Rigby Family

Rigby Family History

Seth Rigby I, came from Virginia in 1804. He leased the farm owned by the James Shields heirs, which he occupied one year. In 1805 he rented a place belonging to David Kennedy, whose tract cornered on the southwest with the one which Mr. Rigby settled in 1806. When the Rigby's came to Lawrence County the family consisted of his wife, and six children, of which 3 were born afterward. Mr. Rigby first put a log cabin on his place on the west side of the Big Run, near the stream and set out an orchard. This was not a convenient location for a dwelling and he removed it to the lower land east of the creek.

Seth Rigby III was one of the best known citizens of New Castle, who was a representative of the oldest pioneer family of Lawrence County and was born on the old Rigby Homestead. He is the son of Seth & Margaret Rigby.

Seth Rigby II, the son of Seth I, and the father of Seth III, was born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia two and a half miles Northeast of Winchester in 1793. In 1800 he accompanied his father to Lawrence County, where he later bought 300 acres of government land, which father and son subsequently cleared. In 1801 the home was established on the farm that the present Seth Rigby owns. (NOTE: THIS IS THE PHELPS HOMESTEAD AND AUNT LUELLA STILL RESIDES THERE!!)

During his early manhood Seth worked in the mills, engaged in farming, market gardening and limestone quarrying. He was a loyal patriotic citizen, and demonstrated this in 1862, when he enlisted for service in the civil war. He entered company B, fourteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. He served faithfully for two years and eleven months under General Sheridan, that fearless commander who never spared either himself nor his soldiers when dangerous duty was to be faced. Mr. Rigby had his horse shot out from under him but fortunately escaped injury to himself. He entered the army as a private but for about one year served as a sergeant of his company. He was honorably discharged May 25, 1865, and immediately returned to the old homestead.

In 1871, Mr. Rigby married Elizabeth Carson, who died December 11, 1899. She was the daughter of Alexander Carson, who was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, During the Civil War. Mr. & Mrs. Rigby had seven children:

Ida Mae, born 12/3/1872 died in 1902. She married Samuel Parks and they had one daughter, Mabel who married George Allen Leslie. They had two children, Ruth and Allen.

Harvey worked as heater in the Shenango Tim Mill, was born 1/30/1875 and died in 1918.

Harvey married Jeanette Shoaf and they had six children. Four children - Pearl, Carl, Wesley and Frank died at an early age. Harry and Luella, included as part of the Phelps family, survived and were considered as brother and sister by the Phelps children. Luella still lives in the Rigby/Phelps homestead.

Luella Margaret was born 2/4/1877 and died in 1944. She was married to Richard Parks and they had two children James and Kathy. Luella's husband died when the children were very young. After the death of her husband Luella moved into the home of her brother Hugh. At the same time Hugh Rigby's wife died as had a niece, Mabel, wife of George Leslie. Each of these had two children. 

Hugh Carson Rigby born 9/21/1880 and died on 5/16/1868. He married Mary Ryan. Hugh's wife died leaving him with two children, Miriam and Luella. Luella married Sam Baldwin and they had two children, Carol and Lee. Hugh Rigby had just built a home on property that was part of the original Rigby tract - which is still there next to Aunt Luella's. Since his sister was left with two children and since the niece Mabel Leslie had died leaving George Leslie with two young children the three adults and six children all moved into Hugh Rigby's home. Luella became the mother to all six. Thus in the home were Hugh Rigby and his two children, Luella Parks and her two children, and Allen Leslie and his two. Six children with three different names all called her mother. Luella Parks later married Allen Leslie and thus became the Leslie children's step-mother.   (picture above: Luella Rigby Leslie Parks, known as Aunt LuLu, and Aunt Sally with two children of LuLu's Carol and Lee.)

Robert Perry Rigby born 3/8/1879 and died in 1965. He married Annie Phillips and had four children, Robert, Ruby, Lucille and George. Perry moved to California and resided there all his life. Harry Rigby, Luella Long's brother went to California and lived out his life there.

(Note: The history of the Rigby family is copied from the 20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County PA.)
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Seth Rigby, Sr.,

came from Virginia in 1804, and leased the farm owned by the James Shields heirs, which he occupied one year, and in 1805, rented a place of Dennis Kennedy, whose tract cornered on the southwest with the one which Mr. Rigby settled in 1806. When the Rigbys came to Lawrence County the family consisted of Mr. Rigby, his wife and six children, and three children were born afterwards. Mr. Rigby first put up a log cabin on his place on the west side of Big Run, near the stream, and set out an orchard. This not being a convenient location for a dwelling, he removed it to the lower land on the east side of the creek.

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Civil War:

Rigby, Seth, private, Co. B, 14th Cavalry. Enlisted November 23, 1862; discharged May 28, 1865.

