Charles Dana 7 BIGELOW
15182.4D Charles Dana 7
BIGELOW, son of Gershom 6
( Ivory 5 , Gershom 4, John 3, Samuel 2, John 1) and Eunice (WILDER)
BIGELOW, was born on 17 February 1823 at Marlborough, Middlesex, MA
and married 24 May 1848 Eunice Ann Howe the eldest daughler of Emerson and Lydia (Bigelow) Howe,
born at Marlborough 16 February 1831. Charles's education was gained in the
public schools with the exception of a short time in the private school of
of John E. Frye at Boston. In the spring of 1841, Charles Dana went to learn
the trade of shoemaker from Thomas Holder of Berlin and after working about
a year, returned home and commenced work bottoming sewed shoes, taking out
work from the manufacturers in the neighboring towns and employed at one
time eleven men in a small shop on his father's place, some three miles from
the center of town. He was one of the earliest to divide into simple parts
the operation of putting together the shoe, in this manner making use of
those inexperienced in shoe work for many of the operations. In 1844, he
increased his business to four shops in the same school district and about
this time he commenced to make pegged work and secured his materials from
the shop of J.B. Kimball & Co. of Westborough, eight miles distant and
this he continued for about one year. During the winter of 1845/6 he attended
school and in the spring resumed his shoe work, engaging a larger force.
In 1847, he built a shop in the village which at the time was the largest
in town and shortly commenced to manufacture shoes for himself and was the
first to employ Canadian Frenchmen in that vicinity. In 1852, his main business
location was destroyed by fire and he moved to New York City and again started
the manufacture of shoes. During the Civil War years, he was running large
shops in the prisons at Sing Sing, NY, Trenton, NJ and Providence, RI, the
penitentiaries at Albany and Brooklyn, NY plus a large shop at Worcester,
MA. He organized the Bay State Shoe and Leather Co. of Worcester, MA, and
was its President for many years. He was a man of great executive ability
and as a shoe manufacturer he had no superiors and few equals. A few years
before his death, he retired and was succeeded in his business by his sons,
Charles E. and Edwin W. Bigelow, and spent the remainder of his life in
travel and recreation. While vacationing in Richmond, VA he was taken ill
and died 19 May 1883. His widow died at Arlington, MA 22 June 1913.
Children of Charles Dana and Eunice Ann (Howe) Bigelow, all but the youngest
born in Brooklyn, NY:
15182.4D1 a son, b and d 22 June 1849.
15182.4D2t Charles
Emerson, b 29 July 1851; d 29 Aug 1939; m 14 March 1893 Isabella
B. (Lyall) Dean b 22 March 1863; d_____May 1941; 2 children.
15182.4D3t Anna Theresa,
b 25 March 1854; d 04 Feb 1925 Winterhaven, FL; m 17 Feb 1874 Frederick A.
Neergaard, b 07 Oct 1851, d 15 Jan 1929 Arlington, MA; 3 children.
15182.4D4t Jessie
Howe, b 16 Sept 1857; d ; m 23 Nov 1881 William C. Beecher; res.
Brooklyn, NY; 3 children.
15182.4D5 Edmund Trask, b 15 Nov 1859; d 17 Dec
1859.
15182.4D6t Edwin Wilder,
b 07 April 1861; d ; m 07 Oct 1886 Maud Murray; 4 children.
Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Vol II , p 49;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; pg 304-305;
Bigelow Society historian/genealogist records.
Frost, Josephine; Ancestors of Charles Dana Bigelow, etc.;
compiled for their son Charles Emerson Bigelow;
Modified - 10/14/2008
(c) Copyright 2008 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rod Bigelow - Director
< rodbigelow@netzero.net >
Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon12 BIGELOW)
Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
< rodbigelow@netzero.net > 
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