LEONARD B. BIGELOW

parents: James Bigelow and Ann Spencer of Hartford, Conn; the family moved from Hartford to Nantucket, Mass shortly after the birth of Leonard and before the birth of their next child.

1809 - Birth of Leonard Bacon Bigelow in Hartford, Conn. (Aug 1809)

1836 - Appearance of the co-partnership notice announcing "Barrus & Bigelow" at 77 Weybosset Street, Providence, RI. (1 Nov 1836). A fire at the shop on Dec 21st ( seven weeks later ), results in the termination of the business. (see Bigelow & Barrus)

1841 Providence Directory, Leonard B. Bigelow, planemaker, Middle, h. South

1841- Leonard B. Bigelow serves as witness to the signature of Clarissa Battey (wife of Isaac Battey) on a deed involving Isaac Battey & James A. Eddy.

*Note: Bigelow's presence at the closing of the above deed could indicate a working arrangement with Isaac Battey (planemaker); or Leonard might simply have been a Baptist as was Nathan Barrus, Isaac Battey, and James A Eddy.

1844 - Providence Directory; Leonard B. Bigelow, planemaker, Middle, h. South

1846 - Leonard B. Bigelow marries in Warren, RI on Nov 4th, Prudence Briggs Cole Barrus, the sister of Nathan L. Barrus, his earlier partner in the firm of "Barrus & Bigelow".

1847/50/53 Providence Directories: Leonard B. Bigelow, 102 Broad, h. Friendship

*Note: In the 1847-48, 1850, and 1853 Prov. Directories, Leonard B. Bigelow and P.H.Manchester are both listing 102 Broad Street in Providence as their working address. No partnership is known to exist between the two, so it would seem that they were either sharing the same shop to save expenses, or that Bigelow was working part time for Manchester. P.H.Manchester appears to have been a full time planemaker, however Bigelow in the 1850 census gave his occupation as book keeper, and a year later in 1854, was working as a machinist at the Providence Machine Co. on Eddy Street.

1848 Birth of Walter Bigelow, Leonard's first child in NY.

1850 - Fed. census: Leonard B. Bigelow, book keeper, from Conn; Prudence 36, RI; Walter 3, RI

1853 - Birth of a son, Leonard B. Bigelow Jr. in Prov. (15 Jan 1853)

1854 - Providence Death Records - Leonard B. Bigelow Jr. died 30 Mar 1854, 2 months old. Buried in North Burial ground, Prov. R.I.

1854 Prov. Dir: Leonard B. Bigelow, machinist, Prov. Machine Co., Eddy, h. 10 Atwells

1855 Prov. Dir: Leonard B. Bigelow, machinist, Prov. Machine Co., Eddy, h. 115 Clifford (Wm. Shaw, drayman, also sharing this address)

1865 - Leonard B. Bigelow dies in Charlestown, Mass. (4 Nov 1865) (source: Bigelow Genealogy) age 56, based on date of birth.

Like his early partner Nathan Barrus, where Leonard Bigelow learned the trade remains a mystery. Having been raised in Nantucket as a child, where would he likely travel to apprentice himself ? Because both Barrus and Bigelow made their first appearance in 1836 when taking over Jonas Gale's shop in Providence, it's very tempting to select Gale. It makes so much sense. Jonas Gale had decided to leave RI for Illinois, and who more likely to "continue the planemaking business at 77 Weybosset" than workers already employed there. Indeed, even if they didn't apprentice to Jonas Gale, I still suspect that at least one of them was working for Gale when he decided to close shop.

At the time of his appearance in the Providence Directory in 1836, Bigelow would have been about 27 years of age. Since males 21 or over were routinely listed in the city directory, it is unlikely he would have been missed for 6 years had he been living in Providence and learning under Gale. It's very possible that he learned from one of the makers in Fall River or New Bedford, and perhaps additional information will surface to shed light on this period of Bigelow's life.

Most of the rest of Bigelow's time in RI is also sketchy at best. After his seven week partnership with Barrus ends in December of 1836, he gives his working address as Middle St. in Prov. in 1841 and 44 . During this period he once acted as a witness to the signature of Isaac Battey's wife Clarissa indicating a possible link to Isaac. In 1846 he marries Nathan Barrus's sister Prudence, and from 1843 to 1847 gives the same working address as P.H.Manchester, showing yet another connection to an active planemaker. In the 1850 census, Leonard gives his occupation as book keeper and in 1854 and 55 he is employed as a machinist at the Providence Machine Co. on Eddy Street.

There is no record of a purchase of land or dwelling by Leonard during his time in Providence. The directories show several moves over the years from South Street, to Friendship, to Atwells to 115 Clifford. This last address is particularly intriguing as 115 Clifford in 1855 happened to be one of the two lots purchased by Cumings and Gale in 1833 and later sold by Gale in 1836 at the time he left for Illinois.