Elijah ⁸ BIGELOW

15336.543 Elijah ⁸ BIGELOW, son of Ebenezer ⁷ ( Cornelius ⁶ , Paul ⁵, Cornelius ⁴, Samuel ³, Samuel ², John¹) and Ellen (BLAIR) BIGELOW, was born at Chatham township, Argenteuil, Quebec on 05 March 1830 according to his brother's prayer book. Howe states that he was married in 1846, but he was listed as a single man when working in a logging camp in 1851 and he must have been married shortly after to Aurelia⁸ Bigelow (15336.525). She was born in May 1829 in Quebec. Howe also states that her maiden name was Rilly Smith and the reason for this error is that she was the daughter of Adam Chester ⁷ and Laurene (Smith) Bigelow and after her father's death, she was taken into the home of her mother's brother, William Smith. Consequently she referred to her Smith foster-parents as her own parents and this was accepted by her children and so entered on her death record in MI. (see below) Elijah and "Rilly" lived in Quebec until the Fall of 1881 when they moved to Lake County, MI with most of their children. They later moved to Wexford county, MI. He died at Cadillac, Wexford, on 27 February 1912. He had been a farmer and lumberjack. His widow later married Alfred Fisher. She died at East Jordan, MI on 07 May 1920 and is buried at Kalkaska, MI.

Children of Elijah and Aurelia (Bigelow) Bigelow, all born at Buckingham, Papineau, Quebec:

15336.5431t Henry William, b 28 Dec 1852; d 25 Jan 1917 Wexford county, MI; m 1885 Mary Pelkey; 9 children.

15336.5432t Robert Allen, b 05 May 1855; d 03 May 1912 Cadillac; m 0l Aug 1881 Mary Ann Tompkins (15336.5734).

15336.5433 Mary Laurene, b 27 April 1857; d winter of 1860-61 of diphtheria as reported on the 1861 census;

15336.5434 Ellen, b 27 Dec 1858; d 21 March 1859 Buckingham.

15336.5435 James, b 1860 (from 1861 census): d after 1881; unm.

15336.5436 Rachel, b 10 Nov 1862; d 16 Aug 1954 Flint, MI; m (1) 04 (14?) July 1887 Richard Finley, m (2)10 July 1898 Albert (Alfred?) Fisher (b Nov 1851 PA); res. Flint many years; 1 son.

15336.5437 Marjorie, b 0l March 1866; d 12 April 1946 Luther Lake, MI; m 17 Nov 1882 Joseph Sibary; res. Luther, 11 children. (see photo below)

15336.5438 Alice, b 10 July 1867; d ; m 18 Oct 1886 William Stone.

15336.5439t Marietta, b 24 May 1869; d 06 Dec 1898 Luther Lake; m 29 April 1886 Elmer Decker; res. Luther Lake and Cadillac, MI; 4 children.

15336.543A Olive, b __1870 (from 1871 census); d 20 April 1887 Lake county of tuberculosis; unm.

15336.543B Elijah, b 24 March 1872; d 04 June 1953 East Jordan; m (1) 03 Dec l892 Ethel Colgrove and (2) 08 Aug 1903 Ada (Beals) Vermillion; no children.

15336.543C Ebenezer, b 13 Sept 1876; d early manhood - tuberculosis; unm. Family states that during spells of coughing, Ebenezer would be supported by his parents and walked up and down until he breathed easily. It was during one of these spells that he suffered a massive hemhorrage and died. No record of death or burial has been found.

(adoptee) Elisha Newton, "adopted son of Arilla Bigelow, natural son of Elmeda Newton now deceased, born 06 April 1876 and baptized 25 July 1876" at St Stephen's church, Quebec. No further record.

Sources:
Bigelow Society,The Bigelow Family Genealogy, Vol II, pg 362-363;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America, page 471;
parish register of St. Stephen's Anglican church, Buckingham, Quebec;
research by and records of The Bigelow Society historian/genealogist;
a prayerbook of Ebenezer, jr.
various censuses and county records;
obit. of Aurelia.

