We wish to acknowledge and thank everyone who has contributed to this report. In particular,
the research and talent of Greg Mander and Nancy Sneddon are especially
appreciated. This site was last updated March 3, 2007.
Descendants of Frederick Higgin
Generation No. 1
1. FREDERICK2 HIGGIN (?1)1 was born
Bef. 1875. He married CATHERINE JANE
SHARPLES1,2. She was born Bef. 18753.
Notes for FREDERICK HIGGIN:
Frederick worked on a small ferry that went from Toronto
to Toronto Island. Perhaps he was the Captain. Margaret Wright reports that her
grandfather Frederick lived into his 70's. He lived at 38 Elmer Ave., Toronto.
Margaret remembers visiting their house often as a child, going down a long
hall to the dining room where everyone always played some kind of board game.
She recalls her Aunt Blanche was often there with her son Lennie. Also there
was Cecil, husband of Marion, with their pet ferret.
Notes for CATHERINE JANE SHARPLES:
Margaret Wright reports that she was a very young girl,
possibly 9 or 10, when her grandmother Catherine died. Margaret said her grandmother was the first
dead person she ever saw. The body laid in state at their home on 38 Elmer Avenue,
Toronto.
Children of FREDERICK
HIGGIN and CATHERINE
SHARPLES are:
2. i. JOHN EDWIN3 HIGGIN, b. 19 Dec
1888, Blackpool, England; d. 06 Jun 1982, Toronto, Ont. Canada.
3. ii. HAROLD HIGGIN.
4. iii. BLANCHE HIGGIN.
5. iv. ETHEL HIGGIN.
v. EVELYN HIGGIN3,4, m.
ART BARASS.
More About EVELYN HIGGIN:
Cause of Death: Pneumonia,
died in her 30's.5
vi. MARIAN HIGGIN5, m. CECIL ?5.
More About MARIAN HIGGIN:
Cause of Death: Cancer, died
in her 30's.5
Generation No. 2
2. JOHN EDWIN3
HIGGIN (FREDERICK2, ?1)5
was born 19 Dec 1888 in Blackpool, England, and died 06 Jun 1982 in Toronto,
Ont. Canada. He married PEARL RIDDELL6
30 Aug 1911 in Toronto Canada7, daughter of GEORGE RIDDELL
and CATHARINE BELL. She was born 24 Jan
1890 in Singhampton, Ont, Canada8,9, and died 07 Jan 1983 in
Toronto, Ont. Canada.
More About JOHN EDWIN HIGGIN:
Occupation: Sheet Metal Worker
Notes for PEARL RIDDELL:
Pearl Riddell who was living and working in Toronto
1908-11, married John Edwin Higgin of Toronto August 30, 1911.
According to conversations with Dorothy Roe, Pearl, who
was a sister to Frank Ridell, met John Edwin Higgin when she was Frank who was
working as a waiter at the Walter J. Corby restaurant on King Street East in
Toronto. Dorothy Roe was the daughter of
Frank Riddell.
Pearl's mother, Catharine Riddell, died in her home on
Scott Street on October 3, 1927. Catharine's Death Registration indicates that
Pearl was caring for her for four months which would be from about September to
December of 1927.
More About PEARL RIDDELL:
Burial: Highlane Memory Gardens, Toronto, Ont. Canada
Religion: Presbyterian10
More About JOHN HIGGIN and PEARL
RIDDELL:
Marriage: 30 Aug 1911, Toronto Canada10
Minister: R.J. Fallis10
Children of JOHN HIGGIN and PEARL
RIDDELL are:
6. i. MARGARET PEARL4 HIGGIN, b. 30 Jul
1913, Toronto, Ont, Canada; d. 05 Nov 2004, Mercy Manor, Grayling, MI.
7. ii. JEAN EVELINE HIGGIN, b. 13 Oct 1914, Born at home on Medland Crescent,
Toronto Canada; d. 03 Jan 2000, Myrtle Beach, SC.
