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Daniel Maney
Raymond
UWRT 1103
3 November 2015
Family Tree Essay
Your familys country of origin is a very important part of your heritage. Most
individuals never seek out to find information regarding their family history. To me, it is
important to know about your ancestors, the struggles they went through to come to the United
States, why they came, and even what type of jobs they had. In addition it is important to learn a
little bit about your familys country of origin, I am not saying you should be an expert on all
things about the country but just the basics such as the flag and its colors, the national song, and
what steps are necessary in becoming a citizen of the country. I am excited to explore these areas
because all of these things intrigue me.
My mothers side of the family, the Biggerstaffs, originated from Ireland and England.
My Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather, Samuel Biggerstaff, was born on the 5 February
1774 in Essex, England. Samuel Biggerstaff married Sarah Eakins, born 17 December 1778
somewhere in Ireland. I will be focusing my research on England. Essex, England is a small
county or province on the eastern side of the country, England. Samuel Biggerstaff traveled to
Ireland and met the girl he would soon marry, Sarah Eakins. They were married in Ireland and
decided to travel to the United States in order to find better jobs, live a better life, and be able to
provide better opportunities for their eventual kids. They traveled to the United States by way of
boat and came through the immigration port of Ellis Island, New York. It was found out by my
grandfather, Buddy Biggerstaff, that there was a mistake made by the immigration officer when

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recording the names of my ancestors when they came through; originally, my ancestors last
named was spelled Bickerstaff, but was changed to Biggerstaff. This happened to many people
that traveled through immigration ports because it was hard for the English speaking
immigration officers to understand the different languages spoken by the newcomers. Even if
those newcomers spoke English, it was often very hard for the officers to pick up on the strong
accents they presented.
It is important to not only know about your familys history but also to know about the
history of your country of origin. Englands flag today is actually just the flags of the entire
United Kingdom put together into one. The first flag of England from 1603 was just a red cross
on a white background to represent Englands patron saint, St. George. Queen Elizabeth I
requested, on her deathbed, that her cousin, King James VI of Scotland, be named successor to
the English thrown. Due to this, in 1606, King James VI integrated the Scottish national flag
into the English National Flag creating a new flag that had a blue background, white X, and the
same red cross. This flag became known as the Union Flag because England and Scotland
banded together to form Great Britain. This flag remained idolized from 1606 until 1801. In
1801, Ireland was added to the two already existing countries of Great Britain thus calling for
another change in the flag design. The Irish national flag, which consisted of a white background
with a red cross, was added to the already existing flag. So this new flag contained a blue
background, white X, red X, and red cross. That flag has remained the flag of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain since 1801 and will probably stay for many years to come (History of
The British Flag).
A national anthem is something that represents the struggles or values that a country
holds close to it. Everyone that lives in a country knows the national anthem, as they should.

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England does not have a national anthem for the specific country but they tend to use the United
Kingdom of Great Britains titled God Save the Queen. A man named Thomas Augustine
Arne, born in 1710, died in 1778, composed this song in the eighteenth century. It was first sung
during a battle between England and Scotland. The Jacobites of Scotland wanted to restore the
House of Stuart to the thrown. God Save the Queen is basically a poem made up of 3 stanzas
that basically explains the peoples loyalty to the queen and how they ask God to protect the
queen from whatever inconveniences she may face. Pretty much all citizens of the United
Kingdom know this song or anthem.
It is not really pertinent to your familys history to learn how to become a citizen of their
country of origin but is interesting to know just in case you ever wanted to do it and also to be
able to compare the steps of that country to the ones of the United States. The steps to becoming
a citizen of England are much like the steps to becoming a United States citizen. It is a long and
difficult process and there are certain requirements that you must complete before even having
the opportunity. A list of just some of these requirements are that: you must be eighteen years or
older, be of good character, you have knowledge of the English language and meet life in the
UK requirements, and you also must meet the resident requirement. If I wanted to become a
citizen of the country of England, I could. Who knows, I might even eventually do that because I
can actually see myself working there and I plan to study abroad in London fairly soon, which is
very exciting and hopefully I will be able to travel to the hometown of my ancestors while I am
over there.
My Grandpa, Buddy Biggerstaff has faced challenges pretty much his entire life but the
most difficult would probably be his heart problems. He is diagnosed with atrial defibrillation
and coronary artery disease and has had open-heart surgery and has needed several stents and

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angioplasty procedures to help compensate for his condition. Atrial defibrillation is a type of
arrhythmia, which is a problem with the rate, or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia,
the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm (What Is Atrial Fibrillation?).
The other condition is coronary artery disease develops when your coronary arteries the major
blood vessels in your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients become damaged or diseased.
Cholesterol-containing deposits (plaque) in your arteries and inflammation are usually to blame
for coronary artery disease (Mayo Clinic Staff). My Grandpa has faced many problems with
these conditions but continues to fight through them, which I greatly admire but he works as a
carpenter and construction man so it worries me that he is doing such physical activity with a
condition like his. I just trust that he knows when he needs to step back for a little while and take
a break, although, he is stubborn much like his father, Gordon Biggerstaff.
My great grandfather, Gordon Biggerstaff was a soldier in World War I in 1917 and
fought in eight major battles in France and Belgium. He worked as a mule tender which,
basically, was a person who managed textile machines. The legitimate definition is a person
whose job is to set up, operate, or tend machines that wind or twist textiles; or draw out and
combine sliver, such as wool, hemp, or synthetic fibers (Career Occupational Profile For: Mule
Tender). He served from 1917 to 1920 and when finished, he came back to Linville Falls,
North Carolina to start and raise his family with his wife, Winnie.
Knowing about your familys history is very important because it is your right as a
member of the family to keep the legacy going, keep the stories, the joys, the tragedies, all the
things that have brought your family together and even the things that may have torn it apart.
Get as much information as you can from your grandparents, great grandparents, moms, dads,
aunts, uncles, anyone you think could have unique information about your family that no one

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else has. Because, however unfortunate, you never know when these resources might be taken
from you so use them while you still can. Pass the information on to your younger siblings and
eventually even your spouse and kids. Keep the legacy alive and never stop digging further into
your familys past!

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Works Cited
"Become a British Citizen." - GOV.UK. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
Biggerstaff, Buddy. "Family History." Telephone interview. 28 Sept. 2015.
"Career Occupational Profile for: Mule Tender." Mule Tender Career Profile, Video, Earnings,
Education, Prospects. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
"Coronary Artery Disease." - Mayo Clinic. 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
"England Forever." National Song Of England. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
United States. National Park Service. "History of the British Flag." National Parks Service. U.S.
Department of the Interior, 7 Oct. 2015. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
"What Is Atrial Fibrillation?" - NHLBI, NIH. 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2015.