Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-05-27

number of years he was president Of
the school board of Smethport and
through his persistency with the sup
port of other members of the board the
foundation of Smethports excellent
schools was laid.
He built and operated the first steam
saw mill ever erected in Potato Creek
| Valley. This mill was located at the
junction of Potato and Marvin Greeks
in the eastern end of this borough and
which did active service until a few
years ago. He was actively interested
in the location of nearly every industry
that ever came to Smethport and was a
stockholder in the first oil wells drilled
near this place, which subsequently,
opened the gas fields in this sec
ton. When the Camp Glass factory
was located here he made a liberal
donation in land and otherwise assist
ed in getting it located here.
About the year 1890 Mr.. Rogers was
interested in starting the Kane Repub-
lican and after selling the Miner to o.
son & Gilbert in the fall of1893, he took
charge of that paper and moved to
| Kane. He continued to edit and man.
age that paper until he was appointed
postmaster September 7, 1908.
On May 81, 1860, he was united in
marriage to Miss Livia M. Goodwin at
Kidders Ferry, N. Y, and commenced
keeping house in Smethport. Four
children were born to bless this union,
three of whom survive, namely, Lucy,
now Mrs. w. F. Shero, of Racine, Wis,
Fantine, now Mrs. w. P. Burdick, of
Kane, and Harry Smull of Mt. Jewett,
Mrs. Rogers died at Smethport, July
81, 1889, aged 53 years.
On January 1, 1901, he was married
at Harrisburg to Miss Sarah Campbell
Gratz of that city, who with his three
children above named survive to
mourn the loss of kind, indulgent,
loving and honorable husband and
father.
The deceased was member of the
different Masonic bodies, being a chart.
er member of Mexican Lodge, No. 3SS,
f. & A. NJ, Bradford Chapter, No. 26S,
and Trinity Commandrey, No. 5S,
Knights Templar of Bradford, affiliat-
ing with that body in 1888 He was
charter member of Mexican Post, No.
BAT, G. A. r., of Smethport and was its
commander one or more times. He was
also member of Kane Lodge OF Elks.
Colonel Rogers enjoyed perhaps the
most extensive acquaintance of any
man in this county and he had as many
friends as any man within its limits.
And his acquaintances and friends
were not limited by county or state
lines. He was personally acquainted
with practically every man of promin-
ence in the state as we'll as many of
the leading political and business men
of the nation.
The deceased had one secret that was
kept invoilate until his death and that
was his age. He had always been an
unusually and active man for his age
and there were fe v people in the coun-
ty that imagined that he was anywhere
near 80 years of age, even though he
aged very rapidly in the past two or
three years.
In all his activity. business energy
and reverses in Col. Rogers always had
time to assist person in need of help
and many man in this county can at
tribute his start in life to the aid of this
man. He trusted his fellow men i'm
plicatly and althsugh he had been the
victim of misplaced confidence in
many instances, he never lost his
faith in mankind nor soured on human
ity. Like all prominent men in active
business and political life he had his
enemies, but even they admired him
for his many manly qualifications, and
will join with his host of friends in re-
gretting that the last page of this
interesting life is closed.
He was full life from boyhood to
the day that the earthly spark fled It
was full of work, full of pleasure, full
of disappointment is and yet always full
of hope. He has never known what
all lulo lHOineHU WAS anu therefore he
never had time to give his troubles a
chance to get hold ofhim. He pos
sessed a wonderful constitution and he
never allowed himself to feel old, act
old or look old If stranger had met
him week ago he would have called
him an energetic man of sixty, capable
of doing much for mankind in the next
twenty years to come. His eyes were
bright his mind was alert and his voice
was as strong and clear as most men of
half his age. The final summons came
as shock and brought with il a deep
feeling of regret to every man, women
and child in this section. He lived to
ripe old age and this community and
the world in general is better for his
having lived.
His remains were laid at rest in Rose
Hill cemetery at Smethport last Fri