William Henry 8 BIGELOW

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159B1.172      William Henry 8 BIGELOW, son of Ferrand 7 ( Elisha 6 , Elisha 5 , Elisha 4, Isaac 3, Samuel 2, John1)  and  Caroline (HIBBARD) BIGELOW, was born at Eagle, Waukesha, WI on 13 June 1840 and married Alice Betts on 11 July 1868 at Eagle. She was born 01 April 1849. This family moved from WI into IA. She died at Whiting, IA on 0l March 1927 and he probably died at the same place - on 16 September 1911.  William died 08 September 1911 from best source. There used to be a dispute on info. (see below)

Sources:
Bigelow Society,The Bigelow Family Genealogy, Vol II, pg 435;
Bigelow Society records from correspondence with family researcher and descendant;
Bigelow Society historian/genealogist records. 
Obituary: From:  Karl Atwood  (see obit below)


 
Newspaper Obit


Because of previous disputed facts, I will post messages from interested parties below, latest first..................ROD

From:  Karl Atwood
Rod,
We took a look at an old newspaper in the bottom of the drawer that had previously been overlooked and discovered that it had an article about the death of my grandfather, William Henry Bigelow.  The newspaper is "The Whiting Argus" printed on September 14, 1911.  There is a lot of good information including dates and  maybe this will clear up the date of his death.  You may have to double-click on the attachment and zoom-in order to read it.  We think that the S. H. Atwood who was listed as a pallbearer was actually my grandfather H. S. Atwood, Sr. on the Atwood side of the family.
Karl

More:
Nothing like a mystery and a puzzle to keep our minds active.  I was born on November 25, 1937 and my father was born on July 27, 1899.  And I assume you are probably about the same age as I am.  I'm beginning to remember that my grandmother had disagreements with some of her sisters.  My grandmother was very religious and could be very judgmental.  I was the favorite grandchild so never got caught up in any of those conflicts.  My sister had an experience with grandma at a very early age when grandma sewed the clothes on a doll so it wouldn't be naked.  So, what is the meaning of the word "gone"?  It could mean anything and it confused me because that was the only entry like that in her birthday book. (By the way, that entry was in my grandmother's hand writing.)
My grandmother's birthday book is leather bound and titled Whittier Birthday Book, Copyright, 1910 by Barse & Hopkins.  The inscription "A Christmas from mother 1922" is hand written on the inside title page.  (I'm assuming the inscription was put there by her mother, Alice M. Betts Bigelow.)  Just now we noticed that the hand writing in the inscription looks to be the same as some of the entries made in the book.  We have compared my grandmother's hand writing from another source and it matched some of the other entries in the book.  As to the dates for Calvin's birthday & death being three years before she was born, I had noticed that too.  Obviously my grandmother never knew him.  I assumed that she got those dates from somebody in the family well after the event and then later-on the words "My baby Brother" were added when, I assumed, someone had asked her who Calvin was.  I am now convinced that there are actually three entries for Calvin.  The first entry with a shaky pen is "Little Lee Bigelow  1873, Died April 26, 1874" and matches the inscription in front of the book.  The second entry "Calvin" is in my grandmother's hand and is  written above the first entry.  The third entry which is in pencil is "My baby Brother" and could be in my grandmother's hand writing.  I have attached pictures of these entries so you can have a look.
You mentioned that the Robbin's lived near Denver Colorado.  My grandfather Atwood was abusive to my father and my father in his mid teens ran away from home.  I was told that he ended up on a relative's farm in Denver for about a year.  He told of hard work, getting up before sunrise and helping milk the cows etc..  I wonder if that farm was owned by the Robbins.  Do you have any other thoughts?
The other mystery that we haven't solved yet are the stories told to me.  It could be that these stories refer to a grandma (or great grandma or great-great grandma) Betts who might have lived in Philadelphia.  Maybe you have some ideas about distant relative's that might have lived there?
I never really got interested in the details of the family history until just recently.  I guess that happens to us after we get older.  Unfortunately my mother & father are no longer alive to help clear up some of these mysteries and there is no one else on this side of the family that knows anything about the Bigelows.  Karl 01/03/2006
 