8. iii. EDWIN SHARPLES HIGGIN, b. 06 Jan 1918, Born at home on Medland Crescent,
Toronto Canada; d. 27 Apr 1993, Alliston, Ont. Canada.
3. HAROLD3 HIGGIN
(FREDERICK2, ?1)11. He married ANNA
?11.
Children of HAROLD HIGGIN and ANNA
? are:
i. GEORGE4 HIGGIN11.
ii. AUDREY HIGGIN11.
Notes for AUDREY HIGGIN:
Margaret Wright remembers
that Audry was pregnant at the time her husband left on a training flight with
the RAF from Toronto and none of the squadron were ever seen again. In later
years Audry remarried a department store buyer.
4. BLANCHE3 HIGGIN
(FREDERICK2, ?1)11. She married JOE
?11.
Child of BLANCHE HIGGIN and JOE
? is:
i. LENNIE4 BARASS11.
5. ETHEL3 HIGGIN
(FREDERICK2, ?1)11,12. She married ?
SMITH.
Notes for ? SMITH:
Margaret Higgin Wright remembers that Mr. Smith had TB and
was in the hospital in Hamilton for years.
Children of ETHEL HIGGIN and ?
SMITH are:
i. NORMAN4 SMITH13,14.
ii. VERA SMITH15.
Generation No. 3
6. MARGARET PEARL4
HIGGIN (JOHN EDWIN3,
FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 30 Jul 1913
in Toronto, Ont, Canada, and died 05 Nov 2004 in Mercy Manor, Grayling, MI16,17. She married HAROLD
RANSOM WRIGHT
29 May 1935 in Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church - Detroit, MI18,
son of LESTER WRIGHT and GRACE ROSE. He was
born 11 Sep 1909 in Saginaw, Saginaw County, MI, and died 13 Nov 1988 in Heart
of Florida Hospital, Haines City, FL19.
Notes for MARGARET PEARL HIGGIN:
Margaret Higgin was born at home, 90 Medland Crescent,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was born at 5 am on July 30, 1913. In attendance
was Doctor Minerva Reid.
When Margaret was a baby, possibly two years old, she
crawled out an upstairs window onto the roof. A neighbor, Mrs Dwyer, called her
mother to tell her that her daughter was on the roof.
When Margaret was five years old, she remembers being
outside with her friend Rita Dwyer listening to all the horns honking and bells
ringing on November 11, 1918 when World War I was over.
Excerpt from an e-mail written by Ken Wright to David
Gustner and Lynne Greening, 4/16/2000. "That brought to mind the wedding
announcement of Mom and Dad that said they were going to live at 463 Algonquin
after their marriage, so I just called Mom to ask about it. She said they never
did live with Lester and Grace. They rented an upstairs apartment first, on a
street that she can't remember. Then they rented a house on Eastlawn, then
rented at 5039 Lakepointe, where they were when I was born (1938), then moved
to another rented house on Lakewood. Then Dad built the house on 60 Hawthorn
Blvd in 1941. She could not remember any
of the street numbers, but I have a letter addressed to them at the 5039
Lakepointe address. I had no idea that they lived in so many places before
Hawthorne, or that they were renting rather than buying. I had just assumed
that they lived in a house built by Dad and Lester. Wrong! Another thing she mentioned that I didn't
remember is that Lester and Grace moved to Grosse Pointe after Mom and Dad. She
thought about a year, making their move from Algonquin to Hawthorn in
1942." We later learned the actual
sequence and addresses of where Harold and Margaret Lived.
1935 - 1937, 1350 E. Grand Blvd. Apt 109, Detroit
1937 - 1940, 5039 Lakepointe av., Detroit
1940 - 1941, 708 Eastlawn av., Detroit
1941 - 1941, 4327 Lakewood av., Detroit
1941 - 1954, 60 Hawthorn Blvd., Detroit
1954 - 1974, 30030 West Gate, Farmington
1974 - 1989, 6738 Dogwood Court, Gaylord
1989 - 2000, 730 S. Saginaw, Apt. 215, Lapeer (Margaret
only)
2000 - 2004, Mercy Manor, 1100 Michigan Ave, Grayling, MI
Lester and Grace Wright also proceeded Margaret and Harold
to Grosse Pointe, actually moving to 76 Hawthorne Blvd. in 1940.
