Back to TopDescriptive Summary
- Repository
-
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
- Creator
-
Bagley family.
- Title
- Bagley Family Papers, 1848-1939
- Call Number
- 3457
- Language of Materials
- Materials in
English
- Extent
-
- Items: About 1,500
- Linear Feet: 2.5
Abstract
Bagley family members included William Henry Bagley (1833-1886), clerk of the North Carolina Supreme Court, 1868-1887; his
wife Adelaide, daughter of Jonathan Worth; Worth Bagley, a U.S. naval cadet and ensign, who was killed in the Spanish- American
War; William Henry Bagley (1877-1936), a newspaper executive in Raleigh, N.C.; Adelaide (Bagley) Daniels and her husband,
Josephus Daniels, secretary of the Navy, U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and Raleigh newpaper publisher; and George C. Worth (1867-1937),
a Presbyterian missionary in China.
The collection is primarily letters about family, personal, and social life received by William Henry Bagley and his wife
Adelaide, including letters written by Adelaide to her future husband, 1864-1866, and correspondence of other members of the
Worth and Bagley families in North Carolina. Other correspondence includes letters from the Bagley children and their families,
chiefly 1889-1898. Represented are Worth Bagley; William Henry Bagley at Havanna in 1899 and as a newspaper executive in Raleigh,
N.C., 1900-1915; Adelaide (Bagley) Daniels and Josephus Daniels, including letters from Washington, D.C., while Daniels was
secretary of the Navy, and from Mexico, 1933-1939, while he was U.S. ambassador; and letters, 1931-1936, from George C. Worth
(1867-1937) in China, which contain descriptions of the Japanese invasion.
Back to TopAdministrative Information
- Restrictions to Access
- No restrictions.
- Acquisitions Information
- Received from Jonathan Daniels of Raleigh, N.C., in 1960 and 1968 and from Worth Daniels in 1968.
- Processing Information
- Processed by: Timothy A. Long, December 1992
- Encoded by: Eben Lehman, January 2007
- This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation,
Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the Bagley Family Papers #3457, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Copyright Notice
- Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright
law.
Back to TopOnline Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
- Bagley, Adelaide Worth.
- Bagley family.
- Bagley, William Henry, 1833-1836.
- Bagley, William Henry, 1877-1936.
- Bagley, Worth, 1874-1898.
- Baptists--Missions--China--History--20th century.
- Courtship--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Daniels, Adelaide Worth Bagley, 1869-1943.
- Daniels family.
- Daniels, Josephus, 1862-1948.
- Diplomatic and consular service, American--Mexico.
- Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
- Havana (Cuba)--Description and travel.
- Journalists--North Carolina--History--20th century.
- Mexico--Politics and government.
- Mexico--Social life and customs--20th century.
- Missionaries--China--History--20th century.
- North Carolina--Politics and government--19th century.
- Presbyterian Church--Missions--China--History--20th century.
- Raleigh (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
- United States Naval Academy--Students--History--19th century.
- United States. Navy--History--Spanish-American War, 1898.
- Washington (D.C.)--Social life and customs.
- Worth family.
- Worth, George C., 1867-1937.
Back to TopRelated Collections
Josephus Daniels Papers (#203), Elvira Evelyna Moffit Papers (#519), Jonathan Worth Papers (#802), Jonathan Worth Daniels
Papers (#3466) at the Southern Historical Collection
Bagley Family Papers, Jonathan Worth Papers at the North Carolina Department of Archives and History
Back to TopBiographical Note
William Henry (W. H.) Bagley, 1833-1886, was the son of Colonel Willis H. Bagley of Perquimans County, N.C. Willis Bagley
was, for many years, the sheriff of Perquimans County and was active in politics there. W. H. Bagley obtained his education
at the Hertford Academy. After graduation, he edited the Elizabeth City Sentinel, then studied law, and was licensed in 1859.
