|
|
|
|
|
|
The day of the Percheron work-horse is long past, the John Deere tractor having superseded the quadrupled except in those advertisements featuring Clydesdales and Percherons pulling the brewery wagons. Yet it's been only fifty or sixty years since the county agricultural fair always had popular pulling contests in which the big draft horses competed.
Much of the popularity of the Percheron horse in midwest America was due to Timothy C. Bigelow of Plain City and Camp Chase, Ohio. Timothy 7(Israel6, Isaac5, Isaac4, Isaac3, Samuel 2, John1) Bigelow was born 1 Mar 1819 in Lancaster county, PA. The family moved to Plain City, Madison county, OH about 1828. Timothy was one of fifteen children, and struck out on his own when quite young. He married, on 22 mar 1838, Hannah Marshall of adjoining Clark county. They settled at Camp Chase, and Timothy became known as a horse breeder. Some years later he became interested in the Percheron type workhorse, and formed a business with Dr. Marcus Brown of Circleville. They bought and sold horses under tie name of Brown, Bigelow, & Co.
In 1851 Brown purchased in France a two year old named Normandie, and renamed him Pleasant Valley Bill. The popularity of the breed soon spread through Ohio, and in 1867 there were three Ohio firms all engaged in the business of importing Percherons. Bigelow was known as the leading team owner and one of the foremost horsemen of his time.
In 1866, at the World's Fair in Rouen, France, Napoleon #325 was awarded the first premium of his breed. He was a dapple-gray, weighing 1,640 pounds, and achieved his rank in competition with some 500 other stallions. The owner considered the beast as already sold to the imperial stable (as was the custom) and would put no price on him. Brown & Bigelow, however, through the influence of a court member --- most likely American minister John Bigelow --- secured a personal audience with Emperor Napoleon III. From the latter Bigelow obtained an order for the sale of the horse, paying an undisclosed high price.
Along with Napoleon #325, Brown and Bigelow obtained two other Percheron stallions, Black Robert and Duke of France. The three horses formed the nucleus of Bigelow's breeding stock, and the stallions were in constant demand. A history of the breed comments that it is ironic that one of the three (which one is not specified) later attacked Timothy C. Bigelow, and caused fatal injuries. Timothy died at Camp Chase 10 June 1876. His picture is shown at the upper left of the Forge cover.
Timothy and Hannah Bigelow had a large family, though several children died young:
|
|
|
|
|||||
| 15923.7B1 | Franklin | born 24 June 1839; died 28 Jan 1840. | |||||
| 15923.7B2 | Israel J. | born 27 Sept 1840; died 10 Sept 1841. | |||||
| 15923.7B3 | Matilda | born 28 Dec 1841; died 7 Mar 1861; married 17 Jan 1861 James Norton. | |||||
| 15923.7B4 | Melissa J | born 14 Nov 1843; died 7 mar 1861; married 11 Apr 1861 David Martin; lived Columbus, OH. 6 children. | |||||
| 15923.7B5 | Sylvester | born 29 Oct 1845; died 15 Apr 1852. | |||||
| 15923.7B6 | Cynthia E. | born 24 Apr 1848; died 26 Jan 1861. | |||||
| 15923.7B7 | William M. | born 20 July 1850; died 10 July 1852. | |||||
| 15923.7B8+ | Medora E. | born 12 June 1852; died _______; married 24 May 1877 David Binns; in 1888 had 4 children. | |||||
| 15923.7B9+ | Timothy L. | born 27 Aug 1854; living 1917; married 27 Mar
1879 Mary Helen_____; in 1888. Timothy, like his father, was a horse-breeder
for many years, and his papers and personal recollections, as taken from
A History of the Percheron Horse, Sanders Publishing Co.,1917., are the
basis of this article. They had 3 children and lived Columbus, OH:
a. Leslie L., born 15 Apr 1880 Camp Chase, OH. b. Hosea B., born 22 Aug 1881 Camp Chase, OH. c. Merrill L., born 18 May 1883 Camp Chase, OH. |
|||||
| 15923.7BA | Smith O. | born Mar 1857; died 9 Jan 1861. | |||||
| 15923.7BB | Hannah E. | born 15 Mar 1859; in 1888 single and lived Camp Chase, OH. | |||||
| 15923.7BC | Mary E. | born 14 Nov 1861; died 26 May 1863. | |||||
Timothy L. Bigelow, the son, is depicted lower right on Forge cover. BigelowSociety would like contact with descendants of either Timothy C. or Timothy L.Bigelow. Thanks to Cora H. Cole, Fortuna, CA for the photos.
SOURCE: BIGELOW FAMILY GENEALOGY VOL. I PAGE 141 / 420
See Rod's Page on Timothy C. 7 Bigelow: http://bigelow.simplenet.com/rod7/timc7.htm
Document scanned by Don Bigelow Grand Rapids Michigan Aug. 14th, 1996
bigelow@slic.com
(c) Copyright 2001 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights reserved.