More About MARGARET PEARL HIGGIN:
Burial: 08 Nov 2004, Elmwood Cemetery, Grayling, MI20
Cause of Death: Renal failure21
Funeral Services: 08 Nov 2004, Sorenson Funeral Home,
Grayling, MI, Donald E. Wright officiatinb.
Occupation: Housewife
Notes for HAROLD RANSOM WRIGHT:
From the Clio Messenger.
June 11, 1915. "Harold, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. A.
Wright, fell into the cellar of V. B. Butler's new home, Tuesday, and sustained
one or two broken ribs."
July 14, 1916 - "Harold, the little son of Mr. and
Mrs. L. A. Wright underwent an operation in Saginaw, for the removal of his
tonsils, one day last week. Following
the operation the little boy was so ill that he remained at the hospital for
several days but is now recovering nicely."
1925-08-27 - "Lester Wright and wife and son Harold,
of Detroit, were week end guests of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carter."
1926-11-04 - "L. A. Wright and son, Harold, of
Detroit, were week end guests of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Carter."
After their marriage Harold and Margaret Wright first
lived at 1350 E. Grand Blvd., apt. 109. In 1937 they moved to 5039 Lakepoint
and in 1940 to 708 Eastlawn. In 1941
they first moved to 4327 Lakewood av., then built a new home in Grosse Pointe
at 60 Hawthorne Blvd. In 1954 they built another new home at 30030 West Gate in
Farmington.
From the Farmington Enterprise and Observer, February 9,
1961. "Harold R. Wright, architect and registered professional engineer,
has joined the firm of Cuddie Engineers, Inc., of Birmingham, as president.
William Gillett was made office manager and Calvin J. Saari manager of
structural detailing department, in personnel changes announced by the firm,
which specializes in the field of structural engineering. Wright, a resident of Farmington, formerly was
in private practice as a consultant since 1946."
In 1974 Harold and Margaret moved to 6738 Dogwood Court in
Gaylord, MI.
From a newspaper obituary. "Harold R. Wright, 79 of
Gaylord, died of complications from pneumonia Sunday, November 13, 1988 in
Heart of Florida Hospital, Haines City Florida. Mr. Wright was a graduate of
the University of Detroit, holding degrees in both Architectural and Civil
Engineering. He retired to Gaylord in 1974 after a career in his own firm. His
contributions include the design and building of hundreds of homes, factories,
office buildings and churches. Mr. Wright was known as a master craftsman, with
hobbies in woodworking, sculpting and painting. His devotion to family and
church was evidenced in his activities such as such as Scouting, where he
founded and served as Scoutmaster of Troop 479 in Grosse Pointe. His
contributions to several churches were donations of outstanding architectural
and engineering designs. Mr. Wright is survived by his wife of 53 years,
Margaret, sons Kenneth and Donald and 5 grandchildren."
More About HAROLD RANSOM WRIGHT:
Burial: Lakeview Crematory, Winter Haven, FL22
Cause of Death: Cardio Pulmonary Arrest
Cremation: Lakeview Crematory, Winter Haven, FL
Medical Information: Pulmonary Embolis suspected, not
proven
Occupation: Architectural and Civil Engineer
Social Security Number: 05 Jan 1941, 363-26-464423
Marriage Notes for MARGARET
HIGGIN and HAROLD
WRIGHT:
Margaret P. Higgin and Harold Ransom Wright met at the
Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church in 1934.
