According to his death certificate, Josiah W. Bagby was born in Buckingham County on Wednesday, September 23, 1835. His parents were Jesse Bagby and Annie Armitage. Unfortunately, we will never likely have an actual birth certificate for Josiah. On February 24, 1869, the Buckingham County Courthouse burned to the ground, likely due to arson (see the link at the bottom for more information about the fire).
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| Cropped image of Map of the Virginia Central Rail Road showing the connection between tidewater Virginia, and the Ohio River at Big Sandy, Guyandotte and Point Pleasant; made by W. Vaisz Top. Eng. accessed 2020.01.29 at https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3881p.rr006010/?r=0.586,0.359,0.194,0.085,0. Map in the public domain. |
The first document that we actually see Josiah on is the 1860 US Census, taken just before the start of the Civil War.
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| Cropped image from the 1860 US Census. |
In this census, we find Josiah and his wife, Martha Ann Kidd living in Fluvanna County, Virginia (the first image above shows the proximity of Fluvanna and Buckingham counties). Josiah and Martha, at this time, have a small family with two daughters, Willy (born abt. 1857) and Annie (born 1858).
What is interesting about the cropped image above is that Josiah and Martha are shown two entries above Martha's parents, Samuel Kidd and Hannah Tillman. At this time I have not done enough research on Samuel Kidd and his family to know if John Kidd, who is between the entry for Samuel and Josiah, is related to Samuel and possibly Martha.
I also cropped the image to show the entry in the column to the right. That column, which contains the number 70, is for the value of personal estate in the census. Josiah lists his value as 70. The empty column to the left of that, is for the value of real estate. Since it is blank, I assume that Josiah and Martha are renting the home that they are living in, quite possible property belonging to Samuel since he has a large real estate value listed.
In the 1870 and 1880 US census records we still find Josiah and Martha in Fluvanna County, but in a different location. And by this time, their family is now complete with seven more children: Mary P. (abt. 1861), Fannie B. (abt. 1865), John William (abt. 1869), Amanda E. (abt. 1869), Samuel H. (abt. 1871), James E. (abt. 1872) and Melvin R. (1877).
Our story picks back up in 1900 with Josiah and Martha living in a rented home in the Fairfield District of Henrico County with their son James and his wife Annie. In the Richmond City Directory for 1903 we find them now living at 1215 27th Street. In the 1910 US Census, they are still living with James and Annie, and still at 1215 27th Street. The census tells us that they are again renting their home.
But our story takes a sad turn when, on Wednesday, November 5, 1913, Josiah dies at home. Josiah died due to cancer of the prostate and bladder. His doctor notes on the death certificate that he had taken care of Josiah since June of that year for cancer. Josiah was buried two days later at Oakwood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, which is less than one mile from their house.
What is interesting about the cropped image above is that Josiah and Martha are shown two entries above Martha's parents, Samuel Kidd and Hannah Tillman. At this time I have not done enough research on Samuel Kidd and his family to know if John Kidd, who is between the entry for Samuel and Josiah, is related to Samuel and possibly Martha.
I also cropped the image to show the entry in the column to the right. That column, which contains the number 70, is for the value of personal estate in the census. Josiah lists his value as 70. The empty column to the left of that, is for the value of real estate. Since it is blank, I assume that Josiah and Martha are renting the home that they are living in, quite possible property belonging to Samuel since he has a large real estate value listed.
In the 1870 and 1880 US census records we still find Josiah and Martha in Fluvanna County, but in a different location. And by this time, their family is now complete with seven more children: Mary P. (abt. 1861), Fannie B. (abt. 1865), John William (abt. 1869), Amanda E. (abt. 1869), Samuel H. (abt. 1871), James E. (abt. 1872) and Melvin R. (1877).
Our story picks back up in 1900 with Josiah and Martha living in a rented home in the Fairfield District of Henrico County with their son James and his wife Annie. In the Richmond City Directory for 1903 we find them now living at 1215 27th Street. In the 1910 US Census, they are still living with James and Annie, and still at 1215 27th Street. The census tells us that they are again renting their home.
But our story takes a sad turn when, on Wednesday, November 5, 1913, Josiah dies at home. Josiah died due to cancer of the prostate and bladder. His doctor notes on the death certificate that he had taken care of Josiah since June of that year for cancer. Josiah was buried two days later at Oakwood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, which is less than one mile from their house.
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| Photo of tombstone at Oakwood Cemetery, Plat B, Section 5, Lot 11, Part 2; 3101 Nine Mile Road Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia. © Edward R. Olsen 2020.01.31. |
But our story doesn't end there. In January 1914, Martha submits an application to receive a pension due to widows of Civil War soldiers. At this time I do not know anything else about his service in the Civil War. But I mention this document to highlight how unfortunately poor Josiah and Martha appear to have been through their lives.
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| Cropped image from a digital copy of the Civil War widow pension application. |
In the cropped image above, Martha indicated on her application that she had no real estate and that her personal property was valued at $25. Based on the application it is then surprising that she was able to afford a tombstone for Josiah when he died four months earlier. Unfortunately, when Martha died in 1922, there apparently was not any money left after her burial, and she is buried in the family plot without a tombstone.
How I'm related to Josiah and Martha Bagby:
Josiah BAGBY = Martha Ann KIDD
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John William BAGBY = Lulu BURTON
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Saunders A. BAGBY = Mary Marjorie VOORHEES
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Wife's Father = Wife's Mother
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Me = Wife
References:
https://slateriverramblings.com/2013/02/09/buckingham-courthouse-arson/
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| Photo of Oakwood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, Plat B, Section 5, Lot 11, Part 2 with arrow identifying the location of the unmarked grave for Martha A. BAGBY. © Edward R. Olsen 2020.01.31 |
How I'm related to Josiah and Martha Bagby:
Josiah BAGBY = Martha Ann KIDD
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John William BAGBY = Lulu BURTON
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Saunders A. BAGBY = Mary Marjorie VOORHEES
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Wife's Father = Wife's Mother
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Me = Wife
References:
https://slateriverramblings.com/2013/02/09/buckingham-courthouse-arson/
Wow, he lived 78 years which is quite old for the times. I always love finding records of family and to learn a little bit about their stories. Good job!
ReplyDeleteYou've done a wonderful job telling the Bagbys' story. My husband has ancestors in that area of Virginia and Buckingham County is a tough go to research because of that fire.
ReplyDelete