Elisha ⁴ BIGELOW

 

This photo shows headstones of the Elisha ⁴ Bigelow family. The large stone to the far right is John Smith jr., son of Capt. John and Mrs. Temperence Smith. The stone to the left is Miss Lydia Bigelow; dau of Elisha and Mary Bigelow; died May 16, 1745 (this matches Bigelow Society information for daughter of Isaac); left is Samuel; son of Elisha and Mary Bigelow; drowned at 21 on Jun 5, 1745 (this also fits son of Isaac); left is Mrs Mary Bigelow; wife of Elisha; died Jan 1765 (fits Mary Kilborn, first wife of Elisha ⁴); and last stone to the left is Elisha or Isaac (mostly unreadable, on 10/20/95 when I visited this site, probably Isaac, as Elisha died in NY); there is another small stone directly behind Elisha or Isaac, sort of leaning to the left, that says in memory of Mrs Deborah Bigelow; wife of Mr. Elisha Bigelow;(this must also be the second wife of Elisha ⁴; Deborah Chapman.

159B   Elisha ⁴ BIGELOW, son of Sgt. Isaac ³ (Samuel², John^l) and Mary (BOND) BIGELOW, was born 14 April 1731, at Colchester, New London, CT. He was married (1) 25 May 1751 Mary KILBORN (another source says May 23, 1751), daughter of Jonathan and Mary (SKINNER) KILBORN. She was born 10 August 1735 Colchester and died there 11 January 1765. Elisha married (2) 02 October 1765 Deborah CHAPMAN, b unknown date. She died either 20 Jan 1773 (headstone) or 21 Jan 1773 (town records) or 23 Jan 1773 (church records). Elisha married (3) 03 August 1773 Thankful BEEBE (another source says August 5, 1773), daughter of Reuben and Thankful (SCONE) BEEBE. She was born __1740, and died December 1837 at Sinclairville, Chautauqua co, NY.
Elisha was made a freeman on 18 September 1753. He signed the oath of loyalty 15 September 1777. He was surveyor of highways 1783 and 1785. On 13 November 1768, Rose, Negro slave of Elisha, died age 16 years. He lived in Colchester until 1789; in 1785 he began advertising for sale a well-watered farm and buildings, 130 acres, producing from the orchard 100 barrells cider yearly. In 1789 he sold the farm and moved to east haddam, where his last two children were born, but by 1793 removed to Springfield, Otsego co, NY. Bible inscriptions show he died 1804 in Cooperstown, NY. Howe's Bigelow genealogy says he served in the Revolutionary War. He was in the militia in Capt. Timothy Dutton's company, 25th Conn. Militia, but in 1777 paid a L5 fine for not entering the army when drafted. A Connecticut history says he was in 1775 a private in Capt. Seth Holmes' Co, Col. Chapman's regt.
1790 census: CT - Middlesex - East Haddam - Elisha Bigelow: 2-0-8-0-0 .

Children by first wife Mary KILBORN, all born Colchester, New London co, CT:

159B1.   Elisha, b 17 Jan 1752; d 15 Nov 1826 Reading, Windsor co, VT; m (1) 16 Dec 1773 Welthea GORTON and (2) 13 Dec 1814 Susanna TOWNSEND; res Reading, VT; 8 children.

159B2.   Molly, b 28 Aug 1753; d 15 Oct 1756.

159B3.   Bond, b 18 May 1755; d after 1800; m 25 Apr 1774 Sarah PURPLE; res Otsego & Livingston cos, NY; 5 known children.

159B4.   Mary, (marriage source says Molle) b 19 May 1757; living 1820, when husband applied for pension, but deceased by 1827, when husband remarried; married 29 mar 1781 Abner CHAPMAN; family not given.

159B5.   Noah, b 07 Feb 1759; d 20 May 1833 Reading, VT; m 25 Feb 1788 Sarah SOULE or GOULD; res Reading, VT; 6 children.

159B6.   Joel, b 09 Jan 1761; d 12 Feb 1849 Colchester, CT; m 29 June 1786 Lucretia LATHROP; res Colchester; 5 children.

159B7.   Lydia, b 12 Dec 1762; d __ ; m 21 Apr 1784 Stephen ROSSITER; res Colchester; 5 children.

Children by second wife, Deborah CHAPMAN, all born Colchester:

159B8.   Deborah, b 13 Oct 1766; d 31 Mar 1832 Salem, CT; m 16 May 1794 Isaiah ARMSTRONG.

159B9.   Hannah, b 10 Feb 1768.

159BA.  Aaron, b 19 June 1769; d ___ ; m 10 Feb 1793 Lydia BURNHAM.

159BB.  Isaac, b 23 Jan 1771; d ___; m 04 Aug 1794 Tabitha CHAPMAN; res Springfield, Otsego co, NY; 6 children.

159BC.  Robert, b 19 Jan 1773; d 28 Jan 1773.

Children by third wife, Thankful BEEBE, the first 8 born Colchester:

159BD.  Samuel, b 19 May 1774; d 28 Mar 1775.

159BE.  Samuel, b 19 Nov 1775; d 02 Feb 1778.

159BF.  Thankful, called Fanny, b 07 Apr 1777; d 12 Jan 1852 Sinclairville, Chautauqua co, NY; m (1) ca 1798 Obed EDSON; (2) 14 Mar 1805 Samuel SINCLAIR; res Springfield & Sinclairville, NY; 3 children by first marriage and 7 children by second marriage.

159BG.  Lucy Ann, b 30 Aug 1779; m ___ PARSONS.

159BH.  Olynda, b 31 July 1781.

159BI.   Sophia, a twin, b 01 Aug 1783; d unknown date Sinclairville, Chautauqua co, NY; m __ 1802 Abram WINDSOR; res Sinclairville, NY; 9 children.

159BJ.   Cynthia, a twin, b 01 Aug 1783.

159BK.  Betty, b 09 Mar 1786.

159BL.   Samuel, b ___ 1788; d _ Jan 1791 East Haddam, CT.

159BM.  Virtue, b 28 Feb 1790 East Haddam.

Regarding the daughters above, an extant letter written by Thankful (BIGELOW) SINCLAIR in 1832 describes the final illness of Thankful (BEEBE) BIGELOW, her mother; the younger Thankful mentions her brother-in-law Joseph GARDNER, and another brother-in-law ___ LUCAS of Madison, NY. These two men would have been husbands to either Olynda, Cynthia, Betty, or Virtue-- as listed above.

Sources:
The Bigelow Family Genealogy, Vol I pg 62-64
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; page 66; #41-135;
history of Chautauqua co, NY;
Vermont vital records;
correspondence with Colchester town historian;
Colchester & East Haddam vital records;
Genweb source.

rodbigelow@netzero.net