Anna Bigelow

Timothy Bigelow fell in love with Anna Andrews, the young daughter of Samuel and Anna (Rankin) Andrews.Her maternal grandparents were James and Rachel Rankin, immigrants from Ireland with the Scotch Presbyterians of 1718. Her father Samuel Andrews established a tannery in Worcester, near Lincoln Square, and built the Bigelow Mansion opposite Courthouse Square.

Her family in New Hampshire did not approve of 15 year old Anna associating with 23 year old Timothy, because he was not of equal financial standing. Anna was an orphan and heir of the tannery fortune Samuel Andrews had built. They continued to meet secretly in Worcester. Anna and Timothy eloped on July 7th, 1762. They produced six children: Nancy born 1765; Timothy born 1767; Andrew born 1769; Rufus born 1772;   Lucy born 1774; and Clarissa born 1781. The deep love of his wife and children could not subdue his strong feelings of patriotism.

http://www.massdar.org/tbnamesake.html

 Timothy was an elected member of  the colonists' grievance committee, the "Committee of Correspondence." The open conflict between the colonies and England and lack of organization inspired Timothy to organize the "Political Society" in December of 1773. Their meetings were held in the Bigelow home. They arranged to form an agreement with each citizen of Worcester to provide arms and ammunition, an act of treason at that time Timothy Bigelow was unanimously chosen to command the group of minutemen.. The work of the political society broke the powerful control of the Tory party in Worcester. Every evening, their free time was spent in militia training and drills. In 1774, they went on to join the "Sons of Liberty." In March of 1775,  the Minutemen were ordered to train half a day a week. They were each paid half a shilling for their time. Capt. Timothy Bigelow's company had been training every day for months and already displayed prodigious military precision. Post express rider, Israel Bissell, rode from Boston to Philadelphia to deliver the message of war from General Palmer. On the morning of April 19th, he passed through Worcester calling " To Arms! To Arms! The war has begun!"  Within a short time, the minutemen were marching in Lincoln Square. 

Recorded in the regiment of Colonel Artemas Ward, Esq., for that day were the following men: Captain Timothy Bigelow Lieutenant Jonas Hubbard and Lieutenant John Smith Sergeant William Gates, Sergeant Nathaniel Harrington, Sergeant John Kannaday, and Sergeant William Dans

Corporal John Pierce, Corporal Cyprian Stevens, Corporal Joel Smith, and Corporal Nathaniel Heywood 

Drummer Eli Putnam Fifers John Hair and Joseph Pierce

Joseph Ball Benjamin Bennet Samuel Bennett Peter Boyden Samuel Brown David Chadwick Eli Chapin John Cole Samuel Cook Robert Crawford Joseph Cunningham Joseph Curtis William Curtis Philip Donehue Thomas Drury Samuel Dunham Benjamin Estabrook Josiah Ferry Josiah Flagg Nathaniel Flagg Phineas Flagg

Josiah Gates Thomas Gates

Jonathan Gleason Gideon Griggs William Griggs Edward Hair John Hall Asa Harrington Joshua Harrington Samuel Harrington Moses Hamilton Daniel Haven Adam Hemmenway Samuel Hemmenway  Artemas Knight Thomas Knight John Knower Thomas Lynde William Miles Ephraim Miller Joseph Miller Joseph Morse Jonas Nichols Thomas Nichols Josiah Pierce Nicholas Powers Jonathan Stone Ithamar Smith Solomon Smith Edward Swan James Taylor Joseph Thorp John Totman William Treadwell William Trowbridge George Walker William Walker Asa Ward Phinehas Ward Samuel Wesson Daniel Willington James Wiser Ebenezer Wiswall 

In all, one hundred ten men marched off for Concord. Capt. Bigelow stopped to rest his men at Howe Tavern in Sudbury. They pressed on, and the organization of the army was made in Cambridge. As the first company was reviewed by General George Washington, he is reported to have said, "This is discipline, indeed." Capt. Bigelow marched at the Battle of Concord and Lexington, and soon after received from Congress the commission of Major.

    Timothy was also a member of Boston's Whig Club, and he was a delegate to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. As the conflict escalated, so did the threats against Isaiah Thomas, printer of the Massachusetts Spy newspaper.  Paper was in scarce supply. Getting the word out to supporters was such an important task that John Hancock suggested Isaiah Thomas move his Boston Press out to the country. With Timothy Bigelow's assistance, the press was hauled to the cellar of the Bigelow home in Worcester. The Massachusetts Spy continued publication. All of the Provincial Congress printing was done there until the presses were set up in Cambridge and Watertown. Isaiah Thomas also founded the American Antiquarian Society.

    In the fall of 1775 Major Bigelow volunteered, along with twelve soldiers from Worcester, to join forces with 750 hand-selected men to accompany Col. Benedict Arnold as part of a supporting eastern invasion force aimed at Quebec City. The expedition was a failure. Intentionally deceptive British maps, bad weather, difficult terrain, and a lack of proper supplies put the men into dire circumstances. Col. Arnold set out from Fort Western on September 25th with eleven hundred men. In six weeks time, he had only six hundred remaining. The men were forced to eat anything they could find to try to survive.