Benjamin Baird Siggins and Druzilla E. Belnap

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Husband Benjamin Baird Siggins ¹

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           Born: 27 Jul 1827 - Youngsville, Brokenstraw Twp, Warren Co, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 14 Jun 1903 - Youngsville, Brokenstraw Twp, Warren Co, PA 2
         Buried: 

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         Father: Alexander Siggins (1793-1858) 1 3 4
         Mother: Margaret Kinnear (1801-1877) 1 5 6

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       Marriage: 1865 7

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   Other Spouse: Elizabeth Erma Walker (1833-1864) 1 - 24 Feb 1856 - Chariton, Lucas Co, IA 2

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Wife Druzilla E. Belnap ²

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           Born: 1839 - Pittsfield, Warren Co, PA 7
     Christened: 
           Died: July 9th, 1915 - Youngsville, Brokenstraw Twp, Warren Co, PA 7
         Buried: 

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         Father: Philo Gurnsey Belnap (Abt 1800/1808-      ) 8
         Mother: Elizabeth Mead (1811-      ) 8 9

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Children

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1 M Albert B. Siggins ²

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           Born: 1866 - Philadelphia, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 1866 2
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Did Not Marry

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2 F Lidia B. Siggins ¹⁰

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            AKA: Lida B. Siggins 2
           Born: 3 Feb 1867 - Philadelphia, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 29 Jun 1887 - Colby Co, KS 2
         Buried: 

         Spouse: George W. Hyatt (      -      ) 10
           Marr: 1886 2

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General Notes: Husband - Benjamin Baird Siggins

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He attended Allegheny College after which he studied law, and practiced for a time in Chariton, Iowa. He then moved with his family to Colorado, making the trip with teams and covered wagons, and narrowly escaping capture by the Indians. In Colorado he engaged in mining. He also was judge of the probate court in Central City, Colorado. In 1864 he moved his family to Pennsylvania where his (first) wife died shortly after. He married again and lived with his second wife for many years at Youngsville.

He attended Meadville College, studied law and practiced awhile in Chariton, Iowa; then went to Colorado near Central City, Gilpin County, where he engaged for a number of years in gold mining. He became judge of the Probate Court. While the family was on a visit in Warren County, Pennsylvania, his wife sickened and died at the home of Kinnear Siggins at Cobham, near Tidioute. He married again and went to Philadelphia, where they lived three years, after which they returned to Warren County. He was always interested in educational matters, served as member of the School Board in Youngsville for six years. While on a visit to his daughter, Emma S. White, in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1895 or 1896, he wrote the following:
"After I left college, I read a course of law in the office of George B. Delamater; afterwards I taught school for three or four years. I was considered quite a traveler for those days for I had been twice to the adjoining county of Crawford and had also visited New York state. In the Spring of 1851, I made the trip from Brokenstraw to St. Paul going all the way by water to Pittsburg on a raft. From there I went down the Ohio River to St. Louis and from there to St. Paul, Minnesota. While there I visited-St. Anthony's Falls, which was the head of navigation for the Mississippi boats. While in St. Paul I worked in the office of the Secretary of State; here I met Irvine Siggins, son of my uncle William.
"From St. Paul I went to Iowa and worked with a government surveying party laying out township sites. I soon contracted fever and ague and was ill for some weeks. I fortunately fell in with a man who took the best of care of me and stayed with me until I had recovered. I then left the Coon River district near Ft. Des Moines for the more healthful locality on the Redbank River. Here I met an attorney, Mr. Allen, who made arrangements for me to call upon a judge in Des Moines before whom I appeared for a verbal examination which resulted in my being turned over to a committee who finally after a lengthy questioning on their part, gave me a certificate which formally admitted me to the Bar at the next term of the District Court of Lucas Co.
I settled in Chariton in July 1852, and lived with a man named Henry Allen. The court house was a small two story log structure, the lower floor being used for public meetings, post office, court room, etc. Rev. Searcy, the postmaster, had a method all his own for delivering the mail. Untying the hemp mail sack, he scattered the contents on the floor and shouted 'Pick out your mail', all that was left he carried in his pockets as he went about town delivering them to the parties to whom they were addressed."
His daughter tells the following:
In the summer of 1861 my father, Benjamin B. Siggins, with his family, was journeying overland from Iowa to Colorado. Somewhere in Nebraska we became separated from our friends who were making the journey with us. We stopped one evening to make camp and were just sitting down to our evening meal when an old Indian chief of the Pawnee Tribe walked into the tent. Father gave him a generous helping of warm biscuits, after eating them he went outside and soon returned with a sharp stick in his hand, this he proceeded to fill with the biscuits which remained on the table. After his departure mother made more biscuits, when we were about to resume our interrupted meal our Indian visitor returned bringing several members of his tribe with him. These were fed as the others had been, departing almost immediately thereafter. When the old chief again returned with still other hungry men father was obliged to refuse to feed them fearing his supply of flour would not last until we reached the next town. This angered the Indians and they withdrew to some distance to hold a council to determine what should be done with us. At the end of about an hour they returned and pointing off across the prairie motioned us to be off-we were not long in taking our departure. It was a very dark night and not until nearly morning did the stars appear revealing to us the fact that we had turned completely around and were driving directly toward the camp we had quitted so hurriedly the night before. This timely discovery probably averted what might have easily been a tragic encounter to say the least." -Laura Siggins Messerly

1 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 284.

2 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 285.

3 Editor, Book of Biographies, 37th Judicial District, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Biographical Publishing Company, 1899), Pg 321.

4 Emma Siggins White, Genealogical Gleanings of Siggins and Other Pennsylvania Families (Kansas City, MO: Tiernan-Dart Printing Co., 1918), Pg 78, 231.

5 J. S. Schenck, History of Warren County, Pennsylvania (Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., Publishers, 1887), Pg lv.

6 Emma Siggins White, Genealogical Gleanings of Siggins and Other Pennsylvania Families (Kansas City, MO: Tiernan-Dart Printing Co., 1918), Pg 78.

7 Emma Siggins White, Genealogical Gleanings of Siggins and Other Pennsylvania Families (Kansas City, MO: Tiernan-Dart Printing Co., 1918), Pg 256.

8 Emma Siggins White, Genealogical Gleanings of Siggins and Other Pennsylvania Families (Kansas City, MO: Tiernan-Dart Printing Co., 1918), Pg 235.

9 Spencer P. Mead, History and Genealogy of the Mead Family (New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1901), Pg 314.

10 Emma Siggins White, Genealogical Gleanings of Siggins and Other Pennsylvania Families (Kansas City, MO: Tiernan-Dart Printing Co., 1918), Pg 257.