Noah ⁵ BIGELOW

# 15337      Noah ⁵, son of Cornelius ⁴,( Samuel ³, Samuel ²,John¹) BIGELOW and Mary (GRAVES) BIGELOW, was born 9 Sept 1742 on the Julian calendar, adjusted to 20 Sep on the Gregorian calendar adopted in 1752, in Westborough, Worcester county, MA. He was married (1) on 22 Jan 1766 to Catherine SHAY of Hopkinton, MA. The intention-of-marriage spells her name as "Cate Psha," as if the clerk were trying to spell it in similar fashion to the expletive "pshaw." Noah and Kate had two sons born in Westborough, after which they appear to have moved from the town.
     Noah Bigelow served in the militia, and was a volunteer from Westborough at the Battle of Lexington and Concord on 19 Apr 1775. In 1777 he enlisted from Amherst for three years, and served as a sergeant from 3 Mar 1777 to 3 Mar 1780. He was in Capt. Daniel Shay's company, under Col. Rufus Putnam, and was at the battles of Princeton and Trenton, and saw the surrender of General Burgoyne. According to his pension application, he was mustered out in New York state.
     What becarne of his wife Catherine is not known, as Amherst records prior to 1820 were destroyed, but on 18 Mar 1778 in Worcester, Noah married (2) Elizabeth Goulding. He was then "of Shutesbury," MA.
     Noah next appears in Bennington county, Vermont, on the 1790 census, living near his two oldest sons. His family then consisted of one male over 16 (himself), one male under 16, and three females.
     In 1793 Noah sold his property in Woodford, Bennington county, VT, and was then "of Cambridge, New York" in Washington county. The 1800 census of Cambridge shows 1 male over 45 (Noah himself), 2 males and 1 female aged 1625, 1 male and 1 female under 10 (children Phebe and Elijah). The female between ages 16-25 is presumably his third wife Elizabeth
___ . In 1810 Noah was still at Cambridge, and his family had increased. About 1815, at the close of the War of 1812, Noah and his family moved to Blenheim, Schoharie county, NY. It is thought that he raised one or more of his son Noah jr's children, that family being broken up about 1805 by the death of their mother.
     In 1818 Congress passed its first veterans' pension act, and Noah applied for a pension on 15 May 1819. He stated that his birth date was 20 Sep 1742, and gave a full record of his military service. He certified that he was "75 years of age" and unable to function in his normal occupation of farmer, and had "a wife about 45 years of age," and several dependent children. These were listed as Zadock, age 13, Cornelius, age 10, W. Franklin, age 8, and Mary Ann, age 17 months. The clerk of the court inserted that of these, only Zadock was able to support himself.
     Noah's property was ennumerated as follows: "Of real estate or property I have none. Of personal property--one cow, one hog, three iron pots, one iron tea kettle, five old common chairs, one old pine table, one old large spinning wheel, one small spinning wheel, one suit of old mended cloaths for myself, two suits of old ragged cloaths for my wife, one suit of old and patched cloaths for each of my five children, all without shoes except the youngest one." The pension of $8 monthly was granted in 1821, retroactive to the day of application. Note that Noah refers to five dependent children, but the clerk listed only four, possibly omitting daughter Polly or Hannah.
     Noah was still collecting his pension in 1830, and was listed as 90 years of age (he was 88). In 1832 he moved from
Blenheim, presumably at the death of his wife, and the final payment record shows that he lived in Andes township, Delaware
county, NY, where several of his sons lived. In arranging transfer of pension, he reiterated that he had collected his pension 14
years at Blenheim. The last senai-annual payment was made in Oct 1832; family records indicate that he died 29 Mar 1833.

1790 census: VT-Bennington-Woodford-Noah Bigelow: 1-1-3-0-0.
Mass Sold & Sail of Rev War, Vol II:

Bigalow, Noah. Sergeant, Capt. Shay's Co., Col. Putnam's regt.; Continental Army pay accounts for service from March 3, 1777, to Dec. 31, 1779; also, muster return dated Albany, Feb 9, 1778; mustered by Col. Woodbridge.

Bigalo, Noah, Amherst. Return of men enlisted into Contental Army from Capt. Dickinson's Co., Col. Porter's (4th Hampshire Co.) regt., dated Jan.22, 1778; residence, Amherst; enlisted for town of Amherst; joined Capt. Shay's Co., Col. Putnam's regt.; enlistment, 3 years.

