Skip to main content

Alfonso Biggs Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MC 154

Scope and Contents

These materials include information on black religious history, lynching, genealogy, videos, quilts and his family recipes.

Dates

  • Creation: 1880 - 2000

Biographical / Historical

According to his obituary in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Alfonso Biggs was born February 14, 1904 in Talbot County, Georgia. In 1921 he received a Normal Certificate from Central City College, which was then affiliated with Mercer University. He taught school and worked in cotton mills before becoming a master cook. In his 65-year catering career, he cooked for five Fort Benning generals and three presidents (Franklin d. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower). In addition to his catering career, he was also a scholar and an avid collector of black history artifacts and antiques. He died in Columbus, Georgia on December 29, 2003.

Extent

2 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

The material in boxes 1 through 3 were donated by Alonso Biggs in August of 1979. The material in box 4 was donated by the Columbus Public Library in 2013.

Related Materials

See also:

Fort Valley State College, Georgia, to which Alfonso Biggs donated his collection of ante-bellum furniture and artifacts.

Talbot County (Georgia) Library, to which Alfonso Biggs donated a collection of family artifacts.

Status
Completed
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Columbus State University Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
4225 University Ave
Columbus Georgia 31907 United States