Bragging Rights

By Peter Biggins

My grandfather Leslie Biggins met Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini when waterproofing the basement of Columbus Hospital circa 1906. more
The house where we lived in Wilmette from 1968 to 1972 was part of the Stran-Steel exhibit in the 1933/34 Chicago World's Fair. more
My brothers and I caddied at the same course that Bill Murray later caddied at--Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Illinois. more
In 1989, we bought a house in Darien, Connecticut, on the 1,300-mile Kings Highway ordered in 1664 by Charles II, King of England. more
George Washington rode by the site of our house in Darien in 1756, 1775-76, and 1789, as Colonel, General, and President. more
In 2004, Marilyn and I found the 320-acre farm of my great great grandfather Patrick Biggins in Romeovile, Will County, Illinois. more
In 2009, I found the farmhouse of my great great great grandfather Hugh Beggan in Drumgill, County Cavan, Ireland. more
My great great grandfather John Schmitt of Tiffin, Ohio, was a 49er in the California Gold Rush from 1849 to 1851. more
Frances Foy, a second cousin of my grandmother, Emily Foy Biggins, has a mural in the Chicago Loop Post Office. more
My Y-DNA ancestor Carthend, grandson of Colla Uais, lived on the Faughan River in Tirkeeran, County Derry, in the 5th century. more
Based on her cousin Michael Carroll's Y-DNA, Marilyn is descended from Breassal Breac, King of Leinster around 200 BC. more
Herbert Kohler Sr., chief executive of the Kohler Company, attended the funeral of Marilyn's father Edward Carroll in 1955. more
The comedic actor Eddie Foy adopted my great grandfather's brother James Foy's name because it would fit nicely on marquees. more
My Foy great great grandparents lived a half mile from the Wigwam, when Abraham Lincoln was nominated as President in 1860. more
My great grandfather John Foy was present at the Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869. more
In 2007, I found the farm of my Foy ancestors, with Blackface sheep and an Irish sheepdog, in the Partry Mountains of County Mayo. more
Sheffield Square Apartments, part of DePaul University since 1994, were built by my grandparents Leslie and Emily Biggins in 1925. more
My third cousin Rev. John P. Minogue was President of DePaul University in Chicago from 1993 to 2004. more
My great great great grandparents John Adam and Maria Eva Schickell lived in Tiffin, Ohio, when Charles Dickens visited in 1842. more
My grandfather William Drueke hosted chess matches between child prodigy Sammy Reshevsky and 15 men in 1922. more
In Spring 2007, Marilyn and I found the house of my great great great grandfather Johann Drücke in Ostentrop, Germany. more
In 2013, the historical society in Finnentrop, Germany, wrote an article about my great great great grandfather Johann Drücke. more
I have the Wander-Buch issued in 1845 by the Kingdom of Württemberg to my great great grandfather Koch, journeyman ropemaker. more
My cousin John Foy Coverdale is a historian, a law professor, an author, and a member of Opus Dei. more
Mildred Martinez, mother of Pope Leo XIV, grew up on Rush Street in Chicago, a half block from my high school, Quigley P.S. more
Daughter-in-law Kerry's father has the Y-DNA of Brian Boru, high king of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. more
Daughter-in-law Kerry descends from an ancestor in common with United States President Calvin Coolidge. more
Daughter-in-law Erin descends from an ancestor in common with a signer of the United States Constitution. more
Daughter-in-law Erin descends from an ancestor in common with a United States Supreme Court Justice. more