The Briggs Ancestors

Descendants of Albert Briggs

Generation No. 1

1. ALBERT¹ BRIGGS was born Abt. 1860. He married JENNIE SWEET also born Abt. 1860.

Children of ALBERT BRIGGS and JENNIE SWEET are:

2. i. ROLLO ELIJAH² BRIGGS, b. June 25, 1881, New York; d. March 24, 1954.

ii. IVAN BRIGGS, b. Abt. 1885; d. Unknown.

iii. GOLDA BRIGGS, b. January 31, 1895; d. November 1967, Cortland, New York; m. BRAYTON GRANT; b. July 30, 1892; d. January 1970, Cortland, New York.

Generation No. 2

Rollo and Lucy Burlingame Briggs

50^th Wedding Anniversary

2. ROLLO ELIJAH² BRIGGS (ALBERT¹) was born June 25, 1881 in New York, and died March 24, 1954. He married LUCY JANE BURLINGAME April 19, 1900, daughter of THOMAS BURLINGAME and LUCY WIDGER. She was born October 14, 1880 in NY, and died September 28, 1955 in Cinncinnatus, NY.

ROLLO ELIJAH and LUCY JANE BURLINGAME are buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Chittenango, New York. Rollo was a Farmer.

Childhood Memories

by Donald James Briggs

I do remember Grandpa inventing the chicken plucker. It was a big wooden drum with surgical rubber tubing sticking out all over it. The chicken were scalded and then maneuvered close to the spinning rubber fingers, which after many speed adjustments, would pluck 98 % of the feathers from the chicken without breaking the surface of the skin. Grandpa was so proud of his invention and eventually sold it to several chicken packinghouses.

I most remember the large muck garden. I would go down to the garden with dad’s brothers, don't recall which ones, with a couple slices of home made bread and a salt shaker and eat sandwiches made of fresh tomatoes or some of the hottest red peppers I can remember. They were so hot they would bring tears to your eyes.

. I especially remember tarts made with leftover piecrust with homemade current jelly in between or cinnamon curls made with rolled up piecrust with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled between the layers. Grandma always had the neated of treats. I remember hunting for big puffball mushrooms and then Grandmother Briggs would slice and fry them. They were a special treat as I recall.

Children of ROLLO BRIGGS and LUCY BURLINGAME are:

3. i. ADELBERT ROLLO³ BRIGGS, b. February 01, 1901, Syracuse, New York; d. April 08, 1988, Cadiz, Kentucky.

ii. RALPH WEBSTER BRIGGS, b. June 04, 1902; d. January 10, 1988; m. HILDA b. July 09, 1902; d. Unknown.

4. iii. ISMA GERTRUDE BRIGGS, b. July 07, 1908, Cortland, NY; d. July 06, 1961, Buffalo, NY

5. iv. HAROLD BLANEY BRIGGS, b. December 30, 1912, Fabius, NY; d. May 27, 1997, Otsego, NY.

6. v. FLOYD LOUIS BRIGGS, b. October 11, 1914, Chittenango, New York; d. May 10, 1993, New York Mills, NY

7. vi. LUCILLE MARY BRIGGS, b. January 24, 1917, NY; d. January 24, 1990, Utica, NY.

vii. GERALD RAYMOND BRIGGS, b. June 07, 1918; d. September 12, 1918.

viii. MILDRED A. BRIGGS, b. November 19, 1919; d. November 20, 1919.

8. ix. MURIEL ARLETTA BRIGGS, b. March 07, 1921; d. June 06, 1993.

Generation No. 3

3. ADELBERT ROLLO³ BRIGGS (ROLLO ELIJAH², ALBERT¹) was born February 01, 1901 in Syracuse, New York, and died April 08, 1988 in Cadiz, Kentucky. He married (1) LENA Bef. 1931. She was born Abt. 1905, and died Unknown. He married (2) FLOYE LAY Bef. 1932, daughter of TOOK LAY and EMILY MCWILLIAMS. She was born January 23, 1912 in Buck Creek, Lincoln Co., Kentucky, and died April 02, 1932 in Sopers, Kentucky. He married (3) NANNIE ELIZABETH WEAVER June 14, 1932. She was born March 01, 1916 in Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and died December 09, 1997 in Wichita, Kansas.

Adelbert left his first family in 1929 without a word, remarried and started another life in Cadiz, KY. It wasn't until the early 1975 that his son and daughter found him again. His granddaughter says he worked on the construction of Hoover Dam.

He was a World War I veteran. Adelbert fought the Russians during the waning days of WW I in a little know operation. The Bolsheviks were taking over Russia and the allied high command sent a force of American, British, French, Canadian and Japanese forces into Russia to help the anti-Bolsheviks block the Red takeover. Adelbert was in a 6000 man contingent sent to Archangel Russia in September 1918. He was a machine gunner in the infantry. Archangel was in extreme northern Russia just below the Arctic Circle. As other armies which have invaded Russia down through history, Adelbert's outfit found Russian weather the biggest foe. He recalled that the temperature dropped to - 60 degrees and the snow was eight feet deep when the American-British force moved up from Archangel just after Thanksgiving. Actual fighting between American and Russian lasted only a day.

Adelbert was an adopted Kentuckian, having been born in New York but he was all American. He was just 16 when America went to war and he misrepresented his age. He was mustered out of the Army shortly after WW I, he re enlisted in 1930 but took a medical discharge a year later. Adelbert was a dedicated flag raiser. He put out the flag every day until stopped by health. The flag is still flying over the Briggs home on Rockcastle Shores Road near Cadiz.

