Children of John and Mary (Dallam) Bigelow:
16312.7431 John, b 20 Sep 1884; d 29 Dec 1886;
16312.7432 Braxton, b 17 Jan 1887; d ___ 1917; killed in action near Loos, France; captain of the British Royal Engineers at the time.
16312.7433 Jennie "Jane" Poultney, b __ Dec 1888; d ______ ; m Thomas Ellett; daughter Joan (Jane) Braxton Ellett, b 1918; d ____ ; m William Hoffman Benjamin;( only John jr's daughter Jennie and grandaughter Joan Benjamin survived him in 1936). (see below)
16312.7434 Gladys, b ____ ; d _____ ;
(.../rod2005/johnjr2c.jpg)
Mary Braxton Bigelow
.....Another officer's wife who remained at Fort Davis rather than
travel with the regiment was Mary Braxton Bigelow. Married in Baltimore in
1883 to Lieutenant John Bigelow, Jr., they were the parents of a young son
when it was time to leave Fort Davis. Mary Bigelow, would take the train
once her husband had set up their new quarters. Lieutenant Bigelow wrote:
"Mary and little J. III will not go with me. Mary might, if she were alone
and would enjoy it, I have no doubt. I do not like the prospect of her having
to travel alone with the baby, perhaps without a nurse."
Sources:
The Bigelow Society,The Bigelow Family Genealogy,Vol II pg. 492.
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; pg 450.
Kineman, Marcos, Frontier Cavalryman;
Lieutenant John Bigelow with The Buffalo Soldiers in Texas; pub 1998
(source of new photographs)
Forge sources below, On the Bloody Trail of Geronimo:
about John Jr's military career, Western Frontier, Military Life, a new bride
and family, life at Fort David, life at the Frontier with a family etc.
Forge: The Bigelow Society Quarterly; Vol 27, No 2, Apr 1998, pg 27;
Forge: The Bigelow Society Quarterly; Vol
27, No 3, July
1998, pg 49;
Forge: The Bigelow Society Quarterly; Vol 27, No 4, Oct 1998,
pg 73;
New Note 10/12/05:
I recently obtained a book called:
"Frontier Cavalryman
Lieutenant John Bigelow with
The Buffalo Soldiers in Texas"
The book was written by Marcos Kineman and published
in 1998. I first noticed the book on my recent visits to the Bigelow Homestead
in Malden-on-Hudson, NY. I was especially impressed with the color picture above. I will
post the flyleaf info for now................ROD
In 1877, John Bigelow Jr. and seventy-five other cadets
graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York,
after which he chronicled his experiences, observations, opinions, and musings
as a young Cavalry lieutenant in Texas. Sixty of the new lieutenants, including
Bigelow and seventeen others who were assigned to black regiments called Buffalo
Soldiers, soon departed for the frontier where they were scattered over numerous
small and often ramshackle posts and camps. Their work of training soldiers,
exploring and patrolling wilderness areas, protecting the mail, travelers,
and settlers, chasing and sporadically clashing with unpacified Indians,
and enforcing federal laws and policies was usually arduous,
occasionally dangerous and seldom glorious. Yet the value of their accomplishments
was immense.
Upon reporting to Fort Duncan, a small post on the Rio
Grande, Bigelow became the commanding officer of Company B, 10th Cavalry.
Several weeks later a rash of Indian raids in the trans-Pecos region led to
his company's transfer to Fort Stockton, where his principal duty was scouting
for elusive marauders. He also became increasingly immersed in courtsmartial
as a prosecutor and court member, as well as a witness in two officer cases,
one of which rocked the entire Army, that were tried in San Antonio.
In addition to providing a comprehensive view of army
life in the late 1870s, including the social practices and prevailing Victorian
customs, the author addresses the widespread attitudes of the times toward
the Buffalo Soldiers and how these views changed when black and white soldiers
fought side by side against common foes.
Also portrayed are the results of sending poorly prepared
officers and men to fight in unconventional conflicts, desertion-inciting
conditions and practices, and how an obsolete military justice system developed
into a model of fairness far in advance of its civilian counterparts. This
informative, lively, and entertaining narrative presents an enduring portrait
of frontier army life and the challenges confronting officers and soldiers
alike in the nation's relentless drive westward.
Note1:
Subject: Lt. Col. John Bigelow, Jr.
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2000 11:00:31 +0000
From: Steve & Linda Wilson < slwilson@ionet.net
>
Dear Rod:
I have very much enjoyed the Bigelow Family website. I am researching
the military career of John Bigelow, Jr., the brother of Poultney. Might
you know, or could you direct me to someone who would, if John's granddaughter,
Jane Braxton Benjamin (Mrs. William Hoffman Benjamin) is living? She
was born in 1918 to John's daughter, Jane Poultney Bigelow Ellett. Also, might
you know if Ric Dragon, curator of the Bigelow Homestead at Malden-on-the-Hudson,
has a new e-mail address? I used the one on your website, and it was
returned. I'd like to contact him regarding Poultney and his family.
I'd very much appreciate your kind assistance in this. Sincerely,
Steve Wilson
1510 NW 49th St.
Lawton, OK 73505-3239
The following link are the Forge articles noted above and is in three
parts by Guy A. Bigelow:
John8a2.htm
< rodbigelow@netzero.net > 
