Timothy Bigelow (soldier)

Timothy Bigelow (August 12, 1739 in Worcester, Massachusetts – March 31, 1790 in Worcester) fought as a patriot in the American Revolution.

Timothy Bigelow
  • Worcester's Revolutionary Patriot
  • Colonel Timothy Bigelow
Born(1739-08-12)August 12, 1739
Worcester County, Massachusetts, British America
DiedMarch 31, 1790(1790-03-31) (aged 50)
Massachusetts, Colonial America
Burial placeWorcester Common Burial Ground
42.26211°N 71.80068°W / 42.26211; -71.80068 (Worcester Common Burial Ground)
NationalityColonial America
Occupation
EraColonial America
MovementSons of Liberty
Opponent(s)
Spouse(s)
  • Anna Andrews Bigelow (1746–1809)
Children
  • Nancy Bigelow Lincoln (1765–1839)
  • Timothy Bigelow (1767–1821)
  • Lucy Bigelow Lawrence (1774–1856)
Parent(s)
  • Daniel Bigelow (1697–1789)

Biography

At the beginning of the American Revolution, he was working as a blacksmith at Worcester.[1] He was a delegate to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, participated in the Committee of Correspondence, fought in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and served as colonel of the 15th Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army.[2] He accompanied Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec in 1775, and was captured there, remaining a prisoner until 1776. He was made colonel on February 8, 1777, and, when in command of the 15th Massachusetts Regiment, assisted at the capture of John Burgoyne. He was also at Valley Forge, West Point, Monmouth, and Yorktown. After the war Bigelow had charge of the Springfield Arsenal. He was a benefactor of the academy at Leicester, Massachusetts. [1]

Family

He married Anna Andrews; they had six children: Nancy Bigelow (b.1765); Timothy Bigelow (1767-1821; married a Prescott); Andrew Bigelow (b.1769); Rufus Bigelow (b.1772); Lucy Bigelow (b.1774; married Luther Lawrence); Clara Bigelow (b.1781; married Tyler Bigelow).[3]

Memorials

Mount Bigelow (Maine) is named after Timothy Bigelow. In 1861, Bigelow's grandson erected the Bigelow Monument to his memory in Worcester, Massachusetts.[4] With others, Timothy Bigelow obtained a grant for 23,040 acres (dated 21 October 1780), on which was founded the town of Montpelier, VT.[5] It was named by him.

Cultural Depictions of Timothy Bigelow
  • This painting of Col. Timothy Bigelow's house was discovered on a panel board above the fireplace in the parlor of the Theophilus Wheeler house when the paint was scraped off. It must have been depicted before the close of the Revolution as determined by the street-scape of the time.
  • April 19, 1861 Dedication Ceremony of Col. Timothy Bigelow's Memorial on the Worcester Common. The very same common where he drilled his minutemen and prepared them for the American Revolutionary War.

References
  1. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Bigelow, Timothy" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
  2. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, v. 27. 1905; p.889.
  3. Caleb Arnold Wall. Reminiscences of Worcester from the Earliest Period: With Notices of Early Settlers and Prominent Citizens, and Descriptions of Old Landmarks and Ancient Dwellings... Printed by Tyler & Seagrave, 1877; p.46-47.
  4. "Worcester & Worcester Common". City of Worcester.
  5. http://bigelowsociety.com/Col_Tim.html


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