Moses 4 BIGELOW


16A4    Moses 4 BIGELOW, fourth child and third son of Ebenezer 3( Joshua2, John1), and Hannah (BROWN) BIGELOW, was baptised 03 May 1730, place not stated in Howe. He married, in Watertown, 15 June 1756 Mary Hammond, born 01 April 1739 Newton, daughter of Ebenezer and Mary (Garfield) Hammond.(Mary or Mercy Garfield, was the daughter of Bigelow, Mercy 3 ) They lived at one time in Watertown. Joseph Bigelow jr sold a saddler's shop in Watertown to Moses Bigelow on 17 June 1754; two years later, on 12 April 1756 Moses sold the same shop to Thomas Pottin, Saddler. He was "killed at Quebec," according to family record, but no date (This applies to Moses 4 BIGELOW instead of Moses 5 BIGELOW according to new source (see below)
Howe gives baptisms of four of his children, without stating in which town, and the appendix to his book implies a fifth child, of which we find but little evidence.

Children of Moses and Mary (Hammond) Bigelow; presumably born in Weston, MA:

16A41.      Mary, bapt 14 May 1758; d 25 Jan 1827 Newton, MA; m 12 July 1779 Benjamin Mills; res Newton & Needham.

16A42.      Samuel, bapt 30 Aug 1761; he may be the Samuel Bigelow living in New Salem, Hampshire county, MA in 1790, with his wife and 2 children.

16A43.      Stephen Moses, bapt 05 Aug 1764; "killed at Quebec," according to family record, but no date; m Phebe Wing, and had at least 5 sons, all of whom have been proven. (see below)

16A44.      Eunice, bapt 22 May 1768; m 17 Jan 1796 James Shepard of Newton.

16A45.      Levi ? In the 1880's John Bigelow corresponded with Gilman B. Howe, the Bigelow genealogist, and wrote in part: "My
grandfather's name was Moses, what his brothers' names were I don't know...My father's name was Moses..My father's brother was Levi, and my father lived with a man by the name of Arnold in Providence, RI, after his father was killed at Quebec."

Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Volume. I page. 75;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America;
census 1790;
research in Que., VT, NY, & MI on sons of Moses jr.
From: Tom Kress  < homer7700@live.com >
Its not clear, but I believe the website indicates that Moses-5 was killed at the siege of Quebec.  Because the siege of Quebec City during the French and Indian War took place in 1759, Moses-5  whose birth date should be 1764 could not have fought in the battle, which started 13 Sep 1759.  It had to be Moses-4, who was born about 1730 and would have been the appropriate age to participate.  This also establishes an approximate death date of 1759 for him, and further supports my suggestion that Moses-6 and Moses-5 should be the same person.
More from Tom:

My 4th Great Grandparents were Stephen Bigelow (1764-1839) of Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, and Phebe Wing (1774-1826), born at Ashford, Windham, Connecticut.  I believe they both migrated into Vermont sometime around 1790, and were married circa1795 in Vermont.  Phebe (Wing) Bigelow died on 11 Aug 1826 and is buried at Berkshire Center Cemetery at Berkshire, Franklin, Vermont (see Find A Grave Memorial # 20164254).  I'm not sure if Stephen re-married, but he relocated the family to Rochester, Monroe, New York sometime after his wife's death.  Stephen died in 1839 and is buried in Woodworth Cemetery at Ruby Corner, St. Lawrence, New York (see Find A Grave Memorial # 25649736).
 
My 3rd GGmother is Sarah Bigelow (1812-1891), daughter of Stephen and Phebe (Wing) Bigelow, who was born at Berkshire, Franklin, Vermont.  She married Martin Corley (1810-1873) from Ireland, on 11 Apr 1839 at Rochester, Monroe, New York.  Martin was a river boat captain on the Genesee River, and in 1841, relocated the family to Bureau County, Illinois and purchased farmland. They had 10 children.  Sarah died on 12 Jan 1891 and is buried in the Lost Grove Cemetery at Arlington, Bureau, Illinois (see Find A Grave Memorial # 94693101).  Martin died in 1873 at Westfield, Bureau, Illinois but I have not been able to locate his grave site.  This is my mother's side of the family.
 
