daniel and son Theodore’s pages for more information.

 

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