Finding Richard Bagley

Introduction

In  Was Edward Bagley the grandson of James Bagley? I was trying to provide an argument that showed the possibility that Edward Bagley could be the son of Richard Bagley of Providence, Pennsylvania and the grandson of James Bagley of Nobletown. Recent results from autosomal DNA indicate the descendants of Edward are related to the descendants of other Bagley families from Kentucky and New York. This new information strengthens the arguments previously made.

DNA Results 

I recently submitted a DNA sample to Ancestry. While waiting for the results I entered a family tree showing my confirmed ancestry to Edward Bagley ignoring other lines. I entered Richard V. Bagley (1766) as Edward's father and Esther as his mother. I included Richard's family with Jane Clark. I included the people I believed where Richard's siblings: Elias, Bethiah, Jesse. I added neighbors who reasonably could be the Richard's siblings: Azor, Asher, and John. I entered the next two generations based on previous research and add the generations to Samuel - i.e. James (1730?), James (1704), John Bagley (1668), and Samuel. Filling out the siblings for each of these generations filled out a hypothetical family based on available sources and speculation. I included plausible descendants that I was not certain about and noted the speculation in publicly available comments.

When results were available, I linked the DNA test to the tree I entered and waited for two days for Ancestry to provide me with matches.  Once I had matches, I reviewed the Thrulines, Ancestry's program to match family trees to DNA results. Filtering to just my entered family tree limited the results to 7 couples, one for each generation. My parents had no additional matches - this was not surprising, none of my siblings, children or my siblings' children had submitted samples. My grandparents showed matches with a discrepancy. My grandfather had five additional matches to my grandmother's four. This was caused by the tree my aunt had entered. Based on that tree, Thrulines identified my aunt as my grandmother. The five matches were my uncle's three children, my aunt and one of her sons. My great grandparents added 3 matches - the grandchildren and great grandchildren of my grandfather's younger brother. My twice great grandparents added 45 matches. They were spread across four of my great grandmother's eight siblings. The next generation was Edward Bagley and Julia Ann Grant. This is last generation where there is a consensus on relationships and sources are widely available. Edward and Julia added 181 matches for a total of 234.₁ Richard and Esther are the first point were there is a disagreement on identification. Richard had 4 matches. Esther had 209 matches. I believe the matches for Esther made up of myself and any of my cousins who entered Ether Puffer in their tree or their tree did not contain information about Edward's parents. Individuals who had entered the then current information from FindaGrave were not included.₂ The four matches for Richard were myself and three descendants of Nancy (Bagley) Lutman. This was a strong indication I might be on the right track. The next generation, James Bagley and Sarah showed 10 matches: 7 descendants of John Bagley from Erie county, New York, a descendant of Alfred Bagley of Broome County and a descendant of Edward Bagley of Columbia and Berkshire counties.

Evaluating Thrulines

Because Thrulines are only as good as the information in the trees on Ancestry, they are vulnerable to incorrect or speculative information in those trees.₃ Likewise, changes made to my speculative tree might update Thrulines to add or remove listed matches. Aside from reviewing obvious anomalies, I did not spend time evaluating the Thrulines for Edward or any of the generations connecting to Edward. This history is well documented and is largely accurate. The connection to Nancy was a pleasant find - I had long speculated the man born in Columbia was Edward's father. The 7 descendants of John Bagley partially resolve the coincidence of two Bagley families using the uncommon name Cyrenus. The other descendants of James appear to be descendants of Josiah Bagley through his sons Eli and Joel. Someone incorrectly attributed Joel to his neighbor Edward. They were apparently unaware of Edward's will which listed his living heirs and does not include Joel. Both individuals are then likely descendants of Josiah.₄

This gave me three groups to validate. The next step was to review the shared matches for the individuals identified from Thrulines. The results for Nancy's descendants were not promising. There were no other descendants of Edward listed in their lists. These are distant cousins - half fifth cousins and half fifth cousins once removed. Ancestry claims they can detect fifth cousins 1 out of 3 times.₅ Simulations predict a half fifth cousin has about a 1 in 12 chance of having measurable DNA - a half fifth cousin once removed has about a 1 in 25 chance.₆ With more than 200 samples from Edwards family you would expect multiple members would also match one of the three. The descendants of Josiah and John had multiple members of Edward's family in their lists as expected. 

Moving Beyond Thrulines

Reviewing matches allowed me to add family members who didn't have trees linked to their DNA tests. In the case of parent a sibling relationships, Ancestry's pro tools model seems to be extremely accurate.₇ Using Ancestry's protools, I created a taxonomy to help me identify tests that were associated to specific families and their relationships. Initially I started with five groups: descendants of Edward Bagley, descendants of Nancy (Bagley) Lutman, descendants of John Bagley, descendants of Josiah Bagley, and descendants of my fathers ancestors who are not Bagleys. I added groups as needed.

