Looking for information for the parents of Joseph William Lagle (6 Aug 1871-22 Oct 1954)?

Question

My great-great-grandfather's parents are a mystery. His mother, Susan Lagle (Abt.1840-1 Jun 1907) first appears in an 1880 census record, and the information lists her as born in North Carolina, single, head of the household, and there's a 14-year age difference between my great-great-grandfather and his sister, Mary Catherine Lagle (Feb 1869-19 Feb 1955). Beyond that, Susan's maiden name is unknown, and her husband is even more elusive. I have found a potential match, William H Lagle (Abt. 1840-1905), but I can't find any sources to confirm or deny it. I do have a personal hypothesis that Susan and her husband, based on their surname origin, could have been illegal immigrants, but that has no evidence. Ancestry can't find anything, and now I'm at a loss.

Answer 1

I'm going to look around, but I just want to clarify something: They would not have been considered illegal immigrants in that timeframe.

Answer 2

What is the source for Susan Lagle's death? Did she die with the surname Lagle or did she remarry?

Comments

That's a good question. I returned to Ancestry to check, and her death date has no source. I can't find an obituary for her, either. I'm not sure when I found the information. Her only source is the 1880 census record; according to that record, she couldn't read or write. It's confusing because her kids have the Lagle surname so that it couldn't be her maiden name, yet the census record says she is single, not widowed. Her children have plenty of documentation, but not her. Her daughter has an obituary I can't find or get access to. Nothing adds up.

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I would NOT trust any data that has no documentation. People add whatever they want to trees, and I've found MANY, MANY mistakes! Actually Lagle CAN be her maiden name if she never married and had the children "out of wedlock." Nothing is proven yet.

Joseph Lagle's death info in the "Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974" has that his father was William Lagle. That info is not completely reliable, however, and still needs to be proven or disproven.

Ancestry has an 1880 Agriculture Schedule with Susan Lagle listed in District 838, Lumpkin, Georgia. That shows that she owned land and other property. Quite a few details are there! Land records could show when she purchased the land or inherited it.

Also, I found the obituary of Mary Phillips who SUPPOSEDLY was Joseph's sister, Mary Lagle. I don't see that proven yet, either. You can see that for free at the Georgia Historical Newpapers site. (Summerville News, February 24, 1955) Unfortunately the obit does not mention any siblings or parents, but it does include her children and other info.

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It's hard because that census record is her ONLY record. She has a daughter named Mary and a son named Joseph but would being born out of wedlock explain their surnames? I want to say she was a widow if she inherited the land, but she wasn't. I can't find any way to know if Lagle is a maiden or married name. Yet, as with what's available, the very likely possibility is that she had her kids out of wedlock, possibly with two different people, since even if she married someone with the same surname, she'd still list herself as married, widowed, or divorced. The kids were born by the time that census was taken.

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IF they were born out of wedlock then they would likely have their mother's maiden name. Legally they would not "belong" to the father. Since Mary was born in North Carolina (and there seem to be more Lagles there) you might want to look in North Carolina (BUT that's a needle in a haystack, too.) Also, you can't assume that she's not a widow. Census records are not perfect! She could also have inherited the land from a parent or relative. Also, the two children could have had the same father with any "in-between" children passing away. LOTS of if's here, but I think it's important to keep in mind possibilities!