Benjamin Biggs papers, mainly 1773-1820. A native of Maryland, Biggs (1754-1823) moved to the Short Creek area north of Wheeling about 1773 or 1774. After serving under John Gibson in Dunmore's War, Biggs entered the Continental Army at the outbreak of the Revolution, and by 1879 was a captain of Virginia troops stationed at Fort Pitt. He also served at Fort Henry, Fort McIntosh, and Fort Laurens where he was again with Gibson. After the Revolution Biggs settled at West Liberty (now in West Virginia) and remained active in the Virginia militia, first as a colonel and after 1793 as brigadier general.

A few documents pertain to his early land claims and to his military service during the Revolutionary period, but the bulk of his correspondence and related papers concern his career from 1789 through the War of 1812. Some letters do discuss social, political, and diplomatic matters. Benjamin's brother William wrote of his captivity among the Indians and of conditions in the Illinois settlements (1789). Congressman Joseph Neville of Virginia wrote (1794) from Philadelphia about congressional activities, policy toward England, and taxation problems. Other topics on which there are comments include the Whiskey Rebellion (1794) and other evidence of unrest and dissatisfaction on the western frontier in the 1790s, the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions and Federalist politics (1799), the election of Ebenezer Zane and Benjamin Biggs to the Virginia House of Delegates (1799), the Burr conspiracy (1806), and the threat of war with England (1807).

There are proclamations and signed letters and commissions from several Virginia governors and lieutenant governors: Robert Brooke, William H. Cabell, Henry Lee, John Page, J. Pendleton, Beverley Randolph, John Tyler, and James Wood. Among other correspondents were Henry Bedinger, David Bradley, John Brown, Samuel Coleman, William Croghan, Henry Dearborn, P[hilip] Doddridge, Dudley Evans, John Evans, Jr., John Finley, John Gibson, John Harrison, William W. Hening, George Jackson, Henry Jolly, William Lowther, Duncan McArthur, William McMahon, James Marshal, Daniel Morgan, Thomas Parker, John Stagg, Jr., John Sutherland, Van Swearingen, William Wilson, and Archibald Woods. Among the many other signers of documents were Hezekiah Bukey, John Campbell, Moses Chapline, George Cox, James Downing, Thomas Edgington, George McCulloch, Isaac Miller, Joseph Ogle, David Shepherd, and Ebenezer Zane.