VoL 24, No.314 FORGE.- The Bigelow Society Quarterly August / November
1995
SILAS S.
8 BIGELOW
(John B.7, Silas 6, John 5, John 4,
Joshua 3, Joshua 2, John 1
Silas B.8 BIGELOW was born August 7, 1838 in Orleans, Phelps
Township, Ontario County, New York. He was the son of John B. and Maria (STOUT) BIGELOW.
He served an apprenticeship as an Iron Moulder and general "smithing". After he
finished his apprenticeship he worked for one year then enlisted. In 1862 he went out with
the lst Ohio artillery, Army of the Cumberland, and was among the first troops to land at
Nashville in March, 1862. On July 27th, 1863 when he was 24 years old his younger brother,
Jefferson C. recruited him, signing him up at Canandaigua, N.Y. for three years in Col.
"D", 15th New York Cavalry as a Sergeant. On October 31 of that year he was
transferred to Col. "C" a company that he helped to raise.
Each member of a Company of the 15th Cavalry used the same kind and same color of
horse. The 15th Cavalry was commanded by Major J. H. Wood. On Nov.. 9, 1864 Silas was made
a 2nd Lieutenant, and on February 15, 1865 he was promoted to lst Lieutenant, due to the
vacancy due to the death of lst Lieutenant Ralph D. SHORT. There were 96 men in the
Company. From May to July of that year he was responsible for all Ordinance and Ordnance
stores in Co. 'C . Silas's military experiences extended through some of the worse battles
of the war. He was on Hunter's raid to Lynchburg and the-battles of the Shenandoah Valley in 1863
and 1864.
At the
surrender at Appomattox Silas was in the advance of the column as bodyguard to General
George Custer when the first flag of truce was received. The 15th New York Cavalry was in
the 3rd division under Custer, Army of the Potomac and under the command of Col. J. J.
Coppinger. After the review the regiment was consolidated with the 6th New York cavalry
and ordered to Texas under Gen. Custer, arriving at Louisville July 5, 1865, where they
remained until August. Silas was mustered out at Louisville, KY on August 9, 1865.
How fortunate for Silas that he chose to leave the army when the war was over, and did
NOT remain with General George Custer, who went on to the west to fight Indians, and lost
all under his command, as well as his own life, at the Battle of Big Horn.
Silas went to New London, Ohio after the war. His parents had moved there during the
war. He started a grocery business and on April 2, 1866 he was elected Constable in New
London. Later he traveled through Illinois and Iowa selling goods at auction, then went to
Chicago, Illinois and stayed there till October 6, 1869 when he married Emma J. MANAHAN,
daughter of Henry H. and Mary Jane (CHAPIN) MANAHAN in Bronson, Huron County, Ohio.
In the spring of 1871 Silas and Emma moved to Nevada, Vernon Co., Missouri. Emma's
father also moved to Nevada after 1880. For the first six years Silas worked as baggage
master in Nevada for the M.K. and T. Railroad. For the next three years Silas was in the
transfer business and also served as agent for the Consolidated Tank Line Co. In November
of 1876 Silas made a short visit to New London, Ohio. He was on business, at the time he
was Station Agent in Nevada, MO.
In 1,885 Silas lost the sight in his right eye, due to a cataract. On May 4, 1886 he
applied for a pension claiming he had piles and cataract. On the pension application he is
described as being 5' 10 1/2" tall with blue eyes, Brown-gray hair and as having lost
the sight in his right eye. In July of 1886 he formed a partnership with William H.
ROBINSON and opened the business of "Robinson & Bigelow", they sold wagons,
carriages, agricultural implements and farm machinery.
Silas was a Charter member of the G.A.R. - August 28, 1882 - and in that organization
held positions as quartermaster, adjutant and commanded, a position he held in 1887. He
also belonged to the A.F.A.M. (Ancient Free and Accepted Masons).
Silas was a stanch Republican and was chairman of the County Central Committee. While
president of the Blaine and Logan club he received a beautiful saber as a present from the
Republican citizens of the county as a testimonial for his services in this capacity.
At a surprise 20th Wedding Anniversary party that was given by their friends, in
October 1889, Silas was awarded a beautiful gold pocket watch, inscribed "To
S.S.BIGELOW Chairman of Central Com. By Rep, Friends of Nevada, Mo. Sept. 30th 1889. This
watch was given to Silas's nephew, Wilbur H. BIGELOW, Sr. the son of his brother Frank.
Wilbur gave the watch to HIS son, Wilbur, Jr., and he gave the watch to David W. BIGELOW,
his son who now has it. Shane, David's son will inherit the watch from his father. Silas
and Emma had no children of their own.
In the middle of September, 1893 Silas and Emma visited with friends in New London,
Ohio. By this time Silas was completely blind. If he had been living today instead of in
1893, the cataracts would have been removed in a quick and painless operation and he would
have been able to see but at that time cataracts meant blindness. In a letter that I
received on March 7, 1959 from Aunt Ada (BIGELOW) HUGGINS, she said "Uncle Silas went
blind in the war, was standing by a cannon. He had a little colored boy to lead him
around." On Silas"s request for an Invalid's Pension he also considered the war
the cause of his cataracts. He stated that he was disabled by "Contracted Catarrh and
piles through Exposure and hard riding from which he was suffered ever since being greatly
disabled for manual labor on account of same, having lost the sight of right eye from
Catarrh contracted while in Service. Sight went out January 1885." It was not
understood at the time that cataracts were NOT caused by the war.
On May 31, 1895 Silas died, age 56 years, 9 months. A large military funeral was held
at the Episcopal Church in Nevada, MO. with full military honors, -many flowers and so
many people coming to honor him that they couldn't all fit into the church. The obituary
that appeared in the newspaper called him "Captain" BIGELOW. Perhaps it was an
honorary title given to him in the G.A.R. since the highest rank he received in the civil
War was lst Lieutenant. Silas' wife, Emma, died of pneumonia, on Dec. 9, 1902, in Nevada,
MO.
REFERENCES:
- Silas BIGELOW'S Civil War Military and Pension Records
"History of Vernon County, Missouri - 1887"
- "History of the Firelands, comprising Huron & Erie Co., Ohio by W. W. WILLIAMS.
- Copies of "New London Record" newspaper, microfilmed and in the New London,
Ohio Public Library
- "The Columns of William Byron THOM", compiled by Thomas Stephen NEEL in OGS
Library, Mansfield, Ohio
- Census Records
- Marriage License
My connection to Silas S. BIGELOW showing descent from his parents, John B.7
and Maria (STOUT) BIGELOW is as follows:
John B.7 and Maria (STOUT) BIGELOW had sons Silas S.8 BIGELOW and
Francis James (Frank)8 BIGELOW, my grandfather.
Frank and Anmna (SONNANSTINE) BIGELOW had son Wilbur.
Wilbur H.-9 and Helen (IRWIN) BIGELOW had daughter, Janis.
Harvey and Janis (BIGELOW) PAHNKE
CONTRIBUTED BY.- Janis (BIGELOW) PAHNKE
5220 N. Melvina Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630-1037
25 March 1995
Modified - 10/21/97
(c) Copyright 1997 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
Don Bigelow
crisbig
