Was Edward Bagley the grandson of James Bagley?

Introduction

 

Edward Bagley of New Brunswick and Utah is possibly the grandson of James and Sarah Bagley of Nobletown, Providence, and Hector. Evidence is largely circumstantial and incomplete. Base on the available evidence, James and Sarah likely had a son named Richard, have strong ties to Connecticut and potentially have four other relatives named Edward and relatives named Cyrenus. Records put a man named Edward Bagley in close proximity to descendants of James Bagley and present a logical reason for Edward's migration to New Brunswick and coincide favorably with family traditions and contemporary records referring to Edward from New Brunswick.

Previous Research

 

Largely what family historians believe about Edward Bagley is based on oral traditions kept by various branches of Edward's family. The traditions are inconsistent and sometimes contradict publicly available records created before and during Edward's lifetime. The family has published these traditions in various books, charts, and family newsletters. The most widely held tradition is Edward Bagley was born on 18 February 1815 in Hartford, Connecticut to Richard Bagley, the youngest son of Isaac and Mehitable Bagley of Amesbury and Esther Puffer the daughter of Amos Puffer. Richard and Ester were married or had an affair about 1814. Richard, along with his sons, moved to New Brunswick in search of timber for the New England shipbuilding trade.

Published family histories available online present variations of this this tradition. The earliest is Maude B. Allen's Samuel Allin (1756-1841), Revolutionary War soldier of North Carolina and Kentucky : a record of his many descendants, 1756-1960. On page 227 there is an un-sourced chart that connects Edward Bagley of  New Brunswick and Salt Lake through his father to Orlando Bagley back to the prophet, Joseph Smith. The chart lists dates that match the family of Richard Bagley of Amesbury. Edward's birth date is given as 18 February 1815. This is the earliest publicly available document that associates Edward Bagley with Richard Bagley of Amesbury and gives a maiden name for Edward's mother. On this chart the name for Edward's mother is given as Esther Peffer. Maude is likely compiling the information received from members of John Grant Bagley's family.

Norton Russell Bagley published a series of manuscripts about Bagley families.  Some Descendants of Richard Bagley and of his son Edward Bagley of New Brunswick and Salt Lake was published in 1973. Based on the introduction, research was conducted mostly by contacting individuals and asking for family relations. Norton stated in Descendants of Richard Bagley there was no "Richard Bagley had dates that would match the father of Edward Bagley" and identified Samuel Bagley of New Brunswick without identifying a relationship with Richard. He identified Amos Puffer's daughter, Esther Puffer, as the married wife of Richard Bagley and referenced the Puffer genealogy by Charles Nutt for dates. Nutt lists birth and death dates for Esther. He does not list any reference to a marriage between Esther Puffer and Richard Bagley. Norton gives Edward the birth date of 18 Feb 1815, notes the record of John Bagley showing Edward was born in New York, and notes other accounts put his birth in Hartford, Connecticut.

Bagley family history : the story of William Henry Bagley, Hannah Brunyer, their Progenitors and Progeny was published by the William Henry Bagley Family Association in 1987. The editors compiled work from several sources including un-sourced pedigree charts showing Richard Bagley of Amesbury and Esther Puffer of Jamaica as Edward's parents. Frances B. Thorn, a granddaughter of Edward provided a biography of Edward and his sons and largely glossed over Edward's parents simply stating that Edward moved from Connecticut where he "was born and worked in the shipping business with his father and brother Richard," to New Brunswick. 

Martha Bagley Halverson published A lasting legacy : the Bagley family history since 1628 in 1997. On page 39, she recounts the family story about Richard and Edward Bagley. She identifies Richard Bagley as Richard of Amesbury, states he was a sea captain, and identifies Esther Puffer - with the dates of Amos' daughter - as the mother of Edward Bagley. She gives Edward the birth date of 18 February 1815. Halverson states "Their son, Edward, told his own children that his father was Richard Bagley and his mother was Esther Puffer." From the bibliography, Halverson lists the journals of John Bagley and Hawley Bagley and interviews with family members as sources. Martha's sources are then Edward's grandchildren and great-grandchildren with written sources from one child.

