Martha ² BIGELOW

1A ... Martha ² BIGELOW, tenth child and fourth daughter of John ¹ and Mary (Warren) BIGELOW, was born in Watertown, Middlesex co, MA, 1 Apr 1662. Howe's Bigelow genealogy says she married twice, but gives the name of only her second husband, Obadiah WOOD of East Hartford, CT.
..... In his will, John BIGELOW in 1703 left a sum of money for children of Martha, wife of Obadiah WOOD, specifying it be divided among children "lawfully begotten of her own body." This implies two things: (1) that Martha was deceased and that her children were to inherit Martha's share, and (2) that Martha hasd step-children, from one of her two marriages. ( or she slept around a lot...ROD )
..... Concerning Obadiah WOOD, Savage's Genealogical Dictionary of New England states that an Obadiah WOOD of Ipswitch was married (1) to Margaret _____ , who died in childbirth 1667, and (2) to Hazabalponah ______ , who was the mother of several children, including an Obadiah jr, born circa 1668. Savage felt this Obadiah jr was the same as Obadiah WOOD of Hartford; he had fought in King Phillip's War, and was generously paid in land for his efforts. Savage says Obadiah jr married Martha _____ and had 3 children baptized in Hartford (he omits a fourth), and "probably many others".
..... Barbour's Families of Early Hartford stated that Obadiah WOOD of hartford was married to Martha KING (which may have been martha BIGELOW's name at marriage; no proof is intended, However) and that he had the following family:

1 ..... Margaret, bapt 6 Nov 1687 First Church, died young

2 ..... Abigail, bapt 23 Apr 1699 First Church.

3 ..... Margaret, bapt 8 July 1705 First Church.

4 ..... Obadiah, bapt 8 Sept 1706 First Church; m Mehitable _____ .

5 ..... John,

6 ..... Mary,

7 ..... Martha, m John SHAW

8 ..... Samuel.

..... Many questions arise from the above list. If the last four were Martha BIGELOW's children, surely they were (in view of her age) born between 1687 and 1706. If born after 1706 surely then not children of Martha BIGELOW. Or does John BIGELOW imply that Martha's first husband had children from a prior marriage? In viewof Obadiah's birth circa 1668, he would surely not have had a wife prior to Martha BIGELOW. Also, John BIGELOW's will was drawn up in 1703, so when he says children, the plural word implies more offspring than the Abigail above. Lastly, what proof have we that Barbour is correct in calling the wife Martha KING?

Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Volume. I page.17-18;
Howe, Bigelow Family in America;
Savage, Genealogy Dictionary of New England;
BarbourEarly Families of Hartford, CT
Bigelows of New England
http://www.silcom.com/~campbell/genealogy/bigelow.html
Children of MARTHA BIGELOW and OBADIAH WOOD are:

i. JOHN7 WOOD, b. WFT Est. 1674-1702; d. WFT Est. 1680-1782.

ii. MARY WOOD, b. WFT Est. 1674-1702; d. WFT Est. 1680-1785.

iii. MARTHA WOOD, b. WFT Est. 1674-1702; d. WFT Est. 1680-1785.

iv. SAMUEL WOOD, b. WFT Est. 1674-1702; d. WFT Est. 1680-1782.

v. MARGARET (I) WOOD, b. November 06, 1687; d. WFT Est. 1688-1781.

vi. ABIGAIL WOOD, b. April 23, 1699; d. WFT Est. 1700-1793.

9. vii. MARGARET WOOD, b. July 01, 1705, Massachusetts; d. WFT Est. 1747-1800, Massachusetts.

viii. OBADIAH WOOD, b. September 08, 1706; d. WFT Est. 1707-1796.

9. MARGARET 3 WOOD (MARTHA 2 BIGELOW, JOHN 1) was born July 01, 1705 in
Massachusetts, and died WFT Est. 1747-1800 in Massachusetts. She married JOSIAH BURNHAM February 12, 1729/30 in Massachusetts, son of THOMAS BURNHAM and NAOMI HULL.

Children of MARGARET WOOD and JOSIAH BURNHAM are:

i. HANNAH BURNHAM, b. WFT Est. 1719-1746; d. WFT Est. 1725-1829.

ii. IRENE BURNHAM, b. WFT Est. 1719-1746; d. WFT Est. 1725-1829.

iii. CHARLES K. BURNHAM, b. WFT Est. 1719-1746; d. WFT Est. 1725-1826.

iv. OBEDIAH BURNHAM, b. WFT Est. 1719-1746; d. WFT Est. 1725-1826.

v. ERASTUS BURNHAM, b. WFT Est. 1719-1746; d. WFT Est. 1725-1826.

vi. SYLVESTER BURNHAM, b. WFT Est. 1719-1746; d. WFT Est. 1725-1826.

vii. LT. JOSIAH BURNHAM, b. 1731; d. WFT Est. 1732-1825.

viii. THOMAS BURNHAM, b. May 04, 1732; d. WFT Est. 1733-1822.

ix. SIBYL BURNHAM, b. September 26, 1736; d. WFT Est. 1737-1830.

x. MARTHA BURNHAM, b. June 05, 1737; d. WFT Est. 1738-1831.

10. xi. JAMES BURNHAM, b. 1740, Montague, MA; d. January 26, 1787, Montague, MA.