Subject: Cadillac Bigelows
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007
From: "Dennis Allen" < dennis@dennisallen.com >
Hi. My name is Dennis Allen. Long time, no hear. Just came back from my genealogy roadtrip. Did a two day stop in Cadillac, Michigan. Got
all the Bigelows in the Maple Hill Cemetery, at least the ones with headstones. If you want these images, they're in my family tree file
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dallen24_id (you might have to download the GEDCOM file and sort by burial location).

Also spent a couple hours in Kalkaska. Got headstone images of Elijah "Cylde" Jr and his wife Ida Loretta from Evergreen. I couldn't find
Elijah Sr or his wife Aurilla. I think Aurilla is in Evergreen. Would you know if she remarried and under what name?

FORGE: The Bigelow Society Quarterly Vol. 11 No. 4 Page 66-67:

THE CHANTYMEN

     From the mid-l820's to the 1870's, Papineau county, Quebec (then called Ottawa county) was a rich source of timber of all kinds. Young men found ready employment in the lumber camps, albeit at low wages. Expanding economies of Canada and the U.S. devoured lumber to build its homes and businesses at an alarming rate.
     Small portions of the 1851 census still extant show three young men surnamed Bigelow employed as chantymen in Portland township north of Buckingham. They were Charles ⁸ , Jeremiah ⁸, and Elijah ⁸ Bigelow, all first cousins to each other. Elijah Bigelow was 29 years of age, single, and Anglican in faith.
     Actually Elijah Bigelow, third child and oldest son of Ebenezer ⁷( Cornelius ⁶ , Paul ⁵, Cornelius ⁴, Samuel ³, Samuel ², John¹) and Ellen (Blair) Bigelow, was born 15 March 1830, according to the entry in his brother's prayerbook, in Chatham township, Argenteuil county Quebec. There he spent his early years before moving to the Buckingham area.
     The Bigelow genealogy states, on page 471, that about 1846 Elijah married Rilly Smith. While we have not located a marriage record, the bride was in fact Elijah's first cousin, Aurelia⁸ Bigelow, daughter of Adam Chester ⁷ and Laurene (Smith) Bigelow. She was baptised in August 1843 with her age estimated as 11 years. Bigelow genealogy states she was born May 1829; this birthdate is corroborated on the 1900 census and on Aurelia's death record. As Aurelia's father died in August 1843, and her mother soon remarried, she was raised by her mother's brother and wife, William and Rachel Smith. Accordingly, she used their surname informally, and her own children believed her to be a Smith. Church records of her children's baptisms, however, make it quite clear that Aurelia was a Bigelow.
     Elijah and Rilly (as she was known) were farmers and he a part-time chantyman in Buckingham township until 1881. The heyday of the lumber industry had then passed. With their younger children, Elijah and Rilly moved to Luther, Lake county, Michigan, where their records appear in the fall of 1881 and following. There was much traveling of the older sons and their children back and forth between Canada and Michigan until all had settled near their parents by 1900.
     In his later years, Elijah became blind. He entered the county infirmary at Cadillac, Wexford county. He died there 27
February 1912. His wife Rilly lived with their daughter Rachel in Slagle township (1900 census), then with daughter Marjorie in Luther, and after 1915 with their youngest son Elijah Bigelow in East Jordan. She died 7 May 1920 in East Jordan,
Charlevoix county, Michigan, but was buried in Kalkaska, Michigan.