Clell V. Bagley published Edward Alma Bagley, 1847-1929, His Life and Families in 2005. Clell references the names of Edward's parents from Edward's Patriarchal Blessing in 1855. He refers to a Bagley Bulletin that refutes the identification of Edward's parents as the son of Amos and Esther Puffer of Jamaixa. Clell lists Edward's birthday as Feb. 18, 1815, but acknowledges other records list his birth in 1810 and 1807. Clell lists a land transaction for Edward in 1833 and his marriage that same year.

These five histories and public records agree on key points:

• Edward Bagley was in the lumber business in New Brunswick
• Edward Bagley lived in New Brunswick from 1832 to 1855
• Edward joined the Mormon Church in 1855 and migrated to Utah
• Edward's father was named Richard
• Edward's mother was named Esther
• Edward married Julia Grant in 1833

The disagreements between the histories and public records raise the following questions:

• When and where was Edward born?
• What are his father's origins?
• What is his mother's maiden name? What are her origins?
• How and when did Edward migrate to New Brunswick? Who if anyone migrated with him?

Clues

Identifying Edward's Birth Place and Date from Original Records

Records created during Edward's lifetime - the 1860 census and Edward's LDS church records give his birth place as "CT", "Old Hartford, Connecticut" and "Hartford, CT". 

His son John Bagley wrote in his diary that his father was from New York. Census records for Edward's children put Edward's birthplace in New York, Connecticut, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, England, Massachusetts and Maine. 

Child	1880 Census	1900 Census	1910 Census	1920 Census	1930 Census
Charles Stewart Bagley (1835-1913)	England	Conn.	Conn.
John Bagley (1836-1923)	New Brunswick	New York	New York	New York
William Henry Bagley (1841-1923)	New York	New York	New York	England
Joseph Smith Bagley (1845-1897)	New York
Edward Alma Bagley (1847-1929)	Connecticut	New York	New York	New York
Cynthia Ann Bagley (1849-1928)	New York	Conn.	Canada
Hyrum Alvin Bagley (1854-1932)	New Brunswick	Conn.	Mass.	New York	Maine

Considering Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820 and the boundary between New Brunswick and Maine was settled during the life of Edward, we should consider Maine, Canada, Massachusetts, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to be same place. Charles Stewart's birth place, as well as his mother's birthplace were also identified as England in the 1880 Census. This would indicate either the informant did not know the birth places, or considered Canada part of England. England then should be included with these border lands. Based on census information given for his children, Edward was born in Connecticut, New York, or the contested borderland between Maine and New Brunswick.

The family consistently reports Edward's birth in 1815. External records support an earlier birth date. Census and church records put Edward's birth before 1810. The earliest uncontested record of Edward Bagley is a land transaction - John C. Grant and Abisha his wife sold land to Edward Bagley on 14 July 1832. John is likely the brother of Julia Grant. This is 15 months before Edward's marriage. Edward would be 17 to 25 at the time. In the English colonies of North American, Edward would need to appear at least 21 to purchase land; otherwise, he would need a guardian or parent signature on the contract. Edward signed without a parent or guardian. If he is 21 or older he would have been born in or before 1811.  The 1860 US Census lists Edward's age as 50, making his birth date in 1810. LDS Church records list his birth date as 1807 in the Provo First Ward records and 1809 in his patriarchal blessing. 

For Edward's parents we are looking for a Richard and/or Esther Bagley living in Connecticut, New York, or the contested boundary between Maine and New Brunswick. Ideally, they live in a place that was or is identified as Hartford, or they moved to a place early enough that Edward could misidentified it as his birth place. Ideally, we expect they could appear in records at that location from around the time of Edward's birth and shortly thereafter - roughly from 1800 to 1820.

