"Texas Charley"
see Page 2 for more
on
Texas
Charley.................
Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Vol II , p 23;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; p 288;
Note:
Houston Chronicle December 31, 1917
Colonel Charles Sam Houston Bigelow
(Texas
Charley Bigelow)
Father: Charles Bigelow
Sister: Mrs. Harriet Gadband (Chicago)
Bom January 14, 1855 at Worcester Massachusetts
Died December 30, 1917 at Houston City Auditorium while giving an
address
on the importance of the US joining the Allies irt the European
War
(WW1).
The address was titled "The Kaiser's Quiver".
Buried in Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven.
Hometown (when he died) was New Haven Conn. Appeared in New Haven
city
directory in 1888 (home at 718 Orange). Also this is the first
year for
a listing for Healy and Bigelow Co. in New Haven (521,523, 525
Grand
Ave.
New Haven).
The following with slight editing has been taken from the Houston
Chronicle December 31, 1917. The death of Colonel
Bigelow was
covered
on the front page.
"Colonel Bigelow had been a notable figure in Western pioneer
life.
In his earlier life he had been a warm friend of the late
Colonel
William
F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) and was with the later in many of his
tours of
the
Western wilds. Colonel Bigelow had one of the most extensive
collections
of Indian relics in the country. While a young man he went west,
where
as an Indian scout he became associated with Colonel Cody and
other
historic
characters of the old frontier. He witnessed many Indian fights
and
lived
through the stirring scenes that go to make up the history of
the
romantic
Southwest.
Returning to New England he engaged in the manufacturer of
proprietary
medicines and amassed a fortune. He continued in this business
for 20
years.
Fifteeen years ago he retired from active business and devoted
his time
to travel, visiting every civilized nation of the globe. Seven
years
ago
at the age of 55 he married. There are no children.
For the past six years he had been a resident of Liverpool,
England.
And was of material assistance to the English government in
securing
recruits
for the English army at the outbreak of the European War.
Colonel Bigelow's father, Charles
Bigelow,
was a Texas pioneer having settled in Houston 40 years ago. He
held
office
here at one time and later surveyed out a portion of Galveston
County.
The name Bigelow appears in the old survey and the county records.
Because
of the early association of his father with the affairs of South
Texas,
Col. Bigelow has always held a warm spot in his heart for this
city,
and
has always looked forwarded to his visits with pleasant
anticipations."
Information taken from "One for a man, Two for a Horse" by Carson.
Information supplied by:
David T. Hulse
6992 S. CR 350 W
Clayton, IN 46118
Email: ThePines350@aol.com
Note2:
Subject: "Texas Charley" Bigelow
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 10:15:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Danny Barnett < dannybarnett@yahoo.com
>
Salutations! I saw on the on-line
edition
of
FORGE: The Bigelow Society Quarterly (Volume 25, #4, October
1996) that you're looking for any information on the lineage of
one
Charles H. Bigelow, alias "Texas Charley" Bigelow.
I don't know if this helps, but in the early 1960's, Gerald Carson
wrote a book on American patent medicines and quackery called ONE
FOR A
MAN, TWO FOR A HORSE. In this book, Carson identifies "Texas
Charley"
Bigelow's birthplace as the town of Beeville in Bee County, Texas.
Hope this tidbit helps you. If I stumble across anything
else,
I'll let you know. Take care!
Danny Barnett
North Texas Skeptics
Dear Rod:
As a young boy, living in Eastern Utah in the 1950's, there was
very
little to do but roam the
desert, hunt rabbits and snakes. One summer I came across an old
junk
pile, seems to have been
there for ever. The rest is history, I spent the rest of the
summer
digging. I found some of the best
things to collect, among the treasures was a lot of old bottles.
One of my best bottles is the "HEALY & BIGELOW'S KICKAPOO
INDIAN
OIL" bottle, about 5 1/2"
tall, round, with a base of about 1 1/4" across. Most of the cork
is
still down in the bottle. This is
one of my best pieces, thanks for putting the history and
information
on the internet, it is good to
research all of my collection.
Thanks Again
Ron Pene
Localminer@AOL.com
<
rodbigelow@netzero.net
> 
