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John Bigelow, 1729-1978 (bulk, 1850-1978)

 Series

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The collection revolves around the internationally recognized sculptor and longtime resident of Santa Fe -- Eugenie Fredericka Shonnard. The bulk of the collection is from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1970s. The collection is arranged both topically and chronologically. Biographical sketches precede those individuals whose papers comprise a significant portion of the overall collection.

Collection consists of letters, diaries, ledgers, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, business and financial documents. Collection also includes the papers of her husband Edward Gordon Ludlum, her father Frederic Shonnard, her mother Eugenie Smyth Shonnard, her friend and mentor Alphonse Mucha, and her friend Pedro Ribera Ortega. Among the Shonnard family's papers are genealogies and family histories of the Shonnard, Smyth, and Seymour families.

Dates

  • 1729-1978 (bulk, 1850-1978)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English.

Access Restrictions

None

Biographical / Historical

John Bigelow (11-25-1817 to 12-19-1911) was born in a small hamlet on the banks of the Hudson River now called Malden, New York. His father Asa Bigelow and his mother Lucy Isham Bigelow moved to the Hudson River Valley to farm and operate a general store. The young Bigelow attended Washington, now Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, for three years. He later graduated from Union College of Schenectady, New York in 1835. Bigelow gained entrance to the New York bar in 1838. A growing association with prominent and influential men in New York State paved the way for Bigelow to join with William Cullen Bryant between 1848 and 1861 as co-owner and editor of The Evening Post. Abraham Lincoln appointed Bigelow Consul-General to Paris in 1861 and Minister to France in 1865. Bigelow resigned his post in 1866 and returned to New York. Bigelow died in New York in 1911.

Extent

From the Collection: 12 Linear Feet

Repository Details

Part of the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library Repository

Contact:
Fray Angélico Chávez History Library
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Ave
Sante Fe NM 87501 USA
(505) 476-5090