Jacob (or Isaac?) Hagler (b. c.1750?) may have been born in North Carolina, possibly in either Wilkes County, or perhaps in what is now Mecklenberg County, the latter being created in 1762 from the western part of Anson County, and parts of which later became Cabarrus County. However, very little is known about Jacob, and nothing is known for certain. Because the man we assume to be Jacob also seems to be identified in some genealogies as Isaac, perhaps his actual name is Isaac Jacob Hagler, or Jacob Isaac Hagler? German custom often led families to give their sons the same first name, which typically was the same first name as the father, and then differentiated between the brothers by their middle names. Some thoughts on Hagler Family Origins are covered elsewhere.
The source for the name Isaac Hagler seems to be a 1927 typewritten manuscript by Flora Lusk Ward in the Los Angeles Public Library, which states only that an Isaac Hagler was "born around 1750 [and came] from North Carolina to Illinois [in] 1818, the year Illinois became a state, accompanied by four of his sons." Unfortunately this manuscript provides only vague references, which cannot be confirmed. However, a North Carolina deed, or related legal document, is said to exist that contains the following information: "Nov 1, 1818 - Jacob Hagler of Union Co, IL gave or sold land to Philip Hagler (son) of Montgomery Co, NC. (or Nov 16, 1818, sold all of his land)." This would seem to indicate that the patriarch of the Hagler family that settled Jackson and adjacent Union Counties in Illinois was named Jacob, not Isaac. Because the only source for the name Isaac Hagler seems to be the Ward (1927) manuscript, this may indicate that the name Isaac is simply incorrect. However, the question is far from settled.
In addition to the Ward (1927) document, there is census and deed information. Because neither a Jacob (or Isaac?), nor his sons appear in the 1818 State Census when Illinois became part of the Union, but some of his likely sons do appear in the 1820 Federal census for Jackson County, an 1818 date for their arrival is reasonable. Also, there is the aforementioned Nov. 1, 1818 deed that mentions a Jacob Hagler of Union County, Illinois and his likely son Philip Hagler of Montgomery County, North Carolina. This would seem to support an 1818 date for the arrival of the Hagler family in Illinois. Because Jacob Hagler does not appear in the 1830 federal census for Illinois, but his sons Philip, John, Peter and Paul do appear, we can probably assume that Jacob had either died by then, or moved elsewhere.
Part of the reason for the confusion is that several Jacob Haglers exist. We know for certain of two Jacob Haglers, each of whom lived in North Carolina about the same time, and each of whom was the son of a different John Hagler. Furthermore, each of these John Haglers in 1765 bought land in North Carolina, but in different parts of the state.
The first Jacob is the son of Ol' John Hagler (d. 1772) who was born in Switzerland, came to America, and acquired in 1765 some 255 acres of land on the east side of Dutch Buffalo Creek in what was then Mecklenburg County, but which in 1792 became Cabarrus County, North Carolina. This Jacob Hagler married twice, and had several sons. He was also the brother of John "the Cripple" Hagler (d. 1811) of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, about whom much has been written. John Blair Hagler, who has done considerable research on this branch of the Hagler family, believes that Jacob Hagler of Dutch Buffalo Creek had a "son or two migrate to Illinois" (personal communication, 2015). It is possible that this Jacob Hagler is the father of the Philip, John, Peter and Paul Hagler of southern Illinois who follow. However, many would argue that the origins of the Illinois Haglers lies elsewhere.
The second Jacob Hagler is the son of a John Hagler (d. 1816) who was probably also born in Switzerland, also came to America, and acquired in 1765 some land on the western side of the Pee Dee River in the fork between the Rocky and Yadkin Rivers, in what at that time was Anson County, North, Carolina. This area is known as the Pee Dee Valley. John Blair Hagler was told by descendants of this family that because of fevers associated with "bad water", the Pee Dee Valley Haglers relocated many tens of miles upstream (to the northwest) towards the headwaters of the Yadkin River to a part of Wilkes County, North Carolina that later became Caldwell County. Apparently there is a fair amount of information about this John Hagler, and some information on his son Jacob in the History Room of the Lenoir Public Library in Caldwell County, North Carolina. It seems less likely that this Jacob Hagler is the father of the Philip, John, Peter and Paul Hagler of southern Illinois who follow, but we cannot discount the possibility.
