born: 19 Oct 1860died: 08 June 1941
born: 19 Oct 1860Married Mabel Elizabeth Searl of Plainsville, Ohio on 15 August 1901 at Beaufort, NC.
Children:
Thomas Searl b. 31 August 1902; d. prior to 1950 - where buried?
Desmond Madison b. 30 October 1904; d. 18 June 1905; buried in Pigott Family Cemetery - Gloucester, NC
Douglas Suttie b. 30 October 1904; d. 18 December 1904; buried in Pigott Family Cemtery - Gloucester, NC
Twyla Isadore b. 25 August 1906; d. 27 August 1997; m. Lester A. Pigott 16 December 1925 ; buried in Carolina Memorial Garden - North Charleston, SC - no children.
Travis York b. 31 August 1908; d. July 1981; m. (1) Mary Peerkins 08 August 1931; m. (2) Thelma Salisbury Hinson; buried in Carolina Memorial Garden - North Charleston, SC
Children of Travis and Thelma:
Kermit Searl b. 12 November 1910; d. 1998 ;m. Hilda Duffy; buried in Alabama - no children
Vincent Stewart b, 25 February 1913; d. 27 July 1978; m. Pearl Gillikin 22 June 1939; buried in Pigott Family Cemetery - Gloucester, NC
Thomas McDonald Pigott m. Patricia Starnes
Seely Cole b. 24 June 1915; d. 1991 ;m. Azalee Hazel Donahue; buried in Carolina Memorial Garden - North Charleston, SC
Azalee Barbara m. Richard Griffiths
Ceely Jo (Jodie) m. Paul Hilton
Mable Searl ; m. Forrest Vance Daves.
Glenn Gordon m. Carol Bilbray
Larry Vance m. Victoria Stack
Thomas Allen ; m. Doreeta Weatherford.
Holly Lynn m. George Burgess
Dexter Allen m. Deborah Binder
Althea Gwynette
Uncle Thomas had a license, dated 19 August 1884, to pilot vessels between Georgetown, SC, and Doboy, GA., both coastal and inland.
In 1885, Thomas was a harbor pilot in Charleston. One day he was coming into port. A storm was brewing at sea and was increasingly getting worse. He noticed a party boat, the Marie L., near the jetties. After reaching port, he realized the boat he saw could be in serious trouble. He took the tug and a deckhand and found the people on the party boat in great distress as the boat was breaking upon the rocks. He took the people from the party boat onto the tug and brought them safely to shore. Later, the people from the Marie L. tried to give Captain Pigott a purse, which he refused. Determined to show their appreciation for his heroism in some manner, they presented him a gentleman's dress cane that was inscribed as follows:
Thomas was captain of the yacht Peerless on the Great Lakes. It was during this time he met Mabel. His engineer was Giles Whitehurst, who married Mabel's sister Ada.
He retired from the sea in the early 1900s and the family moved to Gloucester, where he tried his hand at farming for a while. Unsuccessful as a farmer, he moved to the Charleston, SC, area.
Nephew Elwood says Uncle Thomas used to tell the following tale on himself. He was captain of a vessel that went up the Wando River to bring loads of rice back to Charleston. Thomas said the ducks were so thick on the river, the boat had to plow through them. He lamented that he did not have a shotgun. Upon returning to Charleston, he purchased an old muzzle loader. Not knowing how to much powder to put into the muzzle, he says he filled it to just where he could feel it with his finger. On the next trip, when they got to where all the ducks were, he let go with both barrels. He was knocked unconscious. Luckily he did not suffer any other damage except a broken nose where a piece of the hammer had struck him as it went flying out the back window of the cabin. When he awoke, his crewmates told him that unfortunately, he hadn't hit even one duck!
1918 - Living at #42 5th St, Chicora Place. Employed as shipfitter at the Navy Yard. Source: Charleston City Directory of 1918
1925 - Employed as carpenter. Source: Charleston City Directory of 1925
1927 - Living at 19 Third St., Chicora Place . Source: Charleston City Directory of 1927.
1928 - Employed as janitor at Chicora Grammer School. Source: Charleston City Directory of 1928.
1929 - Moved back to Gloucester. Mabel stayed in Chas. until the late 40s when she moved to Gloucester and lived with Lester and Twyla.
Thomas is buried in the Pigott Family Cemetery at Gloucester, NC. Mabel is buried beside him.