There is a lot of information available regarding the Wing genealogy (see the Wing Family of America website), but I could not find much regarding this line of the Bigelows until I came across your website.  I believe that your Moses Bigelow-6 [16A43.11], son of Moses-5 [16A43] (Moses-4, Ebenezer-3, Joshua-2, John-1) is probably the same person identified above as Stephen Bigelow.  They were both born about 1764 in Massachusetts, and married a Wing.  The children you have listed for Moses-6 are the exact same that I have for Stephen and Phebe Bigelow.  I've seen other researchers who indicated Stephen came from Rhode Island, but your information indicates that Moses-5 was killed at the siege of Quebec, which resulted in the family being scattered, and the son Moses-6 being raised by a man surnamed Arnold located in Providence, Rhode Island.  I believe there was a Thomas Arnold family living in Watertown, MA who could have been family friends that relocated to Providence, RI.  This explanation seems to work.  However, I'm at a loss to explain how the name Stephen and Moses are related.  After reviewing your genealogy information about this Bigelow branch, I noticed a few possible errors that you should consider addressing.
 
 
 
 

More from Tom:

I've continued my Bigelow research and learned there were two additional sieges of Quebec after the British captured the city in September 1759 during the French and Indian War (Seven Years War).
 
Six months after the fall of Quebec to the British in 1759, the remaining French Army tried to recapture the City.  During the Battle of Sainte-Foy on 28 April 1760 at the Plains of Abraham just outside the city defenses, the French defeated the British and began their siege of Quebec.  The French siege failed when the British fleet arrived 5 days after the siege began.
 
At the start of the American Revolution, combined American forces commanded by Major General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold invaded Canada and besieged Quebec in December 1775.  However, severe winter weather made American siege efforts ineffective.  The Americans attempted to storm the city in the early hours of Dec 31 under cover of snowfall.  Sixty Americans were killed and 426 taken prisoner.  Montgomery's death, the wounding of Benedict Arnold and the capture of Daniel Morgan deprived the Americans of decisive leadership.  The siege continued until the ice on the St. Lawrence melted and a British relief fleet arrived on 6 May 1776, forcing the Continental Army to retreat.
 
Given these facts, it's possible that Moses-4 Bigelow could have fought in either the British siege of Quebec in 1759, or the American siege in 1775-1776.  I doubt that Stephen/Moses-5 Bigelow who was born between 1764-1775 could have participated in either battle due to his age.  But this would explain how it would be possible that the father of Moses-5 was Moses-4 who died at the American siege of Quebec in 1775-1776.
 
During the American expedition into Canada in 1775, Colonel Benedict Arnold's army included a force of 1,100 men from Massachusetts.  Two New England battalions were led by Lt. Colonels Christopher Green and Roger Enos.  Deputies were Major Timothy Bigelow (1739-1790), a blacksmith from Worcester, Massachusetts, and Major Return Jonathan Meigs of Connecticut.  It's very possible that Moses-4 could also have been included in this invading army.

 
It was in September 1775 that Maj. Bigelow volunteered for the expedition to Quebec under Benedict Arnold going by way of the Kennebec river through the wilderness of Maine.  On this expedition, he was ordered by Gen. Arnold to ascend a mountain near the headwaters of the Kennebec, with a small party of men for the purpose of reconnaissance. This mountain was later named for him and is now known as Mount Bigelow.
 

