Marianne BIGELOW, the
eldest daughter of James and Lucretia BIGELOW,
was born in Plattsburgh, Clinton co, NY on Sept. 22, 1825, and died in Bangor,
NY on Sept. 11, 1906, aged 80 years, 11 months and 20 days.
On her father's side she was descended from the
Bigelows and Warrens who early lived in the vicinity
of Boston and furnished so many men and women who helped to make Massachusetts
famous in the old Colonial days and during the revolutionary period, and
who have had many worthy representatives in every period of our country's
history since. Her father's mother was a Call, a family with no mean record
in New England.
On her mother's side she came from the Connecticut
Franks and Huntingtons, names that have been honored by those who bore them
in every generation.
When the subject of this sketch was about a year
old, her father moved with his family to West Bangor, N.Y., being one of
the early settlers at that point. Here the children were reared and educated;
here the parents died; and the youngest of James Bigelow's family, also names
James, still occupies (1906) the old homestead.
The father, James Bigelow, was in many respects a
remarkable man. Possessing a mind far above average in intellectuality, he
managed, in the face of many obstacles, to obtain an education that would
be no discredit to a man with good opportunities in this more favored age.
He was also a man of deep and genuine piety. It was then but natural that
he should earnestly endeavor to bring up his children in the "fear of the
Lord", and next to that encourage them to make use of every advantage within
their reach to acquire learning. In all this he was aided by his excellent
and capable wife, and the result of their well directed efforts was one son
who had an honored career in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church,
nearly every child a consistent member of the same church, and five who were
successful teachers.
The subject of this sketch was, from her earliest
years down to the close of her long life, a devout Christian. She never had
a conscious experience of what is called conversion; from earliest childhood
she loved and followed Jesus Christ. She early united with the Methodist
Episcopal church, and remained a consistent and faithful member of the same,
until called to be of that innumerable company which saint John in his vision
saw.
When little more than a young girl, marianne entered
upon the work of teaching and continued in that work until her marriage in
1851. There are some of her pupils living yet, (1906) and they speak of her
earnest efforts to do all the good she could to those that attended her schools.
January 8, 1851, she married Hiram Harwood, a young
farmer living in the north part of the town of Bangor, and like herself an
earnest Christian, and a p_____ of intelligence. To them were born four children:
Justin M., Watson H., Theron L., and Lucy M. I have no words to adequately
describe what mother was to her family. Her kindness and patience, her work
for her children, her prayers and her efforts to lead them to Christ. Perhaps
no words can better describe all this than the words of her pastor, Rev.
C. Middleton preached her funeral sermon: " She hath wrought __________ but
she hath done what she could". Mother came as near as any person I ever knew
to doing her whole duty to her Creator, and to all with whom she was associated.
Hiram Harwood died December 23, 1890, since which
time his widow and her daughter have lived together in the old home. Both
the daughter and the eldest son, who lived only a short distance away, were
constant in their efforts to minister to her comfort during all the years
of her widowhood. Neighbors also were very kind and helped make life much
brighter for her during her declining years. Nearly two years before her
death she was stricken with apoplexy, and her life ever afterward was one
of constant suffering. We are glad now to know that she has reached that
blessed country where there is neither death nor sorrow, nor crying, nor
pain; where God himself hath wiped away all tears. From there to go out no
more forever.
September 1906................................................W.H.H.
This was a document I found in the Potsdam, NY LDS Genealogy center
Notes: Mary Ruth JUDD has contributed most of this material, and it is through her early research that I first became aware of James and Lucretia BIGELOW. I visited the Potsdam LDS Genealogy Research Center in 1994 and found a small file folder with this among other stuff.
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