Once I had my groups, I started updating the family tree to reflect possible relationships from matches. I made a few decisions:  

• I would add individuals up to my grandfather's generation - the purpose of this tree was to help identify Edward Bagley's relatives, not to create a complete list of descendants of any given individual
• I would add or subtract individuals based on the sources and matches found

These efforts resulted in identifying additional matches increase the number of probable family members giving us the following results:₈

• Edward Bagley: 460 matches or probable matches
• John Bagley of Erie County: 27 matches or probable matches
• Josiah Bagley: 7 matches or probable matches
• Nancy (Bagley) Lutman: 6 matches

Grouping matches also highlight the need for additional groups. I added the following groups: 

• for my mother's relatives. The Mormon community is relatively small and over represented in Ancestry's samples. It was not unusual to find someone who was related to my father who had a relative that was related to my mother. Rarely, one of my father's cousins married one of my mother's cousins
• for the Grant relatives of Edward's wife Julia (Grant) Bagley - Julia is the youngest of an unusually large family and some cousins intermarried. Some of Julia's relatives show up in the lists of shared matches for almost all descendants of Edward.
• for my father's family that is not related to the Bagleys. 
• for the Decker family. The Deckers are a large and prolific family from New York with roots back to New Amsterdam. They lived in the same counties as the Bagleys from at least 1760 to 1800. Any matches with ancestors from New York could plausibly be connected to this line rather than a Bagley line.
• for any Bagley lines that had a common ancestor outside of groups already identified

Some individuals belonged to more than one group and were marked with more than one group. For example, my grandmother and grandfather arranged a date between their first cousins. The cousins eventually married and their descendants are marked both as descendants of Edward Bagley and descendants of my father who do not fall into another group.

Methods for Reviewing Matches and Results

The first pass was to review shared matches for individuals identified by Thrulines.  This allowed me to group matches and identify relationships with a reasonably high confidence. For example, I quickly identified from my aunt's test, my uncle, her four children and one grandchild, and my uncle's three children, expanding tests for my grandparents from five to ten. Using the same methodology, I expanded number of identified tests for the descendants for Edward Bagley, Nancy Bagley, John and Josiah Bagley. The second pass involved looking at shared matches that didn't fit into one of the groups that we shared but were distantly related. This showed the need to group and flag members of my mother's family, the Grants, and the Deckers and to separate them from the other descendants of my father's family. When groups of closely related people were identified, I grouped them together and reviewed their common ancestors. When possible, I identified a tentative connection to James Bagley's family based on location and relative age. From this pass I added the following groups:

• The descendants of Able D. Bagley of Tioga, Pennsylvania
• The descendants of David Bagley of Columbia, NY
• The descendants of John and Prudence Bagley
• The descendants of James Bagley and Frances French
• The descendants of Ira Petty and Caroline  Hoffman

The third pass involved searching share matches trees for the name Bagley. This pass added additional matches for the families identified. I found a few matches with distant connections to Samuel Bagley. This pass also identified matches that were descendants of Orlando Bagley. Additional passes searching for families that married identified daughters of probable members of the Bagley families failed to add identifiable matches. 

Interpretations and Hypotheses

I have identified 30 matches and possible matches for Abel D. Bagley of Tioga. Abel was born in Pennsylvania in the last decade of the eighteenth century.₉ His descendants show a large number of shared matches with the descendants of Edward Bagley. His birth place, birth date, and the region he lived in leave me to believe he is probably a descendant of James Bagley of Nobletown, possibly a child of one of his sons that settled the Wyoming river valley.₁₀ Asher, John, Elias, Richard, Jesse and James have at least one record in the Wyoming area. Azor may also be present.₁₁ Asher moved to the Northwest Territory and eventually to what would become Arkansas. John moved to Erie county NY. Elias moved his family to Venango, Pennsylvania. Richard moved to Kentucky. Jesse moved to Michigan. James' records are difficult to follow. We know James Bagley has at least one child born between before1780.₁₂ Based on census records, Richard could have as many as 6 children born before 1810; the oldest son born before 1790. Because Abel didn't migrate out of Pennsylvania, I suspect he is probably the child or James or Richard. There is an off chance he is a child of Azor. Tentatively I am putting Abel with Richard. Additional information is needed to make a better placement.

I have identified 21 potential descendants of David Bagley of Columbia. David's first wife is possibly a member of the Decker family.₁₃ Nine of the the matches are descendants of his first wife. The remainder are descendants of his second wife, indicating David likely shares a common ancestor with Edward. Two of David's children are represented by the matches - Daniel Bagley, son of his first wife, and Prudence, daughter of his second wife. Currently, FamilySearch identifies David's parents as John Bagley and Esther Pitcher.₁₄ The amount of shared DNA and the number of shared matches possibly indicates closer relationships to the families from Columbia county than the one reported in FamilySearch. Coupled with David's presence in Columbia county leads me to believe he is possibly the son of John and  Prudence Bagley. Additional information is needed to confirm the family is correctly identifying David's father as either John Bagley.

I identified 21 descendants of John and Prudence Bagley among my matches. This includes descendants of sons, John and Daniel, and daughter Mercy Bagley Bixby. John moved his family to Ohio. Daniel and Mercy remained in New York. This strengthens the claim that John and James the proprietors of Nobletown are brothers. It also shows the John that moved to Ohio is part of this family.  The family in Ohio indicates the mother of this family is Rhoda Renselaer. Baptismal records in New York indicate the oldest son, John is the son of Neeltji Shufelt.₁₅ This would reorganize the family with at least the eldest two children, John and Sally, being the children of Neeltlji. The children born in Ohio are likely the children of Rhoda - there are no records of Neeltji in Ohio and she would have been 50 when the first son was born in Ohio. The middle children are hard to place. Either woman could be the mother based on the children's ages. There is no identified marriage record for Rhoda, nor death record for Neeltji.

