A member, along with his family of the 1853 Hagans-Cockrill wagon train.

John is listed in the 1850 Census for Bates Co., MO, living in District No. 6, dwelling #283 as John Hagans, a 44 year old farmer born in Kentucky with $200 of Real Estate. Also enumerated in the same household are Rebecca Hagans (a. 38, bp. MI), Alfred Hagans (a. 18, bp. IL, "Laborer", Albert Hagans (a. 15, bp. MO, "Laborer"), and Catherine Hagans (a. 10., bp. MO). John's brother, William B. Hagans and family were living in dwelling #287 in this census.

In the 1860 Census for Sonoma Co., CA, John is listed living in Anally Township (Sebastopol Post Office), dwelling #117 as J. S. Hagans, a 59 year old farmer born in Kentucky with $2000 of Real Estate and $1000 of personal estate. Also enumerated in the same household are Rebecca Hagans (a. 48, bp. GA) and Alfred H. Hagans (a. 28, bp. IL, "farmer" with $60 Real Estate).

His son Alfred claimed to be his only child, implying that their other two children did not survive as adults

From E. B. Hagans, "Hagans" 1769 to 1887, p. 9:

John S. Hagans and wife with their only son Alfred came to Cala and settled in Sonoma Co. in the year 1853, where soon after, Alfred married Miss Mary Hall, also of Sonoma Co.

From a short biography in Jeanne Miller's papers:

John Smith Hagans was an older brother of William B. Hagans. Born in Kentucky in 1802. His wife, Rebecca Cook, was born in Illinois. They had a son, Alfred Huddleston... As far as able to determine all came in 1853, though the 1860 Census doesn't list minor children except by number. John Smith Hagans is listed as a surveryor and farmer in Anally Township in Sonoma County. His son, Alfred, became a Baptist minister, but after 1868 have found no trace of any of that branch of the family in Sonoma County.

From the Sonoma County Deed Index:

A Hagans, John shows up on the 1830-1849 membership list for the Trammel Fork Baptist Church on the Allen County Kentucky searchable on-line database. This would indicate he was a member of this Primitive Baptist church.

Later, the Santa Rosa John Hagans is indeed listed as a member and correspondant of the Santa Rosa Church of Old School Baptists, along with is son, Alfred. This church was founded in about 1859 by Elder Thomas H. Owen.

His obituary is listed in the Primitive Baptist publication, Signs of the Times (New York), Dec. 1, 1872, Vol. 40, No. 34, page 272 (from Elder Robert Webb, a Primitive Baptist minister, church historian, and church webmaster):

It becomes my duty to send for publication the obituary of my father, Dea. John S. Hagans, of Santa Rosa, Sonoma Co., Cal. He was born in Barren Co., Ky., March 5, 1801, and died Aug. 1, 1872, aged 71 years, 5 months and 16 days. He lived a consistent member of the Regular or Old School Baptist Church for about twenty-four years. His funeral was preached on Sunday of the O. S. Baptist Corresponding Association of California, by Elder Thomas H. Owen, text, Rev. xiv. 13.

H. Hagans