RODGERS FAMILY
HISTORY
Considerable information on the Rodgers
family has been passed down from generation to generation in the form of
colorful stories and written recollections, but many aspects of these
historical accounts have not been confirmed by written records. There are
some discrepancies and questions about dates of when certain things
actually occurred, and it is hoped that these accounts will eventually be
clarified and that we will come to understand as much as we can about the
true history of the Rodgers family
EARLY ORIGINS
Family tradition holds that the
progenitor of the our branch of the Rodgers family is Pat Rodgers of
Ireland. His wife's maiden name may have been Frain. It is possible that
the Rodgers family originally came to Ireland from England. It has been
said that during the hard times of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland
(about 1845 to 1847), Pat was forced to send some or all of his children
to live with relatives. One of these children was Pat's son, Mike Rodgers.
MIKE RODGERS
Mike Rodgers (13 March 1849 – 12
January 1933) was sent by his parents to live with an uncle. The uncle's
name is unknown at this time, and he could have been a maternal or
paternal relative. Probably during the 1850's, young Mike and his uncle
immigrated to the United States. It is not known where they arrived, but
they are thought to have landed somewhere in the northeast United States,
probably Boston, Philadelphia, or New York. Soon after they began to work
in the wagon freight, or dray, business. Tragedy struck when the wall of a
burned out building collapsed, killing Mike's uncle. It is thought that
after Mike's uncle died (probably before 1861), he made his way to South
Carolina where other family members may have lived. Mike is thought to
have arrived in South Carolina prior to the start of the Civil War in
1861.
Mike was a teenager (probably as a 16
year-old) when he enlisted to serve in the Confederate States Army in an
South Carolina artillery unit at the very end of the Civil War. To date,
the only record we have of his service is the inscription on his grave
marker which reads "Vet. of the C.S.A., Art. Div., S.C.".
However, towards the end of the war, many young boys and old men
volunteered to serve the as the situation became desperate for the
Confederacy. Records of these late-forming units were virtually
non-existent, as the south was short of paper, ink, and the time it took
to follow such procedures. Furthermore, if these records were made, many
were destroyed as a result of the war. Some of these South Carolina units
served in defense of the state as the Union forces attacked, while others
were fighting under General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern
Virginia.
After the war, Mike moved west, and
according to the 1870 census, he was 22 years old, living alone, and
working as a laborer in Fort Worth (Tarrant County), Texas. In 1872 he
married Charlotte E. Gray (26 June 1850 – 3 June 1911) who was
originally from Mississippi, and whose parents were from Tennessee.
By 1877, Mike and Charlotte Rodgers had
settled north of Fort Worth near the town of Grapevine (Tarrant County),
Texas, where their first children were born. By about 1881, they had moved
to Hamilton County, Texas, where they initially lived in a log cabin in
the Sunshine Community southeast of Carlton. At some point between 1881
and 1900, Mike Rodgers purchased a 140 acre farm about three miles
southeast of Carlton, where he built a rather impressive two-story house
and several outbuildings (smokehouse, well house, barn, etc.).
MIKE RODGERS FAMILY, CARLTON, TEXAS
The following is the text of an e-mail I (Ray Weathers)
received from Mr. Scales on 9 July 1999. Perhaps the only clarification
that I should add is that Norman Rodgers referred to below is the only
child of Will (We knew him as Willie --2nd from the right) and Zula Stuckey
Rodgers.
"Norman Rodgers sent me some great old photos of the Rodgers in
Hamilton County. One was of the family standing in front of their
farmhouse, which is the same house we discussed in our last e-mail
correspondence. However, the attached photo is much better than what I
sent you before. We estimate it was taken around 1900-1905, and the
subjects are (left to right): twin daughters Maggie and Mattie Rodgers, an
unidentified friend, daughter Alice Rodgers, daughter Ellen Rodgers,
mother Charlotte Gray Rodgers, father Mike Rodgers, son Willie Rodgers,
and son Hiram Rodgers. I was amazed to see how good the farmhouse looked
when relatively new (as compared to its ruinous state today!), and also
interested to see how barren the landscape looked. No trees in sight!
Perhaps it was all under cultivation?
UPDATE (of sorts) -- Here is how the house in the background looked in the
late1950's
And, finally. Here is the same house as photographed in
February 1999.
Mike and Charlotte had eight children,
six of whom lived to adulthood. These six were Hiram Bryant (20 August
1874 – 31 January 1951); Mary Ellen (20 September 1877 – 31 March
1946); Maggie (1 February 1880 – 25 April 1916); Martha Annie
"Mattie" (1 February 1880 – 10 November 1963); Alice
"Allie" (9 April 1882 – 6 November 1961); and William Lewis
(15 October 1884 – 9 November 1971). Maggie and Mattie were twins.
Maggie and Will enrolled in the
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth in 1916. Maggie
became ill shortly thereafter, and died in April of that year. Will
continued his studies, and became a Baptist minister and served as pastor
of several churches around the state. Will married Zula Elizabeth Stuckey
(9 February 1896 – 24 September 1990) on 6 June 1918 in Rochelle, Texas.
