The Rogerenes

In my last blog post, James Rogers, a very early immigrant, I shared information about the first Rogers in our line that came to America in the colonial era.  James Rogers was believed to descend from a long line Protestant preachers including John “The Martyr” Rogers who was burned at the stake in England for his anti-Catholic sermons in 1554.

In colonial times, we find that many early immigrants were prompted to leave England or their homeland because of both political and religious differences.  In the New London area (now part of Connecticut), the majority of early residents were members of the Congregational Church, a Protestant group. Others associated with Seventh Day Baptists or Quaker communities.

While we are direct descendants of James Rogers (1615-1687), I would like to digress slightly and tell you about John Rogers, the third son of James Rogers who was a brother to three of our direct ancestors.  And even though he isn’t our direct line, the story about him is interesting in that he was the founder of a religious sect called The Rogerenes.

John Rogers (1648 – 1721) was raised in a family that belonged first to the Congregational Church in New London and later joined local the Seventh Day Baptist church.  As a young adult, John was attracted to the Baptist faith and began to oppose the Congregational Church, and eventually also the Seventh Day Baptists.  As a young man, when his religious beliefs began to change he embarked on a career as a minister.  He began to oppose some of the teachings of the Congregational Church, and supported several of the beliefs of both the Baptist and also the Quaker theologies.  John founded the new religious group known as The Rogerenes in 1674. 

The Rogerenes maintained that they did not have to pay taxes to support the Congregational Church or any church.  They didn’t violate civil laws, but loudly proclaimed and displayed their unwillingness to abide by ecclesiastical laws that they believed were not in keeping with the Rogerene faith. 

Several years after John Rogers founded his Rogerene sect, his wife, Elizabeth Griswold Rogers petitioned for a divorce.  She described his unusual behavior, conduct and beliefs as her reason to divorce him.  Her divorce was granted.

Rogerenes were not Congregationalists, Quakers or Seventh Day Baptists, though they shared some of the same beliefs.  The Rogerenes were advocates of peaceful non-resistance as were the Quakers.  They also believed in healing by prayer known as faith healing without the attentions of a physician and were against any medicines or formal medical treatment.  They believed healing would be achieved only by prayer and the laying on of hands.  They prayed specifically in silent worship (opposed to oral prayer like the Quakers); they believed in adult baptism by immersion; and they believed in celebrating communion in the evening like the Baptists.  And while the Rogerenes believed in Sunday worship, unlike the Congregationalists, they didn’t believe that anyone had to abstain from work on the Sabbath for the whole day.

Rogerenes opposed slavery and were active in the abolitionist cause and the Underground Railroad.  They advocated for the rights of women, a peaceful co-existence with the Native Americans, and were opposed to war and the military. 

The Rogerenes, though Christian, were very anti-clerical and were vocal religious dissenters, often showing up at Congregational Church events where they created disruptions and were known to go out of their way to provoke conflict and garner attention.  Not surprisingly, the Rogerenes were often persecuted for their beliefs and their disruptive behavior. 

Members of the Rogerenes were known to march through New London on Sunday proclaiming that they were working on the Sabbath and would attend functions at churches of other denominations to disrupt and argue with those of differing beliefs.  As a result, Rogerenes were also frequently hauled before the courts where they were fined or imprisoned, tarred or whipped either for their behavior or for their refusal to pay taxes which at the time supported the Congregational Church. 

In the early 1700’s the former leader of the Congregationalist Church in New London, Gurdon Saltonstall, became the Governor and actions against The Rogerenes escalated.  As a result, John Rogers and his followers spent more time in prison.  John Rogers cumulatively spent about 15 years of his life incarcerated.

In 1721, John Rogers traveled to Boston to minister to the sick during an outbreak of smallpox.  He believed that his faith would protect him from contracting the infection.  John later returned home to New London, only to become sick with smallpox himself and die along with a couple of members of his family who likely contracted the disease from him.

The Rogerenes remained active long after the death of John Rogers “the Founder” for over 200 years and well into the 1800’s.  Eventually one branch of the sect resettled in New Jersey and others integrated into nearby Quaker communities. 

*  *  *  *  *

Key Individuals:

James Rogers  (1615 – 1687), 8^th or 9^th great grandfather

Elizabeth Rowland Rogers  (abt 1620 – 1709), 8^th or 9^th great grandmother

1)  Samuel Rogers  (1640 – 1713)

2)  Joseph Rogers  (1646 – 1697), 7^th great grandfather

3)  John Rogers  (1648 – 1721) – founder of the Rogerenes

4)  Bathsheba Rogers  (1650 – 1711), 8^th great grandmother

5)  James Rogers  (1652 – 1714)

6)  Jonathan Rogers  (1655 – 1697), 8^th great grandfather

7)  Elizabeth Rogers  (1658 – 1716) 

For an explanation of the notations of 7^th, 8^th and 9^th great grandparents, please see the Notes section of my previous blog post titled James Rogers, a very early immigrant.

Notes:

Bathsheba Rogers (1650 – 1711), one of my 8^th great grandmothers became an early convert to The Rogerenes.  She was known to be a particularly zealous Rogerene and according to one account “she suffered long and cruel imprisonments” as a result of her work with the Rogerenes, as she was very devoted to her brother John’s religious movement.  Bathsheba married Richard Smith (1640 – 1682) in 1670, and her great grandson, James Smith Jr (1832 – 1798) was featured in my April 10, 2022 blogpost Ancestors Who Fought in the Revolution – part 2. 

- Jane Scribner McCrary

James Rogers, a very early immigrant

One of my earliest ancestors to arrive in the New World was James Rogers, my 8^th or 9^th great grandfather depending on the line that you follow.  Manuscripts that are preserved in the Public Record Office in England contain a document noted as a “licens to go beyond the seas” that is dated April 15, 1635 and reads “to be transported to New England imbarqued in the Increase [ship], James Roger, 20 years.”

James Rogers was born in England around 1615.  Within 2 years after his 1635 arrival in New England, James was noted as living near Saybrook (now in Connecticut).  He was a participant in the Pequot war – which was a brief conflict between the Pequot people on one side, and the Narragansett and Mohegan peoples who were allied with the colonists on the other side.   

By 1640, John is recorded as a property owner in Stratford, where he met and married Elizabeth Rowland.   The couple moved to Milford where James Rogers purchased a home lot and also obtained a warehouse. In Milford, James began baking and selling bread and biscuit products.  His business grew considerably and before long he was furnishing biscuit for seamen sailing to Virginia and Barbados, and for Colonial troops.  James had a great deal of business in nearby New London, probably because of the increasing port activity, and sometime between 1656 and 1660 he moved his business and family to New London.  New London by then had over a hundred families on the tax roll.  James was generous with his good fortune and often provided free biscuits for seamen and colonial troops.

In New London, James leased the town mill, built a home and a bakery next to the mill, and was quite successful.  James and his wife became involved in community affairs, the local Congregationalist church and in his later years in the Seventh Day Baptist church.  James Rogers served as deputy to the Court of Elections, and as the Corn Commissioner for New London.  He eventually handed his bakery business over to his eldest son, Samuel, though James stayed active locally serving as the Representative to the General Court seven times between 1662 and 1673.  

As you might expect from his success, James Rogers became a wealthy tradesman and major landowner during his lifetime.  James & Elizabeth had 8 children that lived to adulthood, and we have direct lines of descent through at least 3 of their children!  James Rogers died in 1687 in New London, and Elizabeth lived until around 1709.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

Key Individuals:

James Rogers  (1615 – 1687) 8^th or 9^th great grandfather, married

Elizabeth Rowland Rogers  (abt 1620 – 1709) 8^th or 9^th great grandmother, and had the following children:

1)  Samuel Rogers  (1640 – 1713)

2)  Joseph Rogers  (1646 – 1697) 

3)  John Rogers  (1648 – 1721) – founder of the *Rogerenes

4)  Bathsheba Rogers  (1650 – 1711) 

5)  James Rogers  (1652 – 1714)

6)  Jonathan Rogers  (1655 – 1697) 

7)  Elizabeth Rogers  (1658 – 1716)

    

Notes:

1)  English Protestant religion played a significant role in the history of this Rogers family.  James Rogers, the immigrant, claimed that he was the grandson of the clergyman known as John “The Martyr” Rogers (1507-1555) in England.  John “The Martyr” was a well-known Protestant preacher at the time that Queen Mary I (also known as Mary Tudor or Bloody Mary), a Roman Catholic, who came to the throne in England in 1553.  Rogers delivered sermons warning against papist preachings.  It wasn’t long before Rogers and other Protestant preachers in England were brought before the Privy Council and accused of heresy.  He was among a group that was imprisoned for over a year at Newgate as heretics and sentenced to be burned to death at the stake at Smithfield.  Before his sentence was carried out John Rogers was offered a pardon if he were to recant, but he refused.  He was burned at the stake on February 4, 1555 and was thereafter referred to as John The Martyr.

It is recorded in several places that when James Rogers came to New England, he brought with him a bible that was reported to have belonged to his grandfather, John “The Martyr” Rogers.

2) My next blog post will tell you about the *Rogerenes, a religious group that was established by John Rogers, the 3^rd son of our James Rogers of New London. 

3)  If you are working on our family tree, it will be very easy to get confused with all of the John Rogers that you will find who lived in and around New London, Connecticut.  Our line actually goes directly back to James Rogers (1615-1687) at least three different ways – through James & Elizabeth’s 2^nd child, Joseph, and through their 4^th child Bathsheba, and again through their 7^th child, Jonathan.

 

1st path:  James Rogers (1615-1687) m. Elizabeth Rowland (abt 1620-1709)

                     Joseph Rogers (1646-1697) m. Sarah Haughton (1652-1728)

                        John Rogers (1675-1739), Deborah Dayton (1675-1739)

                             John Rogers (1716-1779) m. Martha Colver (1717-1760)

                                  **John Rogers (1760-1796) m. Hannah Smith (1761-1845)

                                        Mary B Rogers (1790-1875) m. David Bill Dickinson (1787-1846)

2nd path:  James Rogers (1615-1687), m. Elizabeth Rowland (abt 1620-1709)

                       Bathsheba Rogers (1650-1711) m. Richard Smith (1640-1682)

                           James Smith (1674-1750) m. Elizabeth Rogers (1681-1760)

                              James Smith “the Barber” (1703-1758) m. Susannah ?

                                 **James Smith (1732-1798) m. Abigail Hempstead (1738-1814)

                                      Hannah Smith (1761-1845) m. **John Rogers (1760-1796)     

                                            Mary B Rogers (1790-1875) m. David Bill Dickinson (1787-1846)

3rd path:  James Rogers (1615-1687), m. Elizabeth Rowland (abt 1620-1709)

          Jonathan Rogers (1655-1697) m. Naomi Burdick (dates unknown)

             Elizabeth Rogers (1681-1760) m. James Smith (1674-1750)

                 James Smith “the Barber” (1703-1758) m. Susannah ?

                       **James Smith (1732-1798) m. Abigail Hempstead (1738-1814)

                                      Hannah Smith (1761-1845) m. **John Rogers (1760-1796)     

                               Mary B Rogers (1790-1875) m. David Bill Dickinson (1787-1846)        

**To learn for more about John Rogers (1760-1796) or James Smith (1732-1798), both noted above, see my earlier blog post titled Ancestors Who Fought in the Revolution – part 2, published earlier this year on April 10, 2022.

Note above that both James Smith & Elizabeth Rogers (who married) were grandchildren of James Rogers (1615-1687) & Elizabeth Rowland (abt 1620-1709) making them first cousins. 

And to add to the confusion, if you track my lineage through James & Elizabeth Rogers’ son Joseph, they will be my 8^th great grandparents.  However, if you follow the line through either of his siblings, Bathsheba or Jonathan, then James & Elizabeth will be my 9^th great grandparents.  

If you are in my family line that comes down through Mary B Rogers Dickinson (1790-1875), the wife of David Bill Dickinson, then all three ways lead to us.   I have to tell you that entering all of this in my ancestry program was a true challenge!

- Jane Scribner McCrary

Scribner Hereditary Notes

We have a lot to thank David Scribner (1795 – 1890), my 2^nd great grandfather, for as he left an account book that includes several pages of family notes, much like some families kept in their Bible.  David Scribner was the subject of my last blog post, The Life of Deacon Scribner, published on May 28, 2022.

David wrote several pages in his logbook beginning with a “Family Record List of My Great Grandfather’s Children”.  Counting back from Deacon David Scribner, his great grandfather was Edward Scribner (1696-1765), and he was born in the town of Exeter (now a part of New Hampshire) in 1696.

Edward was a blacksmith by trade and in 1725 he was granted 30 acres from the Town of Exeter.  In his early twenties Edward married Abigail Leavitt of Exeter.  They were both the 2^nd generation in their families born in the Colonies.  Edward Scribner and Abigail Leavitt Scribner had eight children that lived into adulthood.  

In David Scribner’s log book, under the heading “Family Record list of My Great Grandfather’s Children”, the children of Edward Scribner were listed in order as Daniel, Edward, Abigail, Alice, John, John and Samuel (our line). 

Next, David provided marriage information for his grandparents, Samuel Scribner & Sarah Bucknel, who married in 1764.  For more on Samuel Scribner, see my earlier blog post, Samuel Scribner – The Letter Box, recently published on May 16, 2022.  In his notes, David listed “Samuel Scribner’s Children”:  John, Edward (our line), Samuel, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Abigail, Mary, David and Ebenezar H. 

That was followed by David's listing titled “My Father Edward Scribner’s Children” with Edward's wife, Mary/Molly Ricker and their children to include David (our line), Rebecca, Deborah, Sarah and Mary.  David Scribner also entered information on his mother, Mary/Molly's 2^nd husband, Josiah Perkins, and several of their children in his notes.

And last, David moved on to his own family, listing information on his 1^st wife, Islethera Howland Scribner, and their eleven children, followed by David’s 2^nd wife, the widow Mary Ann Quint Whittemore, and their two additional Scribner children. 

Listings for assorted Marriages and also Deaths followed, along with information and information on the Quint family (the family of David Scribner’s 2^nd wife).  David's recorded notes on his family line have proven to be a treasure documenting our family history.

David lived a long life having survived not only both of his wives, but also outliving all but 2 of his 13 children.  Deacon David Scribner died in 1890 at 94 years of age.

*  *  *  *  *

Key Individuals:

Edward Scribner  (1696 – 1756)

Abigail Leavitt  (1699 – 1736)

Samuel Scribner  (1735 – 1815)

Sarah Bucknel Scribner  (1745 – 1829)

Edward Scribner  (1766 – 1804)

Mary “Molly” Wentworth Ricker  (1771 – 1861)

            Deacon David Scribner  (1795 – 1890)

            Islethera Scribner  (1802 – 1843) 1^st wife

            Mary Ann Quint Whittemore (1808 – 1887) 2^nd wife 

[Notice that there are 2 Edward Scribner’s in this direct line, David’s father & David’s great grandfather.]

 

Notes:

I only have copies of the pages written by Deacon David Scribner about his family lineage.  The actual log book belongs to another branch of the Scribner family.  My father received a copy of the pages in 1960 from one of his distant cousins, and I don’t know where the original book is now.

- Jane Scribner McCrary

The Life of Deacon Scribner

We know quite a bit about the life of Deacon David Scribner, my 2^nd great grandfather because of two documents written at the time of his death in 1890.  A memorial sketch was written by F. Ricker probably for David's memorial service.  Mr Ricker was very likely kin to David’s 1^st wife Islethera Howland whose mother had been a Ricker.  And a Brunswick Telegraph newspaper also carried a lengthy story at his passing titled “The Last of the Old Business Men of Topsham Gone”.

Mr Ricker begins his memorial with the following:

“At his home in Topsham, Maine, in the early morning of Sunday September 14, 1890 the venerable and beloved Deacon David Scribner passed to his final regard.  He was born in Waterboro, York County [Maine] on October 10, 1795, so that at the time of his decease, he lacked only about three weeks of being ninety-five years old.  His father, a Revolutionary soldier, and a very worthy man, died at 38 when David was less than nine years old.  The latter was the eldest of five children, and the only son … 

In some manuscript notes found among papers, Mr. Scribner speaks of the hard work endured to aid in the support of the family, and of the little schooling which he received in his youth, consisting of only a few weeks in the winter and even these were broken in upon by family cares.  From these adverse conditions … at not far from the date of his majority, in about 1816, without money, he traveled on foot from Waterboro to Topsham in pursuit of employment.  This he found without trouble in one of the many sawmills then in operation in the place.” 

The sawmill business where David found employment as a young man became just one of his business interests in life and he enjoyed success as a partner and owner of sawmills and lumber businesses in the area.  He also was successful with the D & D E Scribner Company an enterprise that used machinery to grind grain and flour.  They also milled grass seed, hay, straw and feed of all kinds, sold as Scribner’s Poultry Feeds. 

By 1834 David served as a Deacon of the Topsham Baptist Church, a position that he held for the rest of his life.  His belief that slavery was unjust and not a part of God’s plan led him to become active with local Underground Railroad efforts to assist former slaves moving north into Canada where they could live a life of freedom. 

David Scribner married Islethera Howland in 1821 until her early death in 1843 shortly after the birth of their 12^th child.  The next year he married Mary Ann Quint Whittemore, a widow with one young daughter.  Together David and Mary Ann added two more daughters to the family.  Six of David’s children died either in infancy or quite young, and only two actually outlived David.    

During all of David Scribner’s life he was a passionate reader of books. In his later years, his vision began to fail but not his keen mind.  David’s family and friends however always considered it a pleasure to read to him the best of current publications, histories, and biographies as he had a broad interest in religious, political and educational works.

*  *  *  *  * 

Key Individuals:

     Deacon David Scribner  (1795 – 1890)

     Islethera Howland Scribner  (1802 – 1843)  1^st wife

     Mary Ann Quint Whittemore Scribner  (1808 – 1887)  2^nd wife

Notes:

Deacon David Scribner (1795 – 1890) was the grandson of Samuel Scribner noted in my last blog post, The Letter Box – Samuel Scribner.

 – Jane Scribner McCrary

 

 

Samuel Scribner – The Letter Box

We have a wonderful summary of the life of Samuel Scribner, my 4^th great grandfather, thanks to an 1899 newspaper article called The Letter Box, published in the Lewiston Evening Journal, Lewiston, Maine, on Monday, February 27, 1899.  I will transcribe it for you in this blog post.

THE SCRIBNER FAMILY IN MAINE.

State Library of Massachusetts, State House, Boston.

Samuel Scribner was a member of the House of Representatives of Massachusetts, from Waterford, Province of Maine, in 1789 and 1790, and a member from Waterborough, 1791.  At that time, the meetings of the Legislature were held in the Old State House, at the head of State street.

C.B. Tillinghast, State Librarian

A True Copy.

State House, January 27, 1899.

Samuel Scribner, born May 19, 1735, in Waterborough, Province of Maine in Massachusetts, and died Nov. 13^th, 1815.  Born, lived, died and was buried on the old original Scribner farm, and was the youngest of seven children, six of whom lived to grow to man and womanhood (four males and two females).  He was a great man; among other things that he “set on foot” was to get the Province of Maine set off from Massachusetts, as the State of Maine.  He also led off in getting the county seat of York county, moved from York (on the sea coast) to what is now Alfred; also getting a portion of the town of Sanford, set off for the town of Alfred, for the county seat in 1808.

He and two neighbors built, on the old original Scribner farm, in Waterboro, a two story building (in about 1790) which was used for alternate sittings of York county courts, until Alfred was set off and the permanent seat of the county there.  That built by “Square Scribner,” “Square Burleigh,” and “Square Warren” [Squire?] was also used for town meetings, school house, and the first Baptist church.

He married Sarah Bucknell, of Somersworth, N. H., April 10^th 1764.  She was born July 29^th, 1745; died Dec. 29^th, 1829, and buried at Harrison, Maine, in the old Scribner-Burnham burying ground, by the side (east) of Nathaniel Burnham and his two wives; only a split rock as a headstone.  Nine children were born of this wedlock (of whom two died in infancy, viz: John, born 1764; Edward, 1766; Samuel, 1768; Elizabeth, 1770; Alice, 1772; Abigail, 1775; Ebenezer Hall, 1789.  (Mary and David died in infancy).

Said Scribner, in 1775, did honorable service in the War of the Revolution.  See Archives Division, Secretaries office, State House, Boston, Mass.

One line of the Scribners who have come down from the Warrior and Legislator; viz: Samuel Scribner, who was born May 19, 1735;  died Nov 13, 1815;   born, lived, raised a large family, died and lies buried on the “old Scribner farm,” in Waterborough, Maine.

[The author then records the names of individuals from five generations presently alive in 1899 when this article was written, descending from the line of Samuel’s eldest son, John.   Note:  Our Scribner line descends from Samuel’s second son, Edward.]

Five generations born in 91 years; “still live.” 

Attest, 

Wm. Marshall Scribner

Boston, Mass., January 1899

*  *  *  *  *

  

Key Individuals:

     Samuel Scribner  (1735 – 1815)

     Sarah Bucknell Scribner  (1745 – 1829)

             Edward Scribner  (1766 – 1804)

 

Notes:

1)  Samuel enlisted in July 1775 at Hollis, Maine, and served 8 months in the Massabesic Militia Company.  Later in 1778, he was a Private in Captain Webster’s Company, Col. Nichol’s Regiment, and General Whipple’s Brigade of New Hampshire Volunteers.  Samuel participated in the Expedition to Rhode Island in August 1778.  He was about 40 years old at the time.  For more information on our direct ancestors involved in the Revolution, see the recent series of blogs titled Ancestors Who Fought in the Revolution posted on March and April 2022.

2)  About 20 years before Samuel died he had a stroke that left him severely disabled.  My 2^nd great grandfather, David Scribner (1795-1890) was Samuel’s grandson and David wrote that “… it was a “good farm in Waterborough on which my father was born and died in 1804 at the age of 38.  A few years before his [Edward’s] death my Grandfather had a paraletic shock to which he lost the use of one side of his body and was a cripple for the rest of his life.  Some 20 years [earlier] – he had given his farm to my father and my father was to maintain the old folks and when my father died my mother was left with four children, a fifth was born after his death … and no means for support except what we could raise on the farm.” 

Samuel died in 1814 at the age of 80, eleven years after the death of his son Edward. Sarah, Samuel’s wife, lived another 15 years; she died in 1829 at the age of 84. 

3)  Waterborough, Massachusetts was incorporated in 1787.  Note that Waterborough was originally part of Massachusetts, and then later known as the Province of Maine, and subsequently as the state of Maine.  In 1819, Massachusetts agreed to allow the Province of Maine separation from Massachusetts with the ability to seek statehood.  In 1820, Maine gained statehood.  Also, the spelling of Waterborough changed in 1895 to Waterboro.  Thus, I apologize for the confusion that all makes in recounting the location names over time in the 1800’s.

4)  While we have some specific information on Sarah Bucknell, the wife of Samuel Scribner, that includes her birth, marriage and death dates, we have never been able to find any documentation as to the names of her parents.  Though there is strong speculation that Sarah’s father was Samuel Bucknell and her mother, Sarah Whidden.

5)  Here is the image of the full article, not a good one, but provided here if you are interested. 

- Jane Scribner McCrary