There
is no record which the American citizen holds in higher honor than that
of the man whose strength of character, determination of purpose and
indefatigable energy have enabled him to work his way upward from a
humble position to one of affluence and who through his business career
has followed a straightforward, honorable course, that neither seeks nor
requires disguise. Such has been the history of James T. Rigsbey who
from a poor boy has worked his way up in the business world until he is
one of the most substantial and affluent men of Macoupin county.
He was born on the 23d of April, 1863, in Garrett county, Kentucky,
a son of William and Margaret (Kennedy) Rigsbey. The father was born in
the same county in 1843, and his parents were also natives of the Blue
Grass state, both passing away, however, prior to the birth of their
grandson. The mother, who in her maidenhood was Margaret Kennedy, was
born in 1845, a daughter of David and Margaret (Faulkner) Kennedy, also
natives of Garrett county, Kentucky, where they died when about ninety
years of age. The Kennedy and Faulkner families have long been residents
of that county, where representatives of the name have been very
prominent both socially and politically.
The
family of William and Margaret (Kennedy) Rigsbey consisted of eleven
children, as follows: Mary, the widow of Frederick Shaw, of Garrett
county; Eliza, the widow of B. Conn, also of that county; Margaret, who
married Benjamin Lunsford, of Garrett county; John William, of Macoupin
county, Illinois; Parmelia, the widow of David Ross, of Garrett county,
Kentucky; Harriet, who married James J. Hawley, of Garrett county;
David, also of that county; Lucy, the wife of James Anderson, of the
state of Texas; James T., of this review; and Robert H. and Andrew, both
of this county.
In the public schools of his native state James
T. Rigsbey acquired his education and his father’s farm in Kentucky was
the training ground upon which he received his preparation for life’s
practical duties. He was but seventeen years of age at the time of his
marriage, after which he came to Illinois, locating at Chesterfield,
Macoupin county. He was but a lad in years and was in very straitened
circumstances, but he possessed a determined spirit and resolute will
and at once set about earning a livelihood. He secured employment as a
farm hand, working by the month, and was thus engaged for about a year.
His ambition, however, urged him onward toward the goal of independence,
and he took up his residence upon a farm of eighty acres, which he
operated as a renter for ten years. This period was fraught with
unceasing toil and a perseverance that never faltered, and at its
expiration he had saved sufficient money with which to purchase land.
Consequently he invested in a tract to which he added as his success
continued, until at one time he was the owner of ten hundred and eighty
acres. In addition to the cultivation of the soil he became interested
in the grain and stock business, buying at Chesterfield, his operations
amounting to fifty thousand dollars the first year. In 1906 he
discontinued his farming to devote his entire attention to his grain and
stock business, which he has greatly developed until today his sales
amount to practically a half million dollars per year. He is an
extensive cattle feeder and is a large landowner, possessing some of the
finest and best equipped farms in Macoupin county.
On the 13th
of May, 1880, Mr. Rigsbey was united in marriage to Miss Carrie C.
Adams, a daughter of John Quincy Adams, of Garrett county/Kentucky, of
which state her grandparents were also natives. By this union were born
seven children, as follows: Ora Lee, the wife of H. G. Loper, of
Macoupin county; Arthur, who passed away at the age of seventeen years;
Will Q., residing in Macoupin county; Ida May, deceased: Edna, who
married T. I. Dowland, of this county; and Edward and Alvena, both at
home. The wife and mother passed away in October, 1899, and in 1900 Mr.
Rigsbey was again married, his second union being with Miss Annie D.
Snidle, who was born March 6, 1878, a daughter of James and Emma
(Coatney) Snidle, of Macoupin county. The father was born in Yorkshire,
England, a son of Edward and Nancy Snidle, who came to America a few
years after the arrival of their son in Macoupin county, Illinois. The
maternal grandparents of Mrs. Rigsbey were born in this county. By the
second marriage of Mr. Rigsbey there were five children, as follows:
Cleo, who died at the age of ten years; and Vivian, James T., Jr.,
Clarence and Anne May, all yet at home.
Mr. Rigsbey is a
faithful member of the Methodist church and fraternally he is identified
with the Modern Woodmen of America. Although he gives his support to the
democratic party at the polls, he is liberal in his political views and
public-spirited in his citizenship. He has never had time nor
inclination for participating actively in the public life of the
community, for his extensive business interests have demanded his entire
attention. Few men of Macoupin county more richly deserve the proud
American title of a self-made man, for, on the strength of his own
resources, through the constant application of perseverance, coupled
with hard work and careful management, he has been able to rise in the
business world from comparative penury and obscurity to a position of
prominence among the most successful and representative citizens of this
county, and his prosperity is all the more creditable from the fact that
it has been honorably won, his methods ever being fair and aboveboard.
Extracted 18 Oct 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 154-160.
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