Re: George Bigelow of LaFayette Co. WI.

Dear Dickie,

Thank you for this information.

So did George Bigelow never marry?

Ellen Augusta Bigelow married Dorus Steven in Macon County Ill about 1834. She died a young woman and apparently they had no children. Dorus remarried but I don't know to whom, I might have it somewhere. His family were devote christians and Dorus, himself may have even been a preacher, I seem to recall that his father was.

I believe Isaac's wife died shortly before Ellen and the 2 youngest children, James Otis and Catherine went to live with Elllen and then their sister, Nancy Maria Bigelow Love. Isaac took his 2 middle children, George W. and Martha Spring with him to Wisconsin in about 1833-1837. One record said that they all worked in the lead mines. Isaac died a few years later.
Martha Married Henry Schellenger and had a large family. I think she died in CA, herself.

Nancy Marie and her husband joined the Mormon church. They were forced out of their home in Loviington, Illinois, taking James and Catherine (then married to W. H. Souther, I believe) with them.They went to Iowa to join the Mormons there and make preparations to leave to Salt lake City, Utah. They were in the 3rd company of Mormons to leave for the Salt Lake Valley in 1848. There is a diary entry noting that a wagon had overturned on Nancy during their travels. She was hurt very badly but she received a blessing and they found her in her wagon sitting up combing her hair. It was seen as a real miracle. She lived in a dugout in Iowa and then again in Salt Lake city for a little over a year. It leaked rain and was bitterly cold throught the winter and mice were plentiful. Their mud roof caved in on them at least once.They left Salt Lake Encampment in spring of 1850 after being asked by the Church to settleSalt Licks, later known as Mona, Utah. It is close to Nephi, Utah. They had Indian trouble and after planting their new crop, a rainstorm almost destroyed everything. Andew was disheartened but Nancy went out into the fields and put the seedling back up in the ground and they had a good harvest. Next season they had crickets come and attack their fields. Nancy had a baby that died and then she became ill and died a month or so later. I imagine it was complications from child birth. Because of the Indian trouble, The Love family left Nancy's grave and moved on to Nephi. There is a Pioneer monument to Nancy in Mona.

James Otis followed his sister, Nancy,but he went ahead of the wagon trains and helped build roads and planted crops for the members that would be comming along. This he did for many months. He knew Elizabeth Cazier from his early years in Illinois. The Cazier family also joined the Mormon church and moved from Lovington, Illinois, as did the Loves, to Councill Bluffs Iowa. This is where Elizabeth's mother died. James moved around from place to place working for the church. The Mormons had been expelled from Missouri but, he married Elizabeth in St. Joseph, Buchannan County, MO. 7 May 1848. They had a son Orson Henry born inJoseph, MO. She probably stayed in Iowa with her family while he helped prepare roads for future travelers. Their first son died before their journey to Utah. He then took his new wife to Utah in about 1852.They joined the Love family and moved to Nephi but on the way, James Otis Bigelow was born in Provo, Utah and died there. They moved on to Nephi, where they stayed for about 10 years before moving to Millville, Utah. They had 10 children, 4 of them dying as infants.

Catherine Bigelow Souther md William Henry Souther 18 Sep 1844 in Sullivan, Moultrie County, Illinois. I am not sure why they were not living together when the mob came. I don't know much about her life. I don't know if she joined the Mormon church. I think she did but, maybe she let it go to save her marriage.I have come to the conclusion that instead of the 2 children most records show for them that they probably had at least 5 children. Angeline b-1845 in ILL., Merian b-1847 ILL., Mary Elizabeth b-24 Feb 1849 in WIS., Catherine b- 1851 CA., andHenry b-1855 CA.They are on the CA Census with W.H. Souther's 2nd wife Maria Huff. Catherine Bigelow Souther had died in 1856 in Alameda County, California. It would seem their marriage was tried as she gave birth to her 3rd known child in Wisconsin, probably staying with her sister, Martha. She is on the 1850 Utah census with 2 children and William Henry is on the 1850 California Census. She must have joined him as their known 5th child was born in California in 1851. I do not know how Catherine came to California from Utah. If William came back to get her or what.

I know nothing about Isaac's sibblings lives. If you have anything at all to share, it will be most exciting.

Thank you for the update on George W.Bigelow. I thought he may have died as a young man in Wisconsin.

Anxiously awaiting your reply,

Glenna