Before speculation can be made of the origin of Wagemans (or Wagemanns) who lived in Stokes County, North Carolina, mention should be made of the history of the Moravian Church (United Brethren) in this country, since many of the Wagamans who lived in North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio were listed in Moravian records of living among people of the Moravian faith.
The Moravians emmigrated to this country from Germany in 1735 to avoid religious persecutions in Europe. They first settled at Savannah, Georgia. After experiencing difficulty in getting along with other settlers near Savannah, they moved on north and established Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1741, where their headquarters is located today. Later, groups established themselves in South Carolina; Stokes County, North Carolina; Jessamine County, Kentucky (about 1794 on Jessamine Creek); Clermont County, Ohio (about 1794) and other places.
Whether or not Wagemans (or Wagamans) were among the first Moravian settlers in Savannah, Georgia, has not been determined. It may be that the simple and conservative doctrines of the Moravians at Bethlehem appealed to some of the Wagamans who landed in Philadelphia from Europe at about that time. In any event, Wagemans were members of Moravian communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio. Also, many of the other German family names that are common In Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland records are found in civil and church records of several of the Moravian Communities in other states (spellings a little different at times): Hauser (Rouser), Rohrer (Rhorer, Rohr), Huber (or Hoover), Harbough, Wageman, etc.
A group of Moravians spent several months in 1752 and 1753 surveying an area which is now located within the present boundaries of Stokes County. They were defining the boundaries of land they had purchased for the purpose of establishing a new Moravian Community. The survey was completed in 1753 and a few families settled there from Pennsylvania. Later others came from South Carolina. The new community was called Wachovia, which included the small settlements of Salem, Bethabara, Bethania, Friedland and Hope.
Andrew Wageman can be found in a list of first settlers and heads of families in Wachovia. According to the list, Andrew was born in South Carolina in 1758, moved to North Carolina in 1766 and died in 1779. ( Information from "Moravians of North America," Rev. Levin Theodore Reichel, Philadelphia, 1857 (975.6 F2mr)
The first Moravian Church record found so far containing the name Wageman (or Wagemann) in North Carolina was in Stokes County; mention was made of a "young Wagemann" from Bethabara as having been received into the Moravian Church choir for boys in Salem in 1772. Moravian church and civil records from 1772 to about 1784 seem to be limited to mention of two Wagemans:
Johann George Wageman and Andreas Wageman (Andreas and the Andrew Wageman mentioned above likely being the same person). A tax record providing the birth dates of taxpayers was found in Stokes County which established Andreas (or Andrew) Wageman’s birth as 1758 and Johann George Wageman’s birth as 5 April 1760. These men served in the local militia as early as 1776. They were also named In "Captain Smith’s list" dated 16 July 1778. In this list Andreas was listed as being from Bethabara and Johann George from Salem; Andreas would have been about twenty years old and George would have been eighteen.
Smallpox afflicted these early pioneers and many of them died of the dreaded disease. Andreas died of smallpox on 4 September 1779; there is no indication that he ever married. Johann George continued living in and around Bethabara and Salem. He was stricken with smallpox himself while working in a mill at Bethabara in 1781 and survived the disease. In 1784 he moved to Salem to work in a mill and was specifically listed as still single at that time in Moravian records. He would have been about 24 years old then.
Record of the birth of Christian Wageman can be found in Moravian records at Salem dated 10 March 1787. Since up to that time and for a time after, records indicate the presence of no other Wagemans in that area, one might assume Christian to be a son of Johann George Wageman.
The 1790 census contains the name of John Wageman (of the Salisbury
District with a count of:
2 Males under 16; 1 Male of 16 and up; 2 Females; 1 Slave
A Moravian record indicates . "Brother and Sister Wageman and two sons moved from Salem to Bethabara. He has been working in the mill." In 1792 the same record related that "John George Wageman and family moved from Bethabara to his farm near Salem."
The 1800 census of Stokes County includes:
George Wageman;(Salem) 1 Male under 10; 2 Males 10-16;
1 Male 26-45: 1 Female 26-45.
It would appear that John George Wageman’s family was limited to a wife and three sons; he may have had a daughter who died or married before the 1800 census was taken, since the 1790 census contains an extra female.
Johann George Wageman died 22 December, 1800 in Stokes County, North Carolina at the age of forty. At the time of his death John’s oldest child would, reasonably be no older than fifteen, which means John’s wife was widowed with at least three young boys to care for.
No Wagemans appear in the 1810 census;
Two Waggaman families were listed in the 1820 census:
Benjamine Waggaman: 1 Male 26-45: 1 Female 26-45
Christian Waggaman: 2 Males under 10; 1 Male 16-26; 1 Male 26-45;
1 Female 10-16
Christian Wageman died 17 September 1828. Following that, Moravian records contain many references to a "widow Wageman" and her sons: William (the eldest), John, Joseph, and Robert Benjamine. ( Robert Benjamine was listed as not yet 17 in 1837.)