I identified 5 descendants of James Bagley and Frances French among my matches.  These are exclusively the descendants of their son Allen. James Bagley likely migrated to Arkansas with Asher Bagley. Asher is possibly a son of James Bagley and brother of Richard Bagley. Reminisces of Independence indicates James and Asher are brothers.₁₆ Currently I have the James Bagley listed as the son of Asher. If Asher were the brother of Asher, James would need another wife. Additional information is need to clarify the relationship between the two men - the age difference between the men is 23 years. Josiah Bagley, possibly Asher's brother, was born 8 year prior. While it is possible the same woman had children 31 years apart, it is very unusual. Additionally, the James Bagley from the Wyoming valley is possibly Asher's brother.

I have 12 descendants of Caroline (Hoffman) Petty. Caroline was the widow of Ira Petty of Tompkins county, New York who died during the Civil War in Virginia. Family trees on Ancestry list her maiden name as Bagly. The only document showing a maiden name is the death certificate of one of her daughters who migrated to Pennsylvania. Shared matches indicate the shared ancestor is likely a member of one of the Bagley families in New York. Caroline is possibly a descendant of Conrad Hoffman a palatine immigrant to New York in the 18th century. His descendants settled in Dutchess county, New York. A Georg Hoffman, also known as Jurrian, and Magretha Moor baptized children in Kinderhook. It is plausible a daughter of John and Prudence married a son of Georg and Magretha.

The two matches descended from Samuel Bagley are not related to any other matches with Bagley connections, likely indicating the DNA match is from another line. Similarly the four matches descended from Orlando Bagley are not related to the other Bagley families. The match may represent shared DNA from the small number of people in Colonial New England prior to 1750. 

Discussion

The parents of Edward are contested. The first evidence we have of someone identifying Richard of the Wyoming valley is a query in Boston Evening Transcript.₁₇ The query was published on May 18, 1940. The source record was obtained from the Genealogical Society of Utah indicating the query likely came from a descendant of Edward. Later publications identify Richard of Amesbury and Esther Puffer as Edward's father.₁₈ The Identification of Richard as Richard of Amesbury is still current among many members of Edward's family. Later census records for the children of Edward identify his birth place as New York, perhaps indicating the children had performed research showing Edward was born in New York in spite of the sources created during his lifetime. This may have been reflected in John Grant Bagley's assertion his father was born in New York.₁₉ The DNA evidence appears to support a birth in New York: the descendants of Edward are related to several families with origins in New York. 

The relationship between Richard V. Bagley and Edward is less certain. DNA matches at lower levels indicate several possible relationships from relatively close to very distant. For example, my matches with 10 cM include fourth cousins related through Edward Bagley, fifth cousins related through William Grant, and ninth cousins related through Tristan Hillman. These relationships are well documented and the trees for these individuals do not have glaring mistakes. All five individuals descended from Nancy (Bagley) Lutman share 11 cM with me. They are not matched to any other descendants of Edward Bagley. Some are matched to other Bagley families in New York. Since Ancestry does not map DNA to specific chromosomes, I can not determine if all five individuals share the same markers and if those markers may have come from a common ancestor. 

Sharing DNA with two individuals who are also related doesn't indicate all three share a common ancestor. I have reviewed the available trees for the descendants of Nancy and find, aside from Richard, all of their ancestors have origins south of the Mason Dixon line. My ancestors who settled in North America prior to 1850 are  exclusively from  New England and New York, it is extremely unlikely we share a common ancestor through those lines prior to the European settlement of North America. If Richard is not the common ancestor responsible for the matches, the ancestors would likely be from the British Isles and would likely make the descendants of Nancy very distant cousins to me.₂₀ This raises my confidence the identification of Richard as a common ancestor. 

There are no matches to the descendants of Nancy's younger brother Richard. He appears to have many descendants. The lack of matches has a few possible sources:

• The descendants of Richard have not submitted DNA tests to Ancestry. 
• The descendants of Richard submitted tests to Ancestry, but the test do not match mine based on Ancestry's algorithm. 
• The people identified as descendants of Richard are not descendants of Richard and/or Richard has no living descendants.₂₁ 

Finding relatives of Edward or other related lines with share matches for the families of Richard T W Bagley would strengthen the connection between Richard V Bagley and Edward. 

The descendants of  John Bagley of Erie county include descendants of both of his probable sons, John A and Gilbert. Matches fall between 8 and 46 cM. Ancestry identifies these as relatively close relationships. Because some of these individuals also match my uncle and cousins I can use Blaine T. Bellinger's DNA painter to evaluate the results by comparing two people with the same relationship to show possible relationships. When evaluating the shared matches with my uncle and cousins, the range of possible relationships included those expected if John and Richard are brothers. The matches that can be evaluate eliminate more distant relationships. The matches are on the higher side of the distribution - the 80th percentile of the comparison sample. The relationships predicted by DNA painter appear to be more accurate than the relations predicted by Ancestry. The closer relationships predicted by Ancestry invite speculation there is a second shared line between John and Richard. There is little information about the women who married John and Richard. John's wife may be named Elisabeth based on a land record that may be for this family. Richard's wife Esther is only named on Edward's patriarchal blessing. The measure DNA falls into the expected ranges. While additional related lines may increase amounts, the increase would not push the measurement outside the expected range. The available DNA measurement does not support or exclude the possibility these two women are related - perhaps sisters or close cousins. 

