Hi, I am Barbara Padgette, daughter of Edna
Bigelow, and have been receiving
Forge for quite some time. I recently bought
my first computer, and now
cannot find the family website. I get a message
saying it no longer exists or
has been moved. Where is it? My daughter
recently saw a feature on HGTV
Restore America about the Bigelow House Museum
in Washington, and as I try
to view it, it just can't be found. I saw
it a couple of times, but as I tried to
show my sister, POOF, gone! PLEASE HELP. I'm
really getting into this
genealogy stuff, and enjoy the access by computer.
Thanks much. Barb
(15337.12D17.4)
More:
Thank you so much for responding. Now, as a novice computer user, I'm
patting myself on
the back (just kidding). After sending my inquiry to Ann, I began searching.
I went to the
search window on Yahoo, and just put in Bigelow Society. Guess what!
I navigated my way
to the site. Now I have an icon on my desktop titled Bigelow Family
Site. Boy, am I proud.
Now, please tell me how to submit all our family information to be
included in the website. I
am 11th generation, and although I don't, my sister and brother both
are great
grandparents, so that makes 14 generations. And although Alexander
is listed, and son
Arthur LeRoy (my grandfather), nothing is mentioned from that point
on. I'd be glad to
submit any information that I have, including the death of my mother
and a cousin younger
than myself (I'm 58). I'll be away from home until the 14th, but my
daughter is all fired up on
this genealogy stuff. She and her husband saw the piece on HGTV re:
Bigelow House
Museum on Restore America. Sadly, I missed it. She said the man of
the house gave her
goose bumps because of his resemblance to my Mom.
I do hope we can remain in contact as this is something
I really enjoy. I'd love to do my
husband's side of the family, but there's very little to go on.
Thanks again. Barb
Hello,
While browsing the web I came upon some familiar names and
may be able to help you a little. William Huntley and Laura
had the following children:
Bert O. b 11 Aug 1897
Daughter married Harry Horton
Glen
Ora b 23 Jan 1903
Francis b 14 Apr 1907
William and Laura divorced. On the 8 May 1917 William
married my grandmother's half-sister, Amelia Wilhelmina Anna
Clara Seiter, my great aunt and my mother's godmother, at
Holy Cross Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Amelia
was born 5 September 1886, daughter of Felix P. Seiter and
Amelia Wilhelmina Schumann. William and Amelia had three
sons, Irven, Norman and Chester. Irven was killed while
riding his bicycle. He was struck by a car. Norman was
killed in an auto-train accident in St. Louis. Chester
married Grace Tice 3 Mar 1946. He served in the US Navy in
WWII. He and Grace divorced. They had three children all
living, Elaine Edna, David Paul, and James William. Chester
still lives in South St. Louis. Amalia died 3 Dec 1987.
I
found the following article (undated) in my mother's most
cherished possessions:
OUR OLDEST MEMBERS MARK BIRTHDAY
Amelia Huntley's span of years comes to 99. On September 5
she entered her 100th year, surely the oldest member of our
church. Mrs. Huntley has a continuous connection with Holy
Cross, graduating from our school in 1900. You will find the
record in the school memorial book.
Amelia's father, Felix Seiter, was born in Baden, Germany,
emigrated to this country, and became an American citizen.
He fought in the Union Army when the Civil War divided the
country and St. Louis too was divided in its loyalties.
Amelia's husband, William Huntley, was a chiropractor,
trained in chiropractic college in Iowa, where he first
practised. After his marriage to Amelia, he moved to St.
Louis, having his office in this neighborhood, first on
California Avenue between Miami and Winnebago and later at
Jefferson and Accomac.
Amelia, a widow, lives with her son Chester. She suffers
from a hearing loss, but she is alert and her memory is quite
good. Over a year ago she broke her leg, but she has
recovered and gets about with a walker. ( A picture of
Amelia was included in article.)
Joy, Great niece of William and Amelia Huntley. ( I remember
Uncle Will as a bedfast invalid when I visited Aunt Molly and
Great Grandma Seiter as a child.)
My brother-in-law, Wayne Cooke by name is now retired and
doing his family line and when I mentioned the Bigelow name he sent
me
the following information which you may or may not have.
