Leah Riggs

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@R-1884656085@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

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Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=26845651&pid...

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39452200

The Cossart Family History; Compiled & Published By The Cossart Family Association (Joseph A. Cossairt primary contributor), 1939, 6 Vols.; Trnscribed by Landon Cozad 2002 (deceased Nov 2012; see his obituary on internet).

Copy of TRANSCRIPTION purchased by researcher: Gloria Odom Trommler of Lancaster Co., PA. Contributed here for further research 3/10/2013.

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PAGES 105 & 117-119.

613. LEAH COSSART: (Cosart—Cosad.—Casad.—Cozad)

 (Jacob Cosart 601; Anthony Cossart 9; Jacques Cossart 3; Jacques Cossart 1).

 Leah Cosart was born July 8, 1743; died February 27, 1827.  Married Joseph Riggs, born April 24, 1740; died February 26, 1829.

Leah was born in Somerset County, N.J. and died at Cranbury, N.J. She was married at Basking Ridge, Somerset County, N.J. The parents of her husband were David and Elizabeth (Cox) Riggs who came to Boston, Mass., in 1663.

The following letter was written to the compiler by a descendant of the above couple.

“ Ottawa, Illinois, January 7th, 1834.

Mr. Joseph A. Cossairt, The Lexington,

 San Pedro, Calif.

Sir:

Several months ago you very kindly sent your data pertaining to the Genealogy of the Cossart Family, to my daughter, Mrs. Virgil Reik of Jefferson City, Mo. A little later she sent this material to me with the request that I look it over and select such portions as might be of most importance for our information of this branch of the family.

I am a son of William Hankins (John 2; Enoch 1). Enoch Hankins married Elizabeth Riggs, a daughter of Joseph Riggs and Leah Cozad or Cossart (Jacob 601; Anthony 9; Jacques 3; Jacques 1). So you see our connection with the Cossart Family.

In my library, I have a genealogy of the Riggs Family which was given to my father by the author, John Hankins Wallace. He was the Editor of a magazine. Referring again to your material re-Leah Cossart we find “The Riggs Family hid the three murders of Charles I, King of England.” I have seen several statements similar to this which, without explanation, seems a little bit mis-leading.

It should be borne in mind, that these three men, with others, were duly appointed Judges who sat at the trial of the case when Charles I was tried for treason and was convicted. We may not exactly approve of the methods that were used to bring about the arrest, accusation, trial, conviction and execution of the King, but appears to be about as regular as most revolutionary acts usually are. If so, it is no more proper to call these Judges murderers than it would be to style any Judge a murderer when it may become his unpleasant duty to condemn a criminal to be hung or electrocuted.

 I do not believe it is necessary to go into the history of this matter very extensively at this time for you can read this in the history of the struggle between Cromwell and Charles I.  When Charles II came to the throne, he proceeded to avenge his father’s death.  According to all accounts what he did was plenty.  Many were executed with great brutality.  A few escaped.  Among these were two of the Judges, Walley and Goff.  I quote in part of a paragraph pertaining to Edward Riggs (son of Edward 1, the immigrant).

"In 1655, associated with Edward Wooster, Richard. Baldwin, John Browne, Robert Dennison, John Burnett and perhaps others, they bought from the Indians the district of country on the Naugatuck, then known as Paugusset, some ten or twelve miles above Milford, and established a plantation which was afterwards called Derby. The location of Sergeant Riggs is well known and still known as “Riggs Hill". On this hill, which is still in the possession of his descendants, he placed his habitation and built a strong stockade as a protection against the Indians. The first house stood by the rock, a few rods from where the present residence stands, and in this house Sergeant Edward Riggs secreted and protected Whaley and Goff, two of the English Parliment that condemed and executed Charles 1, while the emissaries of Charles II were making diligent search for them along the Connecticut coast, in 1661. While Edward was not a member of the church and consequently not a voter, this brave act, in the face of the vengence of the reestablished English throne, established beyond question two points in his character, viz., that he was governed by his convictions in considering human rights, and that his sympathies were wholly with the Puritans in the struggle for liberty with the mother country."

Years ago, while I was a student in Grammar school, I read a very interesting account, I think it was in Barnes History of the United States, of an Indian attack on the settlement. It happened on Sunday. All the settlers were at church. The Indians quietly crept up on the settlement and undoubtedly would have wiped It out of existance had not two men secreted in the house of Edward Riggs given the alarm which made it possible for the settlers to repulse the attack. The two men who gave the alarm were Whaley and Goff. It was certainly a lucky day for the settlers when Edward Riggs allowed his sympathy for the Puritian cause to prompt him to hide those regicides.

Very cordially yours,

/s/ Homer D. Hankins.

The children of Leah Cossart and Joseph Riggs were as mentioned below.

CHILDREN:

655. i. Elizabeth Riggs.

656. ii. Edward B. Riggs.

657. iii. Lucretia Riggs.

658. iv. John Riggs.

659. v. Jacob Riggs.

660. vi. Jane Riggs.

661. vii. Lewis Riggs.

662. viii. Hannah Riggs.

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LZ93-LH4/leah-cozad-1743-1827

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cozad-7