Children of Elijah and Aurelia (Bigelow) Bigelow,
their birthdates taken from baptismal records at St. Stephen's church, Buckingham, Quebec:

i Henry William, born 28 Dec 1852; died 25 Jan 1917 Cadillac, Wexford county, MI; married unknown date Mary Pelkey; resided Grenville, Quebec, and Cadillac, MI. 8 children.

ii Robert Allen, born 5 May 1855; died 3 May 1912 Cadillac, Wexford county, MI; married 1 Aug 1881 Mary Ann Gowanlock; resided Grenville, Quebec; Lake and Wexford counties, MI. 7 children.

iii Mary Laurene, born 27 Apr 1857; died 1860-61 of diphtheria, as reported on 1861 census.

iv Ellen, born 27 Dec 1858; died 21 Mar 1859; buried St. Stephen's church.

v James, born 1860(from 1861 census); died after 1881 of tuberculosis; unmarried.

vi Rachel, born 10 Nov 1862; died 6 Aug 1954 Flint, Genesee county, MI; married (1)4 Jly 1887 Richard Finley, who died of exposure in the woods; (2)10 Jly 1898 Alfred Fisher; resided Flint, MI after 1905. 1 son.

vii Marjory, born 1 Mar 1866; died 12 Apr 1946 Luther, Lake county, MI; married 17 Nov 1882 Joseph Sibary, an apple-grower of Luther, MI. 11 children. At her death, Marjory left 101 descendants.

viii Alice, born 10 July 1867; no deathdate; married 18 Oct 1886 William Stone---family data needed.

ix Marietta, born 24 May 1869; died of tuberculosis 6 Dec 1898 Luther, Lake county, MI; married 29 Apr 1886 Elmer Decker; resided Luther and Cadillac. 4 children.

x Olive, born 1870(1871 census); died 29 Apr 1887 Lake county, MI, also of tuberculosis; unmarried.

xi Elijah, born 24 Mar 1872; died 4 June 1953 East Jordan, Charlevoix county, MI; married (1)3 Dec 1892 Ethel Colgrove; (2)8 Aug 1903 Ada (Beals) Vermillion; Elijah served in the Spanish-American War. No issue.

xii Ebenezer, born 13 Sept 1876; died early manhood of tuberculosis, unmarried, and not located on 1900 census. Mr. Joseph Sibary II of Muskegon, Michigan related that Ebenezer, during spells of coughing, would be supported by his parents and walked up and down until he breathed more easily; during one of these spells he suffered a massive hemorrage and died, but no death record has been found.

xiii Elisha Newton, "adopted son of Aurelia⁸ Bigelow, natural son of Elmeda Newton deceased", born 6 Apr 1876 and baptised 25 July 1876; no further record.

Sources: church records of Buckingham, Quebec; vital records,MI; censuses of MI and Canada; prayerbook of Ebenezer Bigelow, as copied by Gilbert Arnold; correspondence and interviews with many descendants; obituaries in various MI newspapers. Note:
Subject: Aurelia Bigelow
From: Phyllis Critz <pcritz@sccoast.net>
Date: 05/23/2004

I have Vol .II "The Bigelow Family Genealogy". I am a the great great granddaughter of Elijah (15336.543) and Aurelia 15336.525) Bigelow.

I question the part where it states "She was called Orilla or Rilly by the by the family and after being a widow, married (2) Alfred Fisher".

It also states that their daughter Raechel married (2) Alfred Fisher on 10 Jul 1898.

Is there any documentation to this or is there a correction to this statement.

Also, someone in the Bigelow Society has me listed as dead. I contacted the person who put it on the internet; but I don't know where she got her info. She couldn't tell me.

Anyway, my name is Phyllis Critz, and I am alive.

My lineage is:

Phyllis-12 Mikulich Critz; Elizabeth-11 Ash Mikulich; Olive-10 Decker Ash; Marietta-9 Bigelow Decker; Elijah-8, Ebenezer-7, Cornelius-6, Paul-5, Cornelius-4, Samuel-3, Samuel-2, John-1

By the way, I live in Little River, SC (N. Myrtle Beach area).

Thanks for any help you can give. Phyllis

(margor10.jpg)
Photo negative from Pat Bigelow files:
10. Marjorie Bigelow ⁹ Sibary

Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon ¹² Bigelow)

Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929

< rodbigelow@netzero.net >

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Elijah ⁸ BIGELOW