Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-06-28
THE ROGERS FAMILY
The Name Is Notable One In
History.

Kuhn in the modern German. meaning
fame or glory.
In the German it is Roger or Rodi-
ger: in Spanish 1t is Rogerio, and In
Italian, Ruggiero Historical tradition
associates the name with all that is
true and noble. A meaning ascribed 10
It is, zone whose word is reliable.
1t has been claimed that the name is
derived from the French. since we read
that Roger L., Count of Sicily and Cal
abria, and the founder of the Norman
dynasty in those countries, was born
in Normandy, France, about 1881. This
suggests that the English Rogers fam
lilies were possibly originally Norman
French. and went to England With
William the Conqueror.
OF early ancestors, there was Aaron
Rogers, a merchant of Rome, Italy.
who in the year 1900 in consequence of
religious persecution, fed for his life.
and took up his residence in London.
There he resumed his business as a
merchant and became rich. He was
the great-grandfather of the first Prot
estant martyr in the reign of Queen
Mary-John Rogers, who was preben-
dairy of st. Paul's cathedral, and was
burned at the stake at Smithfield, Feb
4, 1866.
II His grandson, James Rogers, was ono
Of the first settlers in this country.
II Thomas Rogers and his son, Joseph,
came over in the Mayflower. but
Thomas died soon after his arrival. His
other children came later. and all set
tied in Plymouth. Another immigrant
was George Rogers, who came from
ireland. 1t is recorded of another
\ George Rogers that he was born on
the sea and rocked in a tortoise shell
cradle
4 The fact that James Rogers, the inn
| migrant, was chosen to fill many inn
portant positions in Connecticut, where
| he lived, shows the estimation in which
he was held by the community He was
deputy to the court of elections and
representative to the general court
seven times within about as many
years. Governor Winthrop showed his
esteem for him in various ways. For
many years prior to 1866 James Rogers
carried on by far the most extensive
foreign and domestic trade of any man
in New London, or possibly. in Con-
necticut
| Samuel Rogers. the first settler in
New Jersey of the name. had five chill
dren. One. Ann, married Francis Hop
kinson. signer of the declaration of in
dependence. Their son was Joseph
Hopkinson. author of the words of the
national air, Hail. Columbia"
Joseph, son of Samuel Rogers, served
with credit in the revolutionary army.
| His sister. Elizabeth, married Colonel
Joseph Borden, the founder of Borden
town, y. J., and a Jealous patriot. In
IT'S his house was burned by the Brit
ish. guard was placed about the
dwelling to insure it's destruction, and
during the progress of the flames a
British officer expressed to Mrs. Bor-
den his sympathy for her private mis-
fortunes. She replied: Il thank you,
sir. but this is the happiest day of my
life. L know you have given up all
hope of reconquering my country or
you would not thus wantonly devastate
it."
Robert Rogers was the celebrated
| ranger" who did great service in the
French and Indian wars. Richard. his
brother. was also in the ranger SER
vice. He was first lieutenant under his
brother Robert in 1855; later. in the
same year, he was appointed captain
of second company of rangers An
other brother. James. also ranger.
was in the famous expedition to Fort
George. in January, 1857. A John Rog-
ers served in the revolution. holding
rank as lieutenant.
In 1875 John Rogers. son of one of the
| first settlers, founded the sect called
after his name Rogerenes. One of the
characteristics of the sect-which re-
sembled the Baptist-was to give no re-
Enumeration for religious services, be-
| lieving that ministers should support
| themselves by secular employment. The
| Rogerenes also considered that the d.
rections regarding the healing of the
| sick in the first years of Christianity,
were intended for believers in all ages.
Consequently they did not employ ply
sicians or depend upon medicines. In
cases of serious illness, they obeyed the
injunction of st. James regarding pray
er and amounting with oil.
A Bible which, it is alleged, belonged
| to the martyr, is carefully preserved
| in the archives of Alfred university.
Alfred, n. Y. 1t had been burned; the
first part. to the thirty-eighth chapter
of Exodus, is gone, and the tradition
| is that this book was also burned at
the stake, with its owner, though no.
destroyed.
The book being saved from the
flames, was concealed in feather bed
during the rest or Mary s reign. Ja1neS
Rogers. who brought it to this country,
used it as uillow in his travels in the
wilderness, as a talisman to protect
him from the nightly attacks of the
lsavages. The Bible is supposed to be
one of Cranmer's first edition.
The Rogers are a sturdy and long
| lived race. Daniel Rogers, the centen-
arian, could do a full days moving
when he was 80 years old. At the age
of 100 che ran away from home, dis
tance of four miles, to visit a friend
1t was the busy haying season, and his
children could not take the trouble to
accommodate him with any means OF
conveyance. The same year he was
presented with his first pair of spec
tacles. He died in 1872, at the age OF
LOG years.
! In one family of ten brothers and sis
tiers seven lived to be 100 years and
over The youngest was So; the aver
| age age was 80 years land the aggre-
gate ages of the ten were 9SS years.
A curious coincidence in regard to
certain James Rogers is that he was
contemporary with another James
| RoQarc Each had yvifa parnaE