James C. Rigby, private, died at Richmond, Va., December 29, 1862. 76TH REGIMENT.  Company G.

SETH RIGBY,

one of the best known citizens of New Castle, who is a representative of the oldest pioneer family of Lawrence County, was born on the old Rigby homestead, on which he still lives, in 1837, and is a son of Seth and Margaret (Brady) Rigby.

Seth Rigby, father of Seth, was also a son of Seth, and was born July 7, 1793, in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, two and one-half miles northeast of Winchester. In 1800 he accompanied his father to Lawrence County, where the latter bought 300 acres of government land, which father and son subsequently cleared. In 1801 the home was established on the farm which the present Seth Rigby owns. Seth Rigby II. served as a soldier in the War of 1812. In his early days he was a strong Whig, but became an equally ardent supporter of the Republican party after, its organization. He married Margaret Brady, who was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and they had twelve children, four sons and eight daughters. The eldest son, Isaac, lost his life at the battle of Resaca, Ga., during the Civil War.

Seth Rigby, the present bearer of the old family name, is the only survivor of his parents' large family. During his early manhood he worked in the mills, but since the death of his father he has been engaged in farming, market gardening and quarrying limestone. He has ever been a loyal and patriotic citizens and demonstrated the same in 1862, when he enlisted for service in the Civil War, entering Company B, Fourteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. He served faithfully for two years and eleven months under General Sheridan, that fearless commander who never spared ether himself nor his soldiers when dangerous duty was to be faced. On two occasions, Mr. Rigby had his horse shot from under him but fortunately escaped injury to himself. He entered the army as a private, but for about one year of his service he acted as sergeant of his company. He was honorably discharged May 28, 1865, and immediately returned to the old homestead, where he has lived quietly and usefully ever since.

In 1871, Mr. Rigby was married to Elizabeth Carson, who died December 11, 1899. She was a daughter of Alexander Carson, who was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, during the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Rigby had seven children, namely: Ida May, deceased; Harvey, who works as a heater in the Shenango tin mill; Luella, who married Richard Parks, who works as a fireman in the steel mill; Robert Perry, residing at Potter Valley, Cal., is an electrician; Hugh Carson works as a mill man in the heating department; Susan Irene is the wife of Thomas Phelps; and Frank, deceased. Mr. Rigby has reared his family in the faith of the Disciple Church, and has set them a good example, being an official of the Central Christian Church for the past nine years. He united with the Christian Church at Pumpkin Town in 1856, prior to the Civil War. He has ever since been active in mission work, both at home and abroad. Mr. Rigby's reminiscences of early days in what is now the southern part of New Castle are very interesting. He has survived not only the members of his own family, but those of many others who were once prominent in this section, but are now only honored names.

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CHARLES C. RIGBY,

 a member of the city council of New Castle, representing the Fifth Ward, has been almost a lifelong resident of this city. His is one of the old families of Lawrence County.

Eli Rigby, father of Charles C., was born at New Castle, Pa., in 1822, and died in this city in 1875. He was a son of James Rigby, who came to Lawrence County in pioneering days, and owned land among the earliest settlers. Eli Rigby followed the carpenter trade at New Castle, and was ever a respected citizen.

Charles C. Rigby was left fatherless in boyhood, and thus he was deprived of many advantages which come to youths differently situated. After the death of his father he became self-supporting, entering the rolling mills at Sharon, and he continued to work in different mills until April, 1902. He learned the work in different departments, including the heating, but the strain became too great for his health, and he was thus forced to retire from mill work. Since then he has been engaged in a real estate business, and has met with very satisfying success. In 1907 alone he had nineteen houses erected on lots he is handling.

In 1892 Mr. Rigby was married to Miss Alice Hayes, who was born and reared at New Castle, and is a daughter of Edward Hayes. They have two children, Charles Edward and Adelaide,

Mr. Rigby, as a citizen, has always shown himself solicitous for the general welfare of his place of residence, and has assisted in promoting many of her important public enterprises. He is serving as a member of the council, and his duties are faithfully performed. Fraternally he belongs to the Odd Fellows and to the Maccabees, and he is also a member of the Business Men's Exchange.

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OLD FORTIFICATIONS.

When the first white settlers came to this region (after the Moravians) they found the crumbling remains of an old fortification. It was a small regular earth-work enclosing about one acre of ground, and was located on land now belonging to Thomas Brown. Mr. Samuel Copper, now living in Moravia, recollects seeing it when a boy. It has been plowed and worked over until no traces of it remain. It was undoubtedly thrown up by a company of French soldiers, who frequently passed up and down this stream in their journeys between the Ohio and the Canada's.* Post speaks of seeing a company of them during his visit to Beaver valley.

