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From: "Alison Wallner" <>
Subject: [NJHUNTER] JOHN HIGGINS - The Details Of the Search
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 23:21:49 -0800


Hello Listers!

One of the List members, Andrew Johnson, made an excellent suggestion -
to share the "details" of the search for JOHN HIGGIN's father, so everyone would know what has been done so far.

As I've already mentioned, my mother, Althea F. Courtot, (who is probably familiar to those of you who are DALRYMPLE researchers) has been doing genealogical research for a very long time. Because she is 78 now, and partially blind, she has turned the search over to me.

JOHN HIGGINS (b. 25 March 1769 in probably Hunterdon Co.) lived near Wertsville in Delaware Twp. He married Priscilla WERT (b. 20 July 1774) who was the dau of Henry Wert and Mrs. Priscilla STILLWELL. He and Priscilla are buried in the Old School Baptist Church, Locktown, Delaware Twp.

All the "usual" Hunterdon and NJ records/sources have been checked, census, wills, probates, land, death, marriage, church, etc etc etc. Research into connected family lines also have yeilded no clues to John's father's identity. Birth record would have probably been a family bible, which has never been located. We have arrived at the point of the search where an "extraordinary" source, or re-examinging some clues, seems to be all that remains.

The name PAUL COOL keeps popping up, but so far, if there is some connection to John HIGGINS' father, it has eluded us!

Ca 1790 John HIGGINS was living by NATHANIEL HIGGINS. Nathaniel b. 28 June 1760 was the son of Jonathan 4 HIGGINS (Jediah 3, Jediah 2, Richard 1) who married Martha PERINE. Nathaniel's siblings: Judiah H. b. 14 Oct 1751 d. 1 Feb 1820 Amwell m. (1) Mary HILL (2) Rachel McPHERSON.Jonathan b. 17 July 1756 d. 11 Oct 1829 Hunterdon m. Mary READING.Martha b. 28 Aug 1762 d. 15 Feb 1833 m. John COVENHOVEN.

My great grandfather's brother, John DALRYMPLE, remembered that the family had visited a MAHLON HIGGINS and thought he was a "cousin". There were two Mahlon HIGGINS, Mahlon Clark HIGGINS was the son of Jesse 6 HIGGINS (Jediah 5, Jonathan 4, Jediah 3, Jediah 2, Richard 1) and Elizabeth CLARK. He married Lucretia VOORHEES.

So two clues lead us back to JONATHAN 4 HIGGINS. In his will he named sons Jediah, Jonathan, and Nathanial and daughter "Peggy" Covenhoven. There is no mention of a son JOHN. Have been unable to locate any info that would indicate John was the son of Jonathan 4.

Both Mahlon Higgins were in Raritan. Hannah 4 HIGGINS who m. Lot RITTENHOUSE was the dau of Joseph 3 HIGGINS. The other Mahlon HIGGINS was Joseph's line, and here we have a family connection to the RITTENHOUSEs. This is why we are looking at JOSEPH 3's sons JEDIAH 4 and JOSHUA 4 as possible father's of JOHN HIGGINS. (The other sons have been investigated and these are the only two that we can't come up with any reliable info on their sons.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Alison

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