Marcus James 7 BIGELOW
16B2A.26 Marcus James 7 BIGELOW,
son of Thomas 6 ( Gale 5 ( Jabez 4 , Gershom 3, Joshua2, John1) and Emily Jane (WALLACE)
BIGELOW, was born 29 October 1840 at New Lebanon, Columbia county,
NY. Marcus went overland with his parents to CA when he was about 13 years
of age. On 13 March 1872 he married Clara Isabel Parlin at Clipper Mills,
Yuba co, CA. Clara was born at Woodville, Yuba co, CA on 10 July 1852
to 49er parents, first white child born in Yuba co., CA and died at Antioch,
CA on 4 January 1931. Marcus (also a second generation Californian
whose family arrived 1857 from New Lebanon, NY, died at Gridley, Butte co,
CA on 08 June 1933.
Marcus James Bigelow,
died in 1931 at the age of 92. This puts the year of his birth in upstate
New York as the year 1839, when John Marshal was still Chief Justice of the
United States Supreme Court. He crossed the plains by ox-cart in 1857. A
letter survives, written by his older brother to Allen Bigelow and Emily Wallace,
his parents, instructing them on how to prepare for the transcontinental trip.
Allen was fifty-five years of age when he made the trip with his wife and
children. Never been able to learn which route they took, except that they
ended up at the foot of Mount Shasta in northern California. Therefore, we
believe that after crossing Utah they must have taken what is known as the
Oregon Trail and then dropped into California from the north. In any event
they settled at Weed, a little community on the northwest slope of Mount
Shasta They went into the logging business and were active in the manufacture
of lumber during the booming Gold Rush era. When things slowed, they moved
to Gridley, which is about 100 miles south and in the Sacramento Valley,
and there engaged in farming. In commemoration of them there are two public
names: Bigelow Falls, which is on the east slope of Mount Shasta (near the
famous chalets later built by William Randolph Hurst) and Bigelow Road, which
is near an area called Pennington, not far from the town of Gridley. Clara
Parlin was 13 years younger than Marcus James and was born in Clipper Mills,
a gold mine camp in the Sierra Nevada east of Oroville, California. She was
born in 1852 and was the first Anglo child born in that area.
Marcus Bigelow and Clara
were very musically inclined. Marcus was a hoedown fiddler, and Clara played
the organ and sang. In an era when everyone made his own entertainment, they
were in great demand because of their musical skills. Eugene, as a small
child as late as 1914, can recall their playing. Marcus was a "steam engineer,"
as they called men who were skilled in keeping the early power equipment
running. Eugene recalls one annual job he had, which was to man the county
road equipment, fire the boilers, and operate the steam engine used to heat
and spray the roads with oil. This was before the days when the roads were
filled with rock ballast to form a base. He learned to drive an automobile
at age 74 and drove very fast. In fact, everyone was afraid to ride with
him. He never wrecked a car (except once) and considering his age, did admirably.
The first car he had was a 1908 Buick; he later sold it and bought a 1918
Model T Ford. In those days one bought gasoline from a handcart in a garage.
We drove into a garage in Antioch, filled with gas and we were going to back
out. He was driving and I was sitting on the right. I was about eight at
the time He said, "You watch your side, and I will watch mine." We started
backing up, and he was going to hit the door on my side. I said, 'Grandad,
go ahead." I kept saying it louder until we crashed into the wall. I was
furious and said, "Grandad, I told you to go ahead," and he said, "I thought
you meant, "go ahead and back up."
Marcus Bigelow was very
active in the Masonic Order and was Master of his Lodge for eight consecutive
terms. He was always active in the Lodge, and on his fiftieth year as a
member received a large silver service. I am most fortunate in having inherited
one of the teapots I am also grateful that I have Marcus James' and Clara's
library table, Morris chair, and an ornate marbletop dresser, while my cousin,
Richard Wallace Campbell of Gridley, has Clara's reed pump organ. Marcus
James remained very active until into his eighties and then gradually developed
hardening of the arteries of the cerebrum and could remember only old times
but did not know any of his family. He was eighteen years of age when he
crossed the plains and remained single until his early thirties.