(Wayne's origional name had been Cook but somewhere along the
line the extra "e" was added thus adding to the confusion much like
the MacDonnell, McDonnell, MacDonald, McDonald and my dad's
family name had origionally been Nicol in Scotland but somehow my great
grandparents changed it to Nicoll.) No wonder it's difficult to locate
people!
By the way ,no one in my family has ever heard of Wolfville
ever having been called Mudville as indicated by Jean Ligriet.
I even checked with my cousin who is a lawyer in Kentville
and lived his life in that area and he never heard of that reference
either. Regards from Ann of Ottawa.
There was an Emma Bigelow married to Tom Cook, son of William
Francis Cook and Eliza Cunningham. They lived in Canso Nova Scotia.
On Jul 9, 1862 Tom had been appointed a Nortary Public and he had been
an Enumerator of the Census in the Canso Area.
Their 10 children: (Many of whom moved to the USA.)
1. Sarah Elizabeth Cook born Apr 20, 1862 married Charles Lohnes of Lunenburg NS.
2. Frank Cook born May 6, 1863 married Elva Williams, moved
to Oakland CA. Frank became a Mayor there.
3. Sophie Pamela Cook born Oct 15, 1865 died Sep 6, 1868
4. William James Coleman Cook born July 15, 1867, died May
21, 1925, (m)Helen McKenzie, moved to Oakland CA.
5. Emma Harriett Cook born Oct 15, 1869, died Nov 21, 1916,
married Dr. DeBlois Harrington, moved to Phil. PA.
6. George Cunningham Cook b. May 10,1871, d. Nov 21, 1928, (m)Lillian
Hanson.
George had been a paymaster on the HMCS Naiobe, RCN. They owned
Prince's Lodge,
the Duke of Kent's former estate at Bedford Basin Halifax Co. NS.
7. Marie Norris Cook born Oct. 31, 1873, unmarried.
8. Lavinia Whitman Cook born Jan 13, 1876, died ?
9. Edna Corinna Cook born Sep. 22, 1879 married Ernest Harper. Edna
had
been one of the first women to graduate from Acada Un. in Wolfville
NS
10.. Thomas Whitman Cook born Sep. 10, 1882
A tombstone not included in Dr. Green's book, Epitaphs but
reported subsequently:
Subject: Tombstone of Mrs. Anna Bigelow
Source: Groton Historical Series by Dr. Samuel A. Green, Vol
II, 1890
BIGELOW
p.67
The following epitaph, copied from a marble slab in the Lawrence Lot
of the
Cemetery at Groton was furnished by Dr. Samuel A. Green. It
is a supplement to the
"Inscriptions from the Old Burial Grounds in Worcester, Massachusetts,"
recently published by the Worcester Society of Antiquity.
Tombstone in the Lawrence Lot of the Old Burying Ground,
Groton, Mass.
[Note: this tombstone is not included in "Epitaphs" by Dr.
Samuel A. Green ]
Tombstone, Marble Slab, Lawrence Lot,
Groton, Mass.
"Here lie the mortal remains of Mrs. Anna Bigelow, Relict of
Colonel Timothy
Bigelow of Worcester, Mass. She died August 2, 1809
AEt 63
Years."
The New England Historical & Genealogical Register [XXXIV.
99]. January 1880.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
The other item was probably it......
Frank Hager BIGELOW -- Elected June 25, 1902
Professor of Meteorology. Observatorio Magnetico, Pilar,
Argentina.
Great-grandson of Convers BIGELOW (1755-....); Private,
Captain Samuel
LAWSON's Militia Company, 1775; also Private, Captain Asahel
WHEELER's Militia Company, Colonel John ROBINSON's Regiment,
1776,
Massachusetts forces.
Great-great-grandson of Josiah BIGELOW (1730-1810);
Lieutenant, Captain
Israel Whittemore's Militia Company, 1775, Massachusetts
forces.
Great-grandson of Nathan HAGAR (1744-1802); Private, Captain
Samuel
LAWSON's Militia Company, 1775, Massachusetts forces.
