I was traipsing through the gordian knot that is the Bagley families of New York, separating the various records of William Bagley into William born in New York and William born in Massachusetts. To make things interesting both lived in Brooklyn, at about the same time and were about the same age. I couldn't rely on my standard go to of newspaper stories to separate the two men.1 William from Massachusetts died in 1869 and had parents - David and Dorothy from Amesbury. In addition, his death was recorded in Amesbury leading many to confuse him with the gaggle of William Bagleys born in the last decade of the 18th century. I decided to tackle the records for David and Dorothy's descendants, to document clearly who belonged in which family.
David Bagley (1804-1886) was David and Dorothy's youngest son I can find on record. He had three children: Elizabeth Smith Bagley (1832-1888), Sarah Ann Bagley(1837-1917) - who was known for most of her life as Annie, and William David Bagley(1843-1920). Annie is one of the five parents of Lizzie Macdonald.2 Working through Annie's story lead me to Lizzie.
Lizzie Macdonald was born to Otis and Rhoda (Morgan) Chase in January 1858 most likely in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire.3 In the 1860 census, Liza H. Chase and her older brother, Frank W. Chase, were living with their parents in Seabrook, New Hampshire. In 1864, Otis Chase died and Rhoda Chase dropped from the record.4 In the 1865 Massachusetts census, brother and sister are living with Otis' older sister, Lydia A (Chase) Folsum and her husband, Joseph P. Folsum listed as Frank W. C. Folsum and Lizzie H. C. Folsum. Lydia died in 1868. In 1869, Joseph married Anne S. Bagley. The 1870 census lists the family with Joseph, Annie, Frank and Lizzie. Frank married Lizzie Bailey in 1880 and moved into his own home. Lizzie married Theodore A. Mcdonald in 1895. Lizzie and Theodore continued to live with Annie. Annie died in 1917. Lizzie died in 1935. Theodore listed her parents as Joseph Folsom and Annie Bagley. Theodore died in 1952.
1Running a search for the name William Bagley in any archive with Brooklyn newspapers leads to a lot of interesting articles. There are plenty of Bagley families running around Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. In addition to the two New England families, starting in the 1820s you start seeing Irish immigrant families with the name.
2Lizzie's five parents are Otis Chase, Rhoda Morgan, Joseph Fulsom, Lydia Ann Chase, and Annie Bagley.
3There is no New Hampshire birth record for Lizzie - her birth date is base on the 1900 census and the birthplace is based on her death and marriage records.
4I believe Otis was buried in Elmswood cemetery in Seabrook, New Hampshire. There are other members of his immediate family in the cemetery - his father, mother and at least one sister. The age given at the time of death would match his age as listed on census and marriage records.
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