Of the three children of Aaron and Susanna Scaggs, we only have documentation of the eldest, Charles, beyond christening. Charles, the owner of the plantation "Scaggs Delight" was born in 1709 in Prince George's County, Maryland. This part of Prince George's County became Frederick County in 1748. Charles died testate in 1749 and in his will he specified his heirs, wife Elizabeth as executrix and sons Charles, James and Samuel. Elizabeth inherited "Scaggs Delight"and household goods and livestock for life, reverting to eldest son Charles on her death. Elizabeth Scaggs apparently squandered the estate in probate and "Scaggs Delight" was sold in 1755 to pay debts, so the boys were out on their own without a plantation to allow them to earn a living. That 1755 sale was documented in a deed with Charles and James as grantors, showing that they were at least age 21 at the time and indicating that youngest son Samuel was not of age. So we can estimate Charles and James' birth dates as before 1735 and Samuel's between 1735 and 1749.
The following is a theory currently based on circumstantial evidence. Hopefully, this theory can be reinforced or disproven using DNA testing of descendants in the future in addition to any records that may not yet be public.
Fortunately for Skaggs researchers, the French & Indian War started in 1755. We find a James Scaggs served in the Maryland militia who later ends up in Virginia, Eastern Tennessee and finally Warren County, Kentucky. This is the James who is frequently confused with James the father of the Longhunters. I have written about this James here.
The eldest son, Charles, seems to show up down in South Carolina. That's not surprising since many Maryland and Virginia frontiersmen sheltered their families in the Carolinas from the Indian attacks up north. I previously wrote about this Charles as a possible ancestor of the Safeway Skaggs family. Since that post, I've come to believe that the Safeway Skaggs descend from James C. Skaggs, the Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina, who I believe was the son of the Charles Scaggs (Charles Sages) who showed up in Spartanburg County in the 1790 census. James C. declared in his pension application that he left his combat unit for a short period when he was near his father's house. James C.'s service was in South Carolina during the war so his father was there at the time. Likely Charles, since Charles' brother James was up in the New River of Virginia during the war, based on a 1778 land transaction there. James C. also described the family migration from South Carolina to East Tennessee after the 1790 census. Charles appears on deeds in the 1790s in East Tennessee acquiring property then disposes of this land in the early 1800s. Previously I wrote about a Charles Skaggs showing up with other Skaggs on a list of intruders in 1810 on Indian land in the Mississippi Territory (consisting of the future states of Alabama and Mississippi) in a place called Sims Settlement. These Skaggs were scattered by the government to places in Western Tennessee, Alabama and later, Arkansas.
One piece of very thin evidence indicates the third and youngest brother, Samuel Scaggs, may have lived beyond the time he appeared in his father's will. A biography of Pryor Lee Skaggs from 1912 contains a statement that could be interpreted as Pryor Lee's ancestor, Eli Skaggs, being the son of Samuel instead of James. It's possible, since we don't have any information on Samuel Scaggs other than his name in his father's will. In the absence of other evidence, I'll have to cast my lot with virtually all Skaggs researchers with Eli Skaggs as a son of the middle brother, James.
Below is a summary of the Aaron Scaggs line, based on a combination of evidence, conjecture and intuition:
1 Aaron Scaggs (?-c1716)
+ Susanna Hyatt
2 Charles Scaggs (1709-1749) owner of “Scaggs Delight” in Frederick Co., MD
+ Elizabeth
+ Susanna Hyatt
2 Charles Scaggs (1709-1749) owner of “Scaggs Delight” in Frederick Co., MD
+ Elizabeth
3 Charles Scaggs (bef. 1734-1811)
Lived in MD, SC, East TN, Sims Settlement intruder
+ Mary
4 James C. Skaggs (1763-1838)
Rev. War Pensioner from S. Carolina
+ Elizabeth
4 Thomas Skaggs (c1775-aft.
1840) Sims Settlement intruder
+ unknown
5 George W. Skaggs
(1815-1879) lived in AL and Franklin Co., AR
+ Elizabeth Parker
(1813-1870)
5 Thomas Skaggs (1817-1863)
lived in AL and Franklin Co., AR
+ Dorcas Partin
(1821-c1865)
5 Ellenor Catherine Skaggs
(1827-c1875) lived in AL and Franklin Co., AR
+ Nicholas Boon (1823-?)
4 Charles Skaggs (?-aft. 1812)
Sims Settlement intruder
+ unknown
4 John Skaggs (?-aft. 1812) Sims
Settlement intruder
3 James Scaggs (bef. 1735-1814) Lived
in MD, VA, East TN and Warren Co., KY
+ Susanna (bef. 1758-aft. 1813)
4 Martha Skaggs (c1770-1834) moved
to Roane Co., TN
+ John Higgins (c1760-1809)
4 Susanna Skaggs (bef.
1766-c1812) lived in Montgomery Co., VA
+ Blackburn Akers (bef.
1766-1859) neighbor to Joseph Scaggs, Henry Bishop, Jacob Bishop and Samuel
Lester in 1810 Montgomery Co., VA census
4 Eli Skaggs (c1770-1833) moved
to Knox Co., TN with East TN Skaggs
+ Rebecca Popejoy (1773-1829)
4 Rutha Skaggs (c1775-1840) moved
to Roane Co., TN
+ Absalom Hankins (c1760-1820)
4 Sarah Skaggs (c1772-1849) moved
to Knox Co., TN with East TN Skaggs
+ Abraham Hankins (1763-1840)
4 Daniel Skaggs (c1780-1821) moved to Warren Co., KY
+ Hannah Dunham (1779-?)
4 Joseph Skaggs (1781-aft. 1834)
moved to Warren Co., KY
+ Effie Dunham (1785-1861)
4 James Skaggs (1789-1861) moved
to Warren Co., KY
+ Dorothy Dunham (1789-1870)
4 Abraham Skaggs (1792-1861) moved
to Warren Co., KY
+ Rhoda Bowe Smith (?-1855)
3 Samuel Scaggs (bef. 1749-?)
2 Moses Scaggs (1714-?)
2 Susanna Scaggs (1716 -?)
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