rogers

COL. JAMES ROGERS FORT

1780

The Rogers preemption of 1000 acres was a vast tract of land lying between Buffalo Creek, east, Cedar Creek, west, Shepherdsville Road, north, and Boston Highway 62, south. The Rogers� owned this until 1812, at which time deeds on file at the Nelson County Courthouse show that the land was sold to Samuel BEALLMEAR and William BAIRD.

In the front room of this old house to the right you could find portholes, and around the premises the butts of cedar posts --- showing the remains of the old stockade, set around the station for protection. The last Indian killings in the county took place nearby the Fort.

The structure contained 8 rooms and the logs were hand hewn, notched and fitted together with pegs. Huge fireplaces were at each end of the house.

Col. James ROGERS was born in Virginia 1742 and died in Kentucky in 1828. He fought in the Dunmore�s War, 1774, and the Revolutionary War. Appointed Colonel, Nelson County, Kentucky Militia and Justice of the Peace by Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia.

You will find a spring at the foot of the hill where the women would go for water while the men protected them from the portholes.

Kentucky Baptist by J.H. Spencer � states that James Rogers was an early preacher in Lick Creek Church. He was quite a prominent citizen of Nelson, and served in 2 of the Danville Conventions.

Historic Nelson County its Towns and People by Sarah B. Smith, states:

Lick Creek Church was a small body, located in Nelson County. It was probably gathered by James Rogers, a member of Cedar Creek Baptist Church and was constituted in 1787.

James Rogers was one of the first settlers of what is now Nelson County. He and several others, among whom were 2 or 3 of his brothers, in 1780 built Rogers Fort about 4 miles west of the present site of Bardstown.

Historical Marker:

Cedar Creek Baptist
One mile south, site of the First Cedar Creek Baptist Church constituted in Ky., July 4, 1781, fifth anniversary of Declaration of Independence. Pioneer settlers of nearby Rogers Station, 1780. Col. James Rogers, first Judge, Nelson Co., Atkinson Hill. Judge James Slaughter and Matthew, William, Jonathan Rogers among founders of the church.



At one time there were 2 jails in Bardstown, one for the debtors and one for the culprits. The old Minute Books of Bardstown show that the prisons were ordered moved from their location near a spring to the Public Square, and Benjamin POPE and James ROGERS were appointed to select a place on the public square for the prisons, and also for the erection of a stock and a whipping post. The prison for the debtors was to be 15 feet square, built of square logs, 1 foot thick. The prison for the culprits was to be only 10 feet square, to be built of logs 1 foot thick, covered with boards outside and inside. The floor and ceiling were to be made of oak 1 foot thick.
From Business Directory 1859 � 1860
 By George W. Hawes, Kentucky State Gazette

The Directory states that Bardstown is a place of importance as a manufacturing and commercial town but is noted chiefly for its educational advantages and is styled as The Athens of the West. It is the site of St. Joseph College, also of the Bardstown Female Institution, and the Bardstown Female Academy.
Among the Merchants listed:

ROGERS, F.G. � Cabinet manufacturer and undertaker � corner 4th and Market

ROGERS, Jonathan � Cabinetmaker � Main


The information below was obtained from Genealogy.com.
I have no assurance of accuracy, it is intended only as a guide.
Descendants of James Rogers


Generation No. 1

          1.         J AMES 14 R OGERS (MATTHEW 13 , PETER 12 , PETER 11 , GILES 10 , JOHN 9 , THOMAS MATTHEW 8 , BERNARD 7 , JOHN 6 , JOHN 5 , THOMAS 4 , THOMAS 3 , JOHN 2 FITZ ROGER, JOHN 1 ) was born March 04, 1741/42, and died March 24, 1828 in Mercer, KY. He married (1) M ARTHA B LACKBURN May 21, 1766 in W. Augusta Dist., VA. She was born April 1741 in VA, and died April 30, 1818 in Mercer, KY. He married (2) N ANCY F LOURNOY September 14, 1820 in Mercer, KY.
    
Children of J AMES R OGERS and M ARTHA B LACKBURN are:

                        i.        W ILLIAM 15 R OGERS , b. 1767, VA; d. 1832, Ohio Co., KY.
        ii.        M ATTHEW R OGERS , b. November 16, 1768, Logan, W. VA; d. 1853, Spencer Co., IN.
        iii.        M ARY ( P OLLY) R OGERS , b. April 15, 1769, VA; d. April 19, 1857, Grayson Co., KY.
        iv.        E VAN R OGERS , b. September 16, 1773; d. January 1854, Boyle Co., KY.
        v.        J AMES J OSHUA R OGERS , b. October 01, 1774, Nelson, KY; d. March 13, 1843, Bardstown, Nelson Co., KY.
       vi.        N ANCY R OGERS , b. September 15, 1776; d. May 08, 1870, KY.
      vii.        J ONATHAN R OGERS , b. September 07, 1781, Nelson, KY; d. May 23, 1844, Ohio Co., KY.
     viii.        J OHN R OGERS , b. January 06, 1786, Nelson, KY; d. April 18, 1849, Leitchfield, KY.
For a different lineage of James Rogers see below ... Proofs given submitted by Mary Ann Dickerson Shoemaker

Another View of Col. James Rogers Ancestry

James Rogers of Rogers Fort is my ancestor. My father told of playing in that building that was finally dismantled in 1958.

