ELIJAH SHEPHERD PIGOTT

Elijah Shepherd (Lige) Pigott was born Aug 1, 1865, in Gloucester, Carteret County, NC. He was the fourth child of J. Ralph Pigott and Emeline Stewart.
        Lige led an extremely interesting and adventurous life. He captained many vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He spent a while in Alaska during the Gold Rush. He captained tugboats on the Hudson River and barges on the Eire Canal. For a while he owned a "plantation" in Meggetts, SC.
        As far as is known, Lige never married. But there has been a lot of speculation about that. Some are of the opinion that he did marry while he was in California. However, if he did, he never talked about it to anyone and no-one knows what became of his family. The picture at left is very intriguing. If anyone can identify the others in the picture, it may well answer the question of Lige's marital status once and for all!

        We will be posting much more concerning this individual as time goes on. He left a lot of documentation concerning his sea-faring life and that will be forthcoming. He also left a journal of his time in Alaska and we hope to be able to transcribe that for all to enjoy.

        Lige died Jun 28, 1925, of a massive heart attack while at the wheel of his vessel on the Eire Canal. He is buried in the Pigott Family Cemetery in Gloucester, NC. He died intestate. The court named his brother, John, administrator of his estate. An inventory of his estate, which consisted mostly of personal items and some property in Meggetts, SC, was made. The property was sold and his estate was distributed amonst his survivors, consisting of his brothers and sisters and the children of his deceased sister, Sara Webb.

        Lige was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy during World War I. He was captain of a supply vessel.

        Nephew Elwood says that Uncle Lige once told him that he sold $100,000 worth of mining equipment for $75 and shipped on as engineer in order to get out of Alaska.

        For a while, nephews Harry Chadwick and Roland Davis lived on the farm with Uncle Lige and helped him work the farm. Nephew Elwood says they used to tell some wild tales about Lige's phenomenal strength. One in particular they told was about the time they were off-loading bags of fertilizer from a railroad side car. The bags had shifted during transit and were tightly packed. The boys were having difficulty unwedging the bags to get them out. Uncle Lige asked the boys if they were so "puny" they couldn't handle the job. He then proceeded to grab a bag by both "ears" and yanked it right out without any trouble.

        Shortly after he stopped trying his hand at farming, Lige received a contract to take a tug from Charleston to New York to be used on the Eire Canal. Nephew Elwood went with him. After delivering this vessel, he received another contract to take another tug from Philadelphia to New York. Elwood says he did not go with him on this trip.

        Lige invented a contraption for rescuing a man overboard at sea. See the chronology of Lige's life.