He originally opposed secession, but joined the 8th Regiment, North Carolina Troops at the start of the war. After being captured
and released, he was promoted to Major of the 68th Regiment, North Carolina Troops. He served in that capacity until 1864.
During the war, the voters of Perquimans and Pasquotank counties twice elected him to represent them in the North Carolina
Senate. After the war, he became the private secretary of Governor Jonathan Worth, a position he held until he was elected
Clerk of the State Supreme Court in 1868. He remained clerk until his death in 1886.
In 1866, W. H. Bagley married Adelaide Worth, daughter of Governor Jonathan Worth. They lived in Pittsboro, Chatham County,
N.C., and, during legislative or court sessions, in Raleigh, N.C. They had six children: Adelaide Worth (1869-1943); Belle
(1872-1936); Worth (1874-1898); Ethel (1875-1939); William Henry Jr. (1877-1936); and David (b. 1883).
Adelaide Worth Bagley lived her early life in Pittsboro and Raleigh and received her education at Peace College in Raleigh.
In 1888, she married Josephus Daniels, who was editor of the Raleigh News and Observer, secretary of the Navy under Woodrow
Wilson, and ambassador to Mexico under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Adelaide Bagley Daniels was active throughout her life in benevolent
organizations and served on the board of directors at Rex Hospital in Raleigh in the 1920s and 1930s.
Belle and Ethel Bagley both received their early education in Raleigh. They lived together much of their lives and settled
in Washington, D.C., where they were employed by the federal government. They lived on Dupont Circle for much of their time
in Washington and were active in church and social activities in the city.
Worth Bagley received his early education at Centennial Graded School and the Raleigh Male Academy until, at age 15, he received
an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. After leaving for academic reasons in 1892, he was reappointed
and graduated in 1896. He served on several vessels in the Atlantic until the start of the Spanish-American War, when his
ship was sent to Cuba. On 11 May 1898, Ensign Bagley was killed at Cardenas, Cuba, the only American naval officer killed
during the war. His body was returned to Raleigh and a monument to him was erected on the Capitol grounds.
W. H. Bagley Jr., received his education at a private academy in Mebane, N.C. For much of his life he worked as a reporter
for newspapers around the country. He also assisted his brother-in-law, Josephus Daniels, with business aspects of the News
and Observer.
David Bagley received his early education in North Carolina, then was appointed to the United States Naval Academy. After
graduation, he became an officer in the Navy and served in the two world wars, rising to the rank of admiral.
(Sources: John H. Wheeler, Reminiscences and Memoirs of North Carolina (1884) and Grady Lee Ernest Carroll Sr., The City of Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Civil War Experience (1979).)
Back to TopCollection Overview
The collection is primarily letters about family, personal, and social life received by William Henry Bagley and his wife Adelaide Bagley, including letters written by Adelaide Bagley to her future husband, 1864-1866, and correspondence of other members of the
Worth family and Bagley family in North Carolina. Other correspondence includes letters from the Bagley children and their families, chiefly 1889-1898. Represented are Worth Bagley; William Henry Bagley at Havana, Cuba, in 1899 and as a newspaper executive in Raleigh, N.C., 1900-1915; Adelaide Bagley Daniels and Josephus Daniels, including letters from Washington, D.C., while Josephus Daniels was secretary of the Navy, and from Mexico, 1933-1939, while he was U.S. ambassador; and letters, 1931-1936, from George C. Worth (1867-1937) in China, which contain descriptions of the Japanese invasion.
Back to TopArrangement of Collection
1. Loose Papers
1.1. 1848-1888
1.2. 1889-1908
1.3. 1909-1939
1.4. Worth-Bagley Genealogy
2. Volumes
Back to TopItems Separated
Oversize paper (OP-3457/1)
Back to TopDetailed Description of the Collection
1. Loose Papers, 1848-1864.
About 1,800 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters to or from members of the Worth and Bagley families of North Carolina. Items detail events in the lives of
W. H. Bagley, his wife Adelaide Worth Bagley, and their six children, as well as news from other closely related family members.
