Driggs family
Encyclopedia
The Driggs Family, is a prominent American
business family descended from Joseph Driggs of Middletown and East Haddam, Connecticut (d. Nov. 1748).
and Aeltje Brouwer of Gowanus
. His statements were based upon the work of some earlier Driggs family researchers, and Howard R. Driggs was careful to caution that no proof had been found to support the claim.
This "theory" has now been disproved through the Y-DNA testing of a confirmed direct descendant of Joseph Driggs and confirmed descendants of Josias Janszen Drats. Results of the testing show that any common ancestor of Joseph Driggs and Josias Janszen Drats would have lived more than 35,000 years ago. Based on the DNA testing and a review of old family letters and stories, it appears that Joseph Driggs was the anglicized name of José Rodrigues from Portugal.
in Arizona
in 1920.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
business family descended from Joseph Driggs of Middletown and East Haddam, Connecticut (d. Nov. 1748).
Origin of Joseph Driggs
Joseph Driggs is of undetermined ancestry. In 1959, Howard R, Driggs, in his genealogy of the Driggs family, suggested that Joseph Driggs may have been born Josias Drake, Jr., the son of Josias Janszen Drats (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Josias de Raet) of AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Aeltje Brouwer of Gowanus
Gowanus, Brooklyn
Gowanus is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6.The Gowanus area has been an active center of industrial and shipping activity since the 1860s...
. His statements were based upon the work of some earlier Driggs family researchers, and Howard R. Driggs was careful to caution that no proof had been found to support the claim.
This "theory" has now been disproved through the Y-DNA testing of a confirmed direct descendant of Joseph Driggs and confirmed descendants of Josias Janszen Drats. Results of the testing show that any common ancestor of Joseph Driggs and Josias Janszen Drats would have lived more than 35,000 years ago. Based on the DNA testing and a review of old family letters and stories, it appears that Joseph Driggs was the anglicized name of José Rodrigues from Portugal.
Notable members of the family
- Adam DriggsAdam DriggsAdam Driggs is a Republican State Senator representing the 11th district. He is Chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Previously he was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, representing the 11th District from 2007 until 2011...
was elected to the Arizona House of RepresentativesArizona House of RepresentativesThe Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its members are elected to two-year terms with a term limit of four consecutive terms...
in 2006. - Carlo Driggs, Lead singer of Paul Revere & the RaidersPaul Revere & the RaidersPaul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...
from 1983–2006 - Deborah Driggs, PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
modelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and actress. - Don Carlos Driggs, founder of Driggs, IdahoDriggs, IdahoDriggs is a city in Teton County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is located in Teton Valley. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Teton County...
- Benjamin Woodbury Driggs, Jr., founder of Driggs, IdahoDriggs, IdahoDriggs is a city in Teton County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is located in Teton Valley. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Teton County...
, and the first Teton CountyTeton County, IdahoTeton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Established in 1915, it was named after the Teton Mountains. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 5,999...
Prosecuting Attorney - Edmund H. DriggsEdmund H. DriggsEdmund Hope Driggs was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Brooklyn, he attended the public schools and Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn. He became engaged in the casualty-insurance business....
, a United States Representative from New York - Elsie DriggsElsie DriggsElsie Driggs was an American painter mostly known for her contributions to the Precisionism movement of the 1920s, as well as her floral and figurative paintings in watercolor, pastels, and oils later on in her career...
, an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
mostly known for her contributions to the PrecisionismPrecisionismPrecisionism, also known as Cubist Realism, was an artistic movement that emerged in the United States after World War I and was at its height during the inter-War period...
movement of the 1920s - Frank DriggsFrank DriggsFrank Driggs was an American record producer for Columbia records and author best known for his collection of over 100,000 pieces of Jazz memorabilia including photographs, 314 oral history recordings and other items....
, a Great DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
era Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - George W. Driggs, US ConsulConsulConsul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
to the Turks Islands in 1874 - H. Wayne DriggsH. Wayne DriggsH. Wayne Driggs was the son of Howard R. Driggs and his wife Eva F. Driggs.Driggs studied at the University of Utah and New York University. He wrote the script used in the 1937 Hill Cumorah Pageant, which was the first year the pageant was produced. He was a professor at NYU at that time...
, wrote the original script for the Hill Cumorah Pageant, used from 1937 to 1987 - Howard R. DriggsHoward R. DriggsHoward Roscoe Driggs was an English professor at the University of Utah and New York University. He also was the author or editor of over fifty books, including at least seven novels....
, a prominent authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and ProfessorProfessorA professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
(1897–1923), and New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(1923–1942). Emeritus from 1942–1963 - John D. Driggs, former Mayor of Phoenix, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
- John F. DriggsJohn F. DriggsJohn Fletcher Driggs was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Driggs was born in Kinderhook, New York. He completed preparatory studies and moved with his parents to Tarrytown, New York, in 1825...
, a United States Representative from Michigan, and the first person to represent Michigan's 6th congressional districtMichigan's 6th congressional districtMichigan's 6th congressional district is a United States congressional district in southwest Michigan. It consists of all of Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren, counties, and includes most of southern and eastern Allegan and a portion of western Calhoun counties.-Major... - Junius ElMarion Driggs, CEO and co-founder of now-defunct Western Savings and LoanWestern Savings and LoanWestern Savings and Loan was an American financial institution founded by the Driggs family.The Driggs family came to Arizona in 1921 after trading everything they owned—a bank, drugstore, hotel, and wheat farm in Driggs, Idaho—for a section of cotton land in Maricopa County...
, and President of the Mesa Arizona TempleMesa Arizona TempleThe Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
from 1975–1980 - The King SistersThe King SistersThe King Sisters were an American big band-era vocal quartet.-History:Born and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the King Sisters originally were part of the "Driggs Family of Entertainers"."In the early 1930s sisters Luise, Maxine and Alyce formed a vocal trio...
, a Big BandBig bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
era quartetQuartetIn music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
Other endeavors or accomplishments of the Driggs family
In 2002, Scott and Kevin Driggs started Driggs Search International, a business that aids companies in attracting top talent. They are grandchildren of the family members who started Western Savings and LoanWestern Savings and Loan
Western Savings and Loan was an American financial institution founded by the Driggs family.The Driggs family came to Arizona in 1921 after trading everything they owned—a bank, drugstore, hotel, and wheat farm in Driggs, Idaho—for a section of cotton land in Maricopa County...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 1920.