Mother's Maiden Name

Martha Bagley Halverson identified the maiden name of Esther as Puffer based on the family's oral traditions. Samuel Allin lists the maiden name as Peffer. The uncertainty of the tradition tells us the children likely never met their paternal grandparents. They would not have any direct knowledge of them. Since oral traditions may change over time, the difference makes it likely the actual name sounds like Peffer and Puffer. So in addition to looking at families named Puffer, we should also consider German names like Pfeifer, or Peffer and their English transliterations, Pepper and Peppers, To identify Edward's mother we are looking for a family that lives near a Bagley family with any variant of these names.

Edward's Migration to New Brunswick

As I noted in Edward Bagley: Working Hypotheses, there is an Edward Bagley who joined the US Army in 1829 in Rochester. He is listed as 22 at the time he enlisted and reported his birth place as Connecticut. He did not list a city. He was part of a unit that was building fortifications along the US Canadian border. That unit was stationed at Hancock Barracks in Houlton, Maine. In December 1831 Edward is listed as deserted. If this Edward was stationed in Houlton at the time, this would put him 11 miles and 7 months from the earliest land record for Edward in New Brunswick. This migration would not require any family members in New Brunswick and would explain why there is no direct knowledge of Edward's parents among his children. While this Edward could have traveled to Rochester from anywhere on the East coast, he could also be located near family members. We may be able to identify possible members of Edward's family in and around Rochester. We would expect to find records between roughly 1820 and 1830 for his family.

Family Names

It was a common practice in last half of the 18th Century and the beginning of the 19th Century for colonial English families to follow naming conventions that named children in honor of ancestors. While the practice was not universal, commonly the eldest son was named after his father, the second after his paternal grandfather and the third after the maternal grandfather. Larger families would use other family members such as uncles for sons. Families also often converted family names into first names for sons - so an unusual first name may be the maiden name of a grandmother or great grandmother. A family with a large number of men named Edward or men named Cyrenus could be part of the family of Edward Bagley of New Brunswick.

Comparing Clues to Richard son of James Bagley of Nobletown, Providence, and Hector

Origins for Richard Bagley

As I have shown previous, in James Bagley of Westmoreland County Connecticut, James and Sarah Bagley likely had at least four children - Elias, Bethiah, Richard and Jesse. The first record we have of Richard is in the 1790 census when he is listed as the head of household in Providence, PA. In 1798, he is living on land owned by Elias Bagley. He apparently moved with James to the finger lakes region of New York. In 1803, Jesse and Richard Bagley are listed in the New York tax rolls for Milton, New York (modern Genoa). In 1809 Richard purchases land in Hector, New York. In 1811, he sells that land to Jesse Bagley. At about the same time, Elias also buys and sells land in Hector, New York.

I have found three other records that may refer to this Richard:

• In 1817 a Richard Bagley, Cordwainer, enlisted in the US Army in New Orleans. He was born about 1774 in Columbia County, New York. 
• Richard Bagley, merchant, aged 50 entered New York in 1825. 
• Richard V. Bagley applied for a Revolutionary War bounty in 1833 from Christian County, Kentucky. He claimed he was born in 1766 in Hudson, New York and he served as a substitute for Samuel Darling in the Ninth Albany Militia. His claim was denied. The Ninth Albany Militia was raised in the area that would become Columbia county. Three men named Bagley appear on the rolls of the Ninth Albany Militia during the Revolutionary War - James, John, and Edward.₁

It is not clear whether each record refers to the same individual, or if they refer to the son of James and Sarah.

Family Connections to Connecticut

 

James and John Bagley are listed as proprietors in Nobletown in 1764. Many of these families came from western Connecticut or were disgruntled tenants of Robert Livingston. James and John were likely from Connecticut. James and Sarah's daughter, Bethia, was baptized in 1773. At  about the same time James Bagley, Elias Bixby, and Zacher H. Squire purchased a partial right in the Susquehannah Purchase. Elias Bixby was likely from Fairfield, Connecticut. The Bixby and Bagley families seem to be closely aligned. Besides being neighbors in Nobletown and Westmoreland, Connecticut, John Bagley's daughter, likely James' niece, Mercy, married Elias Bixby's grandson, Hull.