Great-grandson of Elijah TRAVIS (1758-1824); Private, Captain
Benjamin
GATES' Company, Colonel MANTER's Regiment, 1776; Private,
Lieutenant
Samuel LAMB's Company, Colonel NIXON's Regiment, 1778, Massachusetts
forces.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kipke/sotr/membs_ab.htm
see /rod2003/bond1.htm ........................ROD
Abijah Bigelow
Minuteman. . .Settler. . . Abolitionist
The 19th birthday of Abijah Bigelow of Massachusetts (and
later Michigan City) very nearly coincided with the birth of the American
military revolution. And when the revolution came, three days later
-
200 years ago, young Abijah was there.
On the evening of Bigelow's 19th birthday, April 16, 1775,
engraver-silversmith Paul Revere, an official courier for the
Massachusetts Assembly to the Continental Congress, rode the 17 miles
from
Boston to Concord. He warned the patriots that the British might march
on Concord, to seize munitions stored there. He arranged a signal -
one
lantern in the North Church steeple if the redcoats moved by land,
two if by
water.
The signal would alert the Minutemen - a militia composed of
villagers and farmers who had pledged to respond to the call of duty
at a
moment's notice. They constituted the first American Revolutionary
Army.
Included in their ranks was Pvt. Bigelow, a member of Capt. Abraham
Pierce's
Company in Col. Thomas Gardner's Regiment.
Two nights after Abijah's birthday and Revere's visit to
Concord, the word went out: "The redcoats are coming!"
It was a chilling April night in the little village of
Lexington, a strategic point between Boston and Concord. About 2 in
the morning,
church bells began to ring. Senior citizens (what did they call them
in 1775?),
middle-aged men, and boys like Abijah came, sleepy-eyed,
from their homes,
bearing cumbersome flintlocks. They assembled on the Lexington Green,
across from the Congregational Church. For an hour they waited, exchanging
rumors and nervous small talk, blowing on their hands to warm them,
mumbling
under-the-breath comments about their leaders (the beginning of an
American
army tradition).
Finally, persuaded the alarm had been false, the Minutemen
dispersed some back to their homes, others to the village tavern.
But about 4:30, Revere rode into town, shouted a warning,
then hastened on toward Concord, The church bells rang again. Once
more the 60
militiamen assembled. Morning's first light and the British came at
about the same time. Fifes and drums heralded the approach of the redcoat
regiments. It was, one historian has written, "the zero hour of autocracy."
The British, 700 of them, halted in military formation and
faced the Minutemen. A British officer dramatically drew his sword,
pointed it at one of the patriot leaders, and shouted: "Lay down your
arms,
damn you! Disperse, you rebels! "
Tense silence filled the crisp air for an historic moment.
And then, from the ranks of the Minutemen, a shot was fired, "a shot
heard
around the world." No one knows, or ever will, who fired the shot.
It could have
been Abijah Bigelow.
Twenty minutes later, when shooting ceased, eight Americans
were dead on the
Commons grass. Ten more were wounded. The redcoats resumed
their march to
Concord, six miles away.
But that shot in the dawn light at Lexington and the skirmish
that followed
marked the beginning of the American fight for freedom.
Lexington today
properly calls itself "the birthplace of liberty."
The British soldiers spent five hours wrecking what remained
of the patriots'
arsenal at Concord. Mission completed, they formed ranks to
march back to
Boston. But at Concord's North Bridge, they were challenged
by another
gathering of Minutemen - including some who had fought hours
earlier at
Lexington. His record shows that Abijah Bigelow was at
Concord, too.
It was in the North Bridge encounter that the first British
soldier died -
another shot "heard" the world over. The Minutemen had the
upper hand this
time. During a lull in the fighting, the redcoats crossed the
bridge and ran
for Lexington. More patriots joined the battle along the
road. By the time
the British reached Lexington, they were demoralized and
nearly out of
ammunition. Only the arrival of 1,000 reinforcements saved
them from defeat.
Bigelow and the other rustic insurrectionists kept up the
attack for 10 more
miles, all the way'. to Charlestown, effectively employing
guerrilla warfare
against the redcoats' gentlemanly formations. By the time the
British reached
Charlestown that night, they had suffered 273 casualties.