They had one son, Norman Allen Rodgers, who now lives in Madison,
Mississippi, just north of Jackson. William and Zula are buried in the
Carlton Cemetery.
Mike Rodgers and 3 of his children:
Alice "Allie", William Lewis "Willie," Mary Ellen, and
Martha Ann "Mattie"
Shared by Roger Scales
More Rodgers
Alice "Allie" Rodgers; Zula Elizabeth
(Stuckey) Rodgers (Mrs. William Lewis);
Mary Ellen Rodgers; Mike Rodgers; and Martha Ann "Mattie"
Rodgers
Shared by Roger Scales
Rev. William Lewis "Willie" Rodgers
Shared by Roger Scales
Mike and Charlotte's four daughters,
Ellen, Maggie, Mattie, and Alice never married. Mike, Charlotte, and three
of their daughters, Ellen, Mattie, and Alice, lived on the family farm for
most of their lives. Charlotte died in 1911 at age 60, and Mike died in
1933 at age 83, both at their home on the farm. Ellen contracted cancer in
1946, and at age 68, also died at their home on the farm. At some point,
probably in the 1950's, the surviving sisters, Alice and Mattie, sold the
farm and moved into the town of Carlton. At age 79, Alice died of heart
condition in 1961. Shortly thereafter, Mattie moved into a nursing home in
Hamilton, where she died two years later in 1963 at age 83. They are all
buried in Carlton Cemetery.
The Rodgers sisters were well-known in
the community. They did virtually all the work on their own farm, and were
very active in the Carlton First Baptist Church. Neighbors knew them as
the "Rodgers Girls" or the "Maids" (Old Maids). Mike
Rodger's two story farm house stood for about 100 years (well into the
1980's), and the remains of the home can still be seen today (1999).
Sadly, the house was partially demolished for lumber in the mid-1990's,
but the ruins of the house still lay on the small hill on the southwest
corner of the old Rodgers property.
HIRAM BRYANT RODGERS
Mike and Charlotte's oldest child,
Hiram, married Louisa Matilda "Lou" Stroud (9 July 1871 – 2
March 1937) in Carlton. Lou was born in Texas, but her father, J. B.
Stroud, had originated in Kentucky and her mother, Emilene Williams, in
Tennessee or Virginia. They rented a farm near Carlton and lived in the
immediate area until at least 1903. Hiram and Lou had five children, who
were: Euphie (July 1896 - ?); Elvie (Elva?) (September 1898 - ?); Thurman
(? - ?); Lou Rhea (1910 – 20 November 1984); and Arthur Euwin (13 August
1903 – 22 October 1983).
Hiram and family moved around quite a
bit, renting farms or working on the farms of others. By 1932 they had
settled in Electra (Wichita County), Texas where Hiram farmed and worked
in the booming Electra oil fields for the Texas Company (later Texaco). In
his latter years, Hiram lived with his son Arthur Euwin's family. As did
several other members of the family, Hiram and Lou lived out their lives
in Electra, and are buried in the cemetery there.
ARTHUR EUWIN RODGERS
This picture of A.
E. Rodgers (left) and
his uncle Rev. Will (aka Willie) L.Rodgers was supplied by Mr. Roger
Scales.
Hiram's son Arthur (who was known as "Euwin",
"A. E.", or "Rodgers"), married Hester Brown (1906 –
1930) about 1925. They had one son, Weldon Ray Rodgers (12 February 1926
– present), who was born while Euwin and Hester lived in Bowie
(Montague), Texas. Euwin was probably working as a farm hand in the area.
Hester became ill in the late 1920's, probably contracting tuberculosis,
and on their doctor's advice, Euwin moved the family west to either New
Mexico or Arizona. Despite these efforts, Hester died in 1930 and is
thought to have been buried at an unknown location in one of these two
states. There is a memorial marker erected in her honor in the cemetery at
the small community of Vashti (Clay County), Texas, where it is thought
that her family lived. Several members of the Brown family did live in
Electra, Texas, to include Hester's sister-in-law Ethel, Ethel's son J. N.
Brown, and one of Hester's sisters. Not much else in known at this time
about Hester Brown and her family.
Euwin worked several different jobs
during this period, but from the early 1930's until his retirement in the
late-1960's, he worked in the oil fields around Electra as a pumper for
Texaco.
On 11 November 1933, Euwin married Lois
Nettie "Dill" Andrews (9 May 1904 – 13 October 1987). Dill had
previously been married to William Howard Barker (married on 5 October
1923) and had one son from that union, Morris Parmley Barker (6 January
1925 – present). Euwin and Dill both attended the Assembly of God Church
in Electra, but the pastor of that church was not permitted to marry them
because Lois had been divorced. So, they were married at the Presbyterian
Church in Vernon (Wilbarger County), Texas. Euwin, Dill, Morris, and
Weldon lived in a house in Electra just north of the Assembly of God
Church, where they were very active. Euwin and Dill had one child
together, daughter Helen Yvonne Rodgers (12 June 1935 – present).
