According to the history "Hagans" 1769 to 1887, written by Edwin Ruthren Bruce Hagans, William Hagans parents came to America in 1767 from Sligo, Ireland. His mother's maiden name was Campbell. The father and three of his brothers, John, Robert, and Hugh served in the Colonial Army. This differs some what from the documented family history of this line as it is known now (many thanks to William Lon Hagan, Jr. for elucidating the early lines of this history for me).

In the 1810 Census (from Isabel Defenbaugh) for Barren County, Kentucky, page 52, there is listed a William Hagan with family as follows: free white males under the age of 10: 2 (one of these boys is believed to have been James Conrad Hagans), between the ages of 10 - 16: 1, and 26 - 45: 1 (this is believed to be William). Free white females between the ages of 16 - 26: 1, and between 26 - 45: 1 (this would then be William's wife).

In the 1830 Census (from Isabel Defenbaugh) for Sangamon County, Illinois: Page 194 there is listed a William Hagans with family as follows: free white males 15-20: 1 20 - 30: 1 (this must have been James Conrad his son) 60 - 70: 1 (this must have been William) free white females 5 - 10: 1 10 - 15: 1 40 - 50: 1 (this must have been William's wife).

In the 1840 Census (from Isabel Defenbaugh) for Menard Co., IL, there is listed a William Hagans, as a 70 year old man.

William is listed in the 1850 Census for Bates Co., MO, living in District No. 6, dwelling #138 as William Hagans, a 80 year old farmer born in Kentucky with $200 of Real Estate. Also enumerated in the same household are Elizabeth Hagans (a. 67, bp. KY), and Elizabeth Perrigo (a. 18., bp. KY). John D. Meyers and family were living in dwelling #143 in this census.

The name Hagans is often listed as Hagan in the records.

The Hagans name appears on the tax rolls for Warren County, Kentucky around 1811. It suggests that William's brothers, first John and then Hugh came to the county before William. From Allen County, KY Tax List, 1815-1848, microfilm roll 6:

WARREN COUNTY, KENTUCKY TAX RECORDS

YEAR

NAME

LAND

WATERCOURSE

Entered

WM/B16/TB/H

TVALUE

1811

Hagan John

(record very faint)

1812

Hagan John

Tramiel?

1 - - -

1812

Hagan Hugh

100

1 - - 6

1813

Hagan Hugh

100

Middle Fork?

1 - - 4

1813

Hagan John

1 - - 1

1813

Hagan William

200

F Fork?

170

Little Barren

Wm Dagen

1 - - 7

1814

(record missing)

WM= White Male over 21; B16 = Blacks over 16; TB == total Blacks; H = Horses

Two William Hagans show up in the early Allen County, KY tax rolls. It is assumed one is his son.

ALLEN COUNTY, KENTUCKY TAX RECORDS

YEAR

NAME

LAND

WATERCOURSE

Entered

WM/B16/TB/H

TVALUE

1815

Hagans William

200

Tramiel

Wm Smith

1 - - 5

$700

1815

Hagans Hugh

410

Tramiel

Wm Smith

1 - - 3

$1440

1815

Hagans Campbell

Tramiel

Wm Smith

1 - - 2

$40

1815

Hagans John

26

Tramiel

Wm Smith

1 - - 2

$100

1815

Hagan William

100

Tramiel

B. Fom?

1 - - -

$150

1816

Hagan William

100

Tramiel?

Rowe Thompson

1 - - 3

$340

1816

Hagan William

1 - - 2

$100

1816

Hagan Campbell

100

1 - - 2

$370

1816

Hagan Hugh

365

1 - - 2

$1185

1816

Hagan William

100

1 - - 5

$380

1816

Hagan John

100

1 - - 1

$580

WM= White Male over 21; B16 = Blacks over 16; TB == total Blacks; H = Horses

From Allen County Kentucky (Order Book) Day Book 1826-1837, by Martha W. Jackson (Scottsville, KY, 1992) for Will Hagan (perhaps William Boyd Hagans or his father?):

A Hagans, William and a Hagans, William H. show up listed in the 1830-1849 membership list for the Trammel Fork Baptist Church on the Allen County Kentucky searchable on-line database (extracted from "Minutes of the Trammel Fork Baptist Church 1819-1994, Allen County, Kentucky" by David C. Smith, Pembroke KY). William H. Hagans had been "dismissed by letter" from the church, while William Hagans had been "excluded" (this could be for a number of reasons both major or minor and he could have been reinstated as well).

I initially believed that these Williams could be the same individual or one could be William Hagans' son William Boyd Hagans. There also appears to have been a William H. Hagans (b. BEFORE 1808, bp. ?) who married a Mahala Dixon, 7 Nov 1837, Allen Co., KY. A Hagans, Mahala also shows up on the 1830-1849 membership list for the Trammel Fork Baptist Church. It is not clear who this William H. Hagans' parents are however. There was an additional complication to this, Bill Hagan, a decendant of a William Hamilton Hagans (b. 1804, bp. KY) who married a Jerusha Scholl (Shell), 28 Feb 1828 in Davidson Co., TN, got in contact with me in 2004 and who has been attempting to determine the genealogy of his ancestor for some time. He believed that his ancestors were connected to mine but I had no information to support this connection. Needless to say, the relationships between all these William Hagans remained confused to me for some time..

The Trammel Fork Baptist Church was west of Scottsville, Kentucky. It was a Primitive Baptist Church which was organized in 1807. Several members of the Cockrill family appear to have been members of this church as well. Also later in California, William Hagans' son, John S. Hagans, and his grandson, Alfred H. Hagans, were members of the Primitive Baptist Church in Sonoma County.

A Hagans, John also appears on the 1830-1849 membership list for the Trammel Fork Baptist Church, and may be William's son John Smith Hagans. A Hagans, Campbell also appears on the membership list, which could be another son of William's, Samuel Campbell Hagans. However, on a 2002 entry on RootsWeb, by Virginia Easley DeMarce, a Campell Hagans (b. ABOUT 1793, KY) is listed as a brother of William H. Hagans and a son of a John Higgins. It is this connection to John Hagans which Bill Hagan finally clarified for me.

Additional material about this particular William Hagans is also available from Families of Early Jessamine county, Kentucky.