TO FIND: Birth Place, and, Death Place and Burial Place (probably Ontario) 

Timeline for Elizabeth: 
- about 1825 born somewhere in Missouri, possibly Lincoln county, to General Jonathan Riggs and Jane Shaw 
- 1847 - marries Robert Mitchell in Lincoln county Missouri (per marriage record) 
- 1849 - Robert Mitchell dies, probably in either Lincoln county or adjacent (to the north) Pike county) 
- 1848 - birth of daughter Sarah Jane 'Jennie' Mitchell in Lincoln county Missouri (per 1850 census, she appears on the 1860 and 1870 census with mother Eliza and step-father Thomas Melvin and she is also mentioned as the deceased step-daughter in his obituary and she had been married to A.S. Frazer). 
- 1850 - living as a widow in the household of her sister Julia and her husband (Eliza's brother-in-law) David Draper Jr. along with her widowed mother Jane Riggs (age 65) and also with her daughter Jennie Mitchell (age 1) (per 1850 census) 
- 1853 - marries Thomas Melvin in Pike county Missouri, unknown when/where the two met between 1850 and 1853 when they married then and moved to Cedarville, Greene county, Ohio by August 1855 where they first child together was born in August 1855. 
- 1855 - birth of daughter Alice Kate born in Greene county Ohio (per Canadian census of 1901 and U.S. censuses of 1860, 1870 and 1880) 
- 1860 - living in Cedarville, Greene county, Ohio with her husband Thomas Melvin and her daughter Jennie and their daughter Alice (per census) 
- 1862 - birth of daughter Ida in Cedarville, Greene county, Ohio 
- 1870 - living in Attica, Fountain county, Indiana with her husband Thomas and all three of her daughters (per 1870 census), at some point in the 1870's she and Thomas moved a bit south to Terre Haute (see below) 
- 1880 - living in Terre Haute, Vigo county, Indiana with her husband Thomas and their two daughters. The census says both her parents were born in Kentucky. (per 1880 census) 
- 1884 - living in Terre Haute, Vigo county, Indiana with her husband Thomas, her daughter Ida comes to town to be married to Robert Wilson in the home of Thomas and Elizabeth (per newspaper article). At some point in the next few years she and Thomas move to Xenia back in Greene county, Ohio 
- 1890 - in February, living in Xenia, Greene county, Ohio when Thomas dies in February and is buried in Woodland Cemetery. Ida and two of her children had come to town in January and stayed until May when they returned home to Kansas City. The obituary of Thomas mentions his having a deceased step-daughter, a Mrs. A.S. Frazer. The obituary also mentions his daughters Kate and Ida. 
- 1890-1891 - Elizabeth moves in with the family of her daughter Alice Kate (Melvin) Burns in Brantford, Ontario, Canada (per 1891 Canadian census) 
- 1891 - on Brantford, Ontario, Canada census living with the family of her daughter Alice (per 1891 Canadian census) 
- 1901 - on Brantford, Ontario, Canada census living with the family of her daughter Alice (per 1901 Canadian census) 
- 1911 - not on the 1911 census for Brantford, Ontario, Canada census living with the family of her daughter Alice but she was in her mid 80's so maybe in nearby assisted living 
- 1915-ish - Elizabeth dies, likely in Brantford, Ontario, Canada but unable to find where she is buried since the Greenwood Cemetery does not list her as buried there 

The parents of ancestor Elizabeth (Riggs) Melvin, is the 'victim' of much confused information because there were several contemporary women named Elizabeth Riggs in the eastern half of the U.S. Some sources have them married to multiple men along with the same men. Missouri and Kentucky are given the most. One Eliza Riggs was born in Boone county Missouri. Another was born in Lincoln county Missouri (and is the ancestor here). A third was born in Campbell county Kentucky. One lived in Tennessee while married. 