American casualties
totaled 95.
Abijah Bigelow's service record shows that he also saw duty
in the Battle of
Bunker Hill, a bloody confrontation for both sides, two
months later. He
became a corporal, then a sergeant, his service in the
Revolutionary Army
continuing until 1778 - mostly in the area of Cambridge,
Mass., the place
where General George Washington formally assumed command of
the American army.
In 1780, the year before Cornwallis' surrender to Washington,
Abijah, then
24, married 19-year old Mercy Amelia Spring. The marriage was
to produce 12
children and continue for 66 years until Mercy's death in
LaPorte County at
age 85 in 1846. Abijah would live to the age of 92, dying in
Michigan City in
1848.
Following their marriage, the young couple lived in a
comfortable two-story
white farmhouse at New Braintree, Mass., about 60 miles west
of Boston. It
was with daughter Lucy, born there April 11, 1797, that the
Bigelows would
one day make their home and their move to Indiana.
After 28 years at New Braintree, Abijah sold the farmhouse in
1808 and went
into business with his oldest son, Marshall, at Barre, Mass.,
north of New
Braintree. They operated a store on the Barre commons. The
Bigelows lived in
a yellow house on the village outskirts, with enough
adjoining acreage for a
garden, a few cows, and a horse.
In 1822, Abijah and Mercy Bigelow went to live with daughter
Lucy and her
husband, Herbert Williams in Brooklyn, Conn., 40 miles almost
due south of
Barre. Abijah was 80, Mercy was 75, and Indiana had been a
state only 20
years when the decision to move westward was made in 1836.
Ellen Williams
Haddock, daughter of Lucy and Herbert Williams, and
granddaughter of Abijah
Bigelow, left a written account of the move to Indiana and
the subsequent
years in and near Michigan City. Ellen's husband was Joseph
Clary Haddock, a druggist and son of a widely known Michigan
City pioneer
family. The Haddocks built a home on South Franklin Street in
the area now
known as Valentine Court.
Mrs. Haddock writes: "My uncles Jacob and Abijah were
pioneers in the West.
They brought back glowing reports of the fertility of the
soil and the rapid
development of the country. Michigan City, Indiana, was to be
a large city,
developed on the lake; a fine shipping port. My father was
wearied with
cultivating a farm where stony ground needed much
fertilization, and the
large barns and outhouses were needing repairs. He and mother
felt it would
be a relief to get away from religious controversy (then a
common occurrence
in New England) and decided to make the great venture of
removal to the West."
Many in the family opposed such a strenuous journey for the
elderly Bigelows.
But, that revolutionary spirit still aflame, Abijah concluded
they should
join in the adventure with the sons and daughter (Lucy,
Marshall, Jacob,
Abijah and Sumner) who were Indiana-bound.
The house in Brooklyn was sold. Furniture and goods were
shipped to Michigan
City. Farewell trips were made to homes of New England
relatives - by boat to
Boston, train to Worcester, stage to Leicester.
In May of 1836, the month-long journey from New England to
Michigan City
began. After a stop to visit relatives in Cooperstown, N.Y.,
the group
traveled via the Erie Canal to Buffalo, then crossed Lake
Erie by boat to
Detroit. They were there for a day or two while Williams
bought teams of
horses and arranged for the journey to Michigan City over
roads that were
almost impassable. Travel time from Detroit to Michigan City,
including a
Sunday stopover in Ypsilanti: Nine days.
Abijah Bigelow, who had been present at the birth of a
nation, set foot in
Michigan City in the year of its incorporation. The first
local residence of
the Williamses and Bigelows was a cottage on East Michigan
Street not far
from Franklin Street.
Mrs. Haddock writes that her father "would have preferred
Milwaukee as a
location, but never wished to make a stand in Chicago, which
was 'such a low,
muddy place' he could not think it had a future of
prosperity."
When household goods arrived and arrangements were completed,
the families
left Michigan City and moved to a new home on a farm 20 miles
south - between
Haskells and Wanatah.
