Allen Jacob Baggett's son Joseph was prominent there in Paulding County. He was a large landowner and farmer, merchant, sawmiller, miller, cotton ginner, notary, postmaster, and Justice of the Peace. Joseph Baggett married Lucy Capitola Beall, a daughter of Hon. Noble N. Beall, a judge. Judge Beall was once a state representative of Paulding County. Joseph Baggett had no children.
Some of the history of Joseph is very interesting. In about 1908 he had a cotton gin constructed on his farm and had a large business ginning cotton. It was about the turn of the century that a request for a post office to be located in the vicinity was granted. Joe Baggett was appointed the second postmaster of Hay, located one mile from Hay School.
The first request had been granted to James (Jim) Bullock to be operated near his home in the Hay community. Jim had moved to Villa Rica for a short period for some reason and the position of Postmaster was granted to Joseph Baggett. The Hay Post Office was located in a part of Joe's General Merchandise Store. The Atlanta Constitution, an Atlanta newspaper, was sent three times per week on horseback to the post office at Hay and farther down the road to the post office at Draketown, GA. Draketown is now only a small community about six miles west of Hay, GA. The Hay community included Hay Post Office and Hay Elementary School, which stood on what was called Pea Ridge.
This was about the time that the Paris Telephone Company was built in the county, and the system's switchboard was installed in Joseph Baggett's home. His family, whoever was available at the time of the call, operated the switchboard. There are probably many people who remember the type of telephones used in this period. The caller picked up the receiver and turned a handle on the side of the phone and produced a ring. The operator of the switchboard then answered and was instructed to connect with the number of the party he or she desired to be connected to.
Joe Baggett provided a large amount of the lumber used in surrounding communities at his sawmill. His shingle mill provided much of the roofing in these communities. Besides this, Joe owned a gristmill and ground meal for families living several miles in the surrounding area.
Many people came to Joseph Baggett for small loans during the depression and many years before. He kept an old steel safe in his home where he kept all his records and large amounts of money. Many people came to him rather than go to a bank to borrow money. I heard that once a man who already owed him money borrowed more money and used that money to bankrupt against him.
During the depression in the 1930s, Joseph Baggett may have been considered by some to be a relatively rich man, by owning so much property and being involved in so many trades and businesses. Close relatives stated that they believed that Joseph intended to eventually make a will, but was stricken suddenly by an illness and was hospitalized in an Atlanta hospital where he died a short time thereafter; so the entire Joe Baggett estate was administered by the legal system. Everything that he owned was sold and the proceeds of the estate were divided among his living relatives according to the laws of the State, after the cost of the administration was deducted from his estate.
The biographical sketch of Joseph B. Baggett maintains that his ancestors settled in America in 1775. Obviously Joseph had done no extensive research on the family and was quoting word of mouth from someone else. His ancestors were here as early as the 1720s.
Hon. Joseph Brown Baggett was born 24 March 1859 in Campbell County (now Douglas). He attended the public schools and has since been engaged as a practical and successful farmer and ginner. He also serves as Postmaster of Hay, Georgia, where he resides. He has held the position as Justice of the Peace for the past twelve years. He is a member of the Board of Education in Paulding County. In all his career of usefulness he has shown himself to be most zealous in his endeavors to promote the material welfare of his home community.
Joseph married Miss Cappie Beall. He is of English descent, his ancestors having settled in America in 1775. His father, Allen Jacob Baggett, married Miss Elizabeth Ann James, who is still living.
At the Georgia Legislature, Representative Baggett worked indefatigably for the interests of his home county, and gave ungrudgingly of his time and energy in behalf of clean legislation. He showed himself especially interested in measures calculated to give the State good roads and good schools. He could be counted on to fight vigorously for the passage of any measure he espoused. He was especially known as a fearless and influential champion of better public schools for all of Georgia.
He was known in the highest esteem and confidence by his colleagues, among whom he numbers a wide circle of friends and admirers. Hon. Joseph Brown Baggett is distinctively a credit to the county of which he has the honor to represent. He is a man of rare good judgment, and possesses a most amiable personality.
Hon. Baggett ranked easily among the most sincerely, earnest, and conscientious members of the 1915 Georgia Legislature.
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