Evening star., 1935-03-24

sided on I street. and some years
after the death of Chief Justice Waite
we find Associate Justice Gray resid-
ing at the northwest corner OF that
thoroughfare and Sixteenth street.
Another old landmark, which has
recently been removed. was the Riggs
mansion, which stood at 1917 / street.
1t gave way to progress, and its
site is now q gasoline and parking
station. And. after all. this makes
us think how fortunate 1t is that
we can die but once. for II the early
members of this great family of
bankers could return again and see
what has become Of their old home,
which was so near and dear to them.
it no doubt would break their hears,
and they would die again.
About all the present generation
knows of this old Washington and
Georgetown family is that members
were once foremost in the banking
business in this city, for many years
in association with the late w. w.
Corcoran. The latter had as his
pdI eCOlSC
Riggs, who built the I street home
so many years ago that one Of his
daughters, who survived to an old
age, said there were but woods and
commons to the north Of them when
the residence was built.
THE Riggs family, originally Of
English ancestry. was an old one
in this vicinity. first settling In
Georgetown, and when their business
interests called them to this side of
Rock Creek. as it did with George
w. Riggs, they became residents OF
Washington when Georgetown had its
separate mayor and legislature.
John Riggs Of Ann Arundel County.
Nd, seems to have been the pioneer
member of the family in America. He
was born in 1887 and died in 1852.
BY his wife, the daughter of Thomas
Davis Of the same county in which
he lived, he had an old-time family
of seven sons and five daughters. Just
what became of all these children IS
unimportant at this time, except to
say that his fourth son, Samuel Riggs,
who was born October 6, 1740, be-
came a successful farmer, and took
for his wife Amelia Dorsey.
OF this union came Elisha Riggs,
who. when grown, settled in George
town and here became acquainted
with George Peabody, later to become
an international figure In finance and
one of our greatest philanthropists.
Mr.. Riggs soon engaged in the dry
goods BUSINESS, employing Mr.. Peabody
as bookkeeper, and later admitted him
into partnership.
Elisha Riggs married Alice Lawra-
son. daughter of James Lawrason, a
prominent merchant of Alexandria,
then q part Of the District Of Colum-
bia. His two sons of this union were
George Washington Riggs (born July
4, 1879 and Lawrason Riggs. In 1S40.
George w. Riggs married Miss Janet
Sheldon, and at the time Of his death
he left two sons, one Of whom was
E. Francis Riggs, and probably four
daughters, of whom were Mrs. Henry
Howard, Miss Jane A. Riggs and Miss
Alice L. Riggs, all now deceased.
nj JIlc tlIIlG VI tllC oCdtA "a oCOA &c
w. Riggs, August "a. 1881, the banking
firm of Corcoran g. Riggs consisted
of himself, his son. z. Francis Riggs,
Charles c. Glover, Thomas Hyde
(whose ONCE was q little One-story
building Just above the bank on Fiji
teenth street, as many will recalD and
John Elliott, and to paraphrase what
Thomas Jefferson said Of John Adams
Mr.. Glover still lives! George w.
Riggs also built and owned the old
Riggs House, which stood for many
years at the southeast corner Of g
and Fifteenth street, and which was
removed when the theater building
was erected on that site. In addition
to his interest in the Riggs Bank he
was also one of the founders OF the
National Savings & Trust, in which
his son, Z. Francis Riggs, was also
identified, and it was through the
courtesy Of the latter institution and
its vice president, David Bornet, that
the pictures Of the Riggs mansion were
obtained.
Evidently George w. Riggs trans
ferred his affections from Georgetown
to Washington as early as 1843. for
NE find him that year reGdiug On