Welcome to the second installation of Who Shares Your Birthday!

September is a very busy month for birthdays in the Briggs family!  I was able to navigate through the family tree and found someone important in our family line whose birthday is today – Elizabeth Jane Dixon. There is a conflict in one record noting her date of birth as September 10^th, however, there’s nothing to substantiate that date. So, we’re going to go with today!

Another important September birthday is Stanley Briggs, born on September 24, 1915 – that’s another story for another day (in other words, I’m still working on putting it together!).  In the meantime, let’s get to know Elizabeth, my 3^rd great-grandmother through my grandfather, Stanley.

Elizabeth was born September 11, 1831, to parents James Bowman Dixon and Susan Copple.  At that time, the family was living in Shelby County, Indiana, USA.  She was the fourth of 12 children (six boys & six girls).

Census records place Elizabeth in Rochester, Missouri at the age of 19, and then moving to Oregon in 1850.

From a book called Saga of a Seafarer, the Annals of Capt. William Irving, written by Mary Aline Cox (granddaughter of Elizabeth), the pictures below tell a wonderful story of Elizabeth’s journey to Oregon and meeting her husband to be:

Elizabeth married Capt William Irving September 17, 1851, in Portland, Oregon.  They lived in Portland until approximately 1859, when the family moved to Victoria, BC where William began a ship building business.  At the time of the move, the Irvings had four children:  Mary (born Dec. 25, 1852), John (born Nov. 24, 1854), Susan (born Mar. 10, 1857) and Elizabeth (born Dec. 29, 1859).  The birth of their daughter, Nellie (born Nov. 12, 1862), is recorded in Victoria, BC.  Nellie is the last child William and Elizabeth had.

Another excerpt from Saga of a Seafarer:

“In 1859, Capt Irving purchased a lot in New Westminster on one of the most commanding sites in the young city- to-be.  With seaman’s foresight, he naturally chose for his new home a location on a high point of the area.  For many years he lived in splendid isolation on his two-acre holding.

Mr. Simes, noted architect and friend of Captain Irving, designed the home.

The home was ready in 1864.  The following year Captain Irving loaded his family and goods onto the Onward and one calm day steamed from Victoria to New Westminster.”

While living in Irving House, William and Elizabeth continued their life in the community as prominent citizens in the history of New Westminster.  William passed away August 28, 1872, from double pneumonia. 

Their daughter, Elizabeth, married Ernest Spencer January 1882.  After their marriage, Ernest and Elizabeth moved down to Oregon, taking her mother, Elizabeth, along with them.  The Spencers, along with the assistance of Elizabeth, helped to build the community of Irvington in Portland, Oregon. 

According to Remington Rand Inc., an Oregon biographical index card notes Elizabeth’s religious preference as Presbyterian and politics as Republican.  On the back of the index card, additional information was provided by Mary Aline Cox of Sacramento, California on Oct. 25, 1960:

“Mrs. Irving returned to Portland to live after the death of William Irving in 1872.  She invested heavily in the Irving dock construction, built on the Irving donation land claim in 1884. The Victoria dock near the Irving dock was another Irving project. She was interested in blooded horses and Shetland ponies and had a substantial interest in the Irvington racetrack which was built in 1893 and closed in 1907.”

To this day, the community is still thriving and continues to honour the founding members of Irvington.  About three years ago, I visited my sister, Cris, in Portland.  We took a walking tour of notable houses in Irvington.  Even found a street named Briggs!  Will certainly visit again.

Elizabeth re-married again in 1889 to Anthony George Ryan.  Unfortunately, it was not a marriage that would last as they would divorce in 1896.  The divorce was granted in the Oregon courts as stated in the Statesman Journal citing habitual gross drunkenness and personal indignities rendering life burdensome on the part of her husband, Anthony.

Elizabeth resided with her daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law Ernest, in Irvington, until her death January 8, 1922.

I hoped you enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth – I know I did!  I certainly learned a couple of interesting items especially with respect to her love of horses – who knew!  I know there are a couple of members of our family who has or had a huge passion and love for horses.  I hope they would feel a connection to this ancestor of our family.