Shaver, F. A., Arthur P. Rose, R. F. Steele, and A. E. Adams, compilers.  "An
Illustrated History of Central Oregon." ("Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam,
Wheeler, Crook, Lake, & Klamath Counties")  Spokane, WA: Western Historical
Publishing Co., 1905.  p. 497.
 
HON. WILLIAM H. BIGGS

     a retired farmer and extensive land owner of Sherman county, resides at
Wasco, in a most picturesque residence, surrounded by a spacious lawn and large
and beautiful shade trees. He was born in Belmont county, Ohio, May 12, 1831,
the son of John and Charlotte (Coleman) Biggs. The father was a native of
Kentucky; his parents (probably) of Pennsylvania, and were early Kentucky
pioneers.
     The father of John Biggs participated in many sanguinary battles with
Indians, and was severely wounded while defending the block-house which stood on
the present site of Wheeling, West Virginia. John Biggs served in the war of
1812, and like his father was a man of great courage. He was born in 1791 and
passed away at Canton, Missouri, in 1854. In his younger days he was a
shipbuilder and carpenter; later a farmer.
    The mother of our subject was a native of Pennsylvania, descended from an
old Pennsylvania Dutch family. Her father served throughout the Revolutionary
War under General Francis Marion. She died at Canton, Missouri, two years after
the death of her husband.
    The family of our subject moved to Missouri when he was nine years of age.
Here he was reared on a farm and received his elementary education in a
subscription school. When nineteen years old, in 1850, he crossed the plains
with an ox train, to California, where he remained two years engaged with
varying success in mining. He then returned to Missouri, where he was fairly
successful, financially. Subsequently he engaged in the forwarding and
commission business at Canton, Missouri, on the Mississippi river, sixteen miles
above Quincy, Illinois. Having remained there three years, he was, the following
three years, serving in the capacity of a pilot on the Mississippi river. He
then followed the livery business at Canton three years, going thence to
Colorado during the Pike's Peak sensation.  He remained there only a short time,
returning disgusted, like so many others.  Shortly after this he was appointed
sheriff of Lewis county, Missouri, by governor Gamble.  Two years afterward he
began trading in cattle, horses and mules, continuing until 1871, when he went
to Deer Lodge, Montana, returning in the fall. The following spring lie was back
in Montana with a drove of five hundred cattle. In 1873 we find him in Missouri
engaged in a variety of business enterprises, and  in the spring of  1874 he
took from Lexington, Kentucky, five head of fine trotting horses to Deer Lodge,
Montana.  Subsequently he went to California where for three years he was in the
stock, and three years in the grocery business, located at Dixon.  In February,
1880, he came to Sherman county and secured railroad land where Wasco is now
built on a portion, of it, and seeded the first crop of wheat in the spring of
1881. He brought from California the first gang plow ever introduced in this
section of the country. Although he possessed limited capital he managed to push
wheat growing along and  purchased more land. He now owns about eight hundred
acres of which he has rented out a portion for ten years. He began renting this
land at the time he was appointed receiver of the land office at The Dalles
where he remained four years and three months.
     In 1886 Mr. Biggs was elected a member of the Oregon Legislature and
introduced the Maximum Freight Bill which passed the house but was defeated in
the senate. After this he was appointed a member of the railroad commission by
Governor Pennoyer, but owing to subsequent legislation removing the appointive
power from the hands of the governor, he did not serve. In 1888 he was nominated
for the State senate, and was defeated. In 1885 Mr. Biggs was at Salem, and was
successful in securing the passage of a bill compelling railroads to place
sidings where needed. Two of them were put in; one of these was named Biggs, as
a compliment to his successful efforts in this direction; the other Rufus, after
Rufus Wallis, on whose land a town was built. Since leaving the land office our
subject has paid but little attention to political affairs. During the whole
course of his busy and eventful life Mr. Biggs has ever remained a stanch
Democrat.
     March 10, 1859, at Canton, Missouri, our subject was united in marriage to
Martha E. Ellis, born in Lewis county, Missouri. She is the daughter of Judge
William Ellis, a native of Kentucky, born in Oldham county. His parents were
Virginians of Welsh ancestry. He died in 1879 at Canton, Missouri. He was a
lumber merchant and owned a farm on the edge of the town. For many years he was
a prominent merchant in Louisville, Kentucky, and served several terms in the
Missouri Legislature. For sixteen years he was judge of the county court; was an
"old line Whig," but after the war was not identified with any political patty.
He was a trustee of the Christian University, and the only member of another
denomination on the board, being a pillar of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
deacon, trustee, steward, and foremost in every movement for the benefit of the
community and very public spirited. At one period he was the second wealthiest
man in the county. The Civil war left him much poorer in purse; he lost all of
his slaves, but throughout the whole trend of the trouble between the states he
was always a union man and did not favor the cause of the confederacy.
     Her mother, Sarah (Cassady) Ellis, was a native of Kentucky as were her
parents. She died In 1873. Our subject has one brother living, John H., of
Canton, Missouri, a retired merchant. He had three other brothers who are
deceased, Leonard C., Joseph and James D. They died in Missouri. He had one
sister, now deceased, Lucinda C., wife of Thomas B. Jeffries.  Mrs. Biggs has
lost two brothers, James A., who died in California, and who served in the union
army until he was severely wounded. Her brother William died in La Grange,
Missouri. She has two sisters living, Elizabeth, wife of Christopher Agee, of
Solano county, California, and Laura, widow of Samuel J. Davis, of San
Francisco.  Mary C., wife of John S. Pemberton, died at Los Angeles, California.
     Our subject has lost two children ; Leonard M., who died in 1861, aged
fourteen months; and William E., who died in Missouri, in 1866, aged two weeks.
Mr. Biggs has been a member of the A. F. & A. M. since 1852, and is a
nonaffiliated Royal Arch Mason. His wife is a member of the M. E. church and has
been a Sunday school teacher for many years. She is a member of the official
board and steward of the W. C. T. U., of which she is corresponding secretary
and was for several years president. She is a member of the O. E. S. and past
matron of Myrtle Chapter, Dixon, California.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in October 2010 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.