Basil Biggs was born in 1820 in Carroll County, Md., in New Windsor. His parents (identified in his death certificate) were William Biggs and Elizabeth Bayne (or Boyne), and there’s good reason to believe, based on evidentiary clues and DNA testing, that William Biggs was a white man, descended from a Benjamin Biggs, with a white wife (not Elizabeth!) and white children.
Basil Biggs’ wife was Mary Jackson, born in Maryland between 1825 and 1827. The Biggs were married in 1843. By 1850, census records show they were free and owned $300 worth of real estate.
Basil Biggs was born in Maryland in 1819. His mother died when he was four, leaving Biggs to be hired out to work for others. Although his mother left him the substantial sum of $400 with which to be educated, it was later stated that his only education was “with his hands.” He married Mary Jackson in the 1840s, and they moved their family to Pennsylvania in the 1850s so that their five children could receive an education. Biggs settled in Gettysburg in 1858. He was known as a veterinarian and reportedly used his home to conceal freedom seekers during the day. His home was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In 1863, Biggs was working as a veterinarian and a tenant farmer, when the threat of Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania forced him to take his family east to Wrightsville. When they returned, they found the farm in ruins as it had become part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the Confederate army had set up a field hospital on part of the farm. The entire property was covered with items dropped by men of both armies. Additionally, forty-five dead Confederates were buried on the farm. Biggs later filed a claim for the loss of eight cows, seven steers, ten hogs, six beds, sixteen chairs, ninety-two acres of destroyed crops, eight tons of hay, ten crocks of apple butter, two sets of dishes, and jellies.
Burying the thousands of soldiers lying dead in towns and hillsides across south-central Pennsylvania was an enormous task, and most of the bodies ended up in shallow mass graves. Soon enough, the challenge of proper burial dovetailed with the Union's desire to honor the fallen of this long-awaited victory. Thus, after the battle, Basil Biggs was subcontracted by the Government to exhume over 3,500 Union soldiers and have them reburied in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Biggs could haul nine at a time. The bodies were removed from various cemeteries located around Adams, Franklin and York counties and transported to Gettysburg for proper burial, many in unmarked graves.
Biggs earned a considerable amount of money in the exhumation and reburial of bodies, he used that money to purchase a farm where he continued to live his life and contribute to the community. He was an active member of the Sons of Goodwill, which worked to create a cemetery for the town’s Black Civil War veterans were he was also buried after his death. Biggs died on June 6, 1906 and lies in the Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Obituary from the Gettysburg Compiler, Gettysburg, PA June 13, 1906:
Basil Biggs, a highly respected colored man of this place died on last Wednesday at his house on Washington street. He was born on the Shepherd place near the Quaker Meeting house in Carroll County, Maryland on Aug. 10, 1819. When four years old his mother died and he was bound out for 13 years compelled to do very hard work. Some $400 was left him by his mother with which he was to have been schooled. The money was all consumed and the only education he received was how to work with his own hands. When grown he became a teamster in Baltimore and was frequently entrusted with thousands of dollars . He married Mary J. Jackson, with whom he lived happily for more than 60 years. He bought a lot of three acres but concluding that the North was the place to give his children the advantage of
an education he sold his property and moved to Adams county to what was the McPherson farm. He lived there until he bought the Peter Fry farm near town and twelve years ago he bought the Foster home on corner of Washington and High street and moved there. He had been active in building Mt. Olive church in Carroll county.
While slavery existed he was an active agent in the Underground Railroad, helping fugitives to freedom. Many came to his home on the McPherson farm from the far south being directed by others. They were concealed during the day and at night he took them to Quaker Valley to Edward Mathews and thence their conduct to liberty was accomplished by Quakers in that vicinity. When the news that Lee and his army were approaching he sent his family away. The Confederates were coming in from the west as he was leaving by York Street. A Mr. Musselman loaned him a horse and he made his escape to York. When battle was over he came home to find crops destroyed , his home used as a confederate hospital. His loss was between $1500 and $2000. He helped to deliver the bodies of Union soldiers to
National Cemetery for burial.
