Connections: Bagwell & Beyond

Previously, I wrote about the connection between the Scoggins and Bagwell families. I also wrote about a connection to the Ogletree family that made a more-than-a-decade-long friend into a step-cousin! But since I love to sniff out those crazy and interesting connections everywhere, the story doesn’t end there. In a different branch of my step-cousin Terry’s tree, I noticed one of his grandmothers was a Bagwell. I knew about the other Bagwells in my tree, and saw that Terry’s Bagwell ancestors were also from Georgia. If it were a name like Jones or Smith, I wouldn’t think too much of it–those names are much too common. Bagwell, however, is not an everyday surname.

I traced the lines, moving along the tree branches, looking for a connection. It turns out that Terry’s Bagwell line goes back to a gentleman named Daniel Bagwell. Daniel Bagwell was born in Ireland and died in Wake County, North Carolina, in about 1802 (Ancestry.com, Sons). My friend Terry descends through Daniel’s son John Daniel Bagwell (1761-1855). My great grand aunt Addie Bagwell (from my previous Bagwell post) descends through John Daniel’s brother William Bagwell (1757-1848).

John Daniel Bagwell (1761-1855) was a Revolutionary War patriot born in North Carolina. He died in Gwinnett County, Georgia (Ancestroy.com, Sons). John’s son Henson also came to Georgia and was counted there in Gwinnett County by 1830. By 1850, he was in Hall County. He died in about 1887 (Bagwell). Henson’s son Wiley (1861-?) migrated to Alabama, and Terry’s line ultimately descends there.

On the other hand, William (1757-1848)–John Daniel’s brother–seems never to have lived in Georgia. Neither did his son John “Jack” Bagwell (1776-1838). Jack’s son William came to Floyd County, Georgia–ultimately descending to the Bagwell women described in the earlier post.

Click the image at the top of this post to see a full-size chart illustrating these two Bagwell family lines.

Neither of the Bagwell lines here connect to me by blood. But I wanted to write about them because of the connection with the previous Bagwell and Ogletree posts. Most people focus on their direct-line ancestors, but I also like to explore the entire forest canopy. Venturing out on all those distant branches can take you far and wide throughout history and the present day. Particularly since my family lines are primarily rooted in the same geographical area, studying all the different connections is one of the best ways to learn about local history.

History is not only the “what happened” and the “where.” History is the people… the people who farmed the valleys of my youth for going on two centuries now. The people who filled the land with music. The people who went to school and grew up there. The people who moved away (and those who never came back). Even the people who fended off mad dogs and venomous snakes.

The better understanding I have of the people, the families, and how they connect and cross paths, the better my understanding of history… and, ultimately, of my origins.

SOURCES

Note: Below are the sources cited explicitly in the above text. Additional sources for the lineages discussed are available in the Jordan’s Journey tree at Ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Henson Bagwell: Census Place: Gwinnett, Georgia; Page: 357; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 17; Family History Film: 0007037.

Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Henson Bagwell: Census Place: District 38, Hall, Georgia; Roll: M432_72; Page: 371B; Image: 272.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
SAR Membership Numbers 98146 & 77811

Bagwell, Hunter, comp. Bagwells.com. Web. Accessed 9 Oct 2012.