In a farmhouse near Princeton, Indiana, Miranda Gambrel was born on July 2, 1851 to Henry Gambrel and Nancy Montgomery Gambrel. She was named after Henry's sister Miranda Caroline Gambrel Armstrong. Miranda must have been mothered in such a special way to have become the wife and mother and grandmother that she became throughout her lifetime. Miranda’s mother, Nancy died ten days after Miranda’s eleventh birthday. Her father remarried when she was 12 1/2 years old to a woman by the name of Lydia Johnson. Of both women, Miranda would say... "I had two wonderful mothers. Whoever said that stepmothers were bad didn’t know my stepmother." She seemed to learn a lesson well in her early life, that possessions would never be as important to her as her family. Miranda was raised in the Baptist faith.

Miranda's parents were married for twenty-two years and had four daughters. Mariah, (aka Maria) born in 1840, Mary born in 1844, Martha born in 1846 and Miranda born in 1851. I believe that Miranda was very close to her sisters as evidenced by group pictures of the sisters on the occasions that they could all be together. If it was important to them to have portraits done when together even though they were all married with families of their own, they must have cared for each other very much.

Miranda married Thomas Townley Rigg on June 17, 1869 in Edwards County, Illinois. The marriage of Thomas and Miranda was a marriage that lasted almost forty-two years, until Thomas’s death on January 11, 1911. They gave birth to ten children beginning with Melvin Gillison Rigg on April 12, 1870. He was born in Wabash County, Illinois, ten months after Thomas and Miranda were married. Their second child, Nancy Rigg, no doubt named for Miranda’s mother and her grandmother, Nancy Davis, died at birth or shortly after on December 3, 1871. A third child, Perry David Rigg would be born on February 16, 1873. This would be their last child born before leaving for Butler County, Kansas the following Spring of 1874. Imagine moving in a covered wagon with a four year old and a one year old. I think Miranda would be considered a devout wife and mother and the journey was one for which she was definitely fit to undertake. Not only were Thomas, Miranda and their boys moving at this time, but also Thomas’s elderly parents, Townly and Phebe Rigg and his youngest sister, Maria Eliza Rigg Sloan, along with her family, journeyed with them.

Miranda and Thomas first lived in Quito, Kansas. A booming little village with a physician, a post office, a blacksmith shop and a drug store. When the proposed railroad didn't come through the town died. But none the less, Miranda, Thomas and their ever expanding family continued to farm in the area. Their farm was located south of the current Quito cemetery. William "Henry" Rigg was their third son, and their first child after moving to Quito. He was born on January 19, 1875. Although winters must have been challenging back then before the advent of central heat and electric stoves, mother and son must have been strong and healthy for they survived. Alva Rigg was born on January 4, 1877. He grew to young manhood on the Rigg farm at Quito.

Next came Frank Clifton Rigg on March 18, 1879. He was nicknamed "Clif". He would remain in Leon, Kansas until, at the age of 27, he set out to find his own way in the world. Miranda and Thomas certainly gave their children a proper upbringing and were excellent examples for their children as they grew up. Louis Harold Rigg was born on December 25, 1881. Can you imagine the joy of a baby born on Christmas Day? All of the children were raised in the Methodist faith as Miranda and Thomas joined the first Methodist Episcopal Church begun in the area. Church, school and the farm was the circle in which they lived out their lives for many years.

My grandfather, Lauren Dale Rigg, arrived on March 25, 1884. He was nicknamed "Dale" and joined the family now consisting of seven boys! But just around the corner, a blessed event would occur that would be the delight of this family. On October 12, 1886, a little girl would finally join the family and be the apple of all of their eyes. She would be nicknamed "Dolly" for the doll that she represented to this large family of boys. Miranda finally had her little girl. When it came time to attend school, Dolly chose her own name and became Dorothy Rigg but to Miranda and Thomas and the boys she remained Dolly. The last child born to Miranda and Thomas was another boy, John Dorman Rigg. He was born on July 3, 1889. It was said of John that he was six feet four inches tall by the time he was eleven years old. So the Rigg family was complete with eight boys and one girl and a little angel named Nancy who was never forgotten. During the years that Miranda and Thomas were operating their farm and raising their children, they were also taking care of Thomas' elderly parents. In the 1880 census for Little Walnut Valley, Thomas's mother Phebe M. Rigg was listed as a member of the household at the age of 73. Along with Miranda's sister, Mary Gambrel, and a 21 year old man by the name of Jessie Reaser. I'm not sure who Jessie was, but he had been born in Illinois and his occupation was listed as "Work in Quarry." His relation to the family is listed as "other". So whether he was a family friend from Illinois or someone in need of room and board no doubt he was accepted whole-heartedly into the family. I can't imagine living in a home with five adults and five children! It must have been exciting at times.