He was a fishing and hunting guide in Cadiz.

Adelbert is buried at Trigg Memory Acres, Cadiz, Trigg Co., KY

4. ISMA GERTRUDE³ BRIGGS (ROLLO ELIJAH², ALBERT¹) was born July 07, 1908 in Cortland, NY and died July 06, 1961 in Buffalo, NY. She married EMMENS LEHUE KITCHIN 1931 in Washington DC. He was born April 07, 1910 in Baltimore, MD, USA, and died 1992 in Avon Park, FL.

Isma’s son tells "My Mother was a faithful communicant of the Free Methodist Church of Oneida NY. She was a Registered Nurse, having graduated from the program at Oneida Hospital on Broad Street, before her marriage. She volunteered much of her time to charity care of people in the church, and volunteered each summer to set up a clinic at the church's summer encampments. She worked as a nurse many years at Oneida City Hospital, then went to what was then Rome State School to work where she became in charge of training of new nurses, and was First Scrub Nurse in there surgical theater. (they were doing that themselves then).

From there she sold her homestead in Verona on old Rt. 365, in 1955, I believe, gave the whole sum to Gerry Homes for Children and Aged in Gerry, NY (Run by her church), and assumed a position there, as Nurse. She was responsible for establishing a real infirmary there, with hospital beds, and privacy curtains between the beds. (Unheard of then).

She developed breast cancer, had a radical mastectomy, at Rowel Park Memorial in Buffalo. Five years later, she was found with brain metastasis from that tumor, and she died at age 52, at Roswell, 30 days after diagnosis. She had lost her powers of speech, and I felt the only way to connect with her, was to read to her from the Bible. That elicited smiles. There were no CT scans, or MRI's then so surgery could not be done to extend her life. She is buried in the Village Cemetery in Verona."

5. HAROLD BLANEY³ BRIGGS (ROLLO ELIJAH², ALBERT¹) was born December 30, 1912 in Fabius, NY, and died May 27, 1997 in Otsego, NY. He married GEORGIA PENNOCK BERGMAN, daughter of GEORGE BERGMAN and LEOTA PENNOCK. She was born May 25, 1915 in Chittenango Station, New York, and died December 22, 1988 in Farmington, NH (Source: Death Certificate.).

When Harold completed high school, he told Grandpa Briggs that he would like to go to college and learn animal husbandry. Grandpa let him have 1 to 1-1/2 acres of muck land on which Dad grew two crops of cabbage. He used the money he got from his crops to pay for room, board and tuition at Morrisville College. In addition to his cabbage crop, he milked twice a day at the college to pay for his expenses. Dad was the fastest hand milker that Morrisville College ever had. He was a farmer all of his life.

He also was in an ice business with Grandpa Briggs. Grandpa was driving the ice truck once when there was a terrible fog. Another man was also driving on the same road. The other man had his head out of the window trying to see where he was going and our Grandpa Briggs ran into him and cut his head off. Grandpa lost his license and our Father ran the ice business by himself from then on.

Harold was cremated and his ashes were scattered under a tree on the farm where he spent his last years near Brookfield, New York.

6. FLOYD LOUIS³ BRIGGS (ROLLO ELIJAH², ALBERT¹) was born October 11, 1914 in Chittenango, New York, and died May 10, 1993 in New York Mills, NY, USA. He married ANNA MAY JONES October 01, 1939. She was born June 22, 1915 in New York Mills, NY, and died February 13, 1988.

For many years, Floyd was in the home building business and was employed by the General Electric Co for 20 years. After his retirement at age 55, he and his son-in-law ran the Briggs Fireplace and Wood business. Uncle Floyd served his country in the Navy during WW II and was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Utica. Floyd loved the game of golf and belonged to the Oriskany Hills and Glass Hills Golf Clubs and the New Hartford American Legion Post #1376.

FLOYD LOUIS BRIGGS is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery, New Hartford, New York, with his wife Anna

7. LUCILLE MARY³ BRIGGS (ROLLO ELIJAH², ALBERT¹) was born January 24, 1917 in NY, and died January 24, 1990 in Utica, NY. She married FRANK GRAGO. He was born August 07, 1915, and died November 1964.

LUCILLE MARY BRIGGS is buried at St. Agatha's Cemetery, Canastota, New York

8. MURIEL ARLETTA³ BRIGGS (ROLLO ELIJAH², ALBERT¹) was born March 07, 1921, and died June 06, 1993. She married WARREN J. VANDEUSEN. He was born 1898, and died October 10, 1961.

Aunt Muriel was a lifetime resident of Chittenango, New York. Uncle Warren and Aunt Muriel owned and operated the Original Ham That Am Ham Restaurant in Chittenango until 1949. I remember that my sister worked for Aunt Muriel in the restaurant one summer. The couple also owned the former Chittenango Hotel. Uncle Warren had built it in the hopes that losses would offset other income for income tax purposes; however, the hotel was so successful that it increased their tax burden. After Uncle Warren died, Aunt Muriel continued to operate the hotel until 1967.

Aunt Muriel was a communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, a member of the auxiliary of William Cain Post 1287, American Legion, and a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. She was a former member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

MURIEL ARLETTA BRIGGS is buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Chittenango, New York, with her husband Warren.

Uncle Warren is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Chittenango, New York overlooking his property below. From his marker you can see the large mansion that he and Aunt Muriel lived in. The barns and other out buildings have been replaced with apartment houses. There is also a large ball stadium behind the apartments.

Uncle Warren raised ponies as well as owned and operated the Original Ham That Am Ham and Chittenango Hotel.

Last revised: November 10, 2002