We have yet another Jacob Hagler who is said to have came from North Carolina, but ended up in Walton County, Georgia, where he appears in the 1820 Federal census. His land subsequently became a part of Henry County, which was formed in 1821 from Walton County, and he appears in Henry County during the 1830 census, which is the last mention we have of him. Although some genealogies equate this Jacob Hagler with the Jacob Hagler of Dutch Buffalo Creek, this seems less likely. Others tie him to the Pee Dee Valley Haglers, and this relationship seems to better fit the available evidence. However, there is still some doubt. Some of his family did indeed spend time in Jackson County in southern Illinois, but we have not been able to tie any of them to the Hagler family of Union County, Illinois that we document in the lineage that follows.
Then of course there is the Jacob Hagler we seek - the ancestor of the Hagler family that ended up in Union County, Illinois. He may be the same person as one of the foregoing Jacob Haglers, he may be one of their cousins, or he may not be related to them at all. Because Wilkes County, North Carolina is most often mentioned as the birthplace of the Hagler pioneers who settled southern Illinois, and because Wilkes County sits closer to Cabarrus County (about 60 miles distant) than to Anson County (about 100 miles distant), one might argue a closer relationship of the Illinois family to the Dutch Buffalo Creek (Cabarrus County) family than to the Pee Dee Valley (Anson County) family. But this is circumstantial evidence, and some members of the Pee Dee Valley Haglers did indeed move north at one time to what was then Wilkes County (now modern Caldwell County) before moving on to Tennessee and Illinois.
There is also DNA evidence that ties the southern Illinois Haglers to the Dutch Buffalo Creek Haglers - specifically the DNA shows that the southern Illinois descendants of one Peter Hagler (1787-1855), who is discussed in more detail below, are cousins of the North Carolina (Cabarrus County) descendants of the John "the Cripple" Hagler (d. 1811), whom we mentioned earlier. But one could argue that all branches of the Hagler family are somehow related, and that DNA testing would show all of them to be cousins anyway. Suffice it to say that despite many online opinions on the origins and ancestors of the southern Illinois Hagler family, neither are known with any certainty.
One last thought concerns an online genealogy that mentions a Jacob Hagler, who is said to be the patriarch of the Illinois branch of the family, and who may "have been a Tory during the revolution and suffered for it". Although this seems conjecture at first, Hagler (1997) repeats a similar story with some elaboration. Apparently John Hagler of Dutch Buffalo Creek, the father of one of our Jacobs, served in 1771 with a contingent commanded by Captain Hugh Waddell on behalf of the British Governor of North Carolina. Waddell tried to aid the Governor's forces in a skirmish against some rebellious colonists at the Battle of the Alamance Creek in the years leading up to the American Revolution, but they arrived the day after the fighting ended and never fired a shot. Thus, Jacob Hagler was not a Tory, but his father did indeed bear arms on behalf of the king. Furthermore, Jacob's father is believed to have died on or about May 22, 1772, soon after the battle, and if his death was related in some way to Alamance Creek, then one could imply that he suffered for being a Tory. However, we need to bear in mind that this Jacob Hagler may or may not be the ancestor of the southern Illinois Haglers we document below.
Jacob (or Isaac?) Hagler, said to the oldest son, supposedly was born sometime before 1775 in North Carolina, but his existence is not a certainty. If this son did exist, then it would appear that he and his father both used the names Isaac and Jacob, which would make it very hard to differentiate between them in the records. There is a probate document for an Isaac Hagler who died in Jackson County, Illinois on April 3, 1844, but we believe that this document pertains to an Isaac Hagler who was the son of the Peter Hagler described below, and therefore the nephew of the Jacob Hagler we seek.