They were married one year later at the church office on
May 29, 1935. Harold and Margaret spent a portion of their honeymoon at the
home of Harold's uncle, Mr. William Rose and wife. They will make their home at 463 Algonquin
Avenue in Detroit. Harold Wright is one of the younger members of the board of
Deacons of the church. Margaret's parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Higgin reside at
71 McLean Blvd. in Toronto.
More About HAROLD WRIGHT and MARGARET
HIGGIN:
Marriage: 29 May 1935, Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church -
Detroit, MI24
Minister: Wayland Zwayer
Children of MARGARET
HIGGIN and HAROLD
WRIGHT are:
9. i. KENNETH DALE5 WRIGHT, b. 12 May
1938, Deaconess Hospital, Detroit, Wayne County, MI.
10. ii. DONALD EDWIN WRIGHT, b. 15 May 1943, Detroit, Wayne County, MI.
7. JEAN EVELINE4
HIGGIN (JOHN EDWIN3,
FREDERICK2, ?1)25 was born
13 Oct 1914 in Born at home on Medland Crescent, Toronto Canada, and died 03
Jan 2000 in Myrtle Beach, SC. She
married LT. CLIFFORD
ALBERT THOMPSON
02 Jul 1938 in Donland's United Church, Toronto, Ont. Canada. He was born 01 Jul 1913, and died 04 Jan 1986
in Clearwater, Florida.
Notes for JEAN EVELINE HIGGIN:
Jean worked for some time as a proofreader for the
Monroeville Times Express.
More About JEAN EVELINE HIGGIN:
Burial: Cremated - Ashes on Gulf of Mexico
Education: George Williams College, Chicago
Notes for LT. CLIFFORD ALBERT
THOMPSON:
Cliff attended George Williams College in Chicago in
preparation for his future career with the YMCA. He was drafted during WW2 and
served overseas as a Lieutenant. He worked for the YMCA in Ottawa, Canada
before accepting a job with the YMCA in Pittsburgh, where he started the branch
in Penn Hills. After that he became a journalist, working for Rockwell Mfg. Co,
and then editor of the Monroeville Times Express, a weekly newspaper, which he
later retired from.
More About LT. CLIFFORD ALBERT
THOMPSON:
Burial: Cremated, ashes on Gulf of Mexico26
Cause of Death: Pancreatic cancer
Education: George Williams College, Chicago26
Military service: Served overseas in WW2
More About CLIFFORD THOMPSON and JEAN
HIGGIN:
Marriage: 02 Jul 1938, Donland's United Church, Toronto,
Ont. Canada
Children of JEAN HIGGIN and CLIFFORD
THOMPSON are:
11. i. PATRICIA JEAN5 THOMPSON, b. 26 Feb
1943, Chicago, IL.
ii. PETER THOMPSON, b. 15 Nov 1949; Adopted child.
8. EDWIN SHARPLES4
HIGGIN (JOHN EDWIN3,
FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 06 Jan 1918
in Born at home on Medland Crescent, Toronto Canada, and died 27 Apr 1993 in
Alliston, Ont. Canada. He married PAM COLLE 19
Feb 1944 in Parish Church, Chellenham, England.
She was born 12 Apr 1921 in Cardiff, South Wales, U.K., and died 02 Jan
2002 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
More About EDWIN SHARPLES HIGGIN:
Burial: Cremated, ashes scattered
Military service: RCAF Navigator, WWII
More About EDWIN HIGGIN and PAM
COLLE:
Marriage: 19 Feb 1944, Parish Church, Chellenham, England
Child of EDWIN HIGGIN and PAM
COLLE is:
i. MICHAEL5 HIGGIN, b. 27 Jul
1953, St. Joseph's Hospital, London Ontario, Canada.
Generation No. 4
9. KENNETH DALE5
WRIGHT (MARGARET PEARL4
HIGGIN, JOHN EDWIN3,
FREDERICK2, ?1)27 was born
12 May 1938 in Deaconess Hospital, Detroit, Wayne County, MI. He married (1) MARILYN
RAE SEESTED27
21 May 1960 in Kansas City, MO, daughter of AUGUST
SEESTED and JUNE
HUTCHASON.
