Badgers

You have done a commendable job producing an extensive compilation of important information about the early artisans and mechanics of Petersburg. It serves as a tangible reminder of Petersburg’s commercial importance to America and particularly Virginia and much of upper North Carolina.
I am a descendent of the Joseph Badgers: Joseph Badger I (abt. 1766, d. 24 Apr. 1803) was my 4th great grandfather and Joseph Badger II (b. abt 1795; d. 21 Feb. 1841) was my 3rd great grandfather. William Haines Badger (b. April 5, 1827; d. September 21, 1907) was the son of Joseph II and is my great, great grandfather.
In reviewing the book, I have found several errors and some unclear content that I am hopeful you will correct/clarify in future editions. These are described below.
Chapter on furniture-makers
The most serious factual errors are contained in this chapter. The book confuses William Haines Badger, a son of Joseph II, with William “Henry” Badger, his uncle. They are both “William H” which was a source of some initial confusion for us, too, when our genealogists began researching the family history. They are, however, clearly in different generations and both lives are fairly well documented.
On p. 356, William Haines Badger is listed as the son of Joseph I; on p. 360, William Haines Badger is listed as the son of William Henry Badger. Both entries are wrong. William Haines Badger was the son of Joseph Badger II, not the son of either Joseph I or William Henry Badger.
On p. 356, which lists children of Joseph I and Ann Shepherd, William Haines Badger has been confused with William Henry Badger. Also, you list Frances Ann as a daughter; she is a granddaughter, the daughter of William Henry and Eliza D. Wells. The children of Joseph I and Ann Shepherd were:
Mary Ann Badger, b. Abt. 1787; d. Bef. 1844.
William “Henry” Badger, b. December 21, 1798, Petersburg, Virginia; d. December 10, 1879, Petersburg, Virginia.
Harriet Badger, b. Abt. 1796; d. Bef. 1844.
Edwin H. Badger, b. Abt. 1802, d. Bet. 1877-1879, Ashe County, North Carolina.
Joseph Badger II, b. Abt. 1802, d. 1841, Petersburg, Virginia.
On p. 360, William Haines Badger (with correct birth & death dates) is listed as a son of William Henry Badger and Eliza D. Wells. As stated above, William Haines was the son of Joseph II. Also, missing from the list of children is William “Emmet” Badger who was a well known life-long citizen of Petersburg. Also, Ella is listed as a child of William Henry and Eliza, but is actually a daughter of Joseph II and Alvina.
The children of William Henry Badger and Eliza D. Wells were:
Charles M. Badger, b. __; d. June 20, 1898, Crewe, Virginia.
Henry Badger, b. Abt 1821; d. January 25, 1867, Petersburg, Virginia
Note on Henry Badger: Henry is buried in Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia. Cemetery records show only William H. Badger as the parent. Henry’s cause of death is listed as brain fever at the age of 46 years.
Frances “Fanny” Ann Badger, b. March 08, 1824, Petersburg, Virginia; d. March 10, 1848, Petersburg, Virginia.
Harriet M. Badger, b. April 30, 1826, Petersburg, Virginia; d. July 20, 1900.
William “Emmet” Badger, b. September 28, 1835, Petersburg, Virginia; d. July 25, 1916.
Eliza D. Badger, b. Abt. 1835, Petersburg, Virginia; d. October 10, 1878.
Laura Elizabeth Badger, b. January 12, 1840, Petersburg, Virginia; d. October 19, 1921, Norfolk, Virginia.
George P. Badger, b. Abt. 1842.
Louis O. Badger, b. Abt. 1849, Petersburg, Virginia; d. February 15, 1921.
Note for Louis O. Badger: According to Joy Wendell Porter’s letter, dated 10/31/1957, Louis never married.
The children of Joseph Badger and Alvina Newman were:
Joseph “Lawrence” Badger, b. Bet. 1823-1828.
Edwin Lafayette Badger, b. March 31, 1824, Petersburg, Virginia; d. March 27, 1896.
William Haines Badger, b. April 05, 1827, Petersburg, Virginia; d. September 21, 1907, Ashe County, NC.
Eloise “Ella” Badger, b. Abt. 1831; d. Aft. 1890, North Carolina.
Page 357.
There is a photo of a screen on p. 357 with much detail about ownership by various prominent families. To whom the screen should be attributed is never stated. Rather, reference is made to Joseph Lawrence/Laurence Badger. The narrative continues onto p. 360 where Lawrence and William Haines Badger are identified (correctly) as brothers, sons of Joseph II, and grandsons of Joseph II, the painter, glazier, and coach-maker. However, in the next paragraph, William Haines is incorrectly identified as a son of William Henry Badger.
Who made the screen? The family history would not suggest Lawrence as the maker; however, we would be most appreciative for evidence of skills in this area. The family history portrays him as well educated, having a speaking knowledge of several languages, artistic, a writer and publisher of a well known newspaper in North Carolina. We have found a speech he gave in Charleston in 1850 reported in a Macon, GA newspaper.
Pages 198 and 360.
Page 198 lists Joseph Badger, b. Abt. 1795, d. February 28, 1841, as a saddler and states that he was admitted to the Petersburg Benevolent Mechanic Association on February 23, 1825.
On page 360, it states that William Henry Badger was admitted into the Petersburg Benevolent Mechanic Association on February 23, 1825. Did uncle William Henry and nephew Joseph really enter into this Association on the very same day? Or is there some confusion of the two?
Since Joseph was clearly a master cabinetmaker who made the magnificent china press pictured on pp. 358, 359, and 360, is it plausible that he would be also a saddler? If that was a common, or even plausible, practice, then family members will be pleased to learn he was a saddler.
The way that some content areas are organized suggests some possible confusion about the two Josephs and relationships in the next generation. For example, on page 198, at the very end of the entry on Joseph Badger II is a paragraph about Ann Badger dying of consumption at age 75 and the location of her grave in Blandford. It is not made clear that she was the mother of Joseph. Its relevance in this section is a little questionable; it would make much more sense to include this information in the major entries about Joseph I, her husband, beginning on pages 344 and 355.
Chapter on wheel-wrights and carriage-makers
p. 344 – Joseph Badger I is listed without birth or death dates, although the approximate birth year and date of death are given in the entry for him in the furniture-maker section on pp. 355.
Other comments:
Page 128. Thank you for attempting to make the link between Jonathan Badger of Charleston and the Badgers of Boston and, of course, Joseph Badger the portrait artist. Although the circumstantial evidence is very strong, we have yet to find conclusive documentation of this link. Do you have any evidence that Jonathan and Joseph might have been brothers? We have the ad from the Charleston paper announcing the move of brothers from Boston and entries in the 1789 and 1790 Charleston City Directories showing them to be engaged in “colour” shops – parallel to our Petersburg Joseph’s enterprise.
Finally, the index is 1 page “off” throughout; items listed are consistently found on the page number after the page number listed.
Again, thank you for an excellent compilation of important information.