Philip Hagler (1777-1853) was born on Dec. 10, 1777 in North Carolina, and he married Catherine Wilson (1788-1860) about 1803 in North Carolina. Although he does not appear in the 1818 state census, he probably came in 1818 to Union County, Illinois with his father, as Philip on Oct. 26, 1818 made application with a partner named Emmanuel Penrod to homestead two plots of land covering 240 acres in Jackson County, Illinois. Philip the same day applied by himself for an additional 80 acres of land as well. Philip listed his residence during these applications as being in adjacent Union County, and there is also record of a Nov. 1, 1818 land transaction between him and one Jacob Hagler (said to be Philip's father) of the same county. Philip on August 24, 1821 renewed his claim to one of the 80-acre tracts that he had petitioned for three years earlier, and he and Emmanuel Penrod on June 22 and June 25, 1825 acquired patents to the two 80-acre land tracts that they had been working since their 1818 arrival, which gave them formal ownership to the property. Philip died on Dec. 12, 1853 at Dutch Ridge, Jackson County, where he finally settled. Ward (1927) states that Philip and Catherine had nine children - four boys and five girls.
William J. Hagler (1815-1878), the second son, was born May 1, 1814, probably in North Carolina, even though most online genealogies place his birth in Carbondale, Jackson County, Illinois. However, his family in 1815 was still living in North Carolina, which makes an Illinois birth unlikely. He married his second wife Laurinda (Malinda) Fisher (1829-1912) in Illinois on Aug. 9, 1849, and died in Jackson County on Sept. 12, 1878, where he is buried with his wife in the Hagler family cemetery.
At least eight more children, including a daughter Easter (Esther) Hagler (1804-1888), who married Evan Lipe (b. c.1800), one of John Lipe's sons - John Lipe and his brother Leonard being early neighbors of the Haglers in Jackson County. Another daughter Elizabeth Hagler (b. March 22, 1820) married Philip's nephew Tilman Hagler.
Peter Hagler (1787-1855) is said to have been born in 1787 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He married a woman named Sarah (1791-1864), and they resided in Montgomery County, North Carolina during the 1806 birth of their second child. Then, with his wife and children, Peter probably joined his father and brothers about 1819 in Illinois, as he and two partners on November 5, 1819 made application to homestead an 80-acre tract of land in Jackson County. Given that he gave no county of residence on his application, he may have just arrived from out of state. He next appears with his father and two of his brothers on the same page of the 1820 Federal census. He renewed his claim on August 31, 1821 to his Jackson County homestead, and he and two partners on December 25, 1825 obtained from the U.S. government a patent giving them formal ownership to the land.
Peter died in Jackson County, Illinois, and he is probably buried in the Hagler family cemetery, as his wife lies there. However, because there is no tombstone for him in the cemetery, his burial there is only a guess. A Last Will and Testament does exist for Peter, in which he names his wife Sarah and his son Tilman. Many genealogies list this Peter's wife as Sally Dry, but this is incorrect, as Sally Dry (c.1785-1819) actually married a different Peter Hagler (c.1775-1852), who was the son of "Cripple John" Hagler (c.1740-1811) of Cabarrus County, North Carolina. However, it is very possible that Sarah is the sister, or more likely a cousin, of Peter Hagler's Jackson County neighbor Samuel Dry. Ward (1927) states that Peter and Sarah had four children - three boys and one girl.
Tilman Hagler (1815-1869), the oldest child of Peter Hagler, was born Nov. 4, 1815 in North Carolina, and came with his parents to Jackson County, Illinois. He married his cousin Elizabeth Hagler (1820-1891) on Aug. 4, 1837 in Jackson County, Elizabeth being the daughter of his uncle Philip. Tilman is undoutedly the same Tilman Hagler who in 1844 administered the probate of Isaac Hagler, who is assumed to be Tilman's older brother. However, many online genelagies assign this death date to his uncle or grandfather. Tilman is buried with his wife in the Hagler family cemetery.
At least three more children, including a possible son named Philip Hagler (1821-1902), who is beleived to be the father of one Jefferson Hagler (1852-1936), and the ancestor of several Hagler descendants from Jackson County, Illinois.
There is reasonable certainty that Philip (1777-1853), John (1781-1850) and Peter Hagler (1787-1855) are brothers, but some genealogies show their parents to be a John Hagler (b. c.1760) of Anson County, North Carolina, by his wife Dorothy Shanklin - not the Isaac (or Jacob?) Hagler that we show. A Last Will and Testament does exist for the father of this Anson County John Hagler, who is named John also, and was born about 1730 and died in 1816. In this will, he names his children, who were born between 1760 and 1781, but there is nothing in the will to tie this family to the Hagler family that eventually settled in Jackson County, Illinois.
