Born on July 15, 1805, in Northborough, Massachusetts, Bigelow left his hometown at age 23 to found the Northwest Territory's first tannery in Detroit.

[1] After moving back to his home state in 1831, Bigelow conducted business in the towns of Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, and Worcester before emigrating to the Republic of Texas.

During a term characterized by tension between Houston, Harris County, and rival settlements such as Harrisburg,[5] Bigelow sought to improve relations by hosting visiting dignitaries such as James Pinckney Henderson.

[1] Accompanied by railroad officials and community leaders on July 25, 1840, Bigelow formally began construction of the short-lived Houston and Brazos Rail Road with a spade during a groundbreaking ceremony.

[4] In 1846, served as a colonel of a Texas Regiment of Rangers in the Mexican-American War, allegedly playing a significant role in the Battle of Palo Alto.