Sarah Bigelow Obituary Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Tricia Hayward (mctrommer@aol.com) USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. ____________________________________________________________ Mrs. Sarah Bigelow Mrs. Sarah Cummins Bigelow, wife of the late Dr. James H. Bigelow, a well known physician of McAlevys Fort, Pa., died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Thomas McCall, at that place, Saturday morning, August 23rd, 1919. Mrs. Bigelow had enjoyed reasonably good health during her declining years, since the death of her husband which occurred fifteen years ago, until one year ago last winter while staying with her son Eliphaz on the Beatty farm on East Branch, when she had a very severe fall, from which she did not recover for several months. During the last several years Mrs. Bigelow had spent considerable time visiting her children in various eastern cities, where they have been located. Her first visit from home was to visit her son Charles, while he was living in Baltimore in 1913, and from there to visit her son, Frank, in New York. While at the home of her son Frank in New York, last January, she was taken with a stroke of paralysis which effected [sic] the use of her left arm and speech for a short time, and later losing the entire use of her limbs. Since that time she has been unable to walk and has been under the constant care of her daughter Claudia. Thinking that a change of climate might be helpful to their mother in her weakened condition her children decided to bring her home. She made the trip, accompanied by her son, Frank, and her daughter, Claudia, on July 11. Mrs. Bigelow spent the first four weeks after her arrival at the old home, but the last two weeks before her death were spent with her daughter, Mrs. McCall. Mrs. Bigelow was a daughter of the late John and Mary Smith Cummins. Her father was a prosperous farmer of Jackson township, who died August 25th, 1879. She was a niece of the late Colonel Davis Cummins, a Civil War veteran, and her grandfather, Charles Cummins, was one of the first settlers in the valley, he being a native of the north of Ireland. Her grandmother Smith’s name was McAlevy, who was a descendant of old General McAlevy, the founder of Stone Creek valley and McAlevys Fort, who made the trip unaccompanied up the Juniata river in a small skiff from the eastern part of the state. Upon his arrival at the Junction of Stone Creek where it empties into the Juniata river near where the town of Huntingdon is now located, he decided to explore the small stream which was alter called Stone Creek. He continued his voyage in his skiff until he finally arrived at the point where he settled and later established a fortification as a defense to meet the attack from the Indians, from which the village derived its name. This occurred early in the sixteenth [sic] century and at that time he was the only civilized resident in this locality. Mrs. Bigelow was a sister of the late Charles T. Cummins, Miss Ruth M. Cummins and Mrs. Nancy Carey, all of whom preceded her to the spirit world. She was also a sister of William Cummins, of Reedsville; Mrs. Maggie Bigelow, of Belleville, and Mrs. J. C. Smith of McAlevys Fort. Mrs. Bigelow was born October 11th, 1844, in the little log house now used as a stable for the tenant house across the road from the farm house on what is known as the Long Robert Cummin’s farm, on East Branch. Her father and mother later moved to the old homestead on the farm now owned by William Barr. Mrs. Bigelow lived with her father on the farm until her marriage at the age of twenty-three. Her mother died when she was about twelve years and her father had three wives and raised a large family. Mrs. Bigelow was united in marriage to Dr. Bigelow at the old homestead on Oct. 24, 1867, by her uncle and pastor of the United Presbyterian church, the Rev. John M. Adair, whose wife, Ruth Cummins Adair, was a sister of Mrs. Bigelow’s father. Dr. Bigelow was born at Belleville, Mifflin county, September 28, 1844. He was a son of Dr. Eliphaz and Elizabeth Fife Bigelow. Dr. Israel Bigelow, his grandfather, was a native of Vermont. He settled in Blain [sic] City, Ohio, where he practiced medicine for the remainder of his life. Dr. Jim, as he was known in the community, was at the time of his marriage to Mrs. Bigelow, studying medicine under his father, and Mrs. Bigelow spent the winter following their marriage with him in Philadelphia, while at College, where he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1868. After returning home they went to housekeeping and occupied part of the log house with his brother, Lewis, who was a blacksmith at the little furnace near the old Samuel Mitchell farm. Dr. Bigelow assisted his father until his death the following October, when he moved into one end of the house on the old homestead and took up his father’s practice. He purchased the home in McAlevys Fort in the spring of 1869 where he and Mrs. Bigelow lived for the remainder of his life which covered a period of thirty-five years. Mrs. Bigelow kept the home after the Doctor’s death and had lived there for fifty years. To this union were born four sons and two daughters, as follows: John Cummins Bigelow, who owns and resides with his wife, Mrs. Annie Irvin Bigelow, and their family on the Penn Tenn farm in Spruce Creek valley; Zillah Bigelow McCall, wife of Thomas M. McCall, who owns and resides with their family on the old McBomey farm just north of McAlevys Fort; Eliphaz Edgar Bigelow, who owns and resides with his wife, Minite [sic] Eckley Bigelow, and their family, on the old McBurney farm, just east of McAlevys Fort; Claudia Bigelow Jackson, wife of Clarence E. Jackson, of Pittsburgh (Mr. Jackson is an equipment foreman of the Western Union Telegraph Company); Charles Walter Bigelow, who married Virginia Sndnor [sic] Thweatt, of Baltimor e, Md., resides in New York City, and has one son, Charles William Bigelow (he is connected with the Western Union Telegraph Co. in the valuation bureau as supervising computer in charge of summarizing and pricing the equipment inventory now being made by the Interstate Commerce Commission); Frank Milton Bigelow, who married Lucy Alice Clar, [sic] of Providence, R.I., has two children, Irene Parsons Bigelow and Claude Illingworth Bigelow (he is Division Equipment foreman for the Western Union Telegraph Co. in the eastern division with headquarters at New York City. She also had 29 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. All of her children were with her when she passed away except her son, Frank, who was on a business trip to Heartcontent, Newfoundland. He was notified by cablegram and left there Saturday morning, August 23, arriving in Huntingdon on Thursday morning. The trip enroute covered a distance of eighteen hundred miles. The funeral was held from her late home in McAlevys Fort on Thursday afternoon August 28th, at 2:30, with interment in the United Presbyterian cemetery. Mrs. Bigelow united with the Stone Valley Presbyterian Church when nineteen years old, under the pastorate of her uncle, the Rev. John M. Adair, and lived the life of faith until her death. The abiding nature of her faith was paid a flowing tribute by the Rev. David E. Magill, of Homer City, who grew up with her in our midst, and testified to her patient endurance under the many severe trials that are the legacy of distinction. The exceeding great worth of these mothers in Israel was emphasized by her pastor, Rev. James Potter. What an inspiration they are to us and the binding obligation of seeing the Master in the daily life of faith and confidence led by them. Living epistles know and lead by all men. He emphasized the leading of these epistles because the written word is largely neglected. The greatest monument to her memory was to initiate her life of faith and trust, and failure to follow her example was undue disrespect to her memory, which was the thought her pastor endeavored to fix definitely in the minds and hears of her loved ones left. In many parts of our land we have men and women doing the Master’s work, thanking the great head of the church daily for these Godly mothers in our mountain homes, who lead the life of faith and trust in Him. Truly one of these great ones has gone to her reward.