Matches to descendants of Josiah Bagley confirm he is likely related to his neighbors James and John. This man is possibly Lt. Josiah Bagley of the New York Line.₂₂ The matches are descendants of his two sons Eli and Joel. Unfortunately, there are no descendants of his two daughters. Had I identified matches to Margaret Bagley Adsit, it would have increased the likelihood the father of Eli and Joel is Lt. Josiah.

Summary and Further Areas for Research

Based on the information available to me through Ancestry DNA, Edward Bagley is probably the son of the Richard Bagley born in Columbia county in 1766 who migrated to Luzerne County, and from there to western New York, Kentucky, and Missouri. The descendants of Edward appear to be related to the descendants of Nancy Bagley Lutman, a daughter from Richard's last marriage in Kentucky. Additionally, descendants of Edward are related to families from western New York that are possibly descendants of James and John Bagley the proprietors of Nobletown.   Matches for the descendants of John Bagley and Edward partially explains the use of the name Cyrenus in both families, possibly indicating a common origin. Matches for the descendants of Josiah Bagley raise the possibility Josiah is Richard's brother rather than his cousin. The inclusion of families related to John Bagley support the contention the James and John Bagley, the proprietors of Nobletown, were probably brothers. Matches included descendants of John who settled in Green county and confirmed the John Bagley who settled in Green county likely migrated to Ohio with his last wife.

Matches indicate the family of Abel Bagley is related to Edward Bagley. Abel's birth place is identified as Pennsylvania possibly indicating Abel was born to one of the men who settled in the Wyoming valley.  Matches to the descendants of James Bagley of Arkansas confirm sources that connect his family to Columbia county and indicate he is probably related to the proprietors of Nobletown. The matches for descendants of Caroline Petty confirm that family's oral tradition that Caroline's maiden name or the maiden name of her mother is Bagley and they may be related to the families from Columbia county. 

Ancestry DNA has provided valuable information but left open several questions for further research including:

• The mother of Edward remains a mystery. Are descendants of her relatives listed among the matches for Edward's family? If so, how would they be identified?
• The connection between Edward and Abel is high speculative. Does the family of Abel have additional information that might identify how he is connected to the families from Luzerne county and Columbia county?
• Is Lt. Josiah Bagley the father of Joel and Eli?
• How is Asher Bagley related to his neighbor James? How are they related to the family in Columbia?
• How is Caroline Petty related to the families from Columbia? 

End Notes

¹At this time, the number of matches has grown by two as additional members of this family have submitted DNA tests or updated a public tree so it could be matched against mine.

²When I started this project FindaGrave identified Richard of Amesbury as Edward's father and Richard's wife Sarah Bailey as his mother. For the public trees I checked, my relatives that were not listed as matches had Richard and Sarah listed as Edward's parents. FindaGrave has since been updated to reflect the identification of Richard V. Bagley as Edward's parent. 

³FamilySearch has this same issue with View Relationship. 

⁴Josiah Bagley's identification is a puzzle for another day. There are two (possibly related) families claiming Lt. Josiah Bagley is part of their family. Alfred Bagley noted his grandfather was born in Massachusetts and had two sons and two daughters. One daughter remains unidentified and adding Lt. Josiah's daughter who remained in Columbia county would supply the missing daughter. The descendants of Thomas Gray Bagley claim Josiah, but there are some discrepancies in the described relationship. If this is correct, Josiah would likely be Thomas older brother born in Manhattan.

⁵Cousin statistics (https://isogg.org/wiki/Cousin_statistics) 

⁶How often do two half relatives share DNA? (https://hapi-dna.org/2020/11/how-often-do-two-half-relatives-share-dna/)

⁷Pro Tools enhanced shared matches allows you to review a list of shared matches with the predicted relationship to the user selected. This allowed me to not only see who was related but also how they were related. The Ancestry model seems to overweight close relationships. This works very well for relationships where there are very few choices. This is very helpful when there is a parent or sibling listed. For relationships that are further out, I found the two suggested relationships were not often not the ones I confirmed with available sources. Gedmatch has a relationship predictor that is more accurate. For example for 15c match AncestryDNA predicts a fourth cousin or half third cousin twice removed relationship. GedMatch's Relationship Probability Calculator predicts only a 1 in 20 chance that this will be the correct relationship. I suspect AncestryDNA is modeling based on the relationships users confirm and users are more likely to be able to confirm closer relationships. The Ancestry model also uses statistical phasing to assign matches to each parent. This is usually correct - I've only found one instance in the 1000 or so matches reviewed where the parent Ancestry assigned did not match the expected parent.

