Stories, Obits & Bewilder - William Nelson Riggs & Willena Arbuckle Clan

William Riggs was the son of William Riggs & Mary Bryenton, born in 1846 at Charlottetown.  He married Willena Arbuckle, the daughter of Ole Willie Arbuckle & Mary Vincent in 1874 and they had 9 children. 

William was a Baggage Master with the PEI Railway and died in 1915; he is buried at the People's Protestant Cemetery with his wife and most of their children.

The Charlottetown Guardian, 22 Jul 1915
Riggs - At Charlottetown, on July 21st, Wm M Riggs, aged 68.  Funeral from his late residence, Grafton St, Friday, 24th inst, under the auspices of IOOF, serviced commencing at 3:30 pm.  Internment in People's Cemetery, Revs GS Taylor and FH Littlejohns officiating.

Willena died in 1944

The Charlottetown Guardian, 1 Apr 1944
In Memoriam - Mrs W N Riggs
A host of friends throughout Prince Edward Island and the Maritimes will regret to learn that Mrs Willena Riggs, wife of the late W N Riggs, died Thursday night, March 30th, at 250 Grafton Street.  She was in her 94th year.

Born Willena Arbuckle at Merigomish, NS, she came to Charlottetown 76 years ago and has made her home here ever since.  Her husband, former baggage master at the railway depot, predeceased her 29 years ago.

Though active all her life, she had been in failing health for the past three years and was confined to her bed for over a year.

She is survived by two sons, Joseph, Bank of Montreal manager, Ottawa, and Nelson, real estate operator, Wollaston, Mass; four daughters, Ida, Mrs J D Kennedy, Windsor, NS; Blanche, Mrs J E Cameron, Charlottetown; Willena, Mrs F MacQuarrie, East Chicago, Ind; and Lillian, Mrs James Shaw, Gary, Ind, as well as 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren also survive.  Three other children predeceased her, one of them Alfred Riggs being killed in action in the Boer War.

William 'Alfred' Riggs was born in 1878 and worked for a time at the railway and at a bookstore; further, he had taught himself in the art of sign & decorative painting.  He had his eye on the ministry when he signed up for the Boer War in 1898 and was one of 30 islanders who formed the Charlottetown Engineers.  Unfortunately, he was killed in action in 1900.

William Alfred Riggs - Archives of PEI Fonds - original documents avail 


William and Willena's daughter wrote a memoir, a portion of it is found at the following link - she writes of her mom & dad and how Alfred's death affected her mother - "I Remember Mama" by Florence 'Willena' Riggs

In the article, Flo writes that there were 10 children, but there were only 9 with William.  The 10th child was George William Arbuckle born in NS in 1872.  

Lewis died young - he was baptized in 1877 then disappears.  

Annie Idella 'Ida' married a tailor & currier from PEI named Joseph Kennedy and moved to Halifax, NS

The Guardian, Thurs, 27 Sep 1956

Kennedy - At Halifax, September 25, 1956, Mrs J D Kennedy, formerly of Charlottetown.  The remains will arrive at the Cutcliffe Funeral Home Wednesday evening.  Funeral service at the funeral home this Thursday afternoon at 2 pm.  Interment People's Cemetery.

Edith married William 'Frederick' Pyne from NB who was a boiler maker for the CNR - they were living in Edmundston, NB when she died

Summerside Guardian, 2 Jul 1935

PYNE - At Edmundston, NB, June 29, 1935, Mrs W F Pyne (nee Edith Riggs).  The remains arrived in Charlottetown last night and were taken to the MacLean Funeral Home, where the funeral will be held today (Tuesday) at 2:30.  Interment in the People's Cemetery.

Their brother Nelson married a Jennie Reta Westhaver from Nova Scotia (she links into my mother's side of the family via my mom's sister).  He was a restaurateur and operated in several cities.

 The Guardian, Fri, 11 Apr 1958

Nelson Riggs Dies In U S

Nelson J (Bub) Riggs, well known Charlottetown business man died in Wollaston, Mass on Tuesday evening, after a lengthy illness.  His relatives received the sad news early on Wednesday morning.  Funeral services will be held Friday in Wollaston. 

Mr Riggs, 76, was a son of the late Mr and Mrs W N Riggs of this city and for a time operated a restaurant here under the name of Riggs and Lonergam.  He later went to Halifax where he owned a restaurant and hotel.