I and another Rogers researcher are�trying desperately to disprove the assumption that Matthew Rogers, father of James Rogers, was the son of Peter Sr., Peter, Jr or a Giles.( supposedly this man "at maturity took up land in Hanover Co. VA but afterwards went to Halifax Co. VA on the border of North Carolina and later crossed the line and settled near Albemarle Sound of that State where he left issue"� A Matthew Rogers is the only child listed for this Giles) Should say. if.. Matthew was the son of this Giles.. then the route of migration is sure off. In the early 1700s the migration route was usually across PA, into MD, VA and down the Shenandoah.. NOT UP the Shenandoah!Take your choice.. of the above� as the father of Matthew.. I disagree. These names are�what is found on the various websites and in the Mormon files.� There is no proof for any of this.

� I have seen the�VA (southern) wills of Peter Rogers, SR. and Peter Rogers Jr.�neither name a son Matthew. There is a Thomas Matthew as the oldest son of Peter Sr.� People seem to have taken that as proof� for the Matthew Rogers of Patterson Creek. No other proof has been found in any of these web sites that I can find. And THINK about naming patterns.. the names of Matthew, James, Evan, William, Jonathan are repeated in the sons/grandsons etc..��of Matthew Rogers I.� THERE IS NO PETER!!� Or Giles either for that matter. The lines of James Rogers of Matthew Rogers I�are well proven etc. The children etc. of the other sons of Matthew I are proven also. Sorry this is my soap box.� Of course as a amateur genealogist, I know�names are not�proof. HOWEVER!!� such should cause one to stop and THINK!We have found� that Matthew Rogers was in Frederick Co. VA by� 1747, Frederick Co VA Court Order Books.�� (I went to Fred Co. VA and checked these in person)� He is mentioned numerous times in these court order books into the 1750s. He�and a Jasper Sutton were named in 1749� as executors of the estate of� a James Ross.� There are many�accounts�in these court orderbooks, naming Matthew Rogers and Jasper Sutton pertaining to�the estate of James Ross. In his will 1749 Frederick Co. VA, James Ross calls Matthew Rogers "my best friend".�Lord Fairfax granted Our Matthew Rogers land on Patterson Creek, Frederick Co. VA in 1749.We have worked with the above VA counties:� Orange Co. established in 1734 from Spotsylvania; 1738 Frederick Co. from Orange and Augusta Co; 1753 Hampshire Co.�from�Frederick Co. Today Patterson Creek is in Mineral Co. However in 1753 this was Hampshire Co. VA.� (Mineral� Co WV created 1866 from Hampshire) WV was not created as a state until 1863.

Of course after all of the above I need to present thoughts as to why I object to the ancestry given for Matthew Rogers I besides the naming problem.There is a will of William Hogg Frederick Co. VA Will Book 1, p 338. Written 18 April 1729, Chester Co. PA. One of the witnesses was a William Rogers. (THIS IS 1729!)� However William Hogg did not die in 1729 as he thought. He moved to Frederick Co. VA and died there�in 1749. The original will of 1729, named his children, wife�� etc.� is listed in 1749, There is anaddition... in 1749� (naming present wife)� with his son George Hogg named as Executor.� MATTHEW ROGERS�is� listed as security along with George Hogg, George Right. These two sign their name. Matthew Rogers signed with an X.The date for the addition to this will is 15 Nov 1749. I have a copy of the original with the addition following.In the above will written in 1729�it states:� " I William Hogg of Nottingham in the county of Chester and province of Pennsylvania Farmer, being of sound mind etc."In working with the records of Chester Co. Pa the following was found:CHESTER CO PA WITH GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, by Futhey and Cope, p 197: East Nottingham twp tax rate assessment of 1722. William Hogg is named.�

Also Robert White who later is found in Frederick Co. VA.� A dau of Robert White married�a son of Wm Hogg. William Hogg owned land in Chester Co. PA. There are numerous records in Frederick Co. VA after he moved etc.. He owned a lot of land etc. all proven�by Fred Co. VA Land Records.As to definite proof for Matthew Rogers..� well we are� searching in PA & MD (Cecil Co.)

The names of Matthew, James, Jonathan, Evan and� William Rogers are found in the early records of PA. These names are not found in the Rogers of Southern VA.However the will of Wm Hogg in 1729 with a William Rogers as Witness and the same will with an addition in 1749 with Matthew Rogers�as security just seems to be a very good clue that Matthew came from PA or possibly the area of present day Cecil Co. MD....They were disputing the PA border.

In the early 1700s there was a part called the Nottingham Lotts which included and both in present day Chester Co. Pa and Cecil Co. MD.� Long story...Due to bibles still in existence the date of birth for Matthew Rogers I, can be placed at @ 1715-1718. There is lore in the descendants of one of the sons that Matthew�I was born in 1718.I believe this�rules out the Peter Rogers Jr�with wife Elizabeth Rogers as a father of Matthew.� Peter JR was a Capt.� in the� American Rev. The following is the listing for this Peter in DAR records.

ROGERS ,�� PeterBirth:� VA��� Before (ante)� 1724 Rank: Capt.Service: VADeath: VA����� 1785 Patriot Pensioned:� NoWidow Pensioned:� NoChildren Pensioned:� NoHeirs Pensioned:� NoSpouse:��� (1) Elizabeth RogersIt is a bit hard to think that this Peter was married @ 1715 or so, and an active Capt in the Rev.?� Possible but.. hardly.In addition in Spencer's HISTORY OF KY BAPTIST,� (1885) Vol I, p 138 " James Rogers�was born either in Ireland or of Irish parents in Maryland about the year 1742.� He was a Baptist Minister before he came to KY and was in the constitution of Cedar Creek Church July 4, 1781 etc..." �One would think that in or before 1885 there were old people�still living who knew or �heard the Rogers history from parents etc.
Rogers Station Grew from Early Land Deal
Col James Rogers Family
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