Supposed son of Thomas Rogers, lived in Newport, Rhode Island, where he was admitted an inhabitant before May 20, 1638; was made a freeman 9-14-1640, and died in 1676. He was a miller by occupation. His wife Mary survived him, and married (second) in 1677 John Peabody. She died in 1678. Children :
Sarah, married Richard Knight ; Thomas, mentioned ;
John, born October 8. 1641.
There is some research that claims James Rogers was born about 1616 and his wife, Mary was born about 1618. This would make Mary only 12 years of age when her daughter Sarah was born. Although they tended to marry early in those days, it is unlikely that this happened. I lean toward the research that claims James Rogers was born about 1600 in England. His wife Mary could have been born in England, Massachusetts or, in or near Rhode Island. In other words, I do not know. James Rogers was a miller and married a wife named Mary. On 20 May 1638 he was on the list of inhabitants of Newport, R.I., and on 14 September 1640 he became a freeman. On 16 January 1648 he sold 40 acres to Richard Knight. This Richard Knight eventually married James' daughter, Sarah. On 25 October 1676, his wife Mary filed a petition for money due in his lifetime. Actually, James Rogers would have been listed as an inhabitant of Aquidnech Island on 20 May 1638 as Newport was not founded until 1639. James Rogers was listed as General Sergeant of Newport in 1643 and 1659 through 1676. From 1