Katharine 6 BIGELOW


16952.1    Katharine 6 BIGELOW, dau of Timothy 5( Timothy 4 ,Daniel 3,Joshua2, John1), and Lucy (PRESCOTT) BIGELOW, was born 20 May 1793 at Groton, Middlesex co, MA. She married, on 23 June 1819, Hon. Abbott Lawrence (see below), son of Samuel and Susanna (Parker) Lawrence. He was born 16 December 1792 at Groton, and was a partner in the importing business of his brother Amos. He became a cotton manufacturer and mill owner, and founded the textile town of Lawrence, MA. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives 1835-37, 1839-41, and was a member of the ways and means committee. He helped promote the construction of Boston's waterworks, and was known for his philanthropies including establishment of Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard, and generous gifts to Groton. He served as minister to Great Britain 1849-52. He died 18 August 1855 at Boston, his wife Katharine (see note) on 21 August 1860. Both are buried at Auburn cemetery. Lawrence, MA was named for Abbott Lawrence.  He was a successful merchant and manufacturer in Boston and was repeatedly elected a representative of the General Court.  He founded and endowed in Harvard, the School of Science, applied to the arts, and gave liberally to other institutions.  See also a memoir of him in the Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. X, p. 297,October 1856, See also, Lawrence Genealogy.

Children of Hon. Abbott and Katharine (Bigelow) Lawrence:

16952.11     Annie Bigelow Lawrence, (see pic below), b 28 Apr 1820; d ____ ; m 22 Jan 1846 Benjamin Smith Rotch of New Bedford, MA; he grad Harvard 1838; 7 children; 3 known:
   a.  Edith Rotch b. July 30, 1847
   b.  Arthur Rotch b. May 13, 1850
   c.  Annie Rotch b. June 16, 1852

16952.12     James Lawrence, b 06 Dec 1821; d ____ ; graduated Harvard 1840; m 16 May 1852 Elizabeth Prescott, daughter of the historian William H. Prescott, LL.D. 3 children; James was with the firm, A & A Lawrence & Co at 82 Milk St., Boston, MA.

16952.13     George Lawrence, died infancy.

16952.14      John Abbott Lawrence, died in infancy.

16952.15      Timothy Bigelow Lawrence, b 22 Nov 1826; d 21 Mar 1869 Washington, D.C. age 43; graduated Harvard 1846; m 16 Mar 1854 Elizabeth Chapman, daughter of Hon. Henry Chapman of Bucks co, PA; He was U.S. Consul at Florence then ret. to Boston autumn 1868.

16952.16      Abbott Lawrence, b 09 Sept 1828; d 06 July 1893; graduated Harvard 1849; m 12 Apr 1853 Harriet Paige of PA.

16952.17      Katharine Bigelow Lawrence, b 21 Feb 1832; d ____ ; m 01 June 1854 Augustus Lowell, son of John Amory Lowell of Boston. They had three sons and four daughters, of whom five reached maturity. Best-known among them were:

                      a.Percival Lowell, b 13 Mar 1855; d 13 Nov 1916; m Constance Savage Keith; he was a  prominent
                       astronomer and founder of Lowell Observatory.

                      b. Abbott Lawrence Lowell, b 13 Dec 1856; d 06 Jan 1943; m 1879 Anna Parker Lowell; no issue. He was
                       of M.I.T. and Lowell Institute, wrote with scholarship on many subjects, was president of Harvard
                       College 1909-1933, and known for his educational reforms.

                      c. Amy (seventh child) Lowell, b 09 Feb 1874; d 01 May 1925; unm; educated Baylor, Columbia, and Tufts;
                       in literature at Brown and Yale; well-known American poet.

Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Volume. I page.350;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America;
Who Was Who in America, published 1963;
Who Was Who in America, Fifth Printing;
Scribners Sons, Dictionary of America Biography, Supplement 3, published 1973;
Parker in America; "Samuel Lawrence, b Groton 1714; m Susannah Parker; ch. Abbot Lawrence b. 1792, m Katharine Bigelow; res Andover, MA"

2011 Note:
Hello Rod,
I am a direct descendant of Katharine Bigelow Lawrence (1793 - 1860).  Thank you for all your research on the Bigelow family. 
Here are 2 corrections you may want to make to the info. sheet on her.
First, her name is spelled Katharine (note 2 a's), not Katherine, as was her daughter, Katharine Bigelow Lawrence Lowell.
Second, the Lawrences are buried in MT. AUBURN CEMETERY in Cambridge, Mass., in a lovely plot surrounded by a custom made wrought iron fence.  Mt. Auburn, founded in 1831, is a National Historic Landmark, and was the first "garden" cemetery in the United States.  To anyone with an interest in Boston and Boston family history, it is a treasure trove and to call it "Auburn" is, well, unfortunate.
See http://www.mountauburn.org
Undoubtedly, numerous Boston area Bigelows are buried in Mt. Auburn.  I do hope you can make these corrections, and do visit Mt. Auburn when you come to Boston.
Thank you.
Katherine Lawrence Greenough   < kgreenough@verizon.net >
Boston, Mass.
PS
I thought you'd like to know that Mt. Auburn Cemetery was founded by a Dr. Jacob Bigelow.  He designed the magnificent Egyptian style entrance and, working with the architect Gridley Bryant, the Gothic Bigelow Chapel on the grounds of the cemetery.

Janice Farnsworth
, e-mail: Farns10th@aol.com from:
"Bigelow marriages to my Prescott Ancestors" of Prescott Memorial, John Prescott/Mary Platts line, Lancaster, MA, p. 78.


Annie Bigelow Lawrence, portrait by Chester Harding 1831


New 01/25/06:
From: Janice Farnsworth   Farns10th@aol.com 
Subject: Hon. Abbott Lawrence
Source: An Historical Sketch of Groton, MA by Dr. Samuel A. Green
The name of Lawrence is one of the earliest to be found among the Puritan settlers of MA. John Lawrence the lst emigrant of the name, was established at Watertown as early as 1635.
 
   Abbott Lawrence was the 5th son of Samuel and Susanna Lawrence. He was born at Groton on the 16th day of Dec.1792. He received the family name of his paternal grandmother, Abigail Abbott daughter of Nehemiah Abbott of Lexington, MA. His education, begun at the district school, was completed at the Groton Academy of that town. His father had been a trustee for many years. He enjoyed nothing in the way of educational advantages beyond this, but he evidently improved the time and turned all that he received to the best account. In 1808 he was sent to Boston and placed as an apprentice to his elder
brother, Amos Lawrence, who had been for some years established there as an importer of English goods. By steady application and fidelity he prepared himself in this subordinate position for the responsibilities which were soon to come upon him as a principal. In 1814 he was admitted to partnership with his brother. The times were by no means encouraging as we were in the midst of our war with England and after a few months the prospect seemed so unpromising that Mr. Lawrence proposed to withdraw from the business and enter the army.
   He had previously been an active member of the New England Guards. He applied to the War Department for a commission but before an answer could be received the news of peace arrived and he abandoned all thought of a military life. He embarked in the first vessel that left Boston for England after the proclamation of peace to purchase goods for the market. The passage was a short one. With characteristic ardor he was the first
to leap on shore, being thus, perhaps, the lst American who touched the fatherland after the war had ended. 
   He remained abroad for some time, on the occasion of his first voyage to Europe, visiting the Continent, where he saw the allied armies immediately after the battle of Waterloo. 
   Messrs. A. & A. Lawrence soon engaged largely in the sale of cotton and woolen goods of domestic manufacturer, and devoted all their energies to foster this great branch of the national industry. Mr. Lawnrence's interest in the work of railroad construction in New England was hardly less than in the establishment and extension of the manufacturing system. He was a large subscriber to the various railroads projected for the concentration of trade in Boston, and this from a feeling of patriotism rather than the expectation of profit. He was chosen to represent MA at the Harrisburg Convention in 1827 and
took a prominent part in its proceedings. In 1831 he was elected to the Common Council of Boston but declined a re-election. In 1834 he was elected to Congress. On taking his place he was at once put on the Committee of Ways and Means. On the expiration of his term his constituents testified their sense of his service by inviting him to a public dinner. This he declined in a letter in which he touched on the great questions of the day. He declined re-election to Congress, though the members of the opposite party gave him the remarkable assurance that, if he would consent to stand, no candidate should be brought against him. Two years later he consented to accept a second nomination and again took his seat in the House. Shortly after his arrival he was attacked by typhus fever, so that for some time small hopes were entertained of his recovery. He resigned in the following autumn.
   In the Presidential campaign of 1840 Mr. Lawrence took an active part in favor of the election of General Harrison. In September 1842, he was president of the Whig Convention which nominated Henry Clay for President on the part of Massachusetts. 
   In 1842 he was appointed by the Governor one of the commissioners on the part of MA to negotiate a settlement of our northeastern boundary, which had been a source of irritation for many years between the U.S. and England. Quoting Mr. Prescott's language: "It is not too much to say that but for the influence exerted by Mr. Lawrence on this occasion the treaty if it had been arranged at all, would never have been brought into the shape which it now wears." Mr. Nathan Appleton in his memoir confirms this statement in the following words: "It is the belief of the writer, who was then on
Congress, that Mr. Lawrence more than to any other individual is due the successful accomplishment of the negotiation which resulted in the important Treaty of Washington."
   In July 1843 Mr. Lawrence accompanied by his wife and daughter embarked from Boston for England in the steamer "Columbia" The following day they were wrecked on Black Ledge, near Seal Island. After a week's detention on the island, they were transported to Halifax whench they proceeded on their voyage. 
   Mr. Lawrence's reputation preceded him. He was received in England with marked attention, and the hospitality of many distinguished and influential people was extended to him. 
   In 1844 he was a delegate to the Whig National Convention and one of the electors at large for the State of MA. He was an ardent supporter of Henry Clay for the Presidency and deeply disappointed on his defeat.
   In 1845 the Essex Company was organized and Mr. Lawrence was its president and the lst and largest subscriber to its stock. The city of Lawrence, incorporated in 1847 was named for him.
________________________________________
 
