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One of my favorite types of TV shows to watch are history stories that have a twisty ending to them. Like the story of Alexander Fleming who used bacteria to produce artwork by growing them in patterns and using their natural pigmentation to produce faces, animals, etc… [1] Later in life, he was known to have kept a messy laboratory; enough so that one day after returning from a trip he noticed that something was killing some bacteria cultures he had left out in a petri dish. That something was a fungus that led to the discovery of penicillin! From bacterial artist to the discoverer of penicillin. These types of stories have existed all over history and it turns out, we have a story that ends with a twisty ending in “our own backyard.”
In 1854, multiple families from Todd County, Kentucky arrived by way of a ten-wagon train in our area to begin a new life of farming and ranching. Among those that arrived was James K.Allen II and his family and the Hagoods; a family of seven brothers and two sisters (their mom died three years after moving to TX). {Note that James K Allen I was married to Mollie Hagood.) The Allens settled near Farmer’s Creek. James’ son William T was the builder of the 1864 Log Cabin that is on exhibit at the White Settlement Museum and was originally located near what is now one of the taxiways at the Naval Air Station – Joint Reserve Base. Some of the Hagoods chose to settle up along Silver Creek just to the west of Silver Creek Road.
James K. Allen II served in the Civil War with the Fourteenth Texas Calvary, Company K. He was shot in the leg, discharged in 1862 and had to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. After the Civil Ware, James was elected as a Texas House of Representative and later served as the Justice of Peace for Tarrant County. He was also a slave owner. When he moved his family to Texas, James Allen II brought his seven slaves along.
The Hagood family included oldest brother Tom Hagood who lived with James Allen II for a ferw years. Tom opened up a carpenter shop in Fort Worth and later served as a Constable. He and younger brother Benjamin both served in the Civil War with the 9th Texas Calvary. Along with their family, the Hagood’s brought their three slaves with them to TX.
One of these slaves was more than likely a 19 year-old named Riley. There is nothing in the documented records that specifically states that Riley was one of the Hagood’s slaves. But there are a number of things we can pull together to paint this picture clearer.
#1 The 1840 slave schedule for Todd County Kentucky shows Elisha Hagood owning three slaves Elisha was the father of the Hagood seven brothers and two sisters. He died right before the wagon train made its trip to Texas. The slaves he owned would have passed down to his sons. The slave schedule shows a black male slave under the age of 10 in 1840.
#2 It often happened that slaves would take the surname of their owners or be named by their owner, so we can infer that this young slave’s surname would have been Hagood.
#3 Riley Hagood and his wife Anna were referenced as being ex-slaves. [2]
#4 The 1900 census shows Riley to be 65 years-old. That means in the 1840 census, he would have been five years old which matches the slave schedule entry.
From Heritage Quest Website
Riley Hagood was probably born into slavery.
We do not know exactly when Riley and the other slaves were freed, but there is an account of another large slave owner in the area, Paul Isbell, calling his 200 slaves together in 1864 to say, “The war [is almost over]. You are free to come or to go.” [3] Note: More about slavery in Tarrant County will be shared in a later blog.
What exactly happened to Riley after his emancipation, we do not know. We do know that he and his wife Anna stayed in the area (estimates say that nearly 50% of the freed slaves moved elsewhere) [4] helping watch children during services at New Prospect Baptist Church (later become First Baptist Church of White Settlement) that met at the Tannahill Church / Schoolhouse located out along Silver Creek near the Hagood homestead. Also, in 1875, Riley become the owner of 160 acres of land that is now located within the city limits of White Settlement (map shown in Figure #5). To get legal ownership of this property, Riley had to have settle and cultivate the open land for three consecutive years, AND have two well known, credible residents of the county sign as witnesses. One of these witnesses (and here is the twisty ending) was the aforementioned wounded Confederate soldier and ex-slave owner, James K Allen II. Riley Hagood went from slave to one of our early settlers / large property owners! [5] Why the change of heart and mind that happened for James K Allen II we do not know, but the fact is, that it did happen.
The Texas General Land Office website.
I’m still trying to research more information on Riley and Anna’s life. One thing I did find is that Riley was appointed by Judge C.C. Cummings to serve as one of the trustees for Tarrant County and Fort Worth colored schools around 1875. This points out the respect that Riley had achieved in the community at that time.
Finally, we also see that Riley (65) and Anna (61) were still living and farming their property in White Settlement in 1900 as recorded in the annual census. When they died and where they were buried we do not know. Maybe they were one of the many unmarked graves in the White Settlement Cemetery that had to be moved in 1952 – 1953 when the runway at Carswell Air Force Base was expanded. This will also be a blog topic for another day.
[1] Painting With Penicillin: Alexander Fleming’s Germ Art | Science| Smithsonian Magazine
[2] “On Wings of Eagle”. Pg 23.
[3] A History of Fort Worth in Black and White: 165 Years of African American Life. Pg 28.
[4] A History of Fort Worth in Black and White: 165 Years of African American Life. Pg 29.
[5] Note: James K Allen II had a son named James K Allen III so there is a chance that the later was the witness on the Affidavit. The later would have been 27 years old at the time of the signing with his father being 61. James K Allen III would have been 16 years old when the slaves where emancipated. So he would have grown up in this slave ownership culture. But, based on the evidence so far, I would still lean to James K Allen II being the witness given his long-time residency and well-respected status within Tarrant County (he ran and got elected to the Texas House of Representatives prior to the signing of the affidavit, so his signature would have been really important to secure its approval).
Tejas Trail Historical Tidbits 
