Poultney ⁸ BIGELOW

............ 
The picture on the left is a new photo I obtained from a book called: American Portraits
Legend: "Poultney Bigelow (1855-1954); Journalist, historian; founded Outing an American sports magazine.;
A new Photo was found in 2002.(see below)

16312.744     Poultney ⁸ Bigelow, son of John ⁷, (Asa ⁶, David ⁵, David ⁴, John ³, Joshua ², John ¹) and Jane (Poultney) Bigelow, was born at New York City on 10 Sept 1855. His first marriage was 16 April 1884 to Edith Evelyn JAFFRAY, born in NYC on 23 Dec 1861. She was the daughter of Edward S. and Anna (PHILLIPS) JAFFRAY. (Edward was born Sterling, Scotland and Anna in NYC.) The second marriage was on 07 April 1911 to Lillian PRITCHARD from Worchester, England. Poultney was a lawyer and member of the bar of the Supreme Court of New York. He left that profession for journalism in 1822 and became an editorial writer, editor of newspapers and owner of the Outing magazine. His wife was also a writer. Poultney died 28 May 1945 at Malden,NY. Lillian had died earlier on 01 Dec 1927. (see below)

Children of Poultney and Edith (JAFFRAY) BIGELOW:

16312.7441     Edith Evelyn, b 09 Feb 1885, London,Eng.;d _______;m 12 Dec 1906 James F. CLARK; res. NYC; 2 children.

16312.7442     Mildred, b 12 May 1866, Orange,NJ; d _______; m (1) 15 Dec 1906 Newell TILTON, (2) 1927 Herbert Clayborne PELL; 2 children.

16312.7443     Dorothy, b 17 Feb 1890; m Raymond HOLLAND.

Sources:
The Bigelow Society, The Bigelow Family Genealogy,Vol II pg. 492.
Howe, Bigelow Family of America;
Bigelow Society records from family.

New Note2:

Poultney Bigelow in Saugerties

New Note:
Subject: Poultney Bigelow Photo
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2002 19:37:20 -0600
From: Ashley    <  fhte2001@yahoo.com  >
Greetings,
I bought an old photo of a young man, across the front of the photo is the signature Poultney Bigelow. I laid it down in my office and need to find it again. When I do, I will scan it and email it to you.
Blessings
Ashley

---

I thought you might wish to know that I have just come across correspondence between Bigelow and Thomas A. Edison from 1911. We shall eventually publish the letters in Part V of our image edition (edison.rutgers.edu), but I thought you would be pleased to know of the material sooner rather than later, in case it is not duplicated in the NYPL collection or elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Theresa M. Collins
Associate Editor
Thomas A. Edison Papers
Rutgers, The State Univ of NJ
phone: 973-243-5645

Note3:
Subject: Poultney Bigelow
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 22:29:23 -0500
From: "Albert Baggetta" <  baggetta@massed.net  >
Hi.  My name is Albert Baggetta and I teach English at Agawam High School in Masschusetts.  About 30 years ago I found a menu card with a group of autographs on the back, in pencil.  One of them is Poultney Bigelow.  I've been researching the card since then and wonder if you can fill me in on his connection with Ellen Terry and Henry Irving (also on the card) and the Beefsteak Club of the Lyceum theater.  Thank you for any information you can give me. Al Baggetta

