James Bigger was my 4th great grandfather on my mothers side. He is also my brick wall. He settled in Owen County in 1816 with Phillip Hart. James married Harts daughter Elizabeth (2nd wife). I'd descended through his first wife Jane/Nancy Stewart/Steward via their son Stephen Lowry. We also have connections to the Johnson, Light, Goodin and Vaughn families among the early Owen County and Indiana settlers. The basic information that I have is as follows: (Questions that I'm looking for the answers of at the end). JAMES BIGGER was born February 11, 1783 in Pennsylvania, and died April 1, 1841 in Gridley Twsp, McLean County, Illinois. He married (1st) JANEY STEWARD/STEWART Bef. April 13, 1807. She was born Abt. 1789. He married (2nd) ELIZABETH HART August 14, 1818 in Owen County, Indiana, daughter of PHILIP HART and SUSANNA JOHNSON. She was born October 12, 1797 in Kentucky, and died 1863. Children of JAMES BIGGER and JANEY STEWARD/STEWART are: STEPHEN LOWRY BIGGER, b. April 13, 1807, Ohio; d. August 22, 1866, Indiana. He married SARAH (SALLY) VAUGHN June 7, 1827 in Spencer, Indiana, daughter of LUKE VAUGHN and REBECCA EDWARDS. She was born August 16, 1811 in Springfield, Washington Co., Kentucky, and died April 6, 1896. Children of STEPHEN BIGGER and SARAH VAUGHN are: JOHN BIGGER, b. Abt. 1828. REBECCA BIGGER, b. Abt. 1833, Indiana; m. JAMES M. JOHNSON, April 12, 1855, Owen County, Indiana; b. Abt. 1830. LEONARD BENHAM BIGGER, b. January 26, 1840; d. June 19, 1905, Owen County, Indiana. SAMUEL P. BIGGER, b. August 26, 1846; d. March 18, 1915. ABIGAIL MARIAH BIGGER, b. January 28, 1809, Franklin, Ohio; d. September 18, 1888, Lockland, Ohio. Abigail did not move to Owen County when her father and siblings settled in Owen County, she lived with an aunt in what is now Hamilton County, Ohio. She married SAMUEL ROBERT HAMILTON October 24, 1833, son of DAVID HAMILTON and MARGARET GARDNER. He was born December 14, 1799 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and died April 17, 1876 in Lockland, Ohio. MINERVA BIGGER, b. Abt. 1812; d. October 1855, Owen County, Indiana. She married HEZEKIAH GOODEN March 19, 1833 in Spencer (Owen County), Indiana. He was born Abt. 1801 in Kentucky, and died April 1, 1861 in Franklin Twsp, Owen County, Ohio. (Their daughter Nancy was the 2nd wife of Israel Light, my 3rd great grandfather on my maternal grandmothers side) LEONARD BENHAM BIGGER, son of Stephen Bigger, born January 26, 1840, died June 19, 1905 in Owen County, Indiana. He married MARY JOHNSON February 26, 1860 in Owen County, Indiana, daughter of LEWIS JOHNSON and ELIZABETH WISE. She was born April 14, 1840 in Freedom (Owen County), Indiana, and died August 24, 1920 in Freedom, Indiana. Their children were as follows; (John Larry was my great grandfather) SARAH BIGGER, b. December 14, 1860; m. (1) RITTER, Bef. April 1881; m. (2) THOMAS A. ARTHUR, September 29, 1886, Freedom, Owen county, IN (Bk. H26, P.154); b. Abt. June 1831, Kentucky; d. October 5, 1905, Franklin Twp, Owen County, Indiana. FINLEY W. BIGGER, b. July 21, 1862. JOHN LARRY BIGGER, b. March 10, 1864, Indiana; d. October 31, 1946, Terre Haute, Indiana; m. (1) NARCISSUS DRIVELBISS, March 1, 1891; b. November 30, 1865, Greenhill, Indiana; d. December 20, 1893, Kentland (Newton County) Indiana; m. (2) NANCY ISABELLE GENTRY, April 21, 1898, Owen County, Indiana; b. July 25, 1860, Indiana; d. August 23, 1929, Terre Haute, Indiana; m. (3) ORA BOWEN, Unknown, Indiana; b. Abt. 1879; d. Abt. 1960, Terre Haute, Indiana.. JOSEPHINE BIGGER, b. September 19, 1866, Greene County, Indiana; m. FRANK SCOTT, July 26, 1896, Owen County, Indiana; b. Abt. 1872, Owen County, Indiana. ELIZABETH BIGGER, b. June 20, 1869, Indiana; m. JOSEPH M. LUCAS, September 15, 1898, Freedom, Indiana; b. Abt. 1867, Greene County, Indiana. ANDERSON BIGGER, b. February 20, 1871, Freedom, Owen County, Indiana; d. September 14, 1939, Spencer, Owen County, Indiana; m. Abt. 1889. EVA BIGGER, b. December 30, 1875, Freedom, Indiana; d. May 3, 1902, Indiana; m. JAMES KNOX POLH MCBRIDE, November 7, 1900, Freedom, Indiana; b. Abt. 1871, Freedom, Indiana. DENVER BIGGER, b. January 15, 1879, Freedom, Indiana; m. MINNIE EVA DAVIS, February 9, 1901, Freedom, Indiana; b. Abt. 1875, Freedom, Indiana. ANNA BIGGER, b. Abt. 1880. Many questions, a few here. James Bigger can be tracked backward from Owen County in 1816; the US Military in 1813-1815 Clark County, Charlestown and Vincennes; the Indiana Militia in 1810/1811 (Tippacanoe, Charlestown, Clark County) and Franklin (County or Town), Ohio in 1809. Can not yet determine where born and who his parents were. The possible include Erie, PA (there were Biggers there in the late 1700, early 1800's, KY, SW Ohio and SW PA for the same reasons (there's hints that they may all be related). I suspect that Minerva was born in Clark County but have not tried to track that down yet. There is more than one marriage between Biggers and Johnsons in the Owen area. I'm wondering if there are connections? Leonard Bigger married Mary Johnson who had a brother, James M. Johnson. Leonards sister Rebecca married a James M. Johnson. Relationship?? I also find that when tracing my closer "cousins" answers back that we usually have more than just the Bigger connection. One final question. How did I ever get into this frustrating and fascinating project?? Dick Smith Biggers and more dws@cet.com