Welcome to the eleventh week of Bidwell Lore! This is the second email in a series about the wives of Adonijah Bidwell. Last week we introduced you to Theodosia Colton and Jemima Devotion and this week you will meet Ruth Kent. We have also included the story of Rev. Edward Taylor, known as the Puritan poet and...
Category: Bidwell Lore
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Bidwell Lore – The Wives of Adonijah Bidwell
Welcome to the tenth week of Bidwell Lore! Last week finished the essay by guest writer Bernard Drew titled The Last Skirmish of King Philip’s War, 1676. We now move back to the Bidwell family and more specifically to the wives of Adonijah Bidwell. He was married three times; his first two wives died tragically young, not...
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The Last Skirmish of King Philip’s War, 1676 – Part II
Welcome to the ninth week of Bidwell Lore! Last week we read Part I of the essay The Last Skirmish of King Philip’s War, 1676 from guest writer and local Berkshires historian Bernard Drew. This essay has been adapted by Mr. Drew from a chapter in his book Henry Knox and the Revolutionary War Trail in Western Massachusetts (McFarland, 2012). At...
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The Last Skirmish of King Philip’s War – 1676
Welcome to the eighth week of Bidwell Lore! Last week we finished our series about Adonijah Bidwell and his experience at the Siege of Louisbourg. Today we are going to switch gears a bit and go further back in time to learn about King Philip’s War with guest writer and local Berkshires historian Bernard A. Drew. This...
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Bidwell Lore – Louisbourg Falls
Hello Friends, Welcome to the seventh week of Bidwell Lore! Last week we saw part of two of the series about Adonijah Bidwell and his experience at the Siege of Louisbourg. Today is the third and final part of this story, the fall of Louisbourg. Before moving onto the story, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank...
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Rev. Adonijah Bidwell and the Siege of Louisbourg
This section of the series was put together by Rob Hoogs, President of the Bidwell House Museum Board of Trustees, and Heather Kowalski. Thank you, Rob! Last week, Bidwell Lore introduced you to the regional history that led to the expedition to Cape Breton and the eventual Siege of Louisbourg. To supplement the history, we...
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Bidwell Lore – 1745 Expedition to Cape Breton
This article was written by Bidwell House Museum Board Member and Bidwell descendant Rick Wilcox and edited by Heather Kowalski. Thank you, Rick! The Rev. Adonijah Bidwell graduated from Yale College in 1740, and in 1741 taught school at Hartford and Hartford West Division (now West Hartford). He was ordained 5 Oct. 1744, and in...
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Bidwell Lore – Old Light New Light
Welcome to the fourth week of Bidwell Lore! Last week we introduced you to a few of Adonijah Bidwell’s ancestors and took look at a poignant letter written by Adonijah’s father, to his mother, shortly before he died. For the next few weeks we will jump around Adonijah’s life a bit, starting today with an article about religious...
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Bidwell Lore – Adonijah’s Ancestors
Hello Friends, Welcome to the third week of Bidwell Lore! Last week we told you how the Bidwell family traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century. This week we will introduce you to a few of Adonijah Bidwell’s ancestors and also take a look at a poignant letter written by Adonijah’s father, to his...
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Bidwell Lore – From England to the Colonies in 1630
Welcome to the second week of Bidwell Lore! Last week we introduced you to Adonijah Bidwell, the man responsible for building the Bidwell House. In this post, we are going to go back in time, even before Adonijah was born, to look at the history of the Bidwell Family name and how the Bidwells ended up...