James John Bagby would be hard to find listed as a slave -- if he was indeed 38 at the time of his death -- he was born in 1862 -- meaning he would not have even been counted on the slave schedules... the last of which was 1860 -- and black people were not counted on the census until 1870. However, it would be interesting to look at the 1860 slave schedules and isolate all Bagby surnames as slaveholders. You would also isolate all BAGBY plus whomever marriages -- most likely they will be listed on the slave schedules near the families they married into-- as families tended to live near each other. After that -- you would look for wills, probate records, and court records to track mentions of slaves; final settlement records would also be helpful. Newspaper records etc, are also very helpful -- but there are so many places to check. What you might find on the 1870 census is John Bagby's parents. John Bagby's death certificate of 1900 might also include a mention of his parents -- which would be additional information to go on. This can all be very confusing. Let me cite a small example. My ggreat grandfather was named Marion Wilson -- he died in 1947. Marion's mother was named Mary Ann Howard [according to his death certificate]. [Mary Ann's original owner was named Chism; she was bequeathed to her owner Jacob Chism's daughter Elizabeth; who subsequently married Lot Howard.] On the Black marriage records Mary Ann Howard married a Samuel McClanahan in 1865. Via a bit of research I discovered that Samuel McClanahan was rented out as a slave by Jacob Chism. Jacob's oldest daughter Mary Polly Chism -- married Thomas C. Letchworth and Jacob Chism was the guardian of Mr. Letchworth's minors heir upon his death. Jacob was responsible for renting out the slaves on the estate and paying the rent profits to the heirs account. One the slaves was Samuel McClanahan and the other Hezekiah Letchworth. Ahhhhh. But it gets worse... but 1870 on the Morgan Co census Mary Ann is enumerated with the last name of ROSS living next door to Black CHISMs... my great great grandfather is called MARION ROSS and he is 6 years old -- with three other siblings: {Margaret 7; Mary 4 and Alexander 2]. The head of household is also named Marion Ross. Since I knew that Mary Ann had ties to the CHISM... seeing her enumerated next door to BLACK CHISMS was a clue. My guess is that Samuel McClanahan died not long after they married [or he found out that the baby his wife was carrying or had was not his?] & by 1870 Mary Ann Howard was married again to a Mr. ROSS. After 1880 I did not find her or Marion Wilson's siblings. On the 1880 Morgan Co census Marion Ross has apparently "remarried," with a new wife and 3 children. I have not been able to find out what happened to Mary Ann Howard -- the children besides Marion. SIDENOTE: On the 1870 Morgan Census Mary Ann and Marion Ross; live next door to Jim Chism and his wife Susan; and another black family Henry and Sallie Thurston. I happen to know that the ROSS, THURTSON and CHISM families intermarried in the white family side; they live next door to a white families named Pennebaker and Livingston. LIVINGSTON's also married into the CHISMs on the white side. In other words; if there is a pattern in the white slave owning family's marriages; there would be a similar pattern among the black families and their living on or near their former owners. In 1880 -- my great great grandfather Marion is found on the Cooper Co, MO census living with Edwin Patterson [who manages the Ravenswood farm] and goes by the surname of WILSON. Apparently Marion has a sister who was a slave on Ravenswood -- and her last was MILLIE WILSON. So if Marion appears in Cooper Co in 1880 -- there's no telling what happened to his "sister" who would be 17 years old by this time and the other siblings. Oh... and on Marion's death certificate it notes his father as being named as WILLIAM WILSON? Mama obviously knew something that perhaps was passed on to Marion -- because it was reported on his death certificate by his 2nd wife? Now here's the deal... in slavery marriages not recognized. MARION WILSON was born at the close of slavery in 1865 -- and his mother and father were obviously not able for whatever reason to "make" or "remain" a family for a variety of unknown but also predictable reasons. The deal is that the surname search for African American ancestors is confusing... and requires a great deal of sleuthing to put things together. Basically I am looking at five county area: Cooper, Morgan, Moniteau, Callaway and Henry from 1830-1870 for HOWARD, CHISM, THURSTON, ROSS and TUTT families to tie all the white family ties together via slaveowner ship; and a subsequent review of all their wills, probate records, final settlement and inventories, and family papers etc., to put alot of pieces together. In the end -- I discovered that another slaveowner named Robert A. Wilson owned property not too far away from Lot Howard in Morgan Co. And that the PATTERSON family that Marion Wilson was living with in 1880 -- had ties to the BYLER family that married into the HOWARDS? So maybe their really is a reason for me having the surname WILSON? Hope I didn't confuse you all. But the deal is this: it is a combination of surnames that may tell a different story along with comparing family ties across neighborhing counties. By 1880 many black families has changed their surname... so it is critical to locate them in 1870 near or with their former owners if possible and follow the family through 1920 on the census. It's all very tricky! traci wilson-kleekamp african americans in missouri http://www.missouri-slave-data.org