Williams and the younger Abijah Bigelow (a Whig who was to
serve a term as a
LaPorte County commissioner) built a grist mill on "Rog
Creek." The mill, and
the town which for a time flourished around it, were called
"Bigelow's Mill."
Many families which had come from Canada lived in the
settlement. Bigelow was
postmaster.
The partners had purchased 40 head of cattle But, assured by
natives that the
winter would be mild and the animals could survive, they
concentrated on
building the mill. Unfortunately, winter came early and
proved long and
severe. Many cattle died from exposure. Prairie wolves dined
on their
carcasses. "'So the families faced losses and
discouragements,@ Mrs. Haddock
recalled. "Father and my uncle dissolved their partnership
and my parents
devoted themselves to the development of the farm." The mill
enterprise was
not a success; Bigelow sold it.
The Williamses and the elderly Bigelows remained on the
Clinton Twp. farm,
where Williams built a fine new 1 2 story home of hewn logs.
Mrs. Williams,
who had been a teacher in New England, also taught in LaPorte
County schools.
The anti-slavery movement was gaining momentum. It was a
cause in which
Abijah Bigelow was much interested. "Grandfather was very
strong in his
opposition to slavery," writes Mrs. Haddock. "He had a hatred
for oppression
of Negro people."
And so the Williams Bigelow home became a station on the
underground railway.
Escaped slaves, fleeing to Canada, would be housed and fed
there. Then,
concealed under quilts and hay in a wagon, they would be
transported to the
next station, near LaPorte, by Ellen's brother, Wolcott.
Mercy Amelia Bigelow died Aug. 20,1846. In 1848, Williams
sold the farm. The
Williams family and Abijah moved to Michigan City, to a home
on the southwest
corner of 10th and Washington streets - torn down in later
years to make room
for an apartment building. Williams was to serve as assessor,
tax collector,
school trustee and church treasurer as a Michigan City
citizen. On Oct. 23,
1848, at age 92, Abijah Bigelow died. He and Mercy are buried
in Greenwood
Cemetery, close to the circle where the World War I memorial
stands. Daughter
Lucy Williams also is buried there. The grave of the
Revolutionary War
soldier - the only one in Michigan City - is marked by a
modest slab. There
also is a bronze marker, placed many years ago by the Indiana
Sons of the
American Revolution.
On April 14, 1926, just two days short of the 170th
anniversary of Abijah
Bigelow's birth Michigan City chapter of Daughters of the
American Revolution
was formed and named for him. Abijah Bigelow: Minuteman...
Michigan City
pioneer settler... abolitionist. His simple grave site is
Michigan City's
most direct link to the birth of a nation, the great fight
for freedom, years
ago.
http://www.mclib.org/people.htm
It's getting to the "nitty-gritty" time in our project to
document our Bigelow Ancestors and Descendants. I read the Introduction
on Page 1 of
Volume I of THE BIGELOW FAMILY GENEALOGY where the numbering
is explained for
the book. I assigned William Henry Bigelow number 1 and
following
chronologically in order of birth, I added his descendants as
11, 12, 13,
etc., right through his two marriages. See the attached
chart. Of course,
if we can accurately verify that our William Henry Bigelow is
the son of
Almond Woodruff Bigelow, we will change all of the assigned
numbers. The
other attachment shows the numbers for our branch of the
family.
Does this look correct? Please comment.
Regards,
Cornelius J. McKenna
Any help you and/or the visitors to your web site can give me
would be much appreciated.
Pamela Bigelow
Hi Mr. Bigelow!
I am great-grandaughter of Wesley, and have in my
possession his family Bible, several photo albums (Roy
was an excellent amateur photographer), Martha Ellen
Andrews scrap book, and several pieces of
needlework done by various family members.
Can send information to fill in the blanks on this page and
add several more generations if you would like me
to do so. Also could scan photos if desired. My mother
- now 88 years old, but with excellent memory, remembers
both Wesley and Martha Ellen. I, myself,
remember most of the children. My Aunt Maude
(Julia Maude) kept entries in family Bible up to date as
long as she lived.
Thanks for providing this excellent web site!
Carol Gallagher < gallagherc@westelcom.com
< rodbigelow@netzero.net
> 
