Until rescently it was believed that the mother of John's children was Mary who  is believed to have Native American ancestry.  We have now proved that this is  incorrect.  Mary was his second wife and they had no children.  The mother of  all of John's children was Nellie Shockley.

John Briggs is first found in Grainger County, TN, where he married Nellie  Shockley in 1809.  There is a marriage between a John Briggs and a Phoebe Good  in 1802 in Jefferson County, TN.  To date we have yet to prove this is our  John. In 1811 John and Nellie are living in White County, TN and by 1826 they  have migrated to Marion County, TN.  Nellie dies before 1840.  Before 1850 John  marries Mary ? Calahan.  John, Mary and her son John Calahan, age 10, are found  on the 1850 Manchester Township, Dallas Co., AR census.  The last we find our  John is 1854 when he sells one female negro to his oldest daughter Elizabeth  Briggs Shockley in Gasconade County MO.

Descendants of John and Nelly married into families from Marion County,  Arkansas.  Some of these families include Copelin/Copeland,  Hoodenpyle/Hoodenpile, Hurst, Hutchinson, Stevens, and Ott.   For families from Ozark County, Missouri, please visit our website at  http://ozarkcounty.freeservers.com/index.html

Mysteries we would love to solve are:

John's parent and his exact place of birth. 

What the exact relationship is between James Y Briggs, Stephen C. Briggs, the second Elizabeth who  married Robert McKinney and Tamsey Briggs who married a McKinney. None of these individuals were  children of John and Nellie Briggs.  Tamsey may have been a sister to the Elizabeh who married  Richard Shockley in 1826 and migrated to Gasconade Co. MO who may have been a sister or neice of  John Briggs.   We have included Stephen C Briggs and Elizabeth Briggs McKinney in our family tree,  BUT there were NOT children of John and Nellie (Shockley) Briggs.  James Y was possibly a NEPHEW of  John's.

UPDATE!!  July 2008
 I have received two possible solutions to our mysteries.  The first is that the  parents of our John Briggs may be Andrew, born abt 1730 in Virginia, and Sarah, maiden  name unknown, Briggs.  The second is that James Y was the son of Thomas Briggs and  Ester Parks from NC that died in Alabama. I have requested sources/proof from both of  the individuals, but have yet to receive a reply.  Time to start digging again to  attempt to prove or disprove these new theories.

More news June 2009
 There is a new descendancy that I have received that appears to be more of a theory  then proved.  I wanted to share in case someone can find the proof and finally attach  our mysterious John to his parents and grandparents. Please remember this is NOT  proved. I have yet to find any reference to a middle name to our John Briggs.  This is  based on his middle name being Wright.  The only individual we have found with this  middle name is John and Nellie's grandson John Wright Briggs who was the son of Andrew  Jackson and Sarah L (Cain) Briggs born 1833 in Missouri.  For a number of years it was  believed that John's second wife was Mary (Inu) Calahan.  To date her maiden name has  never been proved.  
  1   John F Briggs 1736 - 1802 This John was not married to Mary. Was John b 1786 2nd wife. ..  +Mary Inu 1729 -  (note: maiden name not proved. She was married to a Calahan)  2   Andrew J Briggs 1766 - 
 ....  +Sarah 1770 -
 .. 3   John Wright Briggs 1786 - (No proof middle name is Wright or F.  No where did he use a  middle name on a legal document)
 ......  +Nelly Shockley 1788 - 1840
 ..  *2nd Wife of John Wright Briggs: 
 ......  +Mary Calahan 1800 -
  2   William Briggs 1777 - 1842
 ....  +Rebecca Wright 1789 - 1862
 .. 3   Andrew Briggs 1812 - 1875
 ......  +Mary Ann Evanson 1825 - 1903
 ..  *2nd Wife of Andrew Briggs: 
 ......  +Elizabeth Burris 1812 - 1852

August 2011
 I have attempted to prove that John's father was Andrew Jackson Briggs born 1730 in VA and his  grandfather was George Briggs.  Have been unable to link them.  Would appreciate any info about  George Briggs line.