Bigelow proceeded on the march to Quebec, and on the 31st of December was taken prisoner by the British, and kept prisoner until the following August. He  was taken to New York with other prisoners and then exchanged. He promptly reentered the service as Lieut-Colonel under General Gates, and in 1777 was commissioned a full Colonel, the highest rank of any Bigelow during the Revolutionary War. He was at Quebec, Monmouth, Saratoga, Verplanck's Point, Peekskill, Valley Forge, Yorktown, West Point, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and the surrender of Burgoyne. (There is a plaque on a Monument at Valley Forge).  See the biography of "Timothy Bigelow (soldier)" at Wikipedia.com for more info.

More from Tom:
Saw your email to  Rod Bigelow at the Bigelow Society, dated 30 Aug 2012 (see below) regarding your connection to the Bigelows.  I also descended from Martin Corley (1810-1873) and Sarah Bigelow (1813-1891). They were my 3rd Great Grandparents.  My branch goes through their son John Corley (1844-1922) who married Helen McMahan (1852-1929) from Iowa.  My mother was a Corley from this line.  My records (right or wrong) indicate the following:

 
Martin Corley immigrated from Ireland to New York in 1834 aboard the ship "Eagle."  Martin became a riverboat captain on the Genesee River in the vicinity of Rochester, New York.  He married Sarah Bigelow on 11 Apr 1839 at Rochester, Monroe, New York, USA and they had one daughter, Mary, in 1840 while living in New York.  The family then relocated to Bureau County, Illinois in 1841, where Martin purchased farmland and they had 9 more children.  Martin died 18 Jul 1873 at his farm in Westfield Twp., Bureau, Illinois, USA but I've had no luck locating his grave site (probably at the farm).  Sarah died on 12 Jan 1891 and is buried in the Lost Grove Cemetery at Arlington, Bureau, Illinois, USA (see Find A Grave Memorial #94693101).  I've seen various birth dates for both Martin (1805 -1810) and Sarah (1812-1816), and looked to the US Federal Census for help, but that only provided more confusion.
 
Martin, Sarah and infant daughter Mary relocated to Bureau County, Illinois in 1841.
 
From the 1850 US Federal Census (Westfield twp., Bureau, Illinois, USA):
          Martin Corley, age 40 (b abt. 1810), Ireland
          Sarah Corley, age 38 (b abt. 1812), Connecticut
          Mary Corley, age 10 (b abt. 1840), New York + 7 more children all born in Illinois.
 
From the 1860 US Federal Census (Westfield, Bureau, Illinois, USA):
          Martin Corley, age 52 (b abt. 1808), Ireland
          Sarah Corley, age 44 (b abt. 1816), Vermont
          Mary Corley, age 20 (b abt. 1840), New York + 9 more children, all born in Illinois.
 
From the 1870 US Federal Census (Westfield, Bureau, Illinois, USA):
          Martin Corlay, age 65 (b abt. 1805), Ireland
          Sarah Corlay, age 55 (b abt. 1815), Vermont
          9 children, all born in Illinois (Mary apparently married and left home).
 
Martin died in 1873, and Sarah continued living until 1891, but I could not find her in the 1880 census.  I believe she was living with her son Frank.
 
Sarah Bigelow was born 26 Nov 1812-15 in Berkshire, Franklin, Vermont,  the daughter of Stephen Bigelow (1764-1839) and Phebe Wing (1774-1826).  Stephen was born on 05 Aug 1764 at Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA.  Phebe was born in April 1774 at Ashford, Windham, Connecticut, USA. They probably migrated to Vermont sometime around 1790, met and were married about 1795 in Vermont, where they had 6 children.  Phebe (Wing) Bigelow died on 11 Aug 1826 and is buried in the Berkshire Center Cemetery at Berkshire, Franklin, Vermont (see Find A Grave Memorial #20164254).  I'm not sure if Stephen re-married, but he apparently relocated the family to New York some time after Phebe's death.  Stephen Bigelow died in New York in 1839, and was buried in the Woodworth Cemetery at Ruby Corner, St. Lawrence, New York, USA (see Find A Grave Memorial #25649736).  Our Stephen Bigelow (1764-1839) appears to be the same person identified as Moses-5 Bigelow (1764-?) at the Bigelow Society website, managed by Rod Bigelow.
 