As husband, father and neighbor he lived a good and useful life. The funeral was conducted by Rev. Wm. W. Hardman on Friday afternoon June 8th. He leaves 5 children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Basil Biggs and his son William were well known veterinarians in Gettysburg.
Basil Biggs’ wife was Mary Jackson, born in Maryland between 1825 and 1827. The Biggs were married in 1843. By 1850, census records show they were free and owned $300 worth of real estate.
Basil Biggs was born in Maryland in 1819. His mother died when he was four, leaving Biggs to be hired out to work for others. Although his mother left him the substantial sum of $400 with which to be educated, it was later stated that his only education was “with his hands.” He married Mary Jackson in the 1840s, and they moved their family to Pennsylvania in the 1850s so that their five children could receive an education. Biggs settled in Gettysburg in 1858. He was known as a veterinarian and reportedly used his home to conceal freedom seekers during the day. His home was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In 1863, Biggs was working as a veterinarian and a tenant farmer, when the threat of Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania forced him to take his family east to Wrightsville. When they returned, they found the farm in ruins as it had become part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the Confederate army had set up a field hospital on part of the farm. The entire property was covered with items dropped by men of both armies. Additionally, forty-five dead Confederates were buried on the farm. Biggs later filed a claim for the loss of eight cows, seven steers, ten hogs, six beds, sixteen chairs, ninety-two acres of destroyed crops, eight tons of hay, ten crocks of apple butter, two sets of dishes, and jellies.
Burying the thousands of soldiers lying dead in towns and hillsides across south-central Pennsylvania was an enormous task, and most of the bodies ended up in shallow mass graves. Soon enough, the challenge of proper burial dovetailed with the Union's desire to honor the fallen of this long-awaited victory. Thus, after the battle, Basil Biggs was subcontracted by the Government to exhume over 3,500 Union soldiers and have them reburied in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Biggs could haul nine at a time. The bodies were removed from various cemeteries located around Adams, Franklin and York counties and transported to Gettysburg for proper burial, many in unmarked graves.
Biggs earned a considerable amount of money in the exhumation and reburial of bodies, he used that money to purchase a farm where he continued to live his life and contribute to the community. He was an active member of the Sons of Goodwill, which worked to create a cemetery for the town’s Black Civil War veterans were he was also buried after his death. Biggs died on June 6, 1906 and lies in the Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Obituary from the Gettysburg Compiler, Gettysburg, PA June 13, 1906:
Basil Biggs, a highly respected colored man of this place died on last Wednesday at his house on Washington street. He was born on the Shepherd place near the Quaker Meeting house in Carroll County, Maryland on Aug. 10, 1819. When four years old his mother died and he was bound out for 13 years compelled to do very hard work. Some $400 was left him by his mother with which he was to have been schooled. The money was all consumed and the only education he received was how to work with his own hands. When grown he became a teamster in Baltimore and was frequently entrusted with thousands of dollars . He married Mary J. Jackson, with whom he lived happily for more than 60 years. He bought a lot of three acres but concluding that the North was the place to give his children the advantage of
an education he sold his property and moved to Adams county to what was the McPherson farm. He lived there until he bought the Peter Fry farm near town and twelve years ago he bought the Foster home on corner of Washington and High street and moved there. He had been active in building Mt. Olive church in Carroll county.
While slavery existed he was an active agent in the Underground Railroad, helping fugitives to freedom. Many came to his home on the McPherson farm from the far south being directed by others. They were concealed during the day and at night he took them to Quaker Valley to Edward Mathews and thence their conduct to liberty was accomplished by Quakers in that vicinity. When the news that Lee and his army were approaching he sent his family away. The Confederates were coming in from the west as he was leaving by York Street. A Mr. Musselman loaned him a horse and he made his escape to York. When battle was over he came home to find crops destroyed , his home used as a confederate hospital. His loss was between $1500 and $2000. He helped to deliver the bodies of Union soldiers to
National Cemetery for burial.
As husband, father and neighbor he lived a good and useful life. The funeral was conducted by Rev. Wm. W. Hardman on Friday afternoon June 8th. He leaves 5 children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Basil Biggs and his son William were well known veterinarians in Gettysburg.
