Author: Jim DeGroff
The following is an excerpt from a biography of Kedar Biggs (1749 - 1815) which was entered in the minute book of Skewarkey Baptist Church, Martin County, North Carolina, in April of 1815. It consists mainly of information selected from sketches written by Kedar himself, and was submitted for recording by Elder Joseph Biggs, probably Kadar's brother and pastor of the church. Paragraphing has been added, and except for a few changes, the spelling and punctuation are as they appeared in the book.

"Agreeable to his own account, when he was a small boy he often had serious thoughts about a future state, but as he heard vere little about genuine religion, he contented himself with common morality. When he was about 16 or 17 years of age he became a very strict moralist. About this time he became clerk to the Parish Reader or Preacher and so continued until after marriage for many years. "About this time he was requested by an uncle of his, who had been called upon to read the Burial of the Dead as laid down in the common prayer book, to officiate in his place as there was some things there that he did not so well relish which he refused to do. This had him to examine for himself into the form of that religion that he had felt himself so much attracted too. "Some time after this he happened to be at a man's house that made it a practice to sing and pray in his family, and very shortly after at another's that did likewise. These two times being the first that he ever saw anything like Religion practiced in families, which caused his Reflections about Religion to be increased. "He began to Reflect thus, 'I have flattered myself that I was very righteous, but have never gone as far as these men'. He therefore resolved that he would not be left behind and therefore would try to pray in his family also, but could not pray ex tempore. Therefore he copied some prayers he found in books and indeavored to learn them, but after indeavoring to soothe an unesy conscience could not affect it in praying by forms, his distress of mind continually increasing, in beholding the sinfulness of his own nature, and his utter inability to recomend himself into the favour of God, until it pleased to God in his great goodness to reveal unto his mind that Jesus Christ came into the world and died for the redemption of sinners, and that his grace was sufficient, which made him exultingly cry 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name'. "After thus experiencing this happy application of the merits of Christ to his soul, he began to think in a duty incumbent on him to join some religious society -- and as he then did not know any Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian or Quaker nor the doctrines they professed, that he would read the scripture for himself and be guided accordingly. In reading this scripture he began to see the duty of Believer's Baptism, but being a stranger to the Doctrines as he thought of those that practiced Baptism by emertion, he resolved and went to one of their meetings some distance. While there, some was received and Baptized. Altho their practice according with this word of God and his ideas of Christian duty, yet he omitted to join them at this time. "After the opportunity was closed for that time, he began to think that as had been searching for and as he believed had found a Worshiping assembly of people agreeable to scripture that his omission to perform his duty in submitting to the ordinance of Baptism was extremely wrong, which produced very unhappy sensations in his mind until the next meeting of these people, at which time, altho his wife and child was very sick, yet he was determined to indeavor to comply with his duty. Accordingly he offered for membership, was received and Baptized. "After this he experienced some severe trials. The tempter suggested to his companion in
life that they were parted, and moreover that he was deceived and was nothing but a Hypocrite. These troubles continued until it pleased the Lord to lighten his mind by some sweet applications of Divine writt. and in the conversion of his wife as he hoped this produced great rejoicing in his soul. "Under these exercises he continued until he imbraced the idea of selling his property and moving into the State of Georgia, which he did, but returned in a short time to his native place, and to use his own words it caused him much perplexity and (word illegible; could be 'searchs' or 'sickness') of soul.
"About the year 1783 he was chosen to the office of Deacon in the Church at Skewarkey and acted in that capasity to the intire sattisfaction of the church untill his Death. A great part of which time he acted as Clerk for the Church. About the time of his appointment to the Deaconship in the Church, he was appointed Clerk to the Wardean of the Poor in the county of Martin and continued to the satisfaction of all until his Death. About the year 1798 he was appointed Constable and served in that capacity about 5 years. About the year 1804 he was appointed county Trustee and served in that capacity four years. In the year 1808 was appointed a Justice of the Peace, but for some time declined accepting the appointment. However the following year was quallified to office after much solicitations of his friends and served the publick about two years in that capasity, Relinquishing the appointment of county Trustee. "About this time several of his children moved to the State of Tennessee, which gave him many melancholy hours, especially as some of them he had no grounds to believe were converted. Yet on the other hand he had the happiness to see four of his children join the Church of Christ. And one of them, he heard, after arriving in the State of Tennessee, imbarked in preaching the Everlasting Gospel. "In 1810 he took the appointment again of county Trustee for about one year, then relinquishing it and in 1813 resigned the office of magistrate. "In April 1814 he wrote the substance of the aforegoing, and observed in the close that he had ever been much ingaged to avoid contracting debts and was never forced by law to pay any. "In this way he lived until some time in January 1815, when it was observed by those about him that he was very much inclined to be drowsy both by night and day. Upon examination it was found that he was attacked with the dead palsy, which first affected his limbs, then his senses and afterwards his speach. Under this affliction he appeared to retain his usual calmness and serenity, but declining very fast and the seventh of March 1815 fell asleep as was hoped in the arms of that God whom he had long been anxiouly ingaged to serve, in the Sixty-sixth year of his age. "In his death, the community has lost a useful member, his neighbors a kind friend, and his family a affectionate husband and parent -- but above all the Church a usefull officer and member -- and as a token of the Church's respect and attachment to him and his usefullness therein have ordered these lines to be commited to their records to perpetuate their Remembrance of him --'Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord'"

Parents: Joseph BIGGS Sr. and Margaret EASTWOOD. He was married to Hannah DAVIS or WARD. Children were: Nancy BIGGS, John BIGGS, Reuben BIGGS, William BIGGS, Penelope "Penny" BIGGS, Asa BIGGS, Sarah BIGGS .