In the early 1920's he migrated to the United States and settled in Wollaston where he entered the real estate field.  His operations extended to Florida and at the time of his death was managing the highly successful firm of Riggs and Son in Quincy, Mass.

A frequent holiday visitor here, where he had a host of friends, he had planned to visit here again in July.

Surviving are his wife, Jennie, a daughter, Bernice (Mrs Walter King), and one son Kenneth, all of Wollaston.  Also surviving are three sisters: Blanche (Mrs J E Cameron), Charlottetown; Lillian (Mrs James Shaw), New York; and Willena (Mrs Frank McQuarrie), Florida.  Three brothers predeceased him.  They were Louis, Joseph and Alfred who was killed in the Boer War.  Two sisters Edith (Mrs Fred Pyne) and Ida (Mrs J D Kennedy) also predeceased him.

Bertha 'Blanche' Riggs married a boiler maker turn Foreman named John E Cameron.  She died in 1960 but he lived to be 101 and died in 1982!

The two girls, Flo & Lily died in Florida with their husbands.  Florence 'Willena' married Frank A MacQuarrie was a mechanic from Cape Breton.  Lillian married James Shaw who was from Indiana and was a supervisor at a steel mill.

Earle Lemuel 'Joseph' Riggs, the baby boy of the clan, married Jean Strang who was from Newfoundland.  He and his wife are buried at the Fredericton Rural Cemetery Extension in NB.

The Guardian, Mon, 22 Apr 1957

Native of This City Dies In Fredericton, NB

Word was received here Saturday of the sudden death in Fredericton, NB of Joseph E Riggs, 66, son of the late Mr and Mrs W N Riggs, Charlottetown.  Mr Riggs suffered a stroke on Friday and passed away early Saturday morning.  Two brothers, Louis and Alfred, who was killed in the South African War, and one sister, predeceased him.  He is survived by one brother, Nelson, Wollaston, Mass, and three sisters: Blanche, Mrs J E Cameron, Charlottetown; Willena, Mrs Frank MacQuarrie, Greenfield, Ohio; and Lillian, Mrs James Shaw, Gary, Indiana.

The late Mr Riggs was a retired manager of the Bank of Montreal and has served in that capacity in several towns in Nova Scotia, in Carbonear, Nfld, where he met his wife the noted singer, Jean Strang, and in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.  Prior to his retirement the late Mr Riggs had served as manager of the Bank Street branch of the Bank of Montreal in Ottawa and in the same capacity in Fredericton, NB.

He recently built a summer home at Rockey Point where he and Mrs Riggs have spent their summers since his retirement. 

The burial will be in Fredericton, NB but final funeral arrangements have not been completed pending word from members of the family in the United States.

Mr and Mrs J E Cameron left here Saturday by plane to attend the funeral and it is expected that Mrs Riggs will return with them.  It is a triple tragedy for Mrs Riggs as her brother died shortly before Christmas in Newfoundland and her sister passed away last month in Ottawa.

Lastly, George William Arbuckle.  I found his birth entry and he was on the 1891 census with the family in PEI working as a painter.  

Here is where I take a leap of faith

In 1901, there is a George Arbuckle, painter, living with the Rudge family in Dist 136 of Charlottetown (the Riggs lived in Dist 135).  This George goes on to marry a daughter named Florence in 1902.  By 1916, they are in Saskatchewan where he is working in a hotel and by 1921, he is a mechanic and running a cattle ranch.

So far, my only evidence that they are the same fella is that they are both painters, born in 1872 NS and living in Charlottetown; however, the 2nd George goes by George Angus Arbuckle per the Canadian, South Africa Land Grant application of 1909.  George A served in the Boer War and operated a restaurant in PEI before moving west with his wife (perhaps he is who first introduced Nelson to the business?).  But there is a 2nd bit that supports my conclusion.....

In reading the memoriam in the Guardian in 1926, it mentions several 'half-siblings' throughout the maritimes. In Memoriam - George Angus Arbuckle  George is not mentioned in any of his half-siblings obits, he was gone too long perhaps; nor is he counted as one of her children in his mother's obit.  The only count for him is with Florence's story.

If this connection is correct, then George is buried in Regina at the Regina Cemetery.  The trick is finding that Regina obit in the Daily Post!

The Island Register - Descendants of William Alexander Riggs