⁸Results from 2 June 2025. Matches where I could identify the exact relationship through shared appropriately sourced family trees or a close relationship genetic relationship - parent or sibling to a match. Possible matches indicate individuals who were closely related (2nd cousin or closer) to matches but I couldn't necessarily identify the exact relationship, e.g. there were three or more possible relationship based on the amount of DNA, but the individual likely shared a common identified ancestor.

⁹Depending on which census you believe, Abel was born either 1791 or 1800.  

¹⁰Asher, John, Richard, Jesse and James have at least one record in the Wyoming area. Azor may also be present. Abel would be the right age to be one of the males listed in the 1800 census with either Richard or James Bagley. There is a James Bagley in Pittstown in 1800. There is a Richard Bagley in Seneca NY in 1800. Both households have at least on male child under 10.

¹¹Ezra Bagley heads a household in Luzerne county PA in 1790. This could be Azor or Elias misheard.

¹²James stated he had one child in his 1780 petition to Congress. See James Bagley of Westmoreland Revisited. 

¹³David's first wife is possibly Christina Decker. If she is correctly identified she would be my first cousin seven times removed i.e. she is the first cousin of my 5g. grandfather or we share 7g. grandparents.

¹⁴John is the great grandson of Samuel Bagley of Weymouth. He is probably a cousin of the proprietors in Nobletown. 

¹⁵John was baptized at Hillsdale in 1807. His mother's brother and wife are the sponsors.  

¹⁶Arkansas History Commission. Publications of the Arkansas Historical Assoc. Vol 3, 1911. pg 344  Asher had a son with Catherine House named Asher. It is not clear which Asher is James' brother.

¹⁷"Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQW-MVKM?view=explore : Jun 14, 2025), image 6 of 9; New England Historic Genealogical Society. Image Group Number: 101799769

¹⁸A History of Documents: Richard Bagley and Esther Puffer See also "Family Group Records Collection, Archives Section, 1942-1969," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QR-98BJ?cc=2060211&wc=WWXQ-X4N%3A352088201%2C352159401 : 20 May 2014), B > Bagley, James David - Bahr, Hans Hinrich > image 198 of 1339; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, compiler, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

¹⁹See Some Descendants of Richard Bagley and of his son Edward Bagley of New Brunswick and Salt Lake. (1973)  and John Bagley record book, 1894

²⁰The proposed family tree has 10 generations from me to Samuel Bagley. My other lines in colonial New England and New York vary between 9 and 13 generations. I expect this is fair representation for most of my cousins. 

²¹Richard T W Bagley married a cousin of Stonewall Jackson prior to the Civil War. They had two daughters. He and his wife separated. There is a sensational 1855 newspaper article detailing a later marriage and possible bigamy. The wife from the later marriage was involved in a series of lawsuits in the 1870's. In those lawsuits she purports Richard died circa 1863. In the 1880's a man named Richard T W Bagley is living in Texas with a large family consisting of a wife born in Illinois and several children born in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. The daughters from his first marriage were cared for by his wife's uncle. Probate records show the uncle acting as their guardian until his death in 1869. This presents two plausible scenarios: Richard died during the Civil War and the person in Texas had assumed his identity, or Richard disappeared and didn't emerge back into public view until 1880. If it is the former it is unlikely the family in Texas would be closely related to me.

22 See The Mysterious Lieutenant Josiah Bagley and A Wildly Speculative Reconstruction of the Descendants of Josiah Bagley and Ann Lockwood of Fairfield, Connecticut. There are two families with plausible origins for Lt. Josiah Bagley. Either could be correct.

Reconstructing the family of Deacon Micheal Peffer/Pfeffer of New York.

On 15 July 1709, Miggel Peffer, a wife and two children sailed with the Fifth Party of "poor Palantines" to leave Holland for England. Michael Peffer and his wife, Anna Maria, are listed as Palantines that remained in New York in a 1710 census. Catherine the widow of Michael and their son Michael received assistance between 1710 and 1712 in New York. On the first payment they received funds for two adults. On the last payment they received payment for two adults and one child under 10. Michael and Anna Maria Pfester had a son Johannes baptized in New York in 1711 by Johannes Kocherthal.  Michael and Anna Maria Pfeffer had a son, Johannes Marcus, baptized in New York City in 1713 in the Collegiate Church. Michael Peffer registered as a  freeman laborer in 1715, Michael and Anna Maria Pfeffer and their three children are listed as successful immigrants in New York City in the Simmendinger List published around 1717. Three more children are recorded in the baptismal records of Collegiate Church. Michel Pfeffer, a deacon in the Collegiate Church died and was buried in 1727. Anna Maria Hofman the widow of Michael Peffer married Christianus Stouwer in 1729. Christian Stouber and his wife Anna Maria or Maria sponsor baptisms in Collegiate Church for various families through 1754.

These records, mostly available online as secondary sources, transcriptions, and translations seem to chronicle a single family. Interpreting these records to reconstruct the family has lead researchers to various conclusions. 