Note that Leonard Hart sent an email to Rod Bigelow on 26 Apr 2000 indicating that some of the Stephen and Phebe Bigelow descendants were living in St. Lawrence County, New York around 1851.  Perhaps our Stephen Bigelow was living in the area at the time of his death since he is buried there.
 
The birth date of the Stephen Bigelow buried at Woodworth Cemetery is listed as 1775.  This date more closely matches Phebe Wing's birth date of 1774, but I have not been able to resolve the discrepancy with his 1764 birth date.
 
I've been researching the Corley/Bigelow connection for several years and have encountered a lot of frustration.  I'm familiar with the biography of Martin Corley from "The History of Bureau County, Illinois, 1855" which raises a few questions.
 
 
 
 
 
Does any of this sound familiar?  If this information differs from yours, I would love to discuss any thoughts you may have about resolving the discrepancies.
I'm eagerly awaiting your response.
 
Thomas Kress
homer7700@live.com
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
From: Pat Hubbell < pathubbell@yahoo.com >
Subject: Our connection to the Bigelow family?
Date: Monday, August 30, 2012,
Hello, I hope to learn more about my family's connection to the Bigelow family from your Bigelow Society's research. My great great grandmother was Sarah Bigelow, born in Berkshire Township, Vermont on 26 Nov 1815. Her mother was Phebe Wing, her father said to have been Stephen (or Moses) Bigelow. We have found her gravestone as "Phebe wife of Stephen Bigelow, died  Aug 11,1826, age 49 years, 4 mos" buried in Berkshire Center Cemetery in Berkshire, Franklin County, Vermont." According to our family notes, Phebe (Wing) Bigelow's children were Horace, Ward, John, Hardin and Sarah Bigelow.  Our family story is that with her parents deceased, Sarah Bigelow went to Rochester, NY when young, to live with an older brother who was a riverboat pilot on the Genesee River.  There she met and married Martin Corley, a river boat captain, and in 1841, they went to Bureau County, Illinois where they bought farmland and raised a family of 10 children.  Their children are listed below in this biography of Martin Corley found in the History of Bureau County, Illinois published in 1885.
 
 CORLEY, Martin
Martin Corley, deceased, was a native of the Parish Ashgraw, County Conard, Ireland, where his parents, Daniel and Mary Moulton, died.
Martin Corley came to America when quite young and became a captain of a boat on the Genesee River . He was married in Rochester , N. Y. to Sarah Biglow, born November 26, 1815, near the Canada line in Berkshire Township , Vt. She is the daughter of Stephen and Phebe (Wing) Biglow, the former a native of Rhode Island and of Welsh extraction, and the latter of Connecticut and of English and Irish descent. Her father commanded on of the vessels under Gen. Wolfe at the taking of Quebec , and participated in the battle on the Plains of Abraham, receiving as reward a large tract of land in the Canadas from the British Government. Her grandfather was an officer and fell at the battle of Bunker Hill .
Mr. Martin Corley lived three years in Rochester, N. Y., and then, in 1841, came to LaSalle County, Ill., and in December, the same year, bought 120 acres of Daniel Roth in Westfield Township, Bureau Co., in Section 10, where he died July 18, 1873, aged sixty-seven years.
He was a good farmer and owned 480 acres when he died. He was respected by all who came in contact with him for his many good qualities. Mrs. Corley yet survives and is the mother of ten children, viz.: Mrs. Mary McDonald, Daniel, John, Stephen, Mrs. Phebe A. Bartlett (deceased), Martin, Mrs. Meriam Loehr, Frank, Mrs. Emma Grimes and Agnes Corley.
Frank Corley and his mother now own the homestead consisting of 120 acres.
Source: History of Bureau County , Illinois , H. C. Bradsby, Editor. World Publishing Company, Chicago 1885
 
Note that the county in Ieland is probably parish "Ahascragh." This biography was probably written with some of the information given by Sarah Bigelow Corley as she was still living at the time the county history was written. 
Her daughter, Mary Theresa (Corley) McDonald, listed above as Mrs Mary McDonald, was my great grandmother.
 
