“William Biggs, from whom the Biggs House in this city derived its name, died at Huntington, West Virginia, Saturday morning, at the advanced age of 97. He was well-known in this city, having lived at the Biggs landing in Greenup county, Kentucky, for many years. He had large business interests in this city, owning considerable property , and some of his family owning the Biggs House at the time of his death.”
“He was for twenty years a director of the AC&I railroad1 in Kentucky, was several terms sheriff of Greenup county and a large stockholder in several iron furnaces about Ashland and Ironton. He was well-known by river men from Cincinnati to Pittsburg, doing a great amount of shipping and travel on the river. He has been all his life a very active man and continued to look after much of his large business interests personally until quite recently. He owned a fine farm just below Greenup, on which he formerly resided. He was resolute in his undertakings, seemingly always determined that his plans should not be thwarted. As an instance of this, sometime in the ’30’s he rented what was afterwards known as the Biggs farm, with the expectation of buying it at some future time. The owner resided in Louisville, A short time after he rode up to Greenup, and the postmaster, who was a friends of his, said to him: ‘Mr. Biggs, that farm on which you live will be sold within ten days. This morning a gentleman mailed a letter offering the owner his price for it.'”
“At that time the mails were carried overland by horseback, and it required some time for a letter to reach Louisville.”
“‘All right,’ says Mr. Biggs, ‘I will beat that letter.’ Mounting a fleet horse, he rode to Louisville, having to swim the Licking and other streams, bought the farm, and a few hours after the deed was signed the letter arrived. He had gained the day, and never parted with the farm he made the long and daring ride to secure.”
“For several years before the war he was a large slave owner, and several colored people now in this city were at one time the property of ‘Billy’ Biggs, as he was familiarly called. The writer of this article can remember in boyhood days of living on the Ohio side, opposite the Biggs farm, and of seeing the slaves going to and from their work in the fields.”
“Mr. Biggs was born in September, 1800, at the time of his death being almost 97 years old. He raised a large family, many of them still living., the oldest being probably 70 years. The wife of the deceased died several years ago, and since that time he has made his home with his children, staying the greater part of the time with George Biggs, the youngest son, and Mrs. Dr. Beardsley, a daughter at Huntington, West Virginia. At the age of seventy-five Mr. Biggs became a member of the Presbyterian church and lived a consistent member of that church until his death. While he was all his life an energetic, active, money-making man, having accumulated possibly $300,000, he was always liberal and charitable, ready at all times to relieve suffering or assist in any worthy enterprise. He was quick in his decisions upon any question, yet his judgement was always respected. His investments were always carefully made, and the large fortune accumulated is evidence of good judgement. A few years ago he divided his property as near equally as possible among his children. The Biggs House property being difficult to divide, he formed it into a stock company, making each of his children stockholders, and the property remains in control of this stock company today. It can well be said of William Biggs that this country was made better by his having lived in it. Peace to his ashes.”2
- Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad
- Wm. biggs. (1897, July 26). Portsmouth Daily Times, p. 3.