Subject: Hon. Abbott Lawrence
Source: Prescott Memorial
p.ll0
Katharine Bigelow b. l793 dau of the Hon. Timothy Bigelow and his wife, Lucy Prescott of Medford, MA. Katherine Bigelow m. June 28, l8l9 Hon Abbott Lawrence of Boston, b Dec l6,l792. He founded and endowed at Harvard Univ. the School of Science. He d. l855. See
also his Memoir in the Hist. & Genealogical Register, Vol. X p. 297, Oct. l856 (see also Lawrence Genealogy)
 
p.154  The Hon. Abbott Lawrence and his wife, Catherine Bigelow of Boston, MA had issue:

1. Annie Bigelow Lawrence b. 1820; m. 1846 Benjamin Smith Rotch of New Bedford, MA who grad Harvard 1838
Their children:
   a.  Edith Rotch b. July 30, 1847
   b.  Arthur Rotch b. May 13, 1850
   c.  Annie Rotch b. June 16, 1852

2. James Lawrence b. 182l grad Harvard 1840 m. 1852 Elizabeth the only daughter of William Prescott, LL.D (the historian) He was with the firm, A & A
Lawrence & Co at 82 Milk St., Boston, MA.

3. George Lawrence b. and d in infancy

4. John Abbott Lawrence b. and d. in infancy

5. Timothy Bigelow Lawrence b. 1826 grad at Harvard in 1846 m. 1854 Elizabeth Chapman dau of Hon Henry Chapman of Bucks County, Pa. He was U.S. Consul at Florence then ret. to Boston autumn 1868. He d. suddenly at Washington, D.C. Mar 1869 age 43 years.

6. Abbott Lawrence b.1828 grad Harvard Univ 1849 m. 1853 Henrietta Page only dau of J. W. Page of Boston, Ma.

7. Catherine Bigelow Lawrence b. 1832 m. 1854 Augustus Lowell, son of John A. Lowell Esq. of Boston, MA who grad at Harvard 1850.
 
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
 God Bless America
History & Genealogy Freely Shared
Janice Farnsworth
http://tfeeney.esmartbiz.com/janice.htm
and
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http://www.tfeeney.esmartbiz.com/page7.htm


Modified - 05/03/2011
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