Thomas Sumner 7 BIGELOW
15336.84 Thomas Sumner
7
BIGELOW, son of Elisha 6
( Paul 5 , Cornelius
4,
Samuel 3, Samuel
2,
John1)
and
Eliza (Elizabeth) (SUMNER) BIGELOW, was born 12 August 1808
at Jamaica, VT the only child of his father's second wife. Thomas spent
his early years in VT and when 16 years of age, moved with his parents
to Middlebury which was then a suburb of Akron, OH. At the age of 18, he
met and married Lydia Searls on 08 March 1827. As she was underage and
he was unable to support her, her parents had the marriage annulled and
she was taken back to New England. He early studied medicine, but took
up the trade of jeweler and watch-maker. He invented the first oscillating
engine, the endless drive and gear belt chain and the first self-turning
well drill. Other inventions included the Little Giant sugar cane mill,
a rotary pressed-brick machine, invented and improved a machine to manufacture
cut nails and tacks from cold sheets of steel. This led to the end of the
"trunnel", or wooden peg, in construction. He received $50.00 for developing
the double-seaming tin machine, which could "bottom" anything from a tin
cup to a large dishpan without the use of solder. This was used until the
age of plastics. The treadle sewing machine used a principle first used
by Thomas. Many other inventions, too numerous to mention, were his. He
passed up several fortunes as a result - he felt that his few minutes'
time was not worth a large sum of money and that if his inventions could
lead to the betterment of mankind, they should be free for all to use.
In October 1832, he married Mrs. Clarissa (Jacobs) Warner. She died 05
May 1848 Akron, Summit, OH. He moved to Lake Mills, WI in 1849 and by 1850
we find the 6 youngest children living with friends in various homes. He
refused to let them be adopted. He continued the watch trade until 1872
when he moved to Preemption, Mercer, IL to live with his daughter, Eliza,
where he died on 20 November 1878.
Children of Thomas S. and Clarissa (Jacobs) Warner Bigelow, all but
the oldest born at Akron:
15336.841 Napoleon Bonaparte, b 17 Sept 1833;
d April 1906 Hamline, MN; in 1871 Ellen Eggleston; no children; res. OK,
MI, MN; a merchant.
15336.842t Celestia
E., b 23 March 1835; d_____April 1912 Port Byron, IL; m 24 Sept
1854 Benson Huntley; 9 children.
15336.843t Eliza
Ann, b 13 March 1837; d 22 Nov 1879 Mercer, IL; m (1)21 Nov 1854
Victor Valentine, 1 child; (2)31 Dec 1866 Henry Holmes; 6 children.
15336.844t Clarissa
Landers, b 12 June 1839; d 11 Dec 1904 Tacoma, WA; m 25 Sept 1864
Zebulon McAlpin; res. NE and OH; 8 children;
15336.845t Edward
Elisha, b 0l July 1841; d 1925 Long Beach, CA; m 05 July 1877 Ella
Ecles; res. MI and MN; 2 children.
15336.846 Lydia A. (Ada W.), b 17 Oct 1843;
d __ Sept 1914 Ellsworth, KS; m 12 Feb 1865 George W. Townsend; 4 children.
15336.847t Charles
Sumner, b 15 Dec 1845; d 13 April 1931 Long Beach, CA; m (1)19
Aug 1873 Abigail Alma Pierce and (2)12 July 1916 Neva Bromley; 4 children.
15336.848 Elijah C. (Wm. Henry), b 16 Feb 1848;
d 02 Nov 1862 Akron, OH.
Sources:
Bigelow Society,The Bigelow Family Genealogy, Vol II, pg 89;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America;
Genealogy of a Branch of the Bigelow Family, by Rev. Lincoln
Huntley; published 1923;
records of Bigelow Society historian/genealogist.
Modified - 09/18/2002
(c) Copyright 2002 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rod Bigelow - Director
< rodbigelow@netzero.net >
Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon12 BIGELOW)
P.O. Box 13
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
< rodbigelow@netzero.net
> 
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