The Hossloch/Leeheim Reconstruction

 

Johan Michael Pfeffer married Anna Maria Hoffman in Hossloch, Pfalz, 29 July 1703. Two daughters of this couple may have been baptized in Leeheim in 1707 and 1709. (Lutheran Church Records) Leeheim is roughly 50 miles downstream from Hossloch. Each is in the correct general area for the refugees that moved to England. Johannes, Michael and Anna Maria's first child recorded in the new world, was baptized 1 May 1711 in New York City. (The Kocherthal Records) The witnesses were Johannes Planck and Anna Kunigunda Wannenmacherin. Anna Kunigunda is likely Anna Kunigunda Kornmann, the wife of Johan Deitrich Wannenmacher. Their marriage record from 29 November 1710 lists both from Leeheim. (The Kocherthal Records) This raised the possibility the Peffers and Wannenmachers were neighbors in Europe.

• In this reconstruction John Michael, Anna Maria and their two daughters went to England in 1709. Michael's mother Catherine traveled to England separately, either as a widow or with her husband who died in transit. Catherine did not travel in the ships that have records. Michael and Anna Maria's daughters died in transit. 
• Or Michael, Catherine and their son Michael and daughter-in-law Anna Maria are the four people who left for England in 1709. The two daughters died before their parents and grand parents left. Michael, the father, died in transit.

Both of these options appear to be contradicted by the New York Subsistence List as reported by Knittle. In 1710 Catherine, widow of Michael and son, Michael received provisions for two adults. In 1712, they received provisions for two adults and one child under 10. 

New York Marriage Reconstruction

 

Michael and Anna Maria may have married shortly before Johannes birth in New York.

• Anna Maria Hofman and Michael Peffer immigrated to New York separately: Michael with Micheal, Catherine and an unidentified sibling. Anna Maria with one of the Hoffman families. 
• Or Anna Maria Hofman is descended from an earlier German immigration and was born in New York or New Jersey. 

Michael, the father, would have died in transit; Catherine died sometime in 1710 - the first provision for Catherine and her son Michael, the last provision for Michael, Anna Maria and Johannes; Michael and Anna Maria are listed in the 1710 census. The unidentified sibling may have died in transit or shortly after arriving in the new world, or may show up as one of the witnesses in the baptismal records. For example, Michael Pfester [sic] is listed as a witness for Johannes and Maria Magaretha Planck's son's baptism. The families are clearly connected. We don't know if this is simply being part of the same community, or if they were neighbors in the old world, or if they have a family connection. Michael's unidentified sibling may be among the witnesses and sponsors in Church records.

Two Families Reconstruction

Michael Pfeffer, the son of Catherine and Michael Pfeffer, may not be the person who married Anna Maria Hofman. This might be a way to reconcile the contradictions in the other two models.

• In this reconstruction John Michael, Anna Maria and their two daughters went to England in 1709. Michael and Anna Maria's daughters died in transit. Michael and Ann Maria are not listed in the subsistence lists.
  
• Catherine and her son Michael traveled separately to London and are not in the ships lists. They show up in the subsistence lists. Catherine dies between the first subsistence list and the last. Michael marries and has a child. They are not listed in any other New York records possibly moving out of New York to another colony.

There are no concurrent records indicating two men, for example, the same name listed on census records from two different locations or the same name listed twice.

Notes and Sources

Primary sources are in the provincial records of  New York, the records of Rev. Joshua Kocherthal, the records of the British Colonial Office and the records of the Collegiate Church. I have been working with secondary sources that transcribe and/or translate the original Dutch, German, and English records. These sources are:

• Knittle, Walter Allen. Early eighteenth century Palatine emigration; a British government redemptioner project to manufacture naval stores. (Dorrance and Co. : Philadelphia), 1937. (https://archive.org/details/earlyeighteenthc00knit/mode/2up)
  
•  MacWethy, Lou D. The Book of Names, Especially Relating to the Early Palatines and the First Settlers in the Mohawk Valley. (Enterprise and News : St. Johnsonville, NY), 1933. (http://threerivershms.com/names.htm)
• O'Callaghan,Edmund Bailey. "List of the Palatins Remaining at New York, 1710", The Documentary History of the State of New-York. (Secretary of State : Albany), 1850. 563.
• Pelletreau, William H."Abstracts of Unrecorded Wills Prior to 1790 on File in the Surrogate's Office, City [i.e. County] of New York, 1665-1800," Collections of The New-York Historical Society, 35 (1902) 85-6.
• Dutch Reformed Church Records from New York and New Jersey. Holland Society of New York, New York, New York.  (available from Ancestry)
  

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  

James and Edward Bagley - Columbia County, New York and Berkshire County, Massachusetts

Good Morning Folks,

It's the Fourth of July. Fold3 opened the Revolution War Pension records for the holiday. Due to the diligent indexing work of the employees at Fold3, I was able to find a Revolutionary War Pension application for Abraham Humaston, (Record Group 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007. NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. Humaston, Abraham. Pension R. 5369.)