She was born 09 Jan 1941 in Kansas City, MO. He married (2) MARY
ANN VALDICK
08 Dec 1983 in Lapeer, Lapeer County, MI, daughter of FLOYD VALDICK and IRMA FOOKES. She was born 22 Jul 1949 in Frankfort, MI.
Notes for KENNETH DALE WRIGHT:
Kenneth D. Wright was born on May 12, 1938 in Deaconess
Hospital, 3245 East Jefferson Ave, Detroit, Michigan. The first letter written
to him was dated May 19, 1938 and was from Wayland Zwayer, the Minister that
married Harold and Margaret Wright. The
original letter is in the family archives. Harold and Margaret lived at 5039
Lakepoint in Detroit. Their phone number at the time was TU-2-3533.
More About KENNETH WRIGHT and MARILYN
SEESTED:
Marriage: 21 May 1960, Kansas City, MO
Marriage Notes for KENNETH
WRIGHT and MARY
VALDICK:
Ken and Mary were married by Ken's Brother, Donald E. Wright,
Minister of the Lapeer Church of Christ. The marriage was held in Don's home in
Lapeer, MI.
More About KENNETH WRIGHT and MARY
VALDICK:
Marriage: 08 Dec 1983, Lapeer, Lapeer County, MI
Children of KENNETH WRIGHT and MARILYN
SEESTED are:
12. i. SHELLY ANN6 WRIGHT, b. 05 May
1963, Pontiac, MI.
ii. CHRISTOPHER TODD WRIGHT, b. 24 Nov 1964, Pontiac, MI; m. DEIRDRE ROSE ROCHELEAU, 14 Feb
1998, Cheboygan, MI; b. 15 Oct 1962.
More About CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT and DEIRDRE ROCHELEAU:
Marriage: 14 Feb 1998, Cheboygan,
MI
10. DONALD EDWIN5
WRIGHT (MARGARET PEARL4
HIGGIN, JOHN EDWIN3,
FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 15 May 1943
in Detroit, Wayne County, MI. He married LOIS
JEAN DEATON
05 Apr 1964 in Sylvan Lake Church of Christ.
She was born 05 Feb 1946 in Goodrich, MI.
More About DONALD WRIGHT and LOIS
DEATON:
Marriage: 05 Apr 1964, Sylvan Lake Church of Christ
Children of DONALD WRIGHT and LOIS
DEATON are:
13. i. JEFFERY ALLEN6 WRIGHT, b. 18 Aug
1965, Ann Arbor, MI.
14. ii. KAREN LYNN WRIGHT, b. 05 Oct 1967, Ann Arbor, MI.
15. iii. ANITA LYNN WRIGHT, b. 05 Oct 1967, Ann Arbor, MI.
11. PATRICIA JEAN5
THOMPSON (JEAN EVELINE4
HIGGIN, JOHN EDWIN3,
FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 26 Feb 1943
in Chicago, IL. She married GEORGE FREEMAN
MAYES 02 Sep 1964 in Unitarian Church,
Pittsburgh, PA. He was born 23 Jul 1941
in Pontiac, MI.
Notes for PATRICIA JEAN THOMPSON:
Patti and George met at George Williams College in
Chicago. George was from MI, Patti from PA and she called it a
"stately" romance.
More About GEORGE MAYES and PATRICIA
THOMPSON:
Marriage: 02 Sep 1964, Unitarian Church, Pittsburgh, PA
Minister: Both a Unitarian minister and a Presbyterian
minister performed the service
Children of PATRICIA
THOMPSON and GEORGE
MAYES are:
i. LAURIE JEAN6 MAYES, b. 22 Mar
1967.
ii. MICHAEL FREEMAN MAYES, b. 27 Aug 1971.
iii. JESSICA LYNN MAYES, b. 07 Jan 1983.
Notes for JESSICA LYNN MAYES:
On the morning of January 7,
1983 Pearl Higgin passed away. Her great grandaughter Jessica was born that
afternoon. Patti Mayes was very close to her grandmother and having her
daughter born on the same day was quite meaningful to Patti.
