So to continue about Spencer Clack Rogers. Born as youngest brother to my great X3 grandfather Micajah Clack Rogers. Another sister also carried the Clack middle name...or perhaps added it later on.
I noticed that Micajah had served in the North Carolina militia during the War of 1812, until Aug. 1813. He had been just 17, and a Private. This was before the birth of Spencer C. Rogers in 1817. And so there wasn't much connection for them growing up.
Spencer Clack Rogers, living in Nashville TN most of his life, may have had another family living in Chattanooga TN. There were 2 married daughters of this family who, when they died in different states, had Spencer C. Rogers on their death certificates as their father. And they both have Jane Chandler Rogers as their mother, having been born in Chattanooga TN. They died in the 1930s, and so I accept that these women were my cousins.
But back to the original family. Some of my information comes from the Rogers Family Bible, which I believe received its first entries when a Rogers married a Gibbs. Actually there were two of each who married. And they also moved from their home places in Tennessee or South Carolina to north western Louisiana.
In the Rogers Family Bible, records go back to Henry Rogers, who was father of Rev. Elijah Rogers. Elijah married Catharine Clack and they lived in Sevier County Tennessee as it became a state. They had both been born in Virginia. And then they had many children, and I have learned about a couple which were added to the ancestry list who weren't in the Family Bible. But the person who said these were also daughters of Rev. Elijah and Catharine was a reputable historian, and the descendants of these offspring still live in Sevierville TN. So I consider they are also part of the family. That gives the offspring numbering twelve born, and four boys who died in infancy.
Spencer Clack Rogers was the youngest, coming after 2 brothers who died young. His next older sibling was Amanda M. L. Rogers, just 4 years older than himself. Then 2 years older than Amanda was Dialtha Perry Rogers. A year older would have been Caleb who died young, and he might well have died before Spencer was born, but there's no record of his death.
Spencer's next older sibling was Matilda Langford, 10 years older, then Elizabeth Clack Rogers, 12 years older than him. Another brother had been born in 1802 but had probably died by the time Spencer was born in 1817. His next older sibling was Mary Ellen Rogers born in 1799, so 18 years older, and who married in 1816, the year before he was born. The next older brother was Robert Henderson Rogers who had been born in 1796, and finally the oldest, Micajah Clack Rogers born in 1795. Robert didn't marry till he was 30, (1827) but may have been working in Alabama according to some of his descendants. Micajah had already fought in the War of 1812 as I mentioned above. And he was married in 1819.
It seems that Spencer grew through his childhood in a household with an older (43 years old) father (who was a preacher) and many sisters, and just 2 very much older (men in fact) brothers. His mother had lost four of her sons early in their lives, so by the time Spencer came along when she was 38, I imagine she coddled him. And all those young girls probably helped care for him as well.
More about his own adult life next time...
Research for 3 branches of my family: Rogers, Booth and Swasey
You are so fortunate to have that Rogers Family Bible! Indeed, how would you unravel this large ancestral family without it? Also, I am fascinated by some of the given names in your post -- your ancestor Micajah and his sister Dialtha. Have you written about the origin of the names and I missed it?
ReplyDeleteI haven't chased down the sources, because I guess they are all from the Bible. But it would be interesting to learn the meanings of them.
Delete