Children of Marcus and Clara (Parlin) Bigelow:
16B2A.261t Florence
Louise, b 17 Nov 1873 North Butte, Sutter co, CA; d 25 Sept 1949
(48?) Gridley, Butte co, CA; m 01 Aug 1900 Richard Campbell (1870-1943)
of Gridley, CA; 2 sons
16B2A.262t Arthur
Wallace, Hon., b 18 Nov 1876 Gridley, Butte co, CA; d 07 Feb 1943
(47?); m (1) 18 Aug 1903 Mary "Mamie" Erickson; son Mark or Marcus (1904-1965);
m (2) 17 May 1914 Bertha Lou Sanders ( -1921 ); 1 child Bertha Lou (1917-2000);
m (3) 28 May 1923 Emma (Dittes) Franzen, the widow of Henry Franzen; no
children. (see below)
16B2A.263t Ralph Carl,
b 07 Apr 1878; d 16 Jan 1938 (1943?); m (1) 10 Feb 1900 Lena Sanders, later
divorced; 2 children: Carl and Helen; m (2) Florence Fahler; son Richard
( - );
16B2A.264t Theodosia Isabel, b 27 Sept 1881;
d 21 July 1971 Walnut Creek, Contra Costa co, CA; m (1) 29 Mar 1902 David Carlton Orvis Bigelow (15326.3214);
2 sons, divorced; m (2) Herbert DeYoung;
16B2A.265 Parlin Edward, b 12 Mar 1889; d 20 May
1910; no issue.
Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Volume. II; page 276;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; page 270 child Mark;
FORGE: The Bigelow Society Quarterly; Vol. 9, No. 2 April,
1980
FORGE: The Bigelow Society Quarterly; Vol.
28 No.3; July 1999.
Thompson and West, History of Sutter co, CA;
histories of Siskyou and Butte counties, CA;
histories of Butte and Siskiyou counties, CA;
census records CA;
descendants family records;
family Bibles;
correspondence with descendants of Marcus Bigelow;
The late Mrs. Ed (Pat) Bigelow's records; photographs
Larry W. Campbell, 4741 7th Av., Sacramento 20, CA submitted group sheets
before Vol. 1 and 2 were on computer. Marcus crossed the plains by ox-cart
in 1857. A letter (Eugene's article) written by Marcus' older brother
to Allen Bigelow and Emily Wallace, his parents, instructing them how to
prepare for the transcontinental trip. Allen was then 55 and took wife
and children to foot of Mt. Shasta in Northern CA, evidently taking the Oregon
trail after crossing Utah and dropped into CA fm. the north and settled
in Weed, a little community on the northeast slope of Mt. Shasta.
They went into the logging business and were active in the manufacture of
lumber during gold rush era. Then they moved to Gridley, 100 mi.south
in Sacramento Valley and farmed. In their memory, BIGELOW FALLS on
east slope of Mt.Shasta (near famous chalets later built by William R. Hurst)
and BIGELOW ROAD, near Pennington not far from Gridley.
Note:
Subject: Correction to A.J. Biglow page
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 18:27:26 -0900
From: Mike Biglow <mjb5491@iname.com>
On Marcus James Bigelow's webpage, his wife's name was "Emily Jane
Wallace," so the name "Emily" should be added before the Jane.
http://bigelowsociety.com/rod7/mar72a26.htm#16B2A.264
By the way, is there any movement a foot to add pictures of any of
these people on the web? With today's scanners and jpeg formats,
it is an
easy thing to do. (This just occurred to me as I verified the name
order
on Emily Jane Wallace Bigelow's portrait framed on my wall, half of a
pair with her husband born in 1802!) I'd be happy to send scans,
if you
are interested.
Cheers!
Mike Biglow
Modified - 03/06/2008
(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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