Christopher Higgins was the son of Levi and Jemima (Borders) Higgins; brother of George, Mellissa, Elvira, Eugena, Sarah, Elizabeth Finley, Cornelius, and Peter. The family lived at Jasper, Carroll County, Iowa. His mother died in 1861 after the birth of Peter; his father married Nancy Borders Rittenhouse, sister of Jemima and widow of Benjamin Rittenhouse. Five children were born to Levi and Nancy - John, Benjamin, Louis, Harriet and Almina.
In 1880 census, Christopher was listed as a laborer, living with his brother, Cornelius and family at Jackson, Calhoun County, Iowa.
In 1885, Christopher was married; wife, Lizzie and two children: Ora and Nora, living in Calhoun County, Iowa.
In the 1900 census, the family lived at Lake, Calhoun County, Iowa with five more children: Ira, Fred, George,
Leta, and Bernice. Chris was an engineer for the railroad; 1910 census shows the family at Lake Ward 3, Calhoun County, Iowa. He and his sons, Ora and Fred worked for the railroad. In the 1920 census, Chris, listed as farming, with wife Elizabeth and children Ira, George and Leta and her two children were living at Clayton, Polk County, Wisconsin; in the 1930 census, Chris, Lizzie, and Ira were still living on the farm.
The 1940 census shows Chris as widowed and living at Powhatan, Pocahontas, Iowa with his son Ora and wife.
-----------------------------------
Excerpts from obituary - Pocahontas Record-Democrat - Thursday, March 29, 1951:
Funeral services were held Friday, March 16, for Chris Higgins, 92, at McIntire Funeral Home. Rev. G. L. Winn was in charge. Fay Anderson of Rolfe, accompanied by Miss Virginia Johnson, sang, "My Lord and I." Misses Doris O'Neal and Charlene Firkins, accompanied by Miss Elaine Cox, sang, "The Old Rugged Cross."
The body was taken to Amery, Wis., where services were held on Saturday afternoon in the Congregational Church with Rev. John Decker in charge. Burial was in Mt. Hope cemetery, Turtle Lake, Wis., beside his wife.
Mr. and Mrs. O. C. Higgins, Ira Higgins and Mr. and Mrs. Dick Higgins of Rolfe, accompanied the body.
Chris Higgins,.......was born Oct. 24, 1859 in Greene County,...and died in the hospital in Cherokee, March 12, 1951.....March 1881, he was united in marriage to Melissa Clouse at Carroll. To this union, were born seven
children: Ora of Plover, Ira of Rolfe, Fred of Boone, Mrs. Earl Hooge of San Mateo, Calif., Mrs. Tom Zimmer, Yakima, Wash., Mrs. Rac Tasad of Bellingham, Wash. and Geo, who
preceded his father in death. After marriage they made their home in Lake City. For years he worked on the C & N W railroad as an engineer. In later life, they moved to Joel, Wis. and lived there until his wife died. He then spent time at the home of his son, George, at Boulder, Montana, and lived his remaining years with hos son, Ora at Plover. He lives to mourn his death, six children, nine grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
---------------------------------
Before there were automobiles and improved roads, all travel was done by rail, except for local trips that was done by horse and buggy or wagon. Lake City, Calhoun County, Iowa became a railroad boomtown; a train would pass through almost every hour around the clock, blowing their whistles. There were six hotels in Lake City at this time to accommodate all of travelers. Census records list quite a number of men working for the railroad. When the railroad moved its management and maintenance division to Sioux City, Iowa, it was a downfall for the town of Lake City.