The following dates are listed in my grandmother's (Alice Ulissa
> Bigelow) birthday book for the William Henry Bigelow family: William
> Henry Bigelow born 13 June 1840, died 8 September 1911
> Alice M. Betts Bigelow born 1 April 1849
> Sons & daughters:
> Luella Elizabeth Bigelow born 20 February 1869, died 12 December 1953;
> Entry for 17 November shows Earnest H. Wilkins - 1861, died 24 May 1936,
> brother-in-law; There are four other entries for Wilkins including one
> labeled nephew.
>
> Frank Thadeus Bigelow born 11 July 1871, died 19 July 1931
> Calvin Lee Bigelow born 18 September 1873, died 26 April 1874 (My baby brother)

Reply From: Clyde Rice   clideryce@starband.net  "CRR"

((No offense, but here we have a bit of a mis-nomer, "My baby brother",
when Calvin Lee was actually a three year "older" brother. Just shows
that a "direct" reading is not always what was really meant, or is
sometimes, but not in this case, a "cover up".
I had one of these in my paternal line, my gg grandfather marrying a lady with two kids from a previous marriage. The dates showed that the nextchild was likely my gg grandfather's, but those dates sometimes were"fudged" a bit, and the widow was pregnant, when she remarried. Thisfirst male child, with the new husband was named exactly after the first husband, with the Rice name added. It blew me away for some time, but with research into the census, of when these three, (all about the same age) and where they were living in close proximity, while growing up, it dawned on me that the guys were close buddies. Sure enough, Y-DNA proved that that first son was actually my gg grandfathers son. He and she must have just named him after her first husband as a tribute to his good boyhood buddy! Now it makes sense and the DNA and dates all check out! CRR))

> Alice Ulissa Bigelow born 19 May 1876, died 31 march 1963;
> Entry for 16 October shows Charles Clark Atwood - 1869, died 8 October
> 1918 (he was her first husband and my grandfather), and entry for 3
> August shows Edward M. Harrison - 1865, died 13 January 1938, (second
> husband)
>
> Edna Neverna Bigelow born 11 May 1879, died 28 October 1957; (next line
> shows Edna Neverna Robbins); Entry for 11 January shows Clyde Wesley
> Robbins - 1906; There are four other entries for Robbins including one
> labeled cousin. ((I heard about Clyde Robbins all my life. I asked Mom

if I was named after him, but she said no, that she wanted to name me
John! I am sure glad that didn't come to pass! HA! But when I was
living in Denver, CO. and Mom came to visit, we did go to a suburb, out
northeast of Denver to visit one of her cousins, a John Robbins. Don't
remember much about him, except he was older than Mom. CRR))

>
> Sadie Mabel Bigelow born 13 March 1882; Entry for 1 December shows
> Charles Clyde Polly - 1878 and labeled brother-in-law; There are eight
> other entries for Polly.
>
> Zella June Bigelow born 16 June 1885, died 14 January 1958; Entry on 3
> October shows Alvin Williams - 1879, Bro in law, Zella. Died 5 June
> 1961; There are five other entries for Williams which includes one
> labeled niece. ((My aunt, Lorain Jane Hurley/Meyers, believes this

Alvin Williams was a nephew to Edward Marian Harrison, the second
husband of your grandmother, Alice U. Bigelow. Aunt Jane would have
been about 8 years old when Edward Harrison died, but she says she can
remember him. CRR))

>
> Eva Lucina Bigelow born 9 June 1888; There is an entry on 6 July for
> Eva Lucina Hurley 1928 and under the name is written "gone". There are
> eight other entries for Hurley, one of which is labeled nephew.

((Again, Eva Lucina Hurley/Kennedy is still living today. Maybe they
had some sort of grudge, I do know my Mom and her sisters had some
pretty good ones, off and on all their lives. They at different times
promised not to ever see one another or to even attend their funreals.
Then that might fall through and they would relent, only to pick up or
on another sister. Their lives were certainly not easy, their dad was a
bugger and may have barely missed some prison time as I hear it. Lois
Jean Hurley, 11/30/1924 to 10/26/1938, (I of course don't remember her),
had Epilipsey. Remember back then, things were not as today. There was
stigma, big time and during siezures, they were not always treated well.
Some of the things I heard were, lets just say, sickening. This may or
may not have been where Herman had his close call. There is roumer that
grandma Eva may have got her inheartince early, to help keep her husband
out of prison.