*A company of the French garrison of Fort Duquesne was stationed somewhere in the Beaver or Mahoning Valley during the Winter of 1758-59, succeeding the capture of the Fort by General Forbes.

One of the early settlers, and very possibly the earliest after the Moravians, was Hugh Gaston, who, according to the recollections of Seth Rigby and other old settlers, came into the valley as early as 1795-96, and settled temporarily on the five-hundred-acre tract which included the ground now occupied by the hamlet of Moravia. This tract was originally owned by David R. Porter, afterwards Governor of Pennsylvania. Robert Shannon, of Beavertown, purchased it about 1830; but, on account of Hugh Gaston's living upon it for some time, it was known as the "Gaston tract."*

*This tract was found to contain, by actual survey, about 620 acres.

"Hughie," as he was familiarly called, was a confirmed old bachelor, and is remembered by Mr. Rigby and others as the owner of two horses, two guns and two dogs. He was a great hunter, and lived solitary and alone until his brother, James Gaston, came out with his family, about 1800, and moved into the cabin with him. The brothers removed to a tract of land in what is now the northwest corner of Shenango township, about 1802-3. Their location was near what is now called Normal Glen--vulgarly, "Pumpkintown."

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THOMAS RIGBY.

The subject of this sketch was born near Winchester, Va., about the year 1798, and came with his parents to New Castle in 1806.

At that time New Castle consisted of only a few houses of the most primitive form, and where now is a thickly built-up portion of the city, Mr. Rigby hunted the deer and other game, which existed in great abundance. The red man ruled the country, and Indians in their bark canoes were frequently seen gliding along the smooth waters of the Shenango.

The only route to Pittsburgh, from which place many of the supplies of the early settlers were brought, was a bridle path, and the only transportation was on pack saddles, Mr. Rigby had an excellent memory, and took great delight in relating his reminiscences of those by-gone days. In 1825 he married Elmira Squire of New Castle, and raised a large family of children.

He was a jeweler by trade, and by slow and steady gains—the result of honesty and industry—acquired a competency.

He enjoyed the esteem and confidence of all who knew him, as a good citizen and upright man, and possessing a heart that never allowed a human being to suffer if in his power to give relief. He was especially noted for his skill and kindness in seasons of sickness, particularly among the poor. Mr. Rigby's death was very sudden, and occurred on the morning of Tuesday, March 11, 1873. He had risen early—as was his habit—complaining slightly, but no more than usual, of pain in one of his arms, in which he had been for some time suffering with partial paralysis, took his usual walk, attended to some chores, and had sat down by the stove in a back room of his shop, and was engaged in conversation with his friend, Mr. James Wallace. He took the tongs to put a piece of coal upon the fire, when the tongs fell from his hand, and he straightened up in his chair and almost instantly expired.

Mr. Rigby was for years previous to this event impressed that his death would be sudden, and had frequently expressed his desire and expectation to die without lingering upon a bed of sickness. Conforming to this view he kept his business matters closely settled up. Ripe in years and ready for the call, peacefully and calmly he passed away, and exchanged mortality for immortality.

Mrs. Rigby followed her husband in about two months, and died on the 15th of the following May. On retiring the evening previous, she seemed [p. 198] as well as usual. About ten o'clock her grandson, Fred. Rigby, who was residing with her, came in and spoke to his grandmother to let her know that it was he. Receiving no answer, he entered her room, and finding her breathing strangely, went for her daughter, Mrs. Hall, who lived next door, and then for a physician. By the time Mrs. Hall arrived, her mother appeared to have rallied, and asked: "Where is Fred?" Mrs. Hall replied, "He has gone for a doctor for you; you are not well." To which Mrs. Rigby replied, "You need send for no doctor for me, I am as well as ever I was." Soon after the arrival of the physican she became unconscious, and died about five the following morning, in her sixty-ninth year.

The father of Mr. Thomas Rigby was

SETH RIGBY, SEN.

His family comprised seven sons and two daughters, of whom there survives only one son, Seth Rigby, Jr., and Mrs. Hannah (Thomas) Baker, both of Lawrence county. Mr. Eli Rigby, eldest son of Seth Rigby, was born in Virginia about the year 1797, and died in New Castle in 1876, in his eightieth year. Like his father he was a wagon-maker by trade, and though he acquired it without a regular apprenticeship, he was one of the most thorough workmen that ever plied the trade in New Castle, many of his wagons lasting twenty-five years. He carried on the business for about forty years. He was scrupulously honest in his dealings, and was greatly respected in the community. He possessed a remarkably retentive and ready memory, and was long regarded as a living, incarnate history of all the important transactions of the community. His death resulted from a fall by which he was severely injured.