Miranda's oldest son, Melvin, was married on Christmas Day in 1893. The church was filled to overflowing with many friends and relatives. Melvin and his bride, Effie Etta Moore chose to be married in the Eureka Methodist Church. They would live and begin their own new little family in Eureka, Kansas. It wasn't long and Effie was pregnant and I'm sure Miranda was delighted at the prospect of being a grandmother. Then suddenly Melvin became ill. His high fever, chills and intestinal problems became so severe that his frightened wife took him back home to his parents farm at Quito. She knew that Miranda was a strong woman and had taken care of a fine large family so surely she would know what to do. Little did any of them know at first how dire Melvin’s illness was and that not only would he succumb to the disease but so would many other family members. At first no one knew that the source of the contamination was the water or that the name of the disease was Typhoid Fever. Melvin died from his illness on Wednesday, August 7, 1895. He was returned to his home in Eureka via the Missouri Pacific train and his funeral was held at the M.E. Church. He is buried at the cemetery in Eureka. Melvin was twenty five years old when he died.

Back at the Rigg farm in Quito the devastation had just begun. Eight members of the family were stricken with Typhoid Fever. And not knowing that the water source was also the source of the disease the situation only worsened. Miranda was a strong woman but how strong of a woman does it take to nurse her entire family with such consuming symptoms? In pioneer days though you did what you had to do, one day at a time. When her second son, Louis H. Rigg, died on Thursday, August 22, 1895 Miranda was unable to attend his funeral due to the fact that she had six more children at home that were gravely ill. Louis was just a boy when he died, fourteen years and eight months old. His funeral was a quiet one and he was buried in the Quito Cemetery just a quarter of a mile from where he had been born and had lived his short life. Miranda and Thomas would watch two more of their sons succumb to Typhoid Fever and bury them also at the Quito Cemetery. Alva died next at the age of eighteen on September 1, 1895 followed by Wm. Henry on Thursday, September 26, 1895. Henry was twenty. The image of losing four sons in one months time is so grievous. Their five remaining children survived their illnesses and went on to live to adulthood and had families of their own. And as the phoenix rises from the ashes, a grandchild was born on October 20, 1895 to Melvin’s widow. His name was Melvin Gillison Rigg, the same as his father that he never knew. A family friend, Frank Dilts, came to the aid of the Rigg family to help take care of those that were sick. He also contracted Typhoid Fever and died.

In 1903, Thomas and Miranda and the remaining children left the farm near Quito and moved into Leon. They remained there until Thomas died in 1911 and Miranda in 1924. They are buried along side three of their sons and Thomas's parents, Townly and Phebe Rigg. Thomas lived to see all but one of his children marry and Miranda lived until all but the last grandchild would be born. In 1919, when her daughter in law, Euphema Luttrell Rigg died leaving five small children, she helped her son, Perry, mother those children as well. No small accomplishment for someone to undertake at the age of 68. Miranda had begun to tire as a result of the heart disease that would eventually take her life. Her grandchildren spoke highly of her and unanimously said that she was kind and gentle and very loving. Proverbs 31:28-29 comes to mind. "Her children rise up and call her blessed and her husband boasts of and praises her, saying, Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly and well, but you excel them all." Miranda died on June 28, 1924. Her obituary stated that "Her Christian life was a reality. A steady flame that never went out in the home." I feel so blessed that she was my great grandmother.

It is said that the things that cost dearest are the ones that lie closest to your heart. Thomas and Miranda had a dream of moving to Butler County and having a farm and raising a fine family. Their dreams were realized amidst the tragedies and hardships of the early pioneer days. In one month to lose four sons, in one lifetime to accomplish so much. Today, hundreds of their descendants live across the United States and every year the last weekend in April they come together in Butler County to celebrate the lives of Thomas and Miranda Rigg and their family, true pioneers of the early days of Butler County, Kansas.