I am Murphy Dean Riggan of Warrenton, NC. I was born in Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina on the 7th of August 1957. I married and moved to Warren County in 1974 and have lived there since. I have three sons. I have been compiling the Riggan Family History since 1975. I have searched the records of the Warren County Courthouse, the Warren County Library, the Granville County Courthouse and Library, the Surry County, Va. Courthouse, Isle of Wight County, Va. Courthouse, the NC State Historical Archives and have shared many hours of interviews with senior relatives that have since past away . The information received from these sources pretty accurately comprises the History of the Riggan Family. I am an avid hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, gun collector and gunsmith. I have been on active duty with the US Army assigned to the NC Army National Guard since 1988. Since my enlistment, I have been actively engaged in competitive shooting. The following is a brief summary of the ancestry of the Riggan Family: Francis B. Riggan Sr., born in 1730 is the oldest Riggan Family member recorded in the Warren County Records. He is descended from Daniel Riggan from Cork County, Ireland. Daniel and his family arrived in North America at Surry, VA around 1650. Surry records show Daniel and his family (Spelled then as REGAN) living in Surry, Va. Early Warren County records show Francis living on Hubquarter Creek in Old Granville County which later became Bute County, and then later Warren County. This area is located just north east of now known Church Cross Roads near Lake Gaston. He owned 180 acres deeded to him by his wife’s father. Francis married Mary Pegram in 1759 and they had 2 sons and 3 daughters. He carried chains (Surveyor) for Thomas Person, surveyor for Lord Granville. In 1769 Francis was appointed Surveyor of Roads in Bute County. In 1777 he was appointed Tax Assessor for Bute County, In 1779 he was one of the original petitioners who signed “The Petition for the Division of Bute County, which was ratified and led to the formation of Warren and Franklin Counties. Francis died in Warren County in 1818. Francis’ son Francis Jr., was born in 1764. He joined the NC Militia from Warren County in 1781 and served as a Private during the American Revolution. He married Ann Harris in 1789 and they had 5 sons and a daughter. In 1832 he applied for a pension granted by the Government for all veterans of the Revolutionary War of which he was approved for and received an annual pension of $20.00. Later in the early 1800’s the Riggan family bought land and settled in Mountain View, NC, which was just North of Embro, NC. The majority of the population of Mountain View was Riggans. They ran a Griss Mill on Reedy Creek and pastored the Reedy Creek Baptist Church. John Wilburn Riggan was the Postmaster in 1879. Following him were Postmasters Eudora B. Riggan – 1906, Ruby A. Riggan and Ella B. Riggan in 1923. The city was abolished in 1929 with mail moved to Macon, NC. The Mountain View Cemetery, the final resting place of several of early Warren county Riggans is all that remains of Mountain View. Although many of the Riggans moved outside of the area into surrounding counties and states, several of the descendents, ten generations later still live in Warren County within 15 miles of the original Hubquarter Creek ancestral home. My direct lineage is as follows: Murphy Dean. Riggan, born Vance County 7 Aug 1957 David Hinton Riggan, born Warren County 16 Dec 1932, Died Vance County 12 May 1979 Joe Dallas Riggan, born Warren County 23 Dec 1890, Died Warren County 13 Dec 1979 John Dallas Riggan born Warren County 7 Mar 1857, Died Warren County 9 Oct 1937 John Wilburn Riggan born Warren County 22 Aug 1826, Died Warren County 3 Feb 1908 Joseph H. Riggan born Warren County July 1798, Died Warren County 11 Dec 1873 Francis B. Riggan Jr. born Warren County 7 Mar 1764, Died Warren County 25 Aug 1846 Francis B. Riggan Sr. born Old Granville County 1735, Died Warren County 1818 Joseph Riggan Jr. born Isle of Wight County, Va 1712, Died Bute County, NC 1770 Joseph Riggan Sr. born Isle of Wight County, Va 1691, Died Bertie County, NC 1727 Francis Riggan born Cork County, Ireland 1650, Died Surry County, Va 1727 Daniel Riggan born Cork County, Ireland 1626. Died Surry County, Va 1686
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:03:40 +0000