Subj: Claiborne County Home Page
Date: 97-11-06 21:56:46 EST
From: WRHELLS To: JPayne5744
Dear Joe,
I visited the Claiborne County home page a few
days ago and I feel compelled to share my research with you. The Internet
is a wonderful tool for today’s genealogist but the information should
be up to date and accurate. This message will try to correct the inaccurate
assumptions and conclusions made by Worth S. Ray in his book, Tennessee
Cousins. This is not meant to discredit Mr. Ray’s research for I‘m sure
he did the best he could with the resources available fifty years ago.
Mr. Ray has the families of two John Rogers intertwined into one. The
John Rogers of Claiborne Co. is not the same John Rogers of Washington
Co. TN, August 28, 1778.
In the following text, I will try to clear up the
inaccuracies by citing sources, both primary and secondary. John
Rogers was born June 01, 1757, probably in Culpepper Co., Virginia, and
died January 05, 1822, in Claiborne Co., Tennessee.
He married #1 ?? Britton Abt. 1775 in Virginia. He married
#2 Polly Brawley August 19, 1793 in Wythe Co., Virginia. He married #3
?? Hudson in Tennessee. John is buried in a small family cemetery along
with a grandson, Dr. William Rogers. This cemetery is located about 2 miles
east of the Campbell County line, between old and new Hwy. 63, in Powell
Valley, Claiborne County, Tennessee. His tombstone is engraved, Rev. Soldier
Cpl. 3 Va, Regt.----b. June 1, 1757----d. Jan. 5, 1822. I think this stone
was erected by descendants of John Rogers in the 1950's, and I believe
the reference to his service in the 3rd Virginia Regiment is wrong.
My research leads me to believe that John Rogers was
in the Montgomery County, Virginia, Militia. (Wythe County was organized
in 1789 from Montgomery County). I think his military service was the same
as his brother Benjamin's . The two brothers, under the command of Colonel
William Preston, were in a skirmish against the British at Weitzel's Mill
on Reedy Creek near Guilford Courthouse, on March 6, 1781. Eleven days
later on March 15, 1871, they took part in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
The British, under Cornwallis, routed the army of General Nathanael Greene,
but in doing so, Cornwallis lost between a fourth and a third of his army,
perhaps 600 men in all. Cornwallis fell back to Wilmington, where he could
get more supplies. A short time later, he abandoned North Carolina entirely
and went to Virginia. It was at Yorktown, Virginia, where General Washington’s
army besieged Cornwallis and his army for three weeks. With no hope of
escape, Cornwallis surrendered his entire army on October 19, 1781. On
May 8. 1782, John and Benjamin, along with other militia members, petitioned
and received payment from the Montgomery County court for provisions lost
in the Battle of Reedy Creek in North Carolina. John, along with his family,
moved to Washington County, in about 1791 (State in dispute). Both Washington
County, Virginia and Washington County, Tennessee border each other. It
was in Washington County that John’s first wife died. Needing a companion
and a mother for his children, John returned to Wythe County, Virginia,
and married his brother Benjamin’s wife’s sister, Mary Brawley. John moved
his family to Claiborne County in about 1800. John Rogers had the following
children (documented from primary sources) by three wives.
WILLIAM ROGERS, b 1777, d Jan. 1838
DAVID ROGERS, b Oct. 3, 1779, d Sept. 14, 1871
BENJAMIN R. ROGERS,
REUBEN B. ROGERS,
ELIJAH ROGERS, b bef.1808
STEPHEN ROGERS, aft. 1808
THOMAS ROGERS, aft. 1808
JOHN F. ROGERS, b bef. 1808
WESTLEY ROGERS, b bef. 1808
CORNALIUS ROGERS, bef. 1808
John Rogers children by secondary sources:
JOHN ROGERS, JR.
JESSE ROGERS,
JAMES ROGERS,
TWO DAUGHTERS, FIRST NAMES UNKNOWN,
David Rogers, son of John Rogers and ?? Britton, was born in Montgomery
Co. (now Wythe Co.) VA in 1779, died September 14, 1871 . He lived there
twelve years, moving to Washington Co. in 1791. He moved to Claiborne Co.,
TN in 1800. David was indeed chosen to be the first sheriff of Claiborne
Co., but did not serve, because he could not provide a secured bond. John
Hunt Sr., was elected to fill the vacancy. In the war against the Creek
Indians he served as a Major in Colonel Lillard’s Regiment of the Tennessee
Militia. For this service he applied for and received two bounty land warrants.
The first Bounty Land Wt # 43304-80 was issued for 80 acres on September
6, 1852. The second Bounty Land Wt # 18461 was issued for 80 acres on January
3, 1856. David was known as Major David after his service in the Creek
War. He represented his district in the Tennessee Legislature from 1829-1832
and 1835-1836. He was a Union Republican. David was a farmer and powder
manufacturer. David married Polly Lewis, daughter of Solomon Lewis and
first wife (name unknown), at home of Wm Rogers, in Claiborne Co., Tennessee,
March, 1800. David and Polly had the following children:
WILLIAM ROGERS, b Jul. 15, 1801, d May 29 1862
JOHN (JACKSON) ROGERS, b Jun.1, 1803, d Jan.16, 1864
JAMES ROGERS, b Aug.17, 1805, d Feb.25, 1893
RUSSELL B. ROGERS, b Nov.7, 1807, d Sept.1862
PLEASANT M. ROGERS, b Sept.9, 1809, d Feb.20, 1874
JESSE ROGERS, b Oct.6, 1811, d Aug. 16, 1888
DAVID F, ROGERS, b Oct 26, 1813, d Mar. 24, 1893
ISAAC N. ROGERS, b Nov. 4, 1915, d Jun. 24 1873
ELIZABETH ROGERS, b Nov.30, 1817, d Sept. 30, 1880
HENDERSON ROGERS, b May 18, 1820, d Jun, 28, 1892
HUGH L. W. ROGERS, b Feb. 22, 1822, d Feb. 27, 1895
LEWIS M. ROGERS, b Dec. 31, 1824, d Jan. 25, 1902
CANADA H. ROGERS, b Jun. 30, 1826, d Aug. 8, 1893
“DAVID F. ROGERS AND JESSE ROGERS SONS OF DAVID OF CLAIBORNE”
DAVID F. ROGERS, born 1813, married ELIZABETH HAMPTON on May 12, 1836.
Elizabeth was born May 12, 1816, daughter of Elisha and Lydia (Merritt)
Hampton, in Stokes Co., NC. David and Elizabeth had the following children:
MARY J. ROGERS, b abt. 1836, d bef. 1887
DAVID H. ROGERS, b abt. 1839
SARAH A. ROGERS, b abt. 1841, d bef. 1887
HUGH H. ROGERS, b abt. 1843, d bef. 1887
JOSEPHINE ROGERS, b abt. 1845
REUBEN C. ROGERS, b abt. 1847, d bef. 1887
JOHN P. ROGERS, b Aug. 9, 1848, d May 6, 1935
WILLIAM F. ROGERS, b abt. 1851
SILAS ROGERS, b abt. 1854
HORACE M. ROGERS, b abt. 1856
SNEED ROGERS, b abt. 1858
JESSE ROGERS, born Oct. 6, 1811, married MARGARET WILSON abt. 1834 and
ANNIE HANES abt. 1858. JESSE and MARGARET had the following children:
MARY E. ROGERS, b abt. 1835
ELIZABETH ROGERS, b abt. 1837
MANERVA ROGERS, b abt. 1842
AMY ROGERS, b abt 1847
WILLIAM J. W. ROGERS, b Nov 28, 1848, d Jun. 30, 1929
SARAH A. ROGERS, b Jun. 2, 1853, d Feb. 2, 1918
JESSE L. ROGERS, b Apr. 9, 1855, d Jan 17, 1911
JESSE and ANNIE ROGERS had the following children:
RACHEL ROGERS, b Nov.1, 1861, d May 9, 1896
CANADA H. ROGERS, b Aug. 15 1864, d Dec. 1896
HARRIET L. ROGERS, b Jan. 4, 1867, d Dec 17, 1918
PRIMARY SOURCES : Minutes of the County Court, Montgomery Co., Virginia, May 05, 1782 Marriage Record for Rogers & Brawley, Clerk Circuit Court, Wythe Co., VA Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Claiborne Co., TN, Dec. 07, 1801 Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Claiborne Co., TN, Feb. 11, 1822 Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Claiborne Co., TN, Aug. 11, 1823 Benjamin Rogers, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Microfilm series M804, roll 2073. War of 1812 Pension Record for Major David Rogers, #WO 8098 Claiborne Co., Tennessee Land Records, Deed Book, K pg 261 Claiborne Co., Tennessee Land Records, Deed Book, K pg 249 Claiborne Co., Tennessee Land Records, Deed Book, I pg 393 Claiborne Co., Tennessee Land Records, Deed Book, I pg 395 U. S. Census: 1850, Tennessee, Claiborne Co., M432-874, pg. 327 U. S. Census: 1850, Tennessee, Claiborne Co., M432-874, pg. 340 U. S. Census: 1860, Tennessee, Claiborne Co., M623-1244, pg 255 U. S. Census: 1870, Tennessee, Claiborne Co., M593-1518, pg 211
SECONDARY SOURCES: Lewis Preston Summers, ANNALS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA, 1769-1800, Vol I & II Lawrence Edwards, OLD SPEEDWELL FAMILIES Lawrence Edwards & Joy Edwards Davis, OLD SPEEDWELL FAMILIES, Revised and Updated. The Goodspeed Publishing Co., CLAIBORNE COUNTY HISTORY of TENNESSEE, Reprinted by Mountain Press, 1990 Edgar A. Holt, CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Memphis State University Press Paul Johnson, CEMETERIES OF CLAIBORNE COUNTY TENNESSEE Dorothy Bruce, HISTORY IN STONE, Cemeteries of Campbell Co., Tennessee
I hope this helps clear up some of the questions about the Rogers family in Claiborne Co.
I’m looking forward to your response,
Ray Hellstrom WRHELLS@AOL.COM