Higgins "Home for Funerals" was established in 1868 in Elizabeth, NJ as the Durning Company. James J. Higgins, an employee of the company, took over leadership of the firm when Mr. Durning passed away. A branch office was opened by James' younger brother, Charles A. Higgins Sr., in Plainfield in 1911. The office was located on the corner of Park Avenue and West Fourth Street.

The current Plainfield funeral home, the former George Babcock estate, was purchased in 1934 by Charles A. Higgins Sr. Upon the death of his father in 1934, Charles A. Higgins Jr. became President of the company. He was followed by his two sons, James and Brian, who took over the business in 1974. They opened a second funeral home in Watchung, NJ in 1976. In 2007, James and Brian Higgins, although actively involved, have passed the ownership to two key employees, Robert and Stephen Szczubelek.

James J. Higgins (1870 - 1940), Charles A. Higgins (1880 - 1943), Charles A. Higgins, Jr.

(1915 - 1976)