The reality is that there appears to be at least three branches of the Hagler family from North Carolina, all living at about the same time, with members named Isaac, Jacob, John, and Peter, which makes it all quite confusing. One branch of the family originates from Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and they are probably cousins in some fashion of the southern Illinois Haglers. A Second branch of the family would be the already mentioned Anson County Haglers, some of whom ended up in Tennessee to create a third branch of the family, and some of whom later migrated to Madison County, Illinois, not far from the Jackson County Haglers. Most likely, all three branches of this family are closely related, a possibility that is discussed elsewhere under Hagler Family Origins.
Paul Hagler, the son of Isaac (or Jacob?) Hagler, was born sometime between 1789 and 1793 in North Carolina. Although his birthdate is uncertain, it seems likely that he is one of the younger members of his immediate family. Ward (1927) says that he is one of four brothers who in 1818 accompanied their father Isaac (or Jacob?) Hagler to Illinois, and a Paul Haygler and Philip Haygler are known to be among some of the first settlers in 1818 to purchase land in Illinois. Paul in fact was the first of his brothers to petition for land from the government, his October 14, 1818 application with a partner named Frederick Tope for 80 acres of land in Jackson County, Illinois preceding by 12 days petitions from his brother Philip for three nearby tracts. Interestingly Paul's residence in his application is given as Vermilion County, which is on the east border of Illinois, whereas Jackson County is on the west border.
Curiously Paul's brothers Philip and Peter appear in the 1820 Illinois Census, but Paul does not, even though we know that he had arrived in the state by then. However, there is record of his March, 1820 marriage in Illinois to Elizabeth "Betsie" Clutts, a North Carolina native. Betsy was probably born in 1800 in Rowan County, North Carolina, and, she and her parents, like Paul and his father, were among the earliest settlers to arrive in southern Illinois. Not long after his marriage to Betsy, Paul on August 24, 1821 renewed his original land petition for 80 acres in Jackson County. However, there is no record of him obtaining a patent (formal ownership from the government) for his tract. There is also a Paul Hagler listed in the 1830 census in Jackson County, but it is not certain that this is the Paul Hagler we are looking for.
Paul and Betsy may have lived at some point on the Jackson County land tract already mentioned, which was just south of Carbondale where several of Paul's many relatives from North Carolina had farms in the Pomona Ridge area. However, they probably eventually settled in Union County, near the Lockard family, as this is where we find Betsy in later years. The 1850 U.S. Census shows Betsy living on her farm in Union County with her children and some of the Lockard clan, but without her husband. The same census shows a different Paul Hagler living with his young wife Charity on a different farm in the same county. This second Paul is most likely the nephew of the first. Thus, Paul Hagler, husband of Betsy Clutts, probably died sometime before the census, and Betsy clearly died after the census. It is not known where they are buried, but it is possible that they lie in graves, now unmarked, in either the Hagler family cemetery on Pomona Ridge, or more likely in the Lockard family cemetery in northern Union County. Not surprizingly there is much confusion of this Paul Hagler with his nephew of the same name, who appears in Branch II of this lineage.
Elizabeth Ellen Hagler (1829-1888) was born in 1829 in Illinois. She married her first husband Thomas Hankley (1833-1873) on Jan. 14, 1849; and her second husband was William C. Crawford. She died Dec. 28, 1888, and is buried in the Lockard Cemetery as Elizabeth Crawford.
Levi R. Hagler (c.1834-1862) was born about 1834 in Jackson County, Illinois, and was a member of his sister Sarah's household during the 1850 U.S. Census, her husband John Lockard being listed on Levi's military record as Levi's guardian. Levi enlisted or was drafted in the Union Army during the Civil War in Company E of the Illinois 31st Infantry Regiment on April 27, 1862, and was killed on Oct. 10, 1862 at the battles of Chewalla and Tuscumbia in Mississippi. He left behind a widow, Elizabeth Grammer, whom he had married on April 19, 1860 in Union County.
Five other children.