Generation No. 5
12. SHELLY ANN6
WRIGHT (KENNETH DALE5,
MARGARET PEARL4 HIGGIN, JOHN
EDWIN3, FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 05 May 1963
in Pontiac, MI. She married MARK COURTNEY
KROON 31 May 1997, son of DONALD KROON. He was born 04 Jun 1955.
More About MARK KROON and SHELLY
WRIGHT:
Marriage: 31 May 1997
Children of SHELLY WRIGHT and MARK
KROON are:
i. ETHAN DAVID7 KROON, b. 14 Mar
1998, Redding, CA.
ii. TALA KROON, b. 01 Dec 1999; Adopted child.
iii. ORINN MICHAEL KROON, b. 01 Mar 2001, Redding, CA.
iv. TREVOR KROON, b. 13 Jun 2003; Adopted child.
13. JEFFERY ALLEN6
WRIGHT (DONALD EDWIN5,
MARGARET PEARL4 HIGGIN, JOHN
EDWIN3, FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 18 Aug 1965
in Ann Arbor, MI. He married SUE ANN KIRBY.
Children of JEFFERY WRIGHT and SUE
KIRBY are:
i. JENNIFER MARIE7 WRIGHT, b. 11 Feb
1993, Murfreesboro, TN.
ii. LAURA GRACE WRIGHT, b. 11 Aug 1994, Murfreesboro, TN.
14. KAREN LYNN6
WRIGHT (DONALD EDWIN5,
MARGARET PEARL4 HIGGIN, JOHN
EDWIN3, FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 05 Oct 1967 in Ann
Arbor, MI. She married WADE
JACKSON.
Children of KAREN WRIGHT and WADE
JACKSON are:
i. ELIZABETH ASHLING7 JACKSON, b. 01 Dec 1996, New York
City, NY.
ii. EVERETT WADE JACKSON, b. 21 Jul 1999, New York
City, NY.
15. ANITA LYNN6
WRIGHT (DONALD EDWIN5,
MARGARET PEARL4 HIGGIN, JOHN
EDWIN3, FREDERICK2, ?1) was born 05 Oct 1967 in Ann
Arbor, MI. She married JOE
EDDINGS.
Children of ANITA WRIGHT and JOE
EDDINGS are:
i. JOEL MICHAEL7 EDDINGS, b. 04 Mar 1989.
ii. JACOB PHILIP EDDINGS, b. 09 Nov 1990.
Endnotes
1. Family tree in book written by Jean Higgin
Thompson, provided by Patti Thompson Mayes.
2. Information provided by Greg Mander.
3. Memories of Margaret Wright.
4. Photograph labeled "Aunt Evelyn Barass,
Ed Higgin's oldest sister.
5. Memories of Margaret Wright.
6. Recorded by Robert Royal, April 26, 1901, 1901 Canadian Census.
7. Information provided by Greg Mander.
8. Recorded by Robert Royal, April 26, 1901, 1901 Canadian Census.
9. Pearl's handwriting on photo stating place of birth.
10. Information provided by Greg Mander.
11. Memories of Margaret Wright.
12. Photograph of Ethyl and Norman.
13. Memories of Margaret Wright.
14. Photograph labeled "Cousin Norman
Smith".
15. Memories of Margaret Wright.
16. Information provided by Kenneth D. Wright.
17. Death certificate of Margaret P. Wright.
18. Certificate of Marriage signed by Wayland
Zwayer, Hilda Clinton and Sylvia McGuire..
19. Death Certificate of Harold R. Wright.
20. Information provided by Kenneth D. Wright.
21. Death certificate of Margaret P. Wright.
22. Death Certificate of Harold R. Wright.
23. Copy of Social Security Application Form.
24. Certificate of Marriage signed by Wayland
Zwayer, Hilda Clinton and Sylvia McGuire..
25. Information provided by Greg Mander.
26. Information provided by Patti Thompson Mayes.
27. Information provided by Kenneth D. Wright.