Bigelow, Noah, Amherst. Sergeant, Major's co., Col. Rufus Putnam's (5th) regt.; Continental Army pay accounts for service from Jan. 1, 1780 to March 3, 1780.

Identifiable children of Noah BIGELOW sr are incomplete, though he apparently had issue by all three marriages. Those who can be named at present writing (1986) are, by first wife Catherine SHAY:

15337.l+ Noah jr., b 29 June 1766 Westborough, MA; d ca Mar 1844 Barre, Orleans Co, NY; mca 1785-1790 Cynthia Scott; res Chenango and Livingston counties, NY, after leaving Woodford, VT. Several children.

15337.2 Roger, b 18 Mar 1768 Westborough, MA; listed as head-of-household in Bennington county, VT in 1800; no further record.

By the second wife, Elizabeth GOULDING, there were several children, judging from the numbers in his household in 1790 and 1800. We have no records of the names or dates of these children.
By the third wife, Elizabeth ______ , we have records of a number of children, whose names and birthdates are recorded on slips of paper inserted in the Bible of grandson Alonzo D. Bigelow. While these dates are not entirely accurate, being compiled from the owner's memory, it is believed that the names are accurate, as are the majority of the dates:

15337.3 Phebe, b 18 Oct 1797 Cambridge, Washington co, NY; d 9 Apr 1820; marriage, if any, unknown.

15337.4+ Elijah, b 2 May 1799 Cambridge, Washington co, NY; d 19 Sep 1874 Gratiot co, MI; m ca 1829 Freelove Anna Earl; res Delaware co, NY; Livingston, Montcalm, and Gratiot cos, MI. 11 children.

15337.5 Caty, b 12 Mar 1801 Cambridge, Washington co, NY; d 29 Jun 1835; marriage, if any, unknown.

15337.6 Clenmaria, b 5 Aug 1803 Cambridge, Washington co, NY; no further record.

15337.7+ Benjamin, b Ca 1802-05; liv Andes twp, Delaware co, NY 1850; m Catherine Earl. 3 known children. See Addenda.

15337.8+ Zadock, b 15 Jly 1807 Cambridge, Washington Co, NY; d 1870's, probably LeBoeuf, Erie Co, PA, where he lived; m14 Feb 1830 Potty Ackerly. 5 children.

15337.9+ Cornelius, b 19 Feb 1810 Cambridge, Washington co, NY; d 5 Mar 1885 Maxville twp, Buffalo co, WI; m (1)16 July 1834 Susan Earl, who died ca 1851; (2) 6 Oct 1853 Montcalm co, MI to Cynthia Chaffin; res Delaware co, NY; Montcalm and Isabella cos, MI; Buffalo co, WI. Served Civil War. 10 children.

15337.A+ William Franklin, b 27 Aug 1812 Cambridge, Washington co, NY; d 29 Dec 1891 New Haven twp, Gratiot co, MI; m (1) 16 July 1834 Eliza Earl, who died July 1859 Montcalm co, MI; (2) 23 Jan 1860 Nancy Maria Brown; res Delaware co, NY; Montcalm and Gratiot co, MI; Buffalo co, WI. Served Civil War. 13 children.

15337.B Polly, whose dates in Alonzo's Bible conflict with those of other family members; m ___ McConsidine.

15337.C Hannah, b 29 Aug 1817; presumed died young.

15337.D Mary Ann, b 8 Aug 1820 [as sated in Alonzo Bigelow's Bible, but her father's pension application of May 1819 states she was then 17 months old]; d 21 June 1895, place unknown; m ___ Hoyt.

Sources:
Bigelow Society,The Bigelow Family Genealogy, Vol I, pg 116-118;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; pg 107;
Noah Bigelow's pension papers;
Cornelius and William Bigelow's pension papers;
NSDAR application of Laura Cole;
family records found in Bible of Alonzo Bigelow;
vital records of MA, VT, NY, MI, WI, and PA;
censuses of U.S., 1790-1880 various states;
correspondence with descendants;
Forge: The Bigelow Society Quarterly.; July 1984; v 13, no3; pg 53;

Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon¹² BIGELOW)

P.O. Box 13
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929

< rodbigelow@netzero.net >

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Noah ⁵ BIGELOW