I have communicated with the Wing Family Society. They have, listed in their Wing family history, a Phebe Wing, born in Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut in 1774.  Their notes indicate she first married  Orange Ellsworth 02 March 1807 in First Church of Rockingham, Windham, Vermont, and then married Stephen Bigelow who was from Rhode Island.
 
Do you have any additional information that would help me make a connecion to the Bigelow Family?  Could there have been a Moses Stephen Bigelow who also went by his middle name?
 
Thanks ahead of time for any assistance you can provide.
 
Margaret Patricia Stahl Hubbell
Wrentham, MA

More from Tom:
P.S. - I forgot to mention that I have portraits of Martin and Sarah Corley if your interested.

From: homer7700@live.com
To: pathubbell@yahoo.com
CC: rodbigelow@netzero.net
Subject: Bigelow/Corley Connection
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2015 22:50:22 -0800

More from Tom:
Went to the Genealogy Section at the Tacoma Library yesterday to examine a book about the history of Watertown, MA and look for evidence of Stephen Bigelow.   The reference was "Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston, Volumes I and II" by Henry Bond, M.D., published by the N.E. Historical-Genealogical Society, Boston, Second Edition, 1860. 
There were 13 pages of Bigelow biographies in Vol. I, starting with the immigrant John Bigelow [1617-1703], but I could find only one Stephen Bigelow [1735-1756] identified in all those biographies.  He was the son of Capt. Joseph Bigelow [1703-1783] of Shrewsbury and Martha Brigham [1704-1782] of Marlboro, and could not have been our Stephen, father of Sarah Bigelow Corley [1812-1891].  Could this be his father who died at the age of 21?  Even this does not fit the timeline very well.  Maybe Stephen Bigelow was not from Watertown, MA as previously thought.   
However, I found listings in Vol. I for both Moses-4 (1730-?) and Moses-5 Bigelow (1764-?).  The brief biography for Moses-4 indicates:

Moses-5 was listed as the son of Moses-4 Bigelow and Mary Hammond, baptized on 05 Aug 1764.  But no biography or supplemental information was included.
 
A note on pg. 683 of Vol. II (that includes additions and corrections) about Moses-4 states:  Moses Bigelow, then "of Wat.," belonged to Capt.  Jonathan Brown's Co. at Lake George, in 1758.  This is interesting because it implies he was involved in the British siege of Quebec in 1759 where it is believed he died.  If this is true, then it again raises the question of how Moses-5 who was born on 5 Aug 1764 could be the son of Moses-4 who died in 1759 at the siege of Quebec, unless Moses-5 was actually born several years before he was baptized in 1764.  But that would make Moses-5 at least 36 when he married Phebe Wing [1774-1826] in abt. 1795, and 53 years old when his daughter Sarah Bigelow Corley was born in 1812.  I find this improbable but not impossible. 
The information seems to confirm the information on the Bigelow Society website.  Unfortunately, this does little to resolve our questions about Stephen and Moses Bigelow.  It's still possible they could be the same person although there is a clear trail that both Stephen and Moses existed.
More from Tom:
My Corley ancestors look like this:
Daniel Corley and Mary Moulton (both lived and died in Ahascragh, Galway,  Ireland)
    Martin Corley (1810-1873) and Sarah Bigelow (1812-1891)
        John Corley (1844-1922) and Helen McMahan (1852-1928)
            Francis Charles "Frank" Corley (1876-1938) and Caroline V. Corwin (1879-1909)
                Kenneth Francis Corley (1902-1952) and Ruth Keenan (1902-1958)
                    Sara Joan Corley (1929-2011) - my mother
Modified - 03/05/2015
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