James Bagley and his wife Bethiah Munroe lived in the same general area of Fairfield as Elias Bixby. James and Bethiah's daughter Lydia was baptized in Westport. A Lydia Bagley married George Grimes in Sheffield, Massachusetts in 1757. James Bagley the father of Lydia is the son of John Bagley.  The proprietors of Nobletown could be named after James and his father. The daughter of James, Bethia Bagley, could be named after her grandmother, Bethiah Munroe. This would follow common naming conventions for English colonial families.

Tentative Family Tree for Jame Bagley and Bethia Munroe

The migration path from western Connecticut, to western Massachusetts and then to New York was common. While it is far from definitive, the children of James and Bethia are probably James, John and Lydia.

In the Nobletown records, James Bagley was chosen to advocate the legitimacy of the Nobletown claim over the claim of Robert Livingston. In Luzerne county he was strong advocate for the Connecticut claim over the Pennsylvania claim. James served in the Westmoreland Independent Company during the Revolutionary war as part of the Connecticut Line. From these records, we can see James identified strongly with Connecticut and may have passed this attitude on to his children and grandchildren.

Neighboring Peffer Families

 

In Pennsylvania and New York, Richard's family lived close to families with a variation of the family name in Edward's family oral tradition. John Pepper is listed as a head of household in Luzerne County in 1790 in the same enumeration district as Richard and Ezra Bagley. Michael and Peter Phiper or Phifer are listed in Milton, NY in 1800. Michael Peffer or Pipher is also listed on the 1799, 1800, and 1803 New York tax roles in Milton. Each record likely refers to the same person. Richard and Jesse Bagley are listed in the Milton 1803 tax rolls. These records would put Richard Bagley, the son of James, in close proximity to families with a name that would match family oral tradition.

 

Old Hartford

 

In the 1820 Census an Elias Pagley is living in Avon, New York. This is likely the son of James Bagley. Elias moved his family to Irwin Township, Pennsylvania. In 1826 he purchased land there. He moved there with his wife Phebe and sons Alanson and Azor. The ages of these sons match the ages of the individuals listed in the 1820 census in Avon. Alanson was born in Pennsylvania at the time Elias Bagley lived in Luzerne County. Azor was born in New York after the family would have moved to New York. This parallels the family of Jesse Bagley, whose elder son, Jinks, was born in the Wyoming river valley and whose younger son, Jesse, was born in New York. 

Avon is south of Rochester. When Avon was settled in 1797 it was called Hartford. The name was changed to Avon in 1808. The last records for Elias and Richard in Hector is 1810 and 1811.  An Elias Pagley is listed in Avon in 1820. This 1820 federal census shows a possible presence in Avon. The pension application for Jenks Bagley  puts the family of Jesse Bagley in the area around Rochester at the same time. If Richard moved his family with his brothers' families, or if Edward was cared for by his uncles he could have been in the area at least through the middle of the 1820s. Edward Bagley who enlisted in the US Army in 1829 would then be a long time resident of  the area. This Edward would then be connected to Old Hartford through the family of James Bagley. 

 

Shared Family Names

 

Shared family names sometimes indicate a relationship between two families. The family of James Bagley has potentially four men named Edward Bagley.

1. Richard's brother Jesse moved his family to Michigan. His son Jenks likely had a son named Edward. 
2. At the same time Jesse and his sons Jenks and Jesse moved to Michigan, Edward Bagley from Erie county, New York purchased land in that same part of Michigan. Jenks' pension applications put him in this part of New York prior to moving to Michigan. Edward's age would put him in the gap between Jenks and Jesse making it possible he is a brother.
3. During the Revolutionary War, an Edward Bagley was listed on the rolls of the Ninth Albany Militia. This man later was a neighbor of John Bagley in Columbia county. While no direct connection to James or John can be found, Edward's age and residence mean he could be 
• a son of James who remained in New York when his father moved to Westmoreland county, 
• a son of John Bagley, or 
• a brother of Lt Josiah Bagley from New York City
• someone from another Bagley family

The first three possibilities for Edward would make him a brother or cousin of Richard.
4. Edward Bagley of Columbia county has a grandson named Edward.

