Thomas Briggs
I Thomas Briggs, was born August 20th, 1832, at Newark Notts; England. My Fathers name was James, and he was born at Kelham which is two miles from Newark. He was born on the14th of October, 1806, and died on the 8th of August, 1852, at Saint Louis Mo; U S A.
He had 10 brothers and sisters, their names are as follows—William, Francis, John, Edward, Richard, George, Mary, Ann, and Ellen.
My Grand-father, Edward Briggs, was born in Lincolnshire, near Grantham, in the year 1760, and died at Kelham, Notts; June 1st, 1834. (For further particulars, see the record of the dead, page 8 and 17).
My Grand-mothers name was Elizabeth Sheperd, and she married my Grand-father at Kelham, near Newark, where they lived and died.
My Mothers maiden name was Ann Ordoyne. The original name was Vanodono. They came from Belgium, and the first one I could trace of, came to England, to be head gardener, for the King of England.
I make these plain statements, so that my children, or my childrens children, can trace their geneology, of our dead. My Father and Mother, were the only ones to embrace the Gospel, so I felt the responsibility, of looking after the dead, as the last words of my Father were “Thomas, never forget the dead.” I say the same to my posterity, untill all the dead have been redeemed, and this is the prayer, of Your Father, /S/ Thomas Briggs