Basil Biggs was born in 1820 in Carroll County, Md., in New Windsor. His parents (identified in his death certificate) were William Biggs and Elizabeth Bayne (or Boyne), and there’s good reason to believe, based on evidentiary clues and DNA testing, that William Biggs was a white man, descended from a Benjamin Biggs, with a white wife (not Elizabeth!) and white children.
Basil Biggs’ wife was Mary Jackson, born in Maryland between 1825 and 1827. The Biggs were married in 1843. By 1850, census records show they were free and owned $300 worth of real estate.
Basil Biggs was born in Maryland in 1819. His mother died when he was four, leaving Biggs to be hired out to work for others. Although his mother left him the substantial sum of $400 with which to be educated, it was later stated that his only education was “with his hands.” He married Mary Jackson in the 1840s, and they moved their family to Pennsylvania in the 1850s so that their five children could receive an education. Biggs settled in Gettysburg in 1858. He was known as a veterinarian and reportedly used his home to conceal freedom seekers during the day. His home was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In 1863, Biggs was working as a veterinarian and a tenant farmer, when the threat of Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania forced him to take his family east to Wrightsville. When they returned, they found the farm in ruins as it had become part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the Confederate army had set up a field hospital on part of the farm. The entire property was covered with items dropped by men of both armies. Additionally, forty-five dead Confederates were buried on the farm. Biggs later filed a claim for the loss of eight cows, seven steers, ten hogs, six beds, sixteen chairs, ninety-two acres of destroyed crops, eight tons of hay, ten crocks of apple butter, two sets of dishes, and jellies.
Burying the thousands of soldiers lying dead in towns and hillsides across south-central Pennsylvania was an enormous task, and most of the bodies ended up in shallow mass graves. Soon enough, the challenge of proper burial dovetailed with the Union's desire to honor the fallen of this long-awaited victory. Thus, after the battle, Basil Biggs was subcontracted by the Government to exhume over 3,500 Union soldiers and have them reburied in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Biggs could haul nine at a time. The bodies were removed from various cemeteries located around Adams, Franklin and York counties and transported to Gettysburg for proper burial, many in unmarked graves.
Biggs earned a considerable amount of money in the exhumation and reburial of bodies, he used that money to purchase a farm where he continued to live his life and contribute to the community. He was an active member of the Sons of Goodwill, which worked to create a cemetery for the town’s Black Civil War veterans were he was also buried after his death. Biggs died on June 6, 1906 and lies in the Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Obituary from the Gettysburg Compiler, Gettysburg, PA June 13, 1906:
Basil Biggs, a highly respected colored man of this place died on last Wednesday at his house on Washington street. He was born on the Shepherd place near the Quaker Meeting house in Carroll County, Maryland on Aug. 10, 1819. When four years old his mother died and he was bound out for 13 years compelled to do very hard work. Some $400 was left him by his mother with which he was to have been schooled. The money was all consumed and the only education he received was how to work with his own hands. When grown he became a teamster in Baltimore and was frequently entrusted with thousands of dollars . He married Mary J. Jackson, with whom he lived happily for more than 60 years. He bought a lot of three acres but concluding that the North was the place to give his children the advantage of
an education he sold his property and moved to Adams county to what was the McPherson farm. He lived there until he bought the Peter Fry farm near town and twelve years ago he bought the Foster home on corner of Washington and High street and moved there. He had been active in building Mt. Olive church in Carroll county.
While slavery existed he was an active agent in the Underground Railroad, helping fugitives to freedom. Many came to his home on the McPherson farm from the far south being directed by others. They were concealed during the day and at night he took them to Quaker Valley to Edward Mathews and thence their conduct to liberty was accomplished by Quakers in that vicinity. When the news that Lee and his army were approaching he sent his family away. The Confederates were coming in from the west as he was leaving by York Street. A Mr. Musselman loaned him a horse and he made his escape to York. When battle was over he came home to find crops destroyed , his home used as a confederate hospital. His loss was between $1500 and $2000. He helped to deliver the bodies of Union soldiers to
National Cemetery for burial.
