Levi ⁸ BIGELOW

1)Levi born April 9, 1827 in Chatham, Argenteuil, Quebec, died 20 Dec 1893
in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan.  Married 07 Aug 1849 to Hannah Snyder

2)Levi Sr born 4 Dec 1834, died March 25, 1916 in Glen Almond.  Married Sept
11, 1854 to Elizabeth Bigelow

3) Levi Jr born 13 April 1866 in Buckingham, died 4 Oct 1928 in Glen Almond.
Married 7 Sept 1901 to Flossie Clemiss
Mr. Levi Bigelow came in 1824 and built a shanty in Lot 10, in the 3rd.
range. Mr. Bigelow's motive was farming and he brought two men with him to
help clear the land. Mr. Justus Smith's family moved from Montreal on May
13th. 1825 and occupied Mr. Bigelow's shanty. The following year they moved
into their own home which was constructed where the late James MacLaren's
residence stood. Mr. Amos Donnelly and his family came to Buckingham at this
time and settled on Lot 12, in Range 5. After Mr. Justus Smith's family
moved to their own home, Mr. Bigelow's shanty became once again a temporary
residence for two families. They were the families of Mr. Isaac Kendall and
Major Corning. The following year these families moved into their own homes
on Lots 14 and 15, in Range 7.
In 1826, Mr. Levi Bigelow constructed a saw mill on the opposite (east)
side of the river which was the second in Buckingham. The two mills resulted
in bringing many labourers and their families to dwell near the saw mills.
Thus the settlement began to grow and it was due to this industrilization
that Buckingham was elevated canonically to a Parish by the Catholic
Archbishop in 1840. The Parish had about ninety families and these families
along with the residents of other
faiths shows the fast growth of the settlement during this early period.
The Bowman and Bigelow saw mills seem to be the only industries which
existed in Buckingham during the period 1826 to about 1860. They each have a
history of their own and will therefore be treated separately.
The saw mill owned by Levi Bigelow was on the East side of the river. After
Mr. Bigelow's death, his son, Lawrence G. Bigelow carried on the operations
of the mill, but failed in business on January 5, 1850. He then retired to
Burlington, Vermont,, transferring the Buckingham property to David
Davidson, Trustee, for the benefit of his creditors. The mili was not sold
for three years. In 1853, David Davidson, Trustee, deeded the property to
Hamilton Brothers of Hawkesbury, and John Thompson of Quebec, who traded
under the name of Thomson and Company. This Company operated the mill for a
period of sixteen years.

Though you might like this old electoral map showing the town of Bigelow in
Quebec (which may have been named after Levi Bigelow of Quebec
 Buckingham old electoral map