also contact:  Ric Dragon   rdragon@mhv.net
Note4:
Subject: Poultney Bigelow
Date: Sun, 02 Sep 2001 11:07:14 -0700
From: John Arbeeny <  arbeenjo@blarg.net  >
Hi Rod:
My interest in your family comes from a pair of  journals (1899-1901 unpublished) written by Edward I. Horsman, Jr., son of E.I Horsman, founder of Horsman Toys, New York, perhaps the best known and most successful toy company at the turn of the century. Edward Jr. obviously knew the Poultney Bigelow family quite well, perhaps Poultney's first wife Edith best of all, and visited them in France on his annual summer jaunts to the Continent. The journals reveal a detailed glimpse of their family life in Dinard, France, a tremendously energetic Poultney (although overcoming some serious illnesses to include Typhoid Fever) and a wife worn down by the crushing workload as private secretary. Clearly she labored in Poultney's shadow. She struggled professionally as a writer but  had some commercially successful novelettes at the turn of the century. I have an original entitled "The Middle Course" published in 1903 in hardback that was also published in the "Smart Set" magazine in installments. Edward's visit in 1899 coincides with her attempt to finish the work and get it ready for publication. While the novelette is nothing more than a 1900 version of a modern romance novel (lots of heaving breasts, flushing cheeks, longing looks and very tough reading for a 55 year old 20th Century male!) it never the less provides some fascinating insights into the relationship between Poultney and Edith. It was not all that happy a marriage apparently: an active husband consumed with adventure, success and prominence, just the thing to attract a worldly woman yet the same characteristics which leave her alone and miserable when he fails to give it all up for her. I guess you can't have it both ways! The autobiographical parallels are specifically addressed by Horsman in the journals and indeed Edith was reluctant to publish it for fear that Poultney might read it and discover her inner feelings. The journals closely parallel the exciting and gay (yet ultimately unfulfilling) life Edith fills her day with in the absense of a close relationship to her husband with the heroine of her novel. Well apparently Poultney and Edith were divorced some time after the journals but before 1910 and he remarried in 1911 to Lillian Prichard (nee). Edith  thereafter drops from sight except for an occassional solo trip to the Continent (last recoreded 1915).
Do you have any information on Edith E. Bigelow, the divorce or other family matters surrounding this time period? Do you have any information about the relationship between the Bigelows and Horsmans (they obviously were very good friends). I have the journals' text on CD, along with about 400 photos, recorded music of Edward's famous friends, copies of original art work by his friends, and much background information (ships, companys, locations, etc.) which I plan to publish as an intimate glimpse into the end of the Victorian Age. I would be happy to provide you extracts from the journals relating to your family as well for your enjoyment or inclusion in a family history. Thanks for any information that you can provide.
John Arbeeny
More from John:
From: John Arbeeny <  arbeenjo@blarg.net  >
Date: 12/29/02 12:47:11 PM
Hi Rod:
I emailed you a couple of years ago about the suspected divorce
of Poultney and Edith Bigelow sometime around 1910. I have journals
written by a family friend, Edward I. Horsman, Jr., who visited them
Jun 1901 at their summer home in France. Clearly Edith was not happy in
the marriage and wrote a novelette "The Middle Course" which appears
autobiographical.....so much so that Edward Horsman was concerned
should Poultney read it! I have the novelette published in 1903 and
am purchasing the installment version published in "The Smart Set"
Jun 1901 issue. I am planning to publish the journals and would like
to know as much about the principals before doing so: I'm trying to put
a human face on them all. Is there any chance of obtaining information
about the divorce? Is it covered in Poultney's 2 volume autobiography
or letters?
I would be happy to provide you excerpts from the journals which
address these relationship. I'm also interested in how the Horsmans
(Edward Sr. was the founder of Horsman Toys perhaps the major toy manufacturer
and importer at the turn of the century) and Bigelows might have
come to be such close friends. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
John Arbeeny
Lakewood, WA

Dear Rod Bigelow,
   I am a literary researcher and just saw the list of Poultney Bigelow's papers on the Internet. I'm interested in him because of his 1891 trip down the
Danube with Frank Millet and Alfred Parsons, and the subsequent excerpts from it in Harper's Magazine, and then the book itself.
   I have been helping Mike Ashley, the well known British editor, for about 15 years with information for a first ever biography of the great British
supernatural writer and nature mystic Algernon Blackwood, which was just published. Blackwood also took a canoe trip down the Danube, with a companion, and I am trying to find out if he may have been influenced to take his own trip by the book The Danube. Blackwood and his companion originally planned to go to the Black Sea as well, but were both in a Canadian canoe, and did not finish their trip. This trip became highly significant in Blackwood's literary career because it provided him with an experience that he used in what he and many other people considered
his best story, The Willows.
   I wondered if, in Mr. Bigelow's correspondence and papers, there might be any letters to or from Algernon Blackwood. There seemed to be some letters that were not alphabetically listed, but were in their own small grouping. Perhaps there is only one letter.
   I would very much appreciate knowing about this, and if there is a letter or letters, obtaining copies of them if that is possible. Please let me know.
Yours truly,
 Alan Bundy

<  rodbigelow@netzero.net  > 

BACK TO THE BIGELOW SOCIETY PAGE

BACK TO BIGELOW HOME PAGE