The Internet Home of Chance Briggs - the Real Story |
Elias "Chance" Briggs 1867-1954 In 1993 at the request of our granddaughter for assistance with a school project, we began looking into our family histories. As a boy growing up in West Texas, I often heard older family members talk about grandpa and his days as a Ranger. Texas Ranger Bill Bailey of Amarillo was a frequent visitor to our place in those days and spoke highly of Chance. That talk was the starting place for our research into the Briggs family. Eventually it also led to research into my wife's family history, and we received a few surprises there also. Elias Briggs, known to me, and anyone I ever heard talk to him, or about him, as Chance, was born in 1867 in Tupelo, Mississippi. According to family talk, in the late 1880's he moved with his new bride, Mary Florence, to DeLeon, Comanche County, Texas. It was sometime in the period of 1890 to 1918 that Chance served with the Texas Rangers. Chance moved to Ferris, Texas around 1914, and spent the remainder of his life there. |
As part of the research through the Texas State Historical Archives, we obtained a letter from then Texas Adjutant General Jasper Hurley, to Charles E. Davidson of Ocona, Texas, dated March 10, 1919 concerning the Ranger pension and record of service of Chance. It does not give the Ranger Company that Chance served with, but a scheduled trip to the Ranger Museum in Waco during August of 99 should give the necessary information. Research into the maternal side of the my family also proved very interesting. The Adams family moved from Lee County Mississippi, to Texas, just south of present day Dallas in the 1830's. When the Civil War started, Great Grandpa Francis "Frank" Adams, 1847-1919, went back to Mississippi and served through the war with the 11th Mississippi Cavalry. Sergeant Frank Adams was wounded in the shoulder during the battle of Atlanta. After the war Frank returned to Texas, married a local Senorita, settled down and was granted a Confederate pension by the state of Texas for his service. We have also retrieved those records from the Texas State Historical Archives. When we started looking into the family history on the wife's side of the family, we were able to trace the Dolan lineage back to 1796. The Dolan research provided a surprise for us when it revealed that Linda's great grandfather, James D. Reives was commissioned as a Deputy US Marshal in December of 1894, by then Ft Smith District Judge Issac Parker, and at one time served with Heck Thomas and Chris Madsen, two of the three US Marshals later known as the "Three Guardsmen", authentic legends in Oklahoma history. When I became interested in Single Action Shooting last year, it wasn't difficult at all to come up with an alias. I submitted a name of my own, my grandfather's name and Linda's great grandfather's name, figuring I couldn't lose whatever SASS decided would be my alias. |
In the above 1950 photo, Chance is 85 years old and was visiting the Big Bend area of Texas. Some people even claim I look a lot like him. Check out the 1999 photo below, I don't see much resemblance, do you? :) |
In trying to complete the alias for SASS, I was pretty sure I knew how Chance felt about guns since he gave me the first one. I selected two Cimmaron 7 1/2" .45LC, carried in "Early Texas Style" leather made by Cripple Creek Saddlery, Wellston, Ok. A Rossi 1892 Winchester, 24 1/2" in .45LC and a 12 gauge 28" S/S shotgun completed the armament. The shirt above was made by my better half, the pants by Wrangler, Hat by Resistol, boots by Buffalo Runner and "Taos" spurs customized by myself complete the summer outfit. Ed, AKA "Chance Briggs" SASS#22689 Charter member SHORTGRASS RANGERS |
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Click to enlarge Elias "Chance" Briggs 1867-1954 |
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Chance and Mary had 9 children, my dad being the youngest, born in 1915, and two of those nine are still living. In the 1907 photo below, Chance and Mary are shown with five of their children. The little girl at Chance's right knee (my aunt Dee) is one of the children still alive and just celebrated her 96th birthday. Her youngest sister (not shown in the photo) today is 85, and slept through the Jarrel, Texas, F5 tornado in 1995. |