The heirs of Abraham Hummiston [sic] applied for his Revolutionary war pension under the Act of 1832 from Albany County, NY on 11 March 1846. They believed he had filed an application for a pension 20 years prior that was still pending when he died in 1843. The file includes a rejection dated 28 February 1826 for Abraham Humerston, based on his name not being in the rolls for Col. Swift's regiment. In 1832, he applied again listing the following service:

• 1775 Capt. Ford's Company of minutemen in Green River (Chatham, Columbia, NY)
• May 1776 enlisted in Wyoming (Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, PA) Capt. Durgee or Durkee's Company
• He continued with Durgy's until he was in the hospital in Morristown (NJ)
• He joined Col. Peirson or Parson's Regiment in Newark, NJ and was discharged in New Haven, CT in Aug. 1782

Among the affidavits supporting the 1832 application is a one from James Leggett of Berne, New York dated 23 May 1837. James Leggett states that Abraham named two witnesses that could prove his claim - James and Edward Bagley of Sheffield, Massachusetts. Mr. Leggett went to Sheffield:

"I went last Monday to the town of Sheffield aforesaid for the purpose of finding James Bagley and Edward Bagley, but on enquiring learned that they were dead. That James Bagley had been dead sometime and Edward Bagley died this spring. I also learned on enquiring of several persons in that town that the said James Bagley and Edward Bagley were reputed to have been soldiers in the Revolutionary War, but they were men of considerable property, and had never applied for pensions."

James Bagley of Nobletown, Providence, and Hector is likely the James Bagley Leggett was seeking. He had extensive land holdings in Nobletown - 2 sixty-fourths and 1 256th which translates into roughly 600 acres. He purchased land in Providence soon after arriving in 1776. He had extensive lands in Luzerne County when he left in the early 19th century. He served in Durkee's Company, the same Company as Abraham.

Edward Bagley (1761-1837) is likely the Edward Bagley Leggett was seeking. He has an extensive record of land transactions in Columbia and Berkshire counties. He served in the 9th Albany militia. He died in April, 1837.

Edward's widow Fanny and some of his children were still in Columbia and Berkshire counties after Edward's death. If they were the source for Leggett's information, the family of Edward was aware of James death. It is plausible the families are closely related. Edward may be the son or nephew of James Bagley.

This gives us a list of men named Edward Bagley who could be related to James:

1. Edward Bagley of Columbia, New York - James and Sarah's son or nephew
2. Edward L. Bagley of NYC - the son of Lewis Bagley and grandson of Edward of Columbia
3. Edward Bagley of Erie, New York and Superior, MI  - possibly a son of Jesse and Phebe Bagley and grandson of James
4. Edward Bagley of Superior, MI - teenager living with Jenks and Phebe Bagley in 1850 - likely a son; ie grandson of Jesse, g. grandson of James
5. Edward Bagley of New York, New Brunswick and Utah - possibly the son of Richard, grandson of James

A tentative family tree for Edward Bagley New York, New Brunswick and Utah looks like:

Edward Bagley (about 1809 - 1868) is the son of Richard Bagley (about 1775 to after 1811) and Esther [Peffer?] (about 1780 - )
Richard is the son of James Bagley (before 1742 - after 1810) and Sarah (about 1740 - ) of Nobletown, Providence, and Hector
James is the son of James Bagley (1704 - ) of Fairfield and Bethia Munroe (1711 - ) daughter of David Munroe
James is the son of John Bagley (1668 - ) of Weymouth and Fairfield and Mary Jackson (1670 - ) daughter of Joseph Jackson
James is the son of Samuel Bagley (1634 - 1711) of England and Weymouth and Mary

Bagley Families in Columbia County New York and Berkshire County Massachuttes

As far as I can tell, Lt. Josiah Bagley (1759 - 1848) settled in the area of Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York. His grave is across the border in Riverside Cemetery, Egremont, Massachusetts,₁ which was the Green River Cemetery in Green River, New York.₂ Another Josiah Bagley (1756 - 1831) is also buried in Riverside cemetery. This is likely the father of Eli Bagley.₃ This may be the Josiah Bagly who served as a private in Van Ness' Albany County Militia - Ninth Regiment.₄ The Ninth Regiment also contains a John Bagly. Edward Bagley, James Bagly and John Bagly were granted land bounty rights for service in the Ninth Regiment.₅ The Ninth Regiment was raised in Claverack which became part of Columbia County.₆ The Church Records of St. James Church in Great Barrington list children born to couples named Bagley living in Nobletown:₇

• Rhoda, Benjamin and Hannah, children of John and Prudence₈
• Elias son of James and Sarah₉
• David, son of Abigail₁₀

Columbia county is a crossroad for people heading west from all over New England. There are different identifiable unrelated and distantly related families migrating at the same time. Lt. Josiah is possibly the great grandson of John Bagley(b 1668) through his son Josiah (b1702).₁₁ John Holroyd Bagley(1806-1891) who settled in Hudson, is probably Josiah's cousin through his grandfather David Bagley(1752-1793), the grandson of Joseph Bagley(1672-1746) of Providence, RI - John's brother.₁₂ The John Bagly who served in the Ninth may be John Bagley (1731-1797) who appears on one of the first Juries in 1787₁₃ and in the 1790 Census₁₄. He is likely buried in Collins Cemetery.₁₅ He may be the father of Rhoda, Benjamin, and Hannah.

Edward Bagley (1761-1837) may be the Edward that received the land bounty for service in the Ninth; he would have been about 16 at the time of the campaign which would have been in the ages defined by the Continental Congress.₁₆ Edward was married at least twice and had several children. He served as a justice of the peace and supervisor in Hillsdale.₁₇ He contracted several land transactions in Columbia and Berkshire Counties in the first decades of the 19th century.₁₈ There is no clear record if he is related to any of his neighbors from the same generation.

