The story begins with a name you probably haven't heard before. I know I had not! This first part is the family of our GREAT grandmother, Cornelia Francis Agee (Gowin Patton).
There are convincing circumstances that tie our Agee family line to that of Mathieu Agé, a French Protestant Refugee to Virginia. The information in these paragraphs come from other's research and published records.
Born in Nantes France around 1660 - 1670, Mathieu Agé fled with other Huguenots from France during the religious persecutions after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, by Louis XIV. Many Huguenots left France for Holland, and later to England. About 1690 many sailed from England to Virginia where free grants of land were given. Some records say these grants were given for services in assisting William of Orange to secure the British crown. However, and whenever, the Agé family came to the shores of America, we know they were Huguenots, who were former French citizens, largely Calvinists, fleeing from Catholic domination in their homeland and looking for opportunity in a new land.
Mathieu Agé was naturalized with the other Manakintowne Huguenots in April or May of 1705. He married Ann Godwin in Virginia. The name evolved to Agee soon after arriving in Virginia. Absolute connection has not been made to this particular patriarch, however, family members moved to Kentucky, Alabama, and North Carolina, where we find our line, the family of Hercules Agee. Like many families, given names were repeated over and over and there were a number of men named Hercules Agee in the extended family Mathieu Agé. There are many other details pointing to a connection to this family, in addition to this name, but until we know for sure, I'll move forward to the facts that we do know for certain.
One thing to keep in mind is that between 1790 when the very first US Federal census took place, and 1850, when we find our great grandmother in the census for the first time, there were very few Agees in this country. They were all in the areas mentioned, and nearly all can be traced to this family of French Huguenots.
From the records of Agee researchers, well documented with land titles, property tax rolls and the like, it seems that there was a Hercules Agee, born about 1777 in Virginia, who was a son of James Agee and Marie Faure. Most Agee researchers refer to this book for this early period.
"The Agee Register, A Genealogical Record of the Descendants Of Mathieu Agee A Huguenot Refugee To Virginia", by Louis N. Agee, Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, 1982.
We can trace our connection to page 183:
HERCULES AGEE (M-Js), b. _______; son of James Agee & wife Marie Faure; he appears with his father in personal property list Buckingham Co., Va. 1788 (sometimes listed as Arculus); he received 200 acres from his father & 150 acres from Atkerson & Hal in 1797; then 200 acres from Elisha Ford, 100 ac from Harris & 12 acres new grant in 1801; he sold his land to Thos. Cobb & William Purcyear ca. 1817. Does not appear further in Buckingham Records. The census of 1810 shows 1 male under 10, 1-26-45 and 1 female under 10; 1-26-45; 6 slaves. The personal Property list of 1816 lists Hercules Agee, Sr. & Hercules Agee Jr., he m. SALLIE FUQUA, a sister of William Fuqua (see his Will Louisa Co. WB 35-p88-"brother-in-law Hercules Agee".
From this and the following, we can assume that Hercules Sr. left Buckingham, VA, and moved to North Carolina about 1817, or shortly after. A daughter, Mary James Agee was born 12 September 1817 in Buckingham, VA. Her mother, Sallie Fuqua Agee, may well have died in childbirth at that time. She does not appear in the 1820 census. Neither does the "female under 10" from the 1810 census, however, she could have married by 1820, or died. No further mention or record has come to light.
In the year 1820, the census gives the name “Hercles Agey,” as head of a household in Rockingham, Richmond County, North Carolina. Census-takers of the past often offered us a challenge with the spelling of names, and other facts recorded as well, but nonetheless, we are lucky to have these precious records. Though one must match their inventiveness, it must be done with caution and reason. This “Agey” was over 45 years of age, but it tells us little more since these early census records included only the name of the head of household and how many in the home in several age categories. He was evidently a widower, for there is only one “free white” female in the home, and she was under 10 years of age. There was also a “free white” male between the age of 16 and 18 in this home, probably the “male under 10” that appeared on census 10 years earlier.
“Hercles Agey” held 13 slaves (7 male, 6 female), so he had help, not only on his farm, but also with the young, motherless daughter.
