Theodore Wood Briggs 1843-1912

Born: December 20, 1843 in Ogdensburg, New York.

Died: November 25, 1912 in Appleton, Wisconsin of Intestinal Cancer.

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

Spouse: Leona Suberville (Dane) Briggs (m. August 10, 1862 and witnessed by her brother Peter Dane.)

Children: Curtis Eugene Briggs

Cornelia Spaulding Briggs

Fred J. or J. Fred Briggs (12/31/1866-7/14/1873) (see below)

Mary Elizabeth (Briggs) Brooks

Caroline ‘Carrie’ Hamilton (Briggs) Mathie

Jeremiah Briggs (aka: Jay)

Ina Frances (Briggs) Neller

Theodore L. Briggs

Occupation: Laborer.

Store clerk.

Grocer

Merchant (as per marriage registration)

Insurance Agent and Adjuster.

Manager of Oshkosh, Appleton and Fond du Lac Underwriters Union.

Partner in Conkey & Briggs Insurance.

City Treasurer in 1865 for 2 years.

City Assessor for 1 year.

Ran for Clerk in April of 1872.

Photo of young Theodore W. Briggs (on left) with a Mr. Mitchell when they were employed at Pettibones store, 1864.

Copy of an ad placed in the Appleton City Directory.

College and Oneida Streets, Appleton, Wisconsin. The John Hart building built in 1855, includes Benoit and Montgomery Drug Store.
Signs visible reading Albany Fire Insurance Co., American Insurance Co of Chicago, Equitable Life Assurance Society,

and the Phoenix Fire Insurance Co. T.W.Briggs Agency.
Date: @1870. Appleton Public Library. Downtown View dated 1868, Outagamie County Historical Society.

Father’s name: Robert Cornell Briggs Birth place: Lisbon, New York

Mother’s name: Mary Cutler (Banister) Briggs Birth place: Windsor Vermont

Siblings: Mary Elizabeth (Briggs) Long

Lewis Albert Briggs

Rozella Miranda (Briggs) Ketchum

Abigail Seraph Briggs

Almira Lucretia Briggs

According to USGenWeb, the Briggs family moved from New York to Appleton in 1853.

From the Outagamie County Historical Society.

Note that it has errors with daughter Ina’s handwriting making corrections.

The Outagamie County Pioneer Record was published in 1898.

Read Theodore’s entry in the Commemorative Biographical Record Of The Fox Valley, a Who’s Who type book published in 1895.

The Appleton City Directory places Theo. and Leona living at 694 North Street, corner of North and Ida. The family may also have owned property at 768 Durkee St., 496 South St., and 412 (East?) College Ave. and an unknown address on Edwards St.

Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin has records of Theodore Wood Briggs being a student in their Preparatory School from 1854-57.

It is easy to speculate that Theodore’s choice of getting into the insurance business was prompted by his own personal experiences of his father passing away when he was about 13 and being left as the man of the house; having to quit school to take jobs to support them; then his mother passing away 4 years later and having to send baby sister to relatives to be raised. He certainly understood the hardship that families have to go through in such times.

One of the Appleton newspapers reported as follows regarding the 1865 spring elections:

“The election passed off very quietly in this city, there being no opposition for mayor, treasurer, assessor and aldermen in the Second, Third and Fourth wards. The republicans nominated H. D. Williams for clerk and Samuel Boyd for police justice. The democratic convention nominated J. S. Buck for clerk and G. H. Marston for sheriff. The following persons were elected: R. Z. Mason, mayor; J. S. Buck, clerk; Theodore W. Briggs, treasurer; E. H. Graves, coroner; James Gilmore, assessor; Samuel Boyd, police justice; Benjamin. Proctor, Jas. W. Hutchinson, A. M. Barker and Edward West aldermen.” -- ( Crescent, April 8, 1865.)

Timeline for Theo. Briggs and family:

1843 Theodore is born in New York.

1845 Robert Cornell Briggs uncle Daniel W. Briggs moves west to Wisconsin, helping to settle and establish the Town of Alto, near Waupun in Fond du Lac County.

1849 Daniel W. Briggs moves to Appleton, WI.

1853 Robert Cornell Briggs and wife Mary move Theodore and family from New York to Appleton, WI.

1854 Theodore attends Lawrence University Preparatory School.

1855 Theodore’s father Robert Cornell Briggs passes away.

1857 Theodore quits school at age 14 to take jobs to support mom and sisters.

1861 Theodore’s mother passes away. Baby sister, Mary Elizabeth is raised by other relatives in Appleton.

1862 Marries Leona S. Dane.

1^st child born Curtis Eugene Briggs.