This is what appears to be the ancestors of the Eliza Riggs of Lincoln and Pike counties in Missouri: 
- Father is General Jonathan Riggs (Nov.20 1788 Campbell co KY-Jan.20 1834 Pike co MO) born in Kentucky, died/buried in Lincoln county Missouri fought in War of 1812, was a General, married Nov.20, 1788 in Campbell county Kentucky to Jane Shaw, they are both buried in Riverview Cemetery in Louisiana, Pike county, Missouri 
- - - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138112057/jonathan-riggs ::: family 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/familygroup.php?familyID=F8445&tree=tree1 ::: as son and husband 
- - - https://familysearch.org/tree/person/about/KJ53-ZXJ/ ::: family, parents 
- - - https://www.geni.com/people/Gen-Jonathan-Riggs/6000000007249053746?through=6000000007248948830 ::: family, parents 
- Mother is Jane Shaw (1787-1873) born in Kentucky, died/buried in Lincoln county Missouri, censuses for 1840 and 1850 and 1860 and 1870 as a widow living with the Draper family of one of her daughters, on the 1850 census her widowed daughter Eliza (Riggs) Mitchell was also living with the Drapers with her one year old child Jennie Mitchell 
- - - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138112732/jane-riggs ::: family 
- - - https://mogenweb.org/lincoln/obits/ob-riggs-jane.htm ::: obituary 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I12185&tree=tree1 :: as daughter and wife 
- - - https://familysearch.org/tree/person/about/L1ZD-3ZD ::: family, parents 
- - - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L1ZD-3ZD ::: family, parents 
- Paternal grandfather is Rev. Bethuel Riggs (1757-1835), son of Isaac Riggs https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I12264&tree=tree1 ::: family 
- - - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L55K-D51 ::: family, parents, ancestors from New Jersey, Connecticut and England 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/familygroup.php?familyID=F685&tree=tree1 ::: family, parents 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I1177&tree=tree1 ::: family, parents 
- - - https://www.geni.com/people/Rev-Bethuel-Riggs/6000000007248948830 ::: family, parents 
- - - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/244657981/bethuel-riggs ::: family 
- Paternal grandmother is Nancy Lee (1757-1835) 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I1176&tree=tree1 ::: family 
- - - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/L55K-4WX ::: family, parents, ancestors from North Carolina and Virginia 
- - - https://www.geni.com/people/Nancy-Riggs/6000000007249252415?through=6000000007248948830 ::: family, parents 
- Maternal grandfather is James Shaw (1757-1823) 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I12255&tree=tree1 ::: family 
- - - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/LJH8-5VZ ::: family, parents, he was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland 
- Maternal grandmother is Ann Jolly (1759-1850), son of James Jolly (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/L41C-B68 ::: family, parents) and Mrs. Jean/Jane Jolly (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/MB1J-PY3 ::: family, missing maiden name), and granddaughter of William Jolly (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/LXW8-Z8D ::: family, parents) and Mary Pierce (https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I12262&tree=tree1 ::: family) 
- - - https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I12256&tree=tree1 ::: family 
- - - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/L62V-QH7 ::: family, parents, ancestors from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Scotland 
F Y I --- Campbell county Kentucky is the easternmost of the three northernmost counties in Kentucky. It was formed in 1794 from Scott, Harrison and Mason counties. 
F Y I --- Kenton county split off from Campbell county in 1840, the Riggs and Shaws lived in the Kenton county portion (i.e. western portion) of Campbell county prior to 1840 

MULTIPLE ELIZABETH RIGGS -- see image W__0593 for a table of the several Eliza Riggs of the 19th Century in the U.S. 

The information for multip[le Eliza[beth] Riggs are often blended in family trees found in Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, WikiTree.com and other sites. Here are some notes: 

