Comments:

At the time of his death, Higgins was the Post Trader on Angel Island.  The Post Trader ran the late 1800's version of a Post Exchange, selling goods to the soldiers that they could not get through army issue.  Higgins died at the age of 37 from consumption.  The 1870 Census listed Higgins' family consisting of himself, as a 35 year-old "Gen'l Mer (Ret.)" born in Ireland with $400 of personal property and eligible to vote; his wife, 32 year-old Lizzie, born in Connecticut of foriegn-born parents whose occupation was to "Keep House"; a 14 year-old daughter named Eliza J., born in New York and currently "At Home" while attending school; a 12 year-old son named Nathen, also born in New York and attending school at the time; 5 year-old daughter Mary C, 3 year-old son William and 1 year-old daughter Esther (the last three children all born in California).  The loss of the father as the primary provider must have been a devastating financial as well as emotional blow to this large family.

 In April of 2004 the US Department of Veteran's Affairs Nationwide Gravesite Locator listed Higgins' post as Wake Island Naval Air Station, which is obviously in error, and the  U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs Database lists his occupation as "POST RREADER," obviously the result of a typo.