About
Joel Hagenburg is an American historian. He hails from Rhode Island and spends much of his free time reading and writing about American history, specifically Early Colonial history, the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II, and criminal history. Joel is also intrigued by European history. His love of history stems from childhood and his deep familial connections to many events during the course of both American and European history.
He is a descendant of Mayflower passenger, Gov. William Bradford. Joel's extensive ancestry also includes a number of U.S. Presidents, soldiers from the various wars, and others who contributed to the building and preservation of the United States of America. It is their efforts that drive him to keep the history alive. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, RI Chapter. He is also a member of the Kingston Reds, Rhode Island Militia.
Joel is also descended from European royalty through his 12x great-grandfather, Rev. William Skepper, who is a proven Royal Gateway and Magna Carta Gateway Ancestor. Through Skepper, Joel is a direct descendant of both Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and Alfred the Great; King of the Anglo-Saxons. Also, through Skepper, he is directly descended from Kings William I the Conqueror, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, etc., from England, and Louis VIII, Louis IX, Philip III, Philip IV, etc., from France. Many other ancestors and kin are royalty as well.
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Joel earned his M.A. in History with a concentration in American history from Southern New Hampshire University. He also earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice from New England Institute of Technology.
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Joel's objective is to further the knowledge and understanding of American history through his writings.
Information retrieved from:
Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Salt Lake City, UT: Douglas Richardson., 2011), 487, 492.; Gilbert Warren Chapin, comp., The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data: With Brief Biographical Sketches of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin, vol. 1, 2 vols. (Hartford, CT: Chapin Family Association, 1924), 148.; Mayflower Families Through Five Generation Vol. 22.; Royal Ancestry D. Richardson 2013 Vol. IV p. 640.; The American Genealogist Whole Number 78 Vol. XX No. 2 October 1943 p. 81-85 The Skepper Family.; The American Genealogist Whole No 275 Vol 69 No 3 Jul 1994 p. 138 The Ancestry of Joan Legard, Grandmother of the Rev. William Skepper/Skipper of Boston, Massachusetts.