Since no other children appeared to have moved with Hercules to NC, unless masked to us under a daughter’s married name, it may be that there were only two or three surviving children, not too unusual at a time of high infant and maternal mortality.
Of some assistance in sorting out this muddy part of the Agee family history are the Estate Records of Richmond County, North Carolina, bound in books by Myrtle Bridges. I've found them to be very useful. I was under a false assumption for some time until studying the copy of Hercules Sr.'s will and the settlement of his estate.
Hercules Sr. died 15 October 1820, leaving as heirs a son, Hercules Jr., a daughter, Mary, and a wife, Sarah. (Since no other children were mentioned, it would give more credence to their being only the two children, Hercules Jr. and Mary, leaving the probability of an early demise of the first daughter.) This death date for Hercules caused some consternation to me. Remember that the 1820 Census did not show a wife. The official enumeration date for the census that year was 7 August. So, it would appear that Hercules Sr. married between August and October 1820. Or, did the census-taker make an error, failing to note the wife? We may never know. Was the "Sarah" mentioned in the will Sallie Fuqua Agee and she didn't die in 1817 after all? In those days, "Sallie" was a common nickname for "Sarah." However, there is more to come on that puzzle.
The daughter, Mary James Agee, lived to over 92 years. It was stated on Mary's death certificate that her mother was Sarah Dumas Agee. Who was Sarah Dumas? It would appear that Sarah Dumas was Mary's stepmother, not her birth mother, if we can rely on the census-taker's accuracy in 1820. That seems the most reasonable explanation since Mary did claim to have been born in 1817 in Virginia and we have records that Hercules Sr. was married to Sallie Fuqua in VA, not Sarah Dumas. But this definitely leaves questions.
To add to the muddied waters, the 1830 census did not show the family of the widow and two children living on their own. In those years, only head of household was named. Either Sarah remarried, or, more likely, Sarah, Hercules Jr. and Mary, lived with relatives and were simply enumerated with them as numbers, not names. Hercules Jr. would have been old enough to appear on his own, but he is not found. Mary did not marry until 1831.
Neither Sarah Agee nor Hercules Agee is found on the 1840 census, though Mary is found with her husband in the neighboring county, Anson County, NC. More on that later.
What we do know is that in 1850 a Sarah Agee, born 1797 in NC, appears in the household of a Hercules Agee in Anson County, NC. But, this Hercules Agee was born in 1822! We will come back to him too, but this brings up more parts of the puzzle than we can comfortably cram in to make a whole picture.
My best guess is that after Hercules Sr.'s move from Virginia to North Carolina, he found a second wife, Sarah Dumas, who was from a nearby family of fellow Huguenots from Virginia. The Dumas family came to NC before 1800. Possibly she was the daughter of Jeremiah Dumas, neighbor of Hercules Agee. There were several Dumas families nearby, however.
Since this third Hercules Agee found in the 1850 census was born after Hercules Sr. died in 1820, he can't have been his son. Besides, Hercules Sr. already had a son named Hercules Jr., born about 1801. So, was Hercules, born 1822, the son of Hercules Jr.? Only further research may be able to tell us that for certain. It would mean that, not only would we have three Hercules in a row, but two or three Sarahs as well. Neither situation would be terribly unusual. Fathers commonly named sons for themselves and their fathers, and Sarah was a very common name. Wherever the ultimate truth might lay, it is apparent that Hercules Jr., born about 1801, died before 1850, for he is nowhere to be found at that time, or later. The 1850 census did name all household members, but did not tell their relationship to the head of household, as later census years did.
1850 Census:
Morven, Anson, North Carolina Page: 172 Roll: M432_619 Agee, Hercules J. 28 M Farmer 7200 NC Elizabeth K. 21 F NC Sarah 53 F NC Cornelia F. 2 F NC James 1 M NC
All were born in North Carolina. Sarah's birthplace of NC only tells us she was either Sarah Dumas, who raised Mary and Hercules Jr. making her this Hercules' step-grandmother, or it tells us that she was the wife of Hercules Jr., thus this Hercules' mother.
To this part in our narrative, we can only assume and surmise until further evidence comes to light, but from the time of Hercules Agee, born 1822, we have solid evidence for our story.