World War II gasoline rationing forced
Euwin and family to move near his work in the oil fields southwest of
Electra near the Grayback / Beaver Creek area. They lived in a small
"lease house", which was very basic, and the children went to
school in nearby Harrold, Texas.
After graduating from high school, sons
Morris and Weldon both served in the armed forces during World War II.
When the war was over, Euwin and family
moved back to Electra, which was fairly close to his work and many family
members also lived there. He purchased a small frame house at 305 Avenue C
and the vacant lot next to it, and he built fairly sizable additions to
this house. Euwin loved to fish, and he built a fishing house and pier on
nearby Lake Diversion with materials he had salvaged from two old houses
he purchased and tore down in Electra. Dill was a wonderful mother and
grandmother, and was a great cook. She loved to write short stories and
teach children how to play the piano. Euwin retired from Texaco in the
late 1960's, and he and Dill enjoyed an active life in Electra and
spending time with their grandchildren. He and Dill traveled around the
country quite a bit, and even had the opportunity to visit Europe and
Africa. Euwin died in 1983, and Dill in 1987, and they are both buried in
the Electra Cemetery.
WELDON RAY RODGERS
After graduating from high school,
Weldon joined the U.S. Navy as a Radioman 3rd Class aboard the
U.S.S. Eldorado, the flagship of Admiral R.K. Turner's fleet of amphibious
forces. The Eldorado was equipped with some of the most extensive and
sophisticated radio equipment in the Pacific Fleet, and had the capacity
to rival Radio Honolulu. On board the Eldorado were the Indian Code
Talkers, a group of American Indian servicemen who used their native
tongues to communicate sensitive messages for the armed forces. From the
deck of his ship anchored in a nearby bay, Weldon was an eye-witness to
the famous raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. Weldon was the first to
broadcast to the Marines stationed at Manila, Philippines a message
intercepted from the Japanese Emperor Hirohito advising of Japan's
willingness to accept the Allies' terms of surrender.
On October 4, 1947 Weldon married Ruth
Tull (21 September 1925 - present) in Abilene, Texas. Ruth is the daughter
of Dr. & Mrs. Tull of Carlton, Texas. They have one child, daughter
Tonya Ruth Rodgers (17 February 1952 - present), and they all now live in
Abilene. Weldon attended the University of Texas and was employed by Sun
Oil Company while he and Ruth lived in Midland, Texas. Tonya is a Licensed
Professional Counselor and Family Therapist, and operates her own practice
in Abilene.
MORRIS PARMLEY BARKER
After graduating from high school,
Morris became an Armorer-Gunner with the rank of Corporal in the U.S. Army
Air Corps. On August 20, 1944, during a mission to bomb the Lobau oil
storage installations near Vienna, Austria, Morris' B-24 bomber was shot
down over the small village of Papau, Hungary. He was captured, and was a
prisoner of the Germans for a year and a half, until he was liberated on
May 3, 1945 by the advancing Allied forces.
Morris married Mary Helen Whiteside (8
April 1927 - present) of Stephenville, Texas, and they have three
children: Melissa, Marsha, and Mark. Morris graduated from Texas A&M
University and was employed by General Tire. Mary is a psychology
professor at the University of Texas Permian Basin. They have lived in
Odessa, Texas for many years. Melissa became an M.D., and works at the
Baylor University Health Center on the campus of that university in Waco,
Texas. Her husband, Dr. Jerry Benham, is an orthopedic surgeon in Waco.
Marsha became a teacher, and she married Kerry Mason, who owns and
operates Data Voice Specialists, a telecommunications company in the
Dallas, Texas area. Mark is the regional manager for Total Safety, an
industrial safety and equipment provider in Houston. His wife Linda is a
registered nurse, and they live in Friendswood, near Houston.
HELEN YVONNE RODGERS SCALES
Euwin and Dill's daughter Yvonne married
Bert F. Scales, and they have two sons, Roger and Jonathan. Bert graduated
from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and the
University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada. While he attended college, Yvonne
worked as a bookkeeper for an automobile dealership and an insurance
company. Bert became a geologist, and after working for Texaco and other
independent oil companies for 25 years, he founded his own oil and gas
exploration and production company, Natural Reserves Group, Inc. After
graduating from Baylor University and Texas Tech University, son Roger
joined Bert in the family business, which they continue to operate in
Houston, Texas. Jonathan graduated from Baylor University and the
University of Houston, and became a Certified Public Accountant for by
Ernst & Young in Dallas. He and his wife Charlotte live in the Dallas,
Texas area.
June 1899
Robert Henry Scales and the ice wagon he drove in the Sweetwater
area for some time. Robert Henry Scales married Cora Elizabeth
Pittman on 17 Dec.,1890, in Hamilton County, TX--Hamilton County Marriage
Record Bk. 1, p. 210.
Roger Scales