Apparently, William Henry Bigelow had a bit of money when he died, and had
the reputation of being a knowledgeable horseman. (Wonder about those
stories about Grants epaulets, how would that happen, they being in WI. I
don't think Grant or Lincoln spent much time there! I do have a picture
of William Henry Bigelow, in what appears to be some sort of gray uniform,
and a belt/shash, labeled/dated, VA 1862).
Bonnie Hurley got to graduate all 12, through High School, however Mom,
when she graduated the 8 grade, was told, that was all the school she was
getting, and that she was staying home to help care for the younger ones.
Aunt Marjory left home young, went to CA. and vowed never to return home
as long as her dad was alive. CRR))

>
> In addition to the above, the following Bigelow's are also shown in her
> birthday book: Amy M. Bigilow (I am wondering if she could be Frank's
> wife?), Mary Jane Betts Bigelow (aunt), Cyril F. Bigelow (nephew), Bruce
> Owen(? it is hard to decifer middle name) Bigelow (Frank's son), Ruth
> Lenna Bigelow, Ralph William Bigelow, Harold Glen Bigelow. There are
> dates shown for these names also. ((Heard some of these names, that is

about all, CRR)) Clyde Rice))

From: Clyde Rice   clideryce@starband.net  "CRR"

OK, Karl, and Rod.
Let me go through it with what I know, but please, Karl don't take
exception with what I might disagree with in the "Birthday Book".  I have
found some of these old records to be wrong before, and sometimes it was
done purposely to let the coming generations know only what the living
wanted them to know.

> My grandmother's birthday book did not list Eva Lucina Bigelow's
> husband.  (And here is where maybe it was purposely, Herman Hurley had
some problems, more in the next E-mail, CRR)

However she did have the following Hurley's in her book: Eva
> Lucina Bigeow born 6/9/1888 (This date does not agree with Rod's
> website.) (But it does with mine, CRR)
Eva Lucina Hurley 7/6/1928, "Gone"  (Don't know why, she is still alive
today, m. Wayne Kennedy, I have 4 cousins from their marriage, CRR)

> Lois jean Hurley born 11/30/1924, died 10/26/1938 (More on her later, CRR)
> Marjory Jaunita Hurley born 10/6/1918
> Lorraine Jane Hurley born 12/20/1930
> Hester Ann Hurley born 10/9/1922
> Park Hurley born 3/28/1912 which she listed as her nephew
> Mildred Fern Hurley born 1/1/1915 (Nope, Mom was born 1/1/1916, CRR)
> Bonnie Marie Hurley born 1/3/1913 (Nope, she was born 1/2/1914, check
out when older brother Park was born, less than nine months before the
"Birthday Books" date!  CRR)
> James William Hurley born 3/24/1926  (Yep still alive today and has dark
red hair, funny his first 50 or more years it was blond.  He was always
affectionaly known as "Blonde"!  And he is the spitting image of his
grandfather, William Henry Bigelow, and Franklin Thadeous Bigelow, the
guy holding the live coyote, muzzle and paws wired, CRR)
> You can probably tell me something about most of these Hurley's.  (Will
answer the other letter, line by line as well later, CRR)

> The parents of Lucina Ewer Betts were Eber Ewer, 7/17/1808 to 3/17/1848
> and Abigail, 9/9/1818 to 3/16/1848.  (Thanks, I had got to Ewer, now
would like to continue through Abigail's maiden name, since it is
relative to my mtDNA records.  Their, and my, (only my female cousins
will pass it on), female line is H or Helena, one of the most common
Western European female lines there is.  Just too bad, that the surname
changes every generation, makes it hard to trace, CRR)

My wife, Bernice, couldn't remember> the source of this information.
>Karl(Thanks again, will now answer the other E-mail, CRR, Clyde R. Rice)



Modified - 08/21/2009
(c) Copyright 2009 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rod  Bigelow - Director
 rodbigelow@netzero.net
Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon12 BIGELOW)
Box 13  Chazy Lake
Dannemora, NY  12929 
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
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