"SALLY WATSON" BIGGS Various web sites show "Sally Watson" as the name of the first wife of Reuben Biggs (b 1775) of Martin & Beaufort Cos NC and Stewart & Gibson Cos TN. I claim this couple as my great-great-great-grandparents, and want again to alert all of their descendants to the likelihood that Sally was born a Williams and not a Watson. Documentation proves that "Sally" was her first name, but I have found no substantiation for the statement in Hale & Merritt's 1913 "History of Tennessee and Tennesseans" that "the maiden name of [Reuben's] first wife was Watson, who was the mother of all his children..." The name first appears as "Sally Watson" in "A Family History and List of Descendants of Cornelius Anderson and Mary (Scott) Anderson, with a genealogy of the Biggs Family". Reuben's wife has not been found as "Sally Watson" in any earlier record. This name is a "composite" - the first name coming from original records and the surname from the Hale & Merritt book. The informant for the articles on Reuben Biggs and his son Luke in the Hale & Merritt book appears to have been either Luke's son Dr. Zach Biggs or one of Zach's children. Apparently the writer of the articles was given the wrong maiden name for Mrs. Reuben Biggs or he applied it to the wrong branch of Zach's family. In his Civil War questionnaire Zach stated that Watson was the maiden name of his MATERNAL grandmother (mother of Luke's wife, Marina Bennett). Sally was Zach's PATERNAL grandmother. Sally is sometimes found in queries as "Sally/Matilda Watson" or "Sally Matilda Watson". This ostensibly comes from the Cornelius Anderson booklet mentioned above, which gives Sally's last name as Watson and Reuben's second wife's name on the 1850 census as Matilda. Hale & Merritt refer to Reuben's "first wife". The Matilda (b ca 1783 NC) who is listed with Reuben in the Gibson Co TN 1850 census is undoubtedly another wife. Sally, judging from the 1820 census, was born in 1775 or earlier. In his 1796 will in Beaufort Co NC, Thomas Williams mentions Reuben and Sally Biggs. Although the will does not specifically state Sally's relationship to Thomas, she is apparently his granddaughter, being bequeathed an equal share with the grandchildren he names. (See will below.) Sally being a nickname for Sarah, she was possibly the Sarah Williams named as a daughter in the 1792 Beaufort County will of James Williams, son of Thomas. Sally's first son was named James Biggs. He is probably the James W. Biggs listed next to Reuben in the 1820 census of Stewart Co TN. Drucilla (Biggs) Anderson, who circumstantial evidence indicates was one of three daughters born to Reuben and Sally, named her first son Cornelius Williams Anderson. Andy Anderson -------------- WILL OF THOMAS WILLIAMS, signed July 6, 1796. Surnames: Williams, Howell, Biggs, Wilson, Lenair (Lanier), Short, Deel Recorded Beaufort County, North Carolina, Old Wills, pages 324,325. In the name of God. Amen. I, THOMAS WILLIAMS, of Beaufort County, being weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory (thanks be to God for the same), therefore calling to mind the mortality of [the] body and knowing it is appointed once for all men to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say, principally and first of all, I give my soul to God that gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth, to be buried in a Christian-like manner, and, as touching of those worldly goods it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life, I give, dismiss and dispose of in the following manner and form: I lend to my loving wife, ANNA WILLIAMS, all my moveable property, both within and without, during her lifetime or widowhood, and at her death or marriage to be as hereafter mentioned. Item, I give to my grandson JAMES WILLIAMS that piece of land formerly called HOWELL land and one half of the land I now live on, being that part join[ing] the Howell land up to the road, as it now stands, as far as the bottom, where we caught the wolf*, thence a straight course to the middle of the back line; also one desk, one large chest, two feather beds, cooper's tools, shoemaker's tools, one half of my hand mill, one half of my grindstone, one case of bottles, one pair of firedogs, one pair stillards, plow and [horse?], one teakettle, one table, one gun, one pot, with one half of my other moveable property that I have not given out in legacies, upon his letting of REUBEN BIGGS have so much of the plantation to tend as he shall need, and paying legacies as one half of said legacies mentioned to the other grandchildren hereafter named, and in case said JAMES WILLIAMS dies without lawful heirs of his body, I desire all I have given him be equally divided between SALLEY BIGGS, LUKE WILLIAMS, CANADAY** WILLIAMS, BERTIMEUS** WILLIAMS, LENICE WILLIAMS, ELISABETH WILLIAMS, to him and his heirs forever. Item, I give to SALLEY and REUBEN BIGGS one half of three hundred acres of land, being the land and plantation whereon I now live, being the upper part of said land, the road as it now stands to be the line as far as to the bottom where we caught the wolf, thence a straight course to the middle of the back line, also the best feather bed and furniture, one great pot, one pair of hand bellows, one lining [linen?] wheel called Ditch Rim, one wooling wheel, one pair smoothing irons, one little table, one gun, one case of bottles, one half of my hand mill, one half of my grindstone, with one half of all my other property, within and without, with all the property they have already in possession, upon his paying one half of sums hereafter mentioned to my other grandchildren hereafter named, to him and his heirs forever. Item, I give to my grandson LUKE WILLIAMS forty shillings, to be paid out of my estate by JAMES WILLIAMS and REUBEN BIGGS when he, the [said] LUKE gets married and not before, to him and his heirs forever. Item, I give to my grandson BERTEMIAS WILLIAMS forty shillings when he gets married, to him and his heirs forever. Item, I give to my granddaughter CANSADAY WILLIAMS forty shillings when she gets married, to her and her heirs forever. Item, I give to my granddaughter LENICE WILLIAMS forty shillings when she marries, to her and her heirs forever. Item, I give to my granddaughter ELISABETH WILLIAMS forty shillings when she marries, to her and her heirs forever. Item, I give to my granddaughter WINEFRED WILLIAMS forty shillings when she marries, to her and her heirs forever. And I desire the few acres of land that lies joining WILSON, Esq., and LENAIR*** be sold and put to the use of paying off the legacies before mentioned to my grandchildren, and I choose and ordain that REUBEN BIGGS and JAMES WILLIAMS and KEDAR BIGGS be my executors of this, my last will and testament, and I do hereby revoke and disannul all and every other will, legacies, beque(sts) and executors by me willed or bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament, in confirmation of which I have hereunto set my hand and fixed my seal this, the sixth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six. THOMAS WILLIAMS (his mark) {seal} Signed, sealed and declared by Thomas Williams to be his last will and testament in presence of us: WILLIAM SHORT WINEFRED SHORT DIANAH DEEL (her mark) --------------------- *Original text reads "where we ketchd the woolf". **The various spellings of the names Cansaday and Bertimeus are copied as they appear in the original. ***"Lenair" probably should be spelled "Lanier".