James Bagley, the father of Elias and husband of Sarah, is probably not the James Bagly that received land bounty rights from NY. James and Sarah likely migrated to North Eastern Pennsylvania where he serve in the Connecticut 24th.₁₉

¹"Find A Grave Search Results." Find A Grave Search Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2017. <https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSfn=Josiah&GSmn=&GSln=Bagley&GSbyrel=all&GSby=&GSdyrel=all&GSdy=&GScntry=4&GSst=21&GScnty=1174&GSgrid=&df=all&GSob=n>.
²"Lieut Josiah Bagley (1759 - 1848) - Find A Grave Memorial." Lieut Josiah Bagley (1759 - 1848) - Find A Grave Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2017. <https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Bagley&GSiman=1&GScid=2181015&GRid=42315000&>.
³"Delaware County, New York; history of the centu...." Delaware County, New York; history of the centu.... N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. "Biographical review : this volume contains biog...." <https://archive.org/stream/delawarecountyne00murr#page/390/mode/2up/>.; "Biographical review : this volume contains biog...." Biographical review : this volume contains biog.... N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2017. <https://archive.org/stream/biographicalrevi02bost#page/n487/mode/2up/>.
⁴"Documents relative to the colonial history of the ... v.15. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library." Documents relative to the colonial history of the ... v.15. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2017. <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002002201292;view=1up;seq=330>.
⁵"New York in the Revolution as colony and state;...." New York in the Revolution as colony and state;.... N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2017. <https://archive.org/stream/newyorkinrevolut00newy#page/230/mode/2up>.
⁶"Albany County Militia: Organization." Albany County Militia: Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2017. <http://www.nyhistory.net/drums/militia_albany.htm>.
 ⁷Nobletown is now part of Hillsdale, NY and Egremont, MA.  See "In Search of Nobletown." Hillsdale Historians. (https://hillsdalehistorians.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/in-search-of-nobletown/, Accessed 24 March 2019)
⁸St. James' Church records (1903) 53. (https://archive.org/details/stjameschurchrec00grea/page/n17)
⁹St. James' Church records (1903) 58. (https://archive.org/details/stjameschurchrec00grea/page/58)
¹⁰St. James' Church records (1903) 61. (https://archive.org/details/stjameschurchrec00grea/page/62)
¹¹A Wildly Speculative Reconstruction of the Descendants of Josiah Bagley and Ann Lockwood of Fairfield, Connecticut (https://rabbithelpdesk.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-wildly-speculative-reconstruction-of.html)
¹²John Holroyd Bagley and John Holroyd (https://rabbithelpdesk.blogspot.com/2017/06/john-holroyd-bagley-and-john-holroyd.html) Luther Bagley: a follow up on John Holroyd Bagley (https://rabbithelpdesk.blogspot.com/2017/11/luther-bagley-follow-up-on-john-holroyd.html)
¹³Ellis, Franklin. History of Columbia County, New York. (Everts & Ensign : Philadelphia, 1787) 59. (https://archive.org/details/historyofcolumbi00ever/page/58)
¹⁴p"United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKP-6FF : accessed 23 March 2019), John Bagley, Hillsdale, Columbia, New York, United States; citing p. 231, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 6; FHL microfilm 568,146.
¹⁵"John Bagley (Unknown-1797) - Find A Grave Memorial." John Bagley (Unknown-1797) - Find A Grave Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 March 2019 <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22642392/john-bagley>
¹⁶The Continental Congress set the age for militia between 16 and 50. United States Congressional Serial Set, Volume 2809. (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1891) 9.
¹⁷Collin, John Francis. A history of Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York. (Philmont, New York: 1883).  58, 80. (https://archive.org/stream/historyofhillsda00coll#page/n39/mode/2up)
¹⁸You can see these lists of transactions in the land record index books available on FamilySearch:

Columbia County Grantor Index 1772-1925 A-G. 67.  "New York Land Records, 1630-1975," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9W7-F2BD?cc=2078654&wc=M7HG-T6N%3A358136801%2C358136802 : 22 May 2014), Columbia > Grantor index 1772-1925 A-G > image 65 of 716; county courthouses, New York.

Columbia County Grantee index 1772-1925 A-D. 67. "New York Land Records, 1630-1975," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89W7-H5YH?cc=2078654&wc=M7HP-F29%3A358136801%2C358190301 : 22 May 2014), Columbia > Grantee index 1772-1925 A-D > image 53 of 494; county courthouses, New York.

Berkshire County Southern District Deed index (grantee) 1825-1874 A-Z "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9Z8-7HKY?cc=2106411&wc=MCBT-829%3A361613101%2C362632901 : 22 May 2014), Berkshire > Deed index (grantee) 1825-1874 A-Z > image 29 of 592; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.

Berkshire County Southern District Deed index (grantor) 1825-1874 A-K "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9Z8-3JMG?cc=2106411&wc=MCBT-6WG%3A361613101%2C362638201 : 22 May 2014), Berkshire > Deeds 1836-1839 vol 75-76 > image 474 of 619; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.

¹⁹James Bagley of Westmoreland County Connecticut