Sarah "Sally" Ann Hagler (1823-1897), the daughter of Paul Hagler and Betsie Clutts, was born Nov. 23, 1823 in Union County, Illinois; and married John Lockard on Nov. 14, 1844 in Union, County. She is said to have been known to her neighbors as Aunt Sally, and her husband was Uncle John. She died Jan. 1, 1897 at South Pass (Cobden) in Union County, and is buried with her husband in the Lockard Cemetery. Her obituary states that she was the last of a family of eight children, meaning that she outlived all her siblings. Please see the Lockard family genealogy for the children of John and Sarah.
Branch II
John Hagler (1781-1850), the son of Isaac (or Jacob?) Hagler, is said to have been born in 1781 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He is also said to have married a woman named Mary Nellie Speirs (Spears) (1785-1832) about 1802 in North Carolina, but we know of no record for this. However, the 1850 U.S. Census does confirm that his wife was named Mary. The source for her maiden name of Mary Nellie Speirs is the 1927 Flora L. Ward manuscript that we mentioned earlier in connection with John's father Isaac (or Jacob?). John and Mary are said to have come in 1818 or 1819 to southern Illinois, about the same time as John's father, and his brothers Phillip, Paul and Peter. However, John is the brother for whom we know the least amount of information, and there is no record that we know of to confirm when he did arrive in Illinois. There is no record that John homesteaded government land in either Jackson or Union counties, but it is certainly possible that he purchased land that had been homesteaded by someone else. John died in 1850 in Jackson County, the same county where at least two of his brothers are buried.
John and Mary Hagler had the 12 children who are listed below.
Allen Hagler (1808-1894) was born in North Carolina, came to Illinois with his family, then moved in 1873 to Salina, Kansas, where he died the following years at the home of his son Isaac. He married a woman named Mary.
Mathias Hagler (1812-1897) was born June 8, 1812 in North Carolina and married Rebecca Brewster (1816-1852/53). Both he and his wife are buried in Jackson County, Illinois in the Hagler family Cemetery.
John Allen Hagler (1817-1884) was born in North Carolina and died in Missouri.
Katherine Hagler (1817-1888) was born in Illinois, probably in Jackson County. Although she is said to have married John Mirden, whe is buried under her maiden name in the Hagler family cemetery.
Mary Hagler (1820-1899) was born June 20, 1820 at Dutch Ridge in Jackson County, Illinois, and married Jeremiah Brewster (1815-1877). She is buried with her husband in Jackson County.
Lucinda M. Hagler (1825-1898) was born in Jackson County, Illinois, and married her first husband William Anderson Etherton (1825-1862) in 1842 at weddings held in both Missouri and Illinois. William died during the Civil War and is buried in Missouri. Lucinda then married her cousin Samuel Lipe (1823-1899) in 1871. She died in Jackson County, Illinois, and is buried with Samuel and many of her descendants in the Hagler family cemetery.
Ellen Hagler (1827-1898) was born and died in Pomona Ridge, Jackson County, Illinois. She never married.
Tabitha Jane Hagler (1828-1817) was born in Jackson County, Illinois, married John Wesley Grammer (1825-1906), and is buried with her husband in Jackson County.
George Hagler (1829-1863) was born in Jackson County, Illinois, served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and died of disease during the war in Tennesee. He left behind a wife, Mary Ann Crawshaw (1834-1902), and four children.
Flora Ward (1927) lists two daughters about whom little is known - Tabitha Hagler, who is said to married Capt. Wesley Grammar and had several children; and Delilah Hagler, who is said to havemarried William Russell and had several children. Because we do not have the birth dates for either of these daughters, their birth order in the family is not known.
Tice Tizen Hagler (1832-?), said to be the youngest child was born about 1832, and nothing more is known of her. She is known only from the 1927 Flora Ward manuscript.
Paul Hagler (1804-1855), the son of John Hagler and Mary Nellie Speirs, was born in 1804 in North Carolina. He arrived with his parents and other members of the Hagler clan in southern Illinois sometime about 1818/19. Although he was first married to a woman about whom little is known, the record for the third marriage of Paul's daughter Delilah to Calvin Burton does list the name of Delilah's mother as Casey. This first wife must have died in the early 1840s, as Paul married his second wife Charity Cook, who was several years younger than he, on March 6, 1845 in Jackson County. There is much confusion of this Paul Hagler with his uncle of the same name, who is the Paul Hagler listed above in Branch I of this lineage. The fact that both were born in North Carolina, and both settled Union County farms, adds to this confusion. Paul Hagler, husband of Charity, died on Nov. 30, 1855 in Jackson, whereas Paul Hagler, husband of Betsy Clutts, most likely died before the U.S. Census of 1850, as discussed in Branch I.
