JOHN W. WIGGINS, a successful farmer and stock raiser, was born December 26, 1812, in North Carolina. He is the son of Harrel and Sallie (Royster) Wiggins. The father was born in North Carolina in 1788, and when quite young immigrated to Indiana, where he remained but a few months. He then went to Kentucky, and from there to Coffee County, Tenn., where he remained until 1830, when he immigrated to Bedford County, and settled in the Twentieth District. He reared a family of seven children, three of whom are living at the present time: John W., David and Harbert. Harrel Wiggins was a member of the Missionary Baptist Church and died in 1851. Mrs. Wiggins died in 1873.
Our subject was given a fair education in the common schools. In 1835 he was married to Miss Mary Greer, a native of North Carolina. To this union seven children were born, only two of whom are living: Mary A. and Hundley. Mrs. Wiggins was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and died September 15, 1885. Mr. Wiggins has always been a tiller of the soil, has been rather successful and owns 450 acres of good land.
Transcribed by Kathryn Hopkins
Goodspeed Publishing Co. History of Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present: Together with an Historical and a Biographical Sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford & Marshall Counties, Besides a Valuable Fund of Notes, Reminescences [Sic], Observations, Etc., Etc. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1988.