The family of James son, Jesse, has one, possibly two men named Edward. Edward Bagley the neighbor of John Bagley is possibly a son, nephew, or cousin of James Bagley.

Possible Descendants of John Bagley named Edward

The name Cyrenus is attached to Edward by tradition - no records from his lifetime list this name. There are two men named Cyrenus Bagley with no known connection to Edward - Cyrenus Chapin Bagley and his son Cyrenus Augustus Bagley. A tenuous connection can be drawn between the families. John A Bagley is the father of Cyrenus Chapin Bagley. In Holland Land Company records, John A. Bagley and Gilbert Bagley assumed the payments of John Bagley. Often, children would assume the payment on land after a parent died. It is likely John A and Gilbert are the sons of John Bagley. According to a family bible, John A was born about 1795 in Pennsylvania. There is a John Bagley listed in Providence, PA in the 1800 Pennsylvania census. If John A. were born in the Wyoming Valley, John could be James' neighbor and possibly James' son named after his brother and grandfather.

Summary and Future Research

Edward Bagley of New Brunswick and Utah is possibly the grandson of James and Sarah Bagley of Nobletown, Providence, and Hector. Based on records created during Edward's life time, Edward was likely born before 1811. He identified his birthplace as Connecticut; however, his family identified his birthplace as Connecticut, New York and border between Maine and New Bruinswick. Oral family tradition gives Edward's mother the maiden name "Peffer" or "Puffer". His children likely did not know their grandparents or other members of their father's family. An Edward Bagley joined the US Army in 1829 in Rochester. The unit he joined was stationed on the northeastern border between the United States and the British Colonies. This individual deserted in December 1831. Edward first purchased land in New Brunswick in 1832. It is likely this is the same person.

Richard, the son of James and Sarah Bagley, is a possible match for the father of Edward Bagley based on the existing records and oral traditions. We can match the details recorded about the father of Edward to this man:

• Richard would have been in New York at the time of Edward's birth. This is one of the three places identified by his children. 
• Before Edward's birth, this Richard lived near families with names that match the traditional maiden name of Edward's mother. 
• James, Richard's father, was likely from Connecticut and has a documented affiliation for Connecticut. Edward may have confused the family being "from Connecticut" with his birth place.
  
• Elias, Richard's brother, likely lived in Avon, New York which was known as Hartford prior to 1808. Richard may have lived in or visited this Hartford, offering a possible explanation for "Old Hartford" on Edward's church records.
• Richard's brothers and nephews lived in the Rochester area through the middle of the 1820's showing the family was present in that part of New York, shortly before Edward Bagley enlisted. 
• Richard's family has one and possibly as many as four men named Edward, not counting Edward Bagley of New Brunswick, making it plausible Edward is a family name.
• There is a tentative connection between this family and the family of Cyrenus Bagley of New York, Ontario and Michigan.

The following further research is needed:

• We don't know what happened to Richard after 1811. We can not show that Richard had children or married. No records have been found identifying a woman who could be his wife. We don't know if Richard is the cordwainer in New Orleans, the merchant in New York, or the pension applicant in Kentucky.
• We can show the unit Edward Bagley joined was stationed along the Canadian border and at various times, parts of it were in Maine. Existing muster rolls available  for the US Army might show where Edward Bagley was stationed between 1829 and 1831 and confirm how close he was to the New Brunswick border.

Western New York was the frontier at the time James Bagley's family lived there. Records are scarce and incomplete. As records from this era become available, we have a clearer picture of James Bagley and his family. This picture presents a plausible story showing Edward could be the grandson of James Bagley.

¹Samuel Darling and men named Bagley served in the Ninth Albany Militia during the Revolutionary War: Asher Bagley; John Bagley, likely the brother of James Bagley; James Bagley - possibly the man who served in the Connecticut Line; and Edward Bagley. See New York in the Revolution as a Colony and State. pp. 116, 117, 230