As husband, father and neighbor he lived a good and useful life. The funeral was conducted by Rev. Wm. W. Hardman on Friday afternoon June 8th. He leaves 5 children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Basil Biggs and his son William were well known veterinarians in Gettysburg.
Basil Biggs’ wife was Mary Jackson, born in Maryland between 1825 and 1827. The Biggs were married in 1843. By 1850, census records show they were free and owned $300 worth of real estate.
Basil Biggs was born in Maryland in 1819. His mother died when he was four, leaving Biggs to be hired out to work for others. Although his mother left him the substantial sum of $400 with which to be educated, it was later stated that his only education was “with his hands.” He married Mary Jackson in the 1840s, and they moved their family to Pennsylvania in the 1850s so that their five children could receive an education. Biggs settled in Gettysburg in 1858. He was known as a veterinarian and reportedly used his home to conceal freedom seekers during the day. His home was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In 1863, Biggs was working as a veterinarian and a tenant farmer, when the threat of Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania forced him to take his family east to Wrightsville. When they returned, they found the farm in ruins as it had become part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the Confederate army had set up a field hospital on part of the farm. The entire property was covered with items dropped by men of both armies. Additionally, forty-five dead Confederates were buried on the farm. Biggs later filed a claim for the loss of eight cows, seven steers, ten hogs, six beds, sixteen chairs, ninety-two acres of destroyed crops, eight tons of hay, ten crocks of apple butter, two sets of dishes, and jellies.
Burying the thousands of soldiers lying dead in towns and hillsides across south-central Pennsylvania was an enormous task, and most of the bodies ended up in shallow mass graves. Soon enough, the challenge of proper burial dovetailed with the Union's desire to honor the fallen of this long-awaited victory. Thus, after the battle, Basil Biggs was subcontracted by the Government to exhume over 3,500 Union soldiers and have them reburied in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Biggs could haul nine at a time. The bodies were removed from various cemeteries located around Adams, Franklin and York counties and transported to Gettysburg for proper burial, many in unmarked graves.
Biggs earned a considerable amount of money in the exhumation and reburial of bodies, he used that money to purchase a farm where he continued to live his life and contribute to the community. He was an active member of the Sons of Goodwill, which worked to create a cemetery for the town’s Black Civil War veterans were he was also buried after his death. Biggs died on June 6, 1906 and lies in the Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Obituary from the Gettysburg Compiler, Gettysburg, PA June 13, 1906:
Basil Biggs, a highly respected colored man of this place died on last Wednesday at his house on Washington street. He was born on the Shepherd place near the Quaker Meeting house in Carroll County, Maryland on Aug. 10, 1819. When four years old his mother died and he was bound out for 13 years compelled to do very hard work. Some $400 was left him by his mother with which he was to have been schooled. The money was all consumed and the only education he received was how to work with his own hands. When grown he became a teamster in Baltimore and was frequently entrusted with thousands of dollars . He married Mary J. Jackson, with whom he lived happily for more than 60 years. He bought a lot of three acres but concluding that the North was the place to give his children the advantage of
an education he sold his property and moved to Adams county to what was the McPherson farm. He lived there until he bought the Peter Fry farm near town and twelve years ago he bought the Foster home on corner of Washington and High street and moved there. He had been active in building Mt. Olive church in Carroll county.
While slavery existed he was an active agent in the Underground Railroad, helping fugitives to freedom. Many came to his home on the McPherson farm from the far south being directed by others. They were concealed during the day and at night he took them to Quaker Valley to Edward Mathews and thence their conduct to liberty was accomplished by Quakers in that vicinity. When the news that Lee and his army were approaching he sent his family away. The Confederates were coming in from the west as he was leaving by York Street. A Mr. Musselman loaned him a horse and he made his escape to York. When battle was over he came home to find crops destroyed , his home used as a confederate hospital. His loss was between $1500 and $2000. He helped to deliver the bodies of Union soldiers to
National Cemetery for burial.
As husband, father and neighbor he lived a good and useful life. The funeral was conducted by Rev. Wm. W. Hardman on Friday afternoon June 8th. He leaves 5 children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Basil Biggs and his son William were well known veterinarians in Gettysburg.