Until the information about the various Eliza Riggs Melvin can be sorted out, it is undetermined who was her father [mother likely is Jane b.1785 in Kentucky and is on the 1850 census in ], and other ancestors, of this ancestor Elizabeth Riggs as well as when/where was she born, and, where was she buried. Also unknown is how she and Thomas K. Melvin met and when/where they were married. 
An Eliza Jane Riggs was born in 1825 in Campbell county Kentucky [sic?], was the daughter of General Jonathan Riggs and Jane Shaw. She married three times: Robert Mitchell (maybe had one child before Robert died young), James Edward Paul (six or seven children) [this marriage does notfit due to overlapping births of children by different husbands and Thomas K. Melvin (two or three children). This Eliza Jane died in 1880-1881 in Tennessee and may never have lived in Missouri. Either the daughter Eliza of General Riggs never married James Edward Paul else this Eliza Jane is likely not the Elizabeth Riggs that married Thomas Melvin. James Paul, whom some sources say he was married to an Eliza Riggs, may have married the Eliza Riggs born in Boone county Missouri or the Eliza Riggs born in Kentucky. There even was, then, an Eliza Riggs of Newfoundland. 
     An Eliza Jane (Riggs) Mitchell https://www.geni.com/people/Eliza-Mitchell/6000000014303642779, Feb.16 1825 Campbell county Kentucky to __?__, daughter of General Jonathan Riggs and Jane Shaw, married John [vs. Robert] Mitchell 
The local history section of the public library in Columbia, Boone county, Missouri has a book of early Boone county marriages. Page 25 has Elizabeth Riggs, daughter of Silas Riggs, as marrying a Willis G. Green on 1843-10-19. 
     Elizabeth D. (Riggs) Green https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Riggs-6334, 1827 Missouri to 1857 Missouri, daughter of Silas Riggs and Sarah Hicks, married William G. Green. If she was born in 1829 then she would be age 14 (and age 18 if born in 1825) when she married Willis. 
     Elizabeth D. (Riggs) Green is in FindAGrave.com at https://findagrave.com/memorial/9048168/elizabeth-d-green born 1827 and died July 10, 1857, five years before ancestor Ida Melvin was born. Her parents are listed there as Silas Riggs and Sarah Hicks. FYI - there are almost 200 documented ancestors of Silas Riggs and his wife Sarah Hicks that span across nearly 100 family surnames. 
     It likely is that the Elizabeth Riggs who married Thomas Melvin (per marriage record from Terre Haute for their daughter Ida marrying Robert Wilson and that she was the daughter of Melvin Thomas and Elizabeth Riggs) is not the daughter of Silas Riggs of Boone county Missouri. 
An Elizabeth Riggs was born in 1829 in Wabash county Illinois. She married George W. Scott and their children were: Edward, Sarah, Thomas, Mary, Frances, Harmon, Elnora. Per the 1910 census, this Elizabeth Riggs was a widow living with her daughter Sarah in Maury county Tennessee. Later this Elizabeth, listed as the widow of George, was living in the Toronto, Ontario area. 
An Eliza Jane (Riggs) Scott https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/KLQ7-Y9R, 1825 Kentucky to 1858 Missouri, daughter of Stephen Riggs and Elizabeth Jane Riggs, married Andrew Scott 
An Elizabeth Jane (Hammond) Riggs lived near Toronto, Ontario. She is in FindAGrave.com at https://findagrave.com/memorial/156492013/elizabeth-jane-riggs and died April 20, 1891. Her maiden name was Hammond and she married William Alexander Riggs and had at least four children: Lottie, Malinda, Victoria and Gertrude. 
     This Elizabeth and William R. Riggs are on the 1850 census in Pope county Arkansas, ages 26 and 31 respectively, and with one child, Sarah E. age 1. All three of them are indicated as born in Tennessee. This family lived next door to the family of Gilbert W. Riggs. 
     This couple is listed, with their full names, in 1898 as the parents of a James Wilson Riggs age 30 [thus, born 1868] who was getting married in York in Trafalgar in Canada. And, this Eliza Jane is listed on a May 25, 1944 death certificate as Eliza Jane Hammond born in Ireland, wife of William A. Riggs born in Ireland, in Halton, Trafalgar, Canada. The death certificate was for their daughter Gertrude M. Riggs, single, age 72. 
An Elizabeth Amanda (Riggs) Alvis https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Riggs-111, c1826 TN to p1859 ?AR or ?TN, daughter of unknown, married John W. Alvis Sr. 
There is (per FindAGrave.com) a Eliza Louisa (Riggs) Pullins (1823-1873) who was born and buried in Clark county Missouri. Clark county is the most northeastern county in Missouri and just north of Lincoln and Pike counties. 
Elizabeth had three children, all daughters, one in her first marriage and two in her second marriage. 
Ancestry.com family of Eliza Jane (Riggs) Melvin and her two marriages. First marriage in 1847 to Robert Mitchell and had one child. Second marriage about 1855 to Thomas K. Melvin and had two children. 
Ancestry.com family of Ida Melvin born Jan.12, 1862 in Cedarville, Greene county, Ohio. Her parents are Thomas K. Melvin and Elizabeth Jane Riggs. It also lists her husband Robert S. Wilson and their six children along with the three children of their son Albert and the maker of the family list has confused them as children of Ida and Robert. 
Ancestry.com family of Jennie Melvin born about 1850 in Missouri. Her parents are Thomas K. Melvin and Elizabeth Jane Riggs. Jennie appears on the 1860 census for Cedarville, Greene county, Ohio at age 11 with her parents. Beyond that, nothing is known about Jennie. 
Ancestry.com family of Jennie Melvin. It lists her as born in Missouri in 1850 [but no other documentation to date [end of 2023] ever has Thomas K. Melvin, her father, living in Missouri although he has yet to be found in the 1850 census]. It has her parents as Thomas K. Melvin and Elizabeth 'Eliza' Jane (Riggs) [which matches the 1860 census and 1870 for this family]. Unknown what ever became of Jennie including if she married and when/where she died. 
Ancestry.com family of Kate Alice Melvin born Aug.21, 1855 in Ohio. Her parents are Thomas K. Melvin and Elizabeth Jane Riggs. 
Ancestry.com family of Kate Alice Melvin. It lists her as born Aug.21, 1855. It has her parents as Thomas K. Melvin and Elizabeth 'Eliza' Jane (Riggs) [which matches the 1860 census and 1870 for this family]. Unknown what ever became of Jennie including if she married and when/where she died. 
Family Group Sheet for Thomas K. Melvin and Eliza Jane Riggs. It lists two children [Jennie is missing] and her parents as Jonathan Riggs and Jane Shaw. 

As for James Paul, whom some sources say he was married to an Eliza Riggs, he may have married the Eliza Riggs born in Boone county Missouri or the Eliza Riggs born in Kentucky. There even was, then, an Eliza Riggs of Newfoundland.