1865 Elected Treasurer, served for 2 years.

1866 2^nd child born, J. Fred Briggs. (more below)

Danniel W. Briggs 1^st wife Elizabeth dies.

1869 3^rd child born. Mary Elizabeth Briggs.

1870 Census shows Theo’s sisters Abigail “Abbie” and Almira are in the home along with wife Leona and their first 4 children.

1871 4^th child born, Cornelia “Nelli” Spaulding Briggs. (Her middle name coming from the maiden name of Leona’s brother, Peter Eugene Dane’s new bride, Cornelia Spaulding.)

1873 1^st son to die, J. Fred Briggs. (See above)

Daniel W. Briggs 2^nd wife Esther dies and Daniel moves back east to New York state.

1874 Appleton City Directly has T. W. Briggs family living Edwards St., south side of street, 1 house west of Oneida St.

Cousin A. B. Briggs family lives on the south side of College Ave., 1 house east of Durkee St.

1875 5^th child born, Jeremiah “Jay” B. Briggs.

I’m not certain when, but T. W. Briggs and family move to 779 Lawrence St. (In 1925, Appleton changed the numbering system of their street addresses. Old 779 Lawrence St. becomes 113 East Lawrence St. in the new scheme.)

1885 Son Curtis Eugene marries Carlyn Bolles Heath. They live at 819 Atlantic, Appleton, WI

1887 Daughter Nelli begins clerking in Dad’s insurance office.

1881 6^th child born, Ina Francis Briggs.

Leona’s brother Peter dies.

1888 7^th child born, Theodore L. Briggs.

2^nd son to die, Curtis Eugene.

1889 8^th child born, Caroline “Carrie” Hamilton Briggs.

1891 Daughter Mary Elizabeth marries Frank John Brooks.

3^rd son to die, Jay Briggs, in dramatic sledding accident.

1901 City Directory shows family still residing at 779 Lawrence St., Appleton, WI.

1902 Daughter Ina Francis marries John Henry Neller.

1907 Daughter Caroline Hamilton marries Karl Mathie.

1908 Theodore & Leona, with only son Theodore L. still living with them, move to an apartment at 412 College Ave., Appleton, WI.

1910 The 3 have moved into a home at 778 Franklin, Appleton, WI.

1912 Theodore dies. After being widowed, Leona lived at 768 Durkee St. with another widower named Connie until 1918, then moved to 496 South St., then she is with her granddaughter Eunice Wingrove (as per the 1920 census) until her death.

1915 By this time, son Theodore L. has a clerking job at American and Wells Fargo & Co. and is living near Menasha, WI in an area known as Waverly Beach.

This is the Briggs home at 779 Lawrence Street. Picture is dated 1890. This would be across the street from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. The steeple of the old Methodist Chapel is in the background. The children on the steps (See the enlargement on the right.) are Ted (Theodore L.) and Ina. Below left is T. W. Briggs enjoying a game of chess with his son-in-law John Henry Neller, Ina’s husband. Below right is dated September, 1941. L- R is friend Mrs. A. P. Ryan, Theodore L. Briggs, Ina Briggs Neller, and Caroline Briggs Mathie.

Photos generously shared by Krisy Brue, Granddaughter of Ina Briggs Neller. She may be contacted at: krisbrue@mhtc.net

Son Fred J. Briggs has been tough to find in the vital records. The records from this era are incomplete. We do know that Theodore’s son Fred J. is the first to die. Other notes from the family indicated that he was 7 years old. Fred J.’s grave is not in Theodore’s family lot. Theodore’s family lot at Riverside Cemetery had not been purchased yet. So did he use space in his brother Lewis Briggs’ lot, which is actually owned by Rev. P. S. Bennett? An item of confusion there is a 7 year boy buried next to Emory James Bennett (grave # 3) noted as grave # 3A. Riverside Cemetery has very little information about this boy. They do have the dates: born December 31, 1866 and died July 14, 1873. Penciled next to those dates are the initials “F. J.”, and later was added “Fred Bennett.” Is it possible that this might actually be 7 yr old Fred J. Briggs? The dates are right. The placement is plausible and the confusion in the records is understandable. As noted in the above timeline, Curtis Eugene would be the 2^nd son to die and Jeremiah “Jay” would be the 3^rd.

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