Due to confusion between the two Paul Haglers, most online genealogies incorrectly show the younger Paul Hagler (b. 1804) married first in 1820 to Betsy Clutts and second in 1845 to Charity Cook. However, as Betsy is known to have been born in 1800 in Rowan County, North Carolina, and not c.1803 as is often shown, she would have been age 20 at the time of this first marriage, and Paul would have been age 16, which is highly unlikely. Furthermore, Betsy Clutts and the younger Paul Hagler were both living during the 1850 U.S. Census when Paul was married to Charity Cook. This would require Paul and Betsy to have divorced prior to Paul's second marriage, and a divorce in the 1840s in a remote pioneer community, though possible, is not very likely either. It is far more likely that the husband of Betsy Clutts is not the younger Paul Hagler, but his uncle of the same name.
Children are listed with Paul Hagler in the 1850 U.S. Census. Some are clearly with his wife Charity, but others born before his 1845 to Charity are likely from a previous marriage.
REFERENCES:
Cook, Carole Irene Crisman, 2015, personal communication. Carole has researched her Hagler family ancestors for many years and she has been kind enough to share some of her insights on the family.
Duggan, Robert S., 2000, Issac Hagler - a discussion on Rootsweb
Hagler, John Blair, 2007, Cabarrus County, NC - Hagler Family History, Part 2. Accessed Feb. 22, 2012. One of several articles on the Hagler family avaialble on the US Gen Web Archives. The author was also kind enough to provided additional insights via personal communication on June 22, 2015 and May 8, 2016 regarding the two John Haglers who in 1765 acquired land in North Carolina.
Hagler, Travis Jackson, 1997, 2001, Trail of the Hagler Family, self-published, Huntsville, Alabama, 162 p. w/ 5 Appendices. This work covers the descendants of John Hagler (d. c.1772), a British sympathizer during the American Revolution, and his son John "the Cripple", who settled land along Dutch Buffalo Creek in Mecklenburg County (later Cabarrus County), North Carolina. Copies of this source reside in the LDS Salt Lake City Library, the Main Branch of the Madison County Library in Huntsville, AL (929.2 Hag), and the Los Angeles Public Library.
Halcyon Days: Genealogy & Research, Sides Deeds - mostly North Carolina notes. accessed Feb. 22, 2015. A brief transcript from a genealogy site with no contact information. The transcript for one of the more important deeds reads as follows, Nov 1, 1818- Jacob Hagler of Union Co IL gave or sold to Philip Hagler (son) of Montgomery Co NC Land. (Or Nov 16, 1818, sold all of his land).
Perrin, William Henry, 1883, John Lockard in History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, O.L. Baskin & Co., Historical Publications, part B, p. 134-135.
Pruitt, Albert Bruce, 2006, Montgomery County Land Warrants & Surveys: 1778 1833, 2 v., 401 p. This collection of transcripts, though somewhat difficult to get hold of, contains many references to Hager family land transactions in North Carolina. There is a copy in the San Antonio Public Library. Carole Cook (2015) has compiled a list of all of the Hagler family listings in this source, and combined these listings with other information into a convenient timeline.
Sheldon, Barry D., 2012, Information on Isaac and Peter Hagler - Barry, who is a professional genealogist at Abovethebranches.com has been kind enough to share the results of some of his research on the Hagler family.
Ward, Flora Lusk, 1927, The Hagler Family, typewritten report (Project No. 8121 of the Works Progress Administration), Los Angeles Public Library (Call no. R929.2 H145), 209 p + 48 p index.
Pages 7-23 of the main text, and pages 6-9 of the index pertain to Isaac Hagler of Wilkes Co., Illinois who moved with four of his sons to Jackson, Co., Illinois about 1818. The manuscript has only a vague list of sources, many of which cannot be independantly verified.
by Janet & Michael Clark
This history is an evolving document.
Despite our best intentions it probably contains mistakes.
Please let us know if you spot any by sending an email to Mike Clark
Genealogy of the Hagler Family 
