Leon Rigg, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Leon Rigg
MR. AND MRS. LEON RIGG
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Rigg were married in November of 1939. They had four children who are now married. Judy the oldest, lives in Chicago and teaches Senior high English and Speech, is married to Robert Mathias. James, married to Linda Williams, has two sons, Gary and Mark; Wallace, married to Linda Rush, has one son Kevin. Thomas, married to Karin Fait, has Daniel and Lisa. The three sons live in Washington Township, Indiana.
Leon's parents were James and Edna Rigg who purchased this farm in 1908. It was known as Maple Leaf Farm. James Rigg served as Township Trustee and as County Commissioner. Leon's paternal grandparents were Wallace and Florence McGinley Rigg who farmed in Porter Township. His maternal grandparents were James and Lovina Ludington, also of Porter Township. His great grandparents, Hazard and Elvira Sheffield came to Porter Township from Rhode Island and acquired 700 acres of land in Porter Township. They built a large 14 room brick Victorian style home which still stands. It is near Porter Cross Roads on Indiana State Road 2.
Mildred Rigg's parents were Kenneth and Nina Dilley. Her maternal grandparents were Al and Ida L. Worstell who came from Ohio. He was a school teacher. Her family name was Uhrich, from which Uhrichsville, Ohio was named. Mrs. Leon Rigg's paternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. John Dilley. The farm they owned had belonged to her parents Daniel Merriss. It was located 2 miles south of Hebron, Indiana. That same farm house is still standing and being lived in.
John Dilley was a grandson of Mrs. Mary Dinwiddie Dilley who as a widow with one son, David, came in 1836, in covered wagon with other Dilley and Dinwiddie families who settled in southern Porter and Lake counties. The Dilleys were Irish people from Pennsylvania. The Dinwiddies were from Virginia and were from the Scotch-Irish who migrated to the American colonies as Protestants and Presbyterians from Scotland and North Ireland.
Mrs. Leon Rigg taught school in Porter County Schools, starting as First Grade Teacher in Westchester Township.
Leon carried on the farm from his parents. He served on the Porter County board of Commissioners and worked many years in Porter County 4-H Club work as Supt. of the Beef Cattle Division of the 4-H Fair and as a member of the Fair Board. Mr. and Mrs. Leon Rigg are members of the First Christian Church in Valparaiso. He is also a member of Masonic Lodge and she is a member of Eastern Star of Valparaiso.
Information taken from "History of Porter County" and from "Dinwiddie Family History."
Source: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County. 1976. A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana. Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc. 180 p.
Page(s) in Source: 149-150
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook