The other Spencer Rogers

I originally thought the Hamilton County TN family was another Spencer Rogers, with middle name Joseph. But it turns out my Great times four Uncle Spencer C. Rogers did apparently live there some of his life.

But there was also a Spencer J. Rogers in Giles County, TN.

Here's the other Spencer's marriage record (his second I think)

I may write more about Spencer Joseph "Monk" Rogers just because his records keep popping up. It's rather hard figuring things out, since my Uncle Spencer Clack Rogers lived at least in 3 counties of Tennessee.  But SJ "Monk" Rogers lived his whole 98 years in Giles County.

And another Spencer Rogers actually fought in the War of 1812, which was before both of these gentlemen were of age in Monk's case, or even born in Uncle SC's case.

 

Spencer Rogers, submitted by 2nd gr grandson David Rogers

abt 1880

Giles Co., TN

Spencer Rogers is in the buggy with his grandson, wife & daughter in law. One of his sons standing by the buggy

I think this photo is great of a family, to whom I'm probably distantly related. But it's not the Uncle Spencer who was Micajah Clack Rogers' brother.

And his parents were Joseph and Nancy Rogers (both from South Carolina), who Ancestry knows little about except that they died in Missouri or Arkansas, and apparently had no other chi

Spencer "Monk" J. Rogers was born 15 Dec 1814 in Giles County, TN. There's a detailed list of descendants compiled by his great great grandson David O. Rogers, 8 pages, which I've included on my ancestry site.  It unfortunately doesn't have any information about his parents either.

In 1906 Spencer J. applied for a pension for his service in the Mexican War, (discharged in 1846) and was denied. He was 91 when he applied for it.

He apparently married twice, and was a farmer. His first wife was Elizabeth Mitchell who died between the 1850 and 1860 census. Second wife was Arena B.McDonald who he married in 1865. So it it she who appears in the photo above.  But his 8 children were all with Elizabeth.

A news article when Spencer J. was just 92, saying he was the oldest surviving veteran of the Mexican war.

His obituary said:
 

October 24, 1912 Edition of the Giles Co. Record, Pulaski, TN

NINETY-NINE YEARS OLD

SPENCER ROGERS, OLDEST MAN IN GILES COUNTY, DIED AT RESIDENCE NEAR BODENHAM

    Spencer Rogers the oldest man at the time of his death in Giles County, died near Bodenham Thursday, aged ninety-nine years.

   

    There is little doubt in regard to the age of Mr. Rogers, he having a number of children who are past middle age, one son being more than seventy years old.  Mr. Rogers was a native of this county.  Mr. Gurdine Cox, who was a soldier in the Mexican war, and is himself ninety-four years old, knew the deceased when a small boy and says Mr. Rogers was several years older than himself.  Surviving the deceased is his second wife, several children, grand-children and great grand-children, a number of the later being grown.

More on Jane Chandler Rogers

Jane's marker in Citizen's Cemetery in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, TN, just gives her name as Jane Chandler and "wife of Spencer C. Rogers." There are no dates, but somehow Ancestry trees say she died in 1855.

Oh I just discovered that looking at her children's lives may give more information about her.
We had 2 daughter's death certificates naming her as their mother. Today I found a son, Arthur C. Rogers' death certificate.

 Sloppy writing and poor transcription leaves this record in the files as T. C. Rogers as his father. But it's also possible it was S. C. Rogers.  Jane Chandler was transcribed correctly.

But before going into her children's lives, I think it would be best to start with her siblings.  Let's see what Ancestry has to offer.

Lecretia Chandler b.1812 in Knox County TN, m. Wm.P. Ailes, d. 1867 Claiborn County TN

Malvina Chandler b. 1813, m. James Henderson 1830, m.2 Andrew Jackson Chambers, 1860, life long member of the Jones Chapel Baptist Church, where there is a record of Malvina Chambers death 15 Jul 1869...though her grave is unknown.

Benjamin Chandler

Benjamin Chandler b. 1814.Boyds Creek, Seveir County TN, m Catherine Newell, d. 1877, Escambia County FL (Pensacola area.) For some reason I had copied from another tree after his name (McCroskey?)  There are families of McCroskeys with Rogers ancestors still living in Sevier County TN. I don't understand why a Chandler would be considered related though. AH, as I looked into the families of some Chandlers I found that William and Mary Chandler had a daughter who married a McCroskey.

Jane Chandler Rogers comes next in birth order.

Bartley McGhee Chandler b.1817 Boyds Creek, Sevier County, TN, m Adela (Della) C. Huffaker, d. 1877 Pensacola, Escambia County FL (or 1870 New Orleans, LA?)

Timothy Chandler #2 (his grandfather of the same name had moved to TN after fighting in the American Revolutionary War) b.1820 Boyds Creek, Sevier County, TN, m. Mary Esther Smith Chandler (her second m. having been m. to his bro. Wm first,) d.1888 Boyds Creek, Sevier County, TN

William M."Bilce" Chandler, b. 1822, m. Mary Esther Smith @1846, (her first before m. second to his bro. Timothy later) d. 1852 Sevier County, TN

Armstrong Erwin Chandler, b. 1825, d. 1826 Boyds Creek, Sevier, TN

Mary Chandler, b. 1826 - unknown any details about her.

So this was fun, but time consuming of course. I found that 2 of Jane Chandler Rogers' brothers had married the same woman, Mary Esther Smith Chandler...in succession. Maybe the youngest of her children was fathered by her second husband, but I'm not going to worry about that. It at least was explained that her first husband William died in 1852, and then she married Timothy #2.

Many of the Chandlers lived and died in Boyds Creek, Sevier County Tennessee.

Oh, and there's another interesting story which I'll include because it's so different to hear about the lives of freed slaves, who took the Chandler name.

Walter Padge Chandler was born in 1887 and worked most of his life as a cook and butler at Wheatlands Plantation

Four Generations

 The Black Candlers at Wheatlands Plantation

Walter Padge Chandler, known as Uncle Padge was born in 1887. Both of his parents, Lewis and Flora Chandler were born as slaves at Wheatlands. His Great-Grandmother was named Jenny and was the first slave that Timothy Chandler (#1 who built Wheatlands originally) purchased in the late 1700's. When Timothy Chandler passed away, Jenny and another slave, Ester, were responsible for preparing meals for the Chandler family. The two women would carry all the water from the spring and cook in the open fireplace in the kitchen.

The original house burned down in 1825 and John Chandler rebuilt the house. Jenny and Ester were the first cooks in the new house. Jenny earned a reputation as an excellent cook and as she grew older taught her daughter Polly and another slave girl named Liz how to cook. By the time Jenny was no longer able to work, Polly and Liz took over the cooking duties. The spring which Jenny used to draw water was replaced by a hand-dug well after the spring went dry.

During the Civil War, Union forces encamped at the plantation while the Chandler men folk, who were confederate sympathizers, hid out in an undisclosed location away from the plantation. The soldiers raided farms throughout the county and returned with turkeys, hams and vegetables with which Polly prepared a big feast that was enjoyed by the soldiers, the Chandler women, and the slaves alike.

After the Civil War John Chandler allowed his former slaves, who wished to, remain on the Wheatlands Plantation and he paid them to work there doing essentially the same jobs they had done in the past. Padge’s Grandmother Polly was among those who stayed and continued working there as the cook. Up until this time the slaves never had a surname. Understandably, those who remained at Wheatlands began using the name Chandler as their last name.

Born about 1860, Flora Chandler grew up assisting her mother Polly in the kitchen at Wheatlands. Polly passed down the recipes to Flora that her mother Jenny had taught her. Although Flora married Lewis Chandler in 1878 and began raising a family that grew to include eleven children, she continued to work as a cook for Adela Chandler McMahan who inherited the place from her father. (Timothy #2)

Flora’s children began working at Wheatland’s which was called Ler- Mac for a number of years after Adela married Isaac N. McMahan. Flora’s second oldest child, Padge began working there as a houseboy when he was a young teenager. Padge’s duties were similar to those of a butler. He also assisted his mother in the kitchen and became an excellent cook.

When Flora was no longer able to work Padge was the natural choice for the position as cook. While Padge worked in the dual roles of butler and cook, several of his siblings worked in domestic jobs at Wheatlands as well. Padge remained at Wheatlands through an uncomfortable situation in which his sister Celia, who worked there as a maid, became pregnant by Adela’s teenaged son (Samuel) Timothy McMahan. At the time Celia was 22 and married.

Both Adela (Chandler McMahan) and her husband died in 1936 and their son and daughter-in law, (Samuel) Timothy and Blanche (McMahan) took charge of Wheatlands. Padge remained there as cook preparing the recipes the Chandler- McMahan family had enjoyed for generations. He supervised smoking hams using smoldering fires of corn cobs. An especially good desert Padge was known for was Lemon Pie using a handed-down recipe which he improvised to make it his own.

Throughout its history, there had always been more than one cook at any given time at Wheatlands until Padge assumed the duties. Never married, he lived on the premises of the mansion for many years.

Padge was living there in 1942 when an unimaginable tragedy occurred. During a heated dispute, (Samuel) Timothy McMahan Sr. was brutally beaten to death by his 19-year-old son, Timothy, Jr.

After the murder, Padge remained at Wheatlands for more than a decade before deciding to follow other family members and move to Knoxville. Although he missed certain aspects of working at Wheatlands where he had always taken pride in the meals he served, Padge adjusted to life in the city. Padge worked as a janitor for Swans’ Bakery in Knoxville for a few years before he retired. He passed away in 1966 at the age of 79. He was fondly known by his numerous nephews, nieces and extended family as Uncle Padge.

dgarrity11 originally shared this on 08 jul 2017 to Ancestry

Thank you so much for a very interesting history of the 2 families, living side by side! 

Final Note by editor of blog:
Samuel Timothy McMahan Sr.'s death certificate shows he was hospitalized from Oct. 14-19, 1942 when he died of perforated bowel and peritonitis, there was no mention of injuries, and no indication of foul play on the death certificate. But it did say he was divorced. None of the ancestry records of his or his son's details indicate that they had a fight, as Padge has said in the above article.  But that doesn't mean it didn't happen. His son did join the army and fight in WW II and Korea, and never married (that I can find.)

Spencer Clack's first wife, Jane Chandler and their children

Jane Chandler Rogers.
The first written record I found on Ancestry (not counting other members' postings on their own family pages) is the Census for Hamilton County TN, Dist. 27, for 1850.

And I doubt that they have this record listed, since the family is listed under Spinger Rodgers, for Spencer Rogers. Jane is 32, while Spencer (Spinger) is 33. That does give us a general idea of her birth year, within a few months. Since the census was taken in Nov. of 1850, she probably had already had her birthday.

The way I was sure the Spinger C. Rodgers and Jane were Spencer C. and Jane Rogers was the names and ages of their children. See my previous post which listed them in the 1860 census...with new wife, Mary (who had 2 records of their marriage.)

 in 1860 Census - Spencer C. Rogers - 
Children's names are
 Arthur C. 18
Jane C. 15
Cornelia A. 13
Emma 10
William S 6
George M 6 months

By the next census of 1860 John was 23 and a bookkeeper still living at home with Spencer (in Nashville TN then).  Since George M. was 6 months old in 1860, I assume he was Mary's son, not Jane who died in 1855.

OK back to Jane Chandler Rogers.  The Chandler family was pretty well off in Sevier County TN at the time she would have met Spencer, a preacher/farmer's youngest son.

Her father John built a gorgeous home...

Wheatlands (Sevierville, Tennessee)

1825

Sevierville, Sevier, Tennessee

"Wheatlands was an antebellum plantation in Sevier County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The plantation's surviving structures— which include the plantation house, a storage shed, and smokehouse— have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The plantation house has been called "the best example of a Federal-style building remaining in Sevier County."[2] Wheatlands, named after its large annual wheat crop, was established as a family farm by Revolutionary War veteran Timothy Chandler in 1791. Chandler's son, John Chandler (1786–1875), inherited Wheatlands in 1819, and under his direction the plantation grew to become one of Sevier County's largest farms, covering 3,700 acres (1,500 ha) by 1850.[3] Chandler's freed slaves inherited part of Wheatlands in 1875, and formed the Chandler Gap community in the hills south of the plantation. State Highway 338 roughly follows what was once a section of the 18th-century Native American trail known as the Great Indian Warpath. In 1780, John Sevier followed the path across the French Broad River to engage and defeat a Cherokee force at the Battle of Boyds Creek, which took place at the future site of Wheatlands.[5] Early settlers also followed the trail into the Boyds Creek area, among them Timothy Chandler, a Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia, who moved his family to Boyds Creek in 1791.[2] ...

 After Timothy Chandler died in 1819, his son, John Chandler, inherited the family's Boyds Creek farm. The original Chandler farmhouse burned in 1824, and John Chandler built the present plantation house at the site to replace it.[2] By 1850, Wheatlands had become one of the largest farms in Sevier County, covering some 3,700 acres (1,500 ha) worth $7,000 (US$193 thousand in present terms[6]), and included fifteen horses, ten mules, forty cattle, fifty sheep, and three hundred hogs. Chandler and fourteen slaves produced 3,000 bushels of corn, 400 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of sweet potatoes, 12 bushels of buckwheat, 10 tons of hay, 150 pounds of wool, 200 pounds of butter, and 200 gallons of honey. The plantation's distillery produced 6,000 gallons of whiskey, worth $4,500 (US$124 thousand in present terms[6]).[3] 

When Southern slaves were emancipated during the American Civil War (1861–1865), Chandler started paying his freed slaves to remain at Wheatlands. Upon his death in 1875, Chandler left his former slaves a portion of land along the south side of Wheatlands known as Chandler Gap. The Chandler Gap community remained a predominantly African-American community well into the 20th century. In 2011, three Pigeon Forge businessmen purchased Wheatlands, and announced plans to restore the house, and possibly re-establish a distillery on the property.

 Wheatlands is located at the corner of State Highway 338 (Boyds Creek Highway, sometimes called Old Knoxville Highway) and Cedar Springs Valley Road in the Boyds Creek community, about halfway between Sevierville and Seymour. The plantation was situated along the banks of Boyds Creek, which empties into the French Broad River at the Brabson's Ferry Plantation about a mile to the east. This gave Wheatlands access to the nation's interior waterways, allowing this shipment of its "Wheat Whiskey" to New Orleans."

(Source: description which came with the photo on Ancestry, posted by SherryWhaley2 June 14, 2013.)

Jane was one of 9 children raised in that home.

So Jane Chandler married Spencer C. Rogers on Dec. 18, 1833. I don't know how that date was commemorated, as the documentation is missing. But a specific date does lead one to believe it happened.

She and Spencer supposedly had 10 children. I'm sure if I looked at the trees of them, I would find out records that substantiate most of them.

Correction of Mary A. Simmons Rogers:
There are many ancestry trees belonging to other descendants who list Mary A. Rogers as the daughter of Jane Chandler (first wife) and Spencer C Rogers, since she was born in 1833, just before his marriage to Jane Chandler in December of that year.  I have taken the liberty to return Mary A. to her (I assume) rightful place as his second wife. There are 2 census records that support this. She doesn't exist on his 1850 record above with Jane as wife. And she is listed first above his children in the 1860 record, where a wife would have been. (Plus two records of her marriage to Spencer in 1859.)

I do have records that show that both Spencer C. and Jane Chandler Rogers were listed as parents, on the death certificates of these 2 of their daughters. Both Emma and daughter Jane C. Rogers are on the 1850 and 1860 census of the Spencer C. Rogers families.

 In Knoxville TN in 1931, Emma Rogers Tillman's death certificate clearly gives Spencer C Rogers and Jane Chandler as her parents, from Tennessee. Information had been provided by her husband, Lewis Tillman.

Jane C. Rogers Grosheider died in 1935 at 89 years of age, and her death certificate information in Indiana, clearly gives her parents. This information was provided by Bertha Grosheider, the youngest daughter of 11 children of Jane C. Grosheider.

More, maybe a final chapter, on Jane Chandler...soon.

Where Spencer lived, and with whom...

"Five tombstones were found for the Rogers family and recorded in the Cemetary records. There are five tombstones in a row all the same size from left to right. (1) Spencer Rogers Jr. 1854-1873 (2) John C. Rogers 1837-1873 (3) Emma G. Rogers 1849-1934 (wife of Arthur Rogers) (4) Arthur C. Rogers 1841-1921 (husband of Emma Rogers) (5) Spencer C. Rogers 1817-1886 (father of Arthur Rogers)."  

Written in conjunction with posting a photo of a headstone, by another Rogers descendant on Ancestry, HughRobertMcVeigh, posted with the title:

Spencer C Rogers Sr 1817-1886, 

dated January 6, 2011 

 I must admit, the "P." as his middle initial looks as if it was added later, since it barely fits. But it's a big question since we've been chasing Spencer Clack Rogers.  

I jut found out where these headstones are located. I looked on Ancestry at Arthur Rogers death certificate, which says he was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Shelby County, TN. 

Spencer Rogers..one more bit of important information from the Rogers Family Bible, which was talked about on my last post.

"The Rogers Family Bible: entry in hand writing in Bible, as typed in 1954 by George Elmore Rogers, Sr. and copied to his 4 sons and their descendants. SPENCER C. ROGERS Son of Rev. Elijah and Catharine Rogers, was married to Miss. Mary A. Simmons, all of Nashville, by Elder J. R. Graves, in Nashville, Tennessee, on the 14th _____ 1859."

This is substantiated by a Tennessee Marriage record for Davidson County, 1859 near bottom of the page.

  Spencer C. Rogers married Mary A. Simmons, July 14,1859 in Nashville TN.

 
The 1860 census for Nashville Ward 4, Davidson County, Tennessee taken on Aug 30 of that year.

Spencer C. Rogers is 43 years old and is a Publisher, living in household number 804 or 911. He's doing quite well, with real estate valued $8000.00 and a personal estate of $20,000.00. His household of 9 people has Mary A, age 27  and various younger persons that might or might not be his children. So John C. at 23 is a bookkeeper.  The rest of the family all have "ditto" as their last names, under Spencer  C. Rogers.


Children's names are Arthur C. 18
Jane C. 15
Cornelia A. 13
Emma 10
William S 6
George M 6 months

My guess is that George at 6 months is the son of Spencer and Mary. The others may well be his children of an earlier marriage, as they are too old to be Mary's, which I'll talk about later.

The other interesting thing is to look at his neighbors. Most of the women within a few doors are sharing homes and are prostitutes as their occupation. Then the household of Watson Freeman number 805 or 912 has his occupation as a Glass Framer Guilder, who also has a pretty hefty income.

Nashville's red light district perhaps? I don't know the actually addresses. A publisher and a glass framer and gold guilder are interesting businesses to be in the same neighborhood.

But remember this was 1860. The south was about to go to war, and Nashville was going to be changing.

My cousin who worked on the Rogers Family tree and is a member of the DAR and a few other genealogy associations, Patricia Rogers Seliger, posted this to Ancestry on Jan 17, 2015.

MC Rogers Letter to SC Rogers

Feb. 1866

Huntsville, Texas

"This is a letter Micajah Clack Rogers wrote to his brother Spencer Clack Rogers. He asked about his only living child, William L. Rogers. He tries to remember genealogy, only that Clacks came from Loudon County VA, Rogers came from Farquier Cty VA, meeting in Sevier Cty, TN, and MC is living with Thos Gibbs and his 2nd wife. Spencer is a publisher of Sunday School books."

I've struggled through reading this, (and will transcribe it soon) not finding any information about Spencer, besides that he is thought to still be publishing some materials for a Sunday School. But since it's a primary source of another ancestor trying to figure out his own ancestors, I've saved it onto another post in larger format so I can spend a few hours transcribing it. Then I'll publish that back onto the Ancestry site.

The next information on paper is the 1870 census from Memphis Ward 5, Shelby Tennessee.

So there had been a war, and in 1870 Spencer was 53, a Publisher, but living in a household with a 32 year old Printer, and his wife and daughter. Also living in that household were 6 other men, ages differing, some clerks, one a Wholesale Coffee Dealer, and one a Com. Merchant. Neighbors were a shirtmaker and a shoemaker. And Memphis is quite a distance from Nashville Tennessee.

Here's the 1880 census, again in Nashville, sixth ward, Davidson County, TN.

Now a street name is given at the far left at top of the page, but I'm not at all sure what it is...Linewiter or Lunmter, or something along those lines. Spencer is a boarder in the household of William Driver, a 77 year old retired sea captain.  Spencer is 63 himself, and lists his occupation as an editor. The other occupants of the household include William's daughter, Ruth Driver, age 22, and a black 19 year old woman, Mary Lishey as a servant.

And if Spencer had had those older children, living with him and his new wife Mary Simmons Rogers in 1860, why wasn't he living with any of them in Nashville when he was 63, rather than boarding with the Drivers? Many possibilities exist for family dynamics.

I'll look into the earlier family which had a different wife soon.