Materials, 1848-1888, are chiefly letters to or from W. H. Bagley concerning his business, fraternity, and personal relations.
Materials, 1889-1908, chiefly concern the children of W. H. and Adelaide Worth Bagley, including dozens of letters from Worth
Bagley to his mother while he was a student at the United States Naval Academy, and several letters from W. H. Bagley Jr.,
to various family members from Cuba. Items, 1909-1939, relate primarily to the surviving children of W. H. and Adelaide Worth
Bagley and their families, including letters to and from Josephus Daniels, husband of Adelaide Bagley Daniels; to Belle Bagley
from her suitor, W. E. Christian; and from George C. Worth, Presbyterian missionary in China, to members of the Bagley family.
Miscellaneous items include photographs, bills, receipts, and a few other scattered items.
Back to Top
1.1. 1848-1888.
About 650 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Materials chiefly concerning the business, fraternal, and personal relations of W. H. Bagley. Items include letters, receipts,
bills, and other miscellaneous materials. Most of the letters are either from or to W. H. Bagley. They include several letters
to Benjamin Townsend of Catonsville, Md., 1853; many detailed letters from Adelaide Worth during her courtship with W. H.
Bagley, 1864-1866; many letters exchanged by W. H. Bagley and Adelaide Worth Bagley and their children when one or more of
the family members was away from home, 1869-1888; and several letters to W. H. Bagley relating to his activities on behalf
of the International Order of Odd Fellows and the National Union of Mansfield, Ohio, 1874-1888.
Items of particular interest include letters from Adelaide Worth during her courtship with Bagley, in which she describes
life in Raleigh at the close of the Civil War and during the first months of Reconstruction and emancipation, 1864-1866; several
letters from W. H. Bagley's father and brother, Willis and Willis Jr., chiefly concerning Reconstruction era politics in eastern
North Carolina, 1866-1876; letters exchanged by members of the immediate Bagley family detailing the health of family members
and friends, discussing social activities in Raleigh and Pittsboro, and describing new places seen during trips, 1869-1888;
letters from W. H. Bagley to his wife Adelaide from Rockbridge Alum Springs, Va., describing the poor health and treatment
of her father, Governor Jonathan Worth, immediately prior to his death, August 1869; letters from family members to Adelaide
Worth Bagley during the illness and after the death of her husband, 1885-1886; and several letters indicating the engagement
of Adelaide Worth Bagley's oldest daughter, also named Adelaide Worth Bagley, to Josephus Daniels, 1888.
Folder
1
1848-1863
Folder
2
1864
Folder
3
1865
Folder
4
1866-1867
Folder
5
1868
Folder
6
1869-1870
Folder
7
1871-1873
Folder
8
1874
Folder
9
1875
Folder
10
1876
Folder
11
1877
Folder
12
1878-1879
Folder
13
1880
Folder
14
1881
Folder
15
1882
Folder
16
1883
Folder
17
1884
Folder
18
1885
Folder
19
1886-1888
Folder
20
Undated 1848-1888
Back to Top
1.2. 1889-1908.
About 440 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters to or from the children and widow of W. H. Bagley. Most of the letters were written either by Worth Bagley
while he was a student at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., and an officer in the Navy, 1889-1898, or by W.
H. Bagley Jr., in Havana, Cuba, 1899. Items of particular interest include the dozens of letters Worth Bagley sent to his
mother detailing his activities as a student in the Naval Academy, 1899-1895. Worth's many topics include the academic rigors
of the Academy, his participation in athletics, his frequent homesickness, and, especially from 1893 to 1895, his increasingly
busy social life. Also interspersed with these letters are several report cards Worth received while he attended the Naval
Academy. His later letters, 1895 to May 1898, focus on his experiences as an officer in the United States Navy. Several letters
and telegrams of May and June 1898 express the sympathy of family, friends, and acquaintances, including William Jennings
Bryan, over the death of Ensign Worth Bagley during the Spanish-American War.
Other items of interest include detailed letters from W. H. Bagley Jr., to various family members while he was on assignment
in Havana, Cuba, 1899. Among the topics he describes are the people and climate of Cuba, military activities related to the
occupation of the island, and the murder of an American soldier by a Cuban policeman, 2 April 1899.
Folder
21-22
1889
Folder
23-24
1890
Folder
25-26
1891
Folder
27-28
1892
Folder
29
1893
Folder
30
1894
Folder
31
1895
Folder
32
1896
Folder
33
1897-1898
Folder
34
1899-1908
Folder
35
Undated, 1889-1908
Back to Top
1.3. 1909-1939.
About 700 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters of Adelaide Worth Bagley Daniels, her husband Josephus Daniels, William E. Christian, and George C. Worth
to various members of the Bagley family. The Daniels' letters, 1909-1939, concern events that occurred while they were in
Raleigh working with the News and Observer, 1909-1913 and 1921-1933; in Washington, D.C., while Josephus served as secretary
of the Navy for Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921; and in Mexico City while Josephus served as ambassador under Franklin D. Roosevelt,
1933-1939. Letters written by W. E. Christian, addressed primarily to Belle Bagley, who lived in Washington, D.C., mostly
concern his courtship of Ms. Bagley, 1924. Also included are letters George C. Worth wrote from China where he was a Presbyterian
missionary, 1931-1937.
Items of interest include W. E. Christian's extensive love letters to Belle Bagley, in which he outlined his efforts to write
short stories and a novel, excerpts of which he sent to her. Christian apparently was recovering from some type of mental
collapse and wrote fiction and his letters to Bagley as a form of therapy. Also included are the diary-letters of Josephus
Daniels while he was ambassador to Mexico. These letters contain much information about Daniels's official duties, as well
as references to the active social life he and his wife shared in Mexico City. Daniels also enclosed newspaper clippings with
his letters, many of which refer to his activities in Mexico City. Of particular interest in the George C. Worth letters are
his references to conditions in China and details about the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
Folder
36
1910-1912
Folder
37
1913-1917
Folder
38
1918-1919
Folder
39
1920-1924
Folder
40-48
W. E. Christian Correspondence, 1890-1925 and undated
Folder
49
1925-1926
Folder
50
1927-1932
Folder
51-52
1933
Folder
53
1934
Folder
54
1935
Folder
55
1936
Folder
56-58
1937
Folder
59-60
1938
Folder
61-63
1939
Folder
64-65
Undated, 1909-1939
Back to Top
1.4. Worth-Bagley Genealogy, 1914, 1964 and undated.
14 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Materials related to the genealogy of the Worth and Bagley families of North Carolina.
Folder
66
Worth-Bagley genealogy
Back to Top
3 items.
Folder
67
V-3457/1: 1891, 91 pages
This volume has two sections. Pages 1-44 contain records kept by W. H. Bagley Jr., as clerk to the Committee on Judiciary
of the House of Representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly, 10 January-20 February 1891. The records include bills
considered and recommendations made at each committee meeting. Pages 47-67 and 91 contain items of W. H. Bagley's "Memory Book," compiled chiefly May-August 1891, in which he pasted souvenirs, social cards and brief notes, invitations, pressed flowers,
and leaves. For each item, he wrote short sentimental captions. This section also contains manuscript memoranda written by
him during the same season.
Folder
68
V-3457/2: 1902, 50 pages
Journal and notes of David Worth while on a United States Naval Academy cruise, 19 July-22 August 1902. The small volume is
entitled "A Cruise on the USS Chesapeake."
Folder
69
V-3457/3: 1929, 15 pages
Printed pamphlet with contents of speech delivered by Charles Whedbee upon the presentation of W. H. Bagley's portrait to
the Supreme Court of North Carolina, 14 May 1929. The pamphlet contains biographical information on W. H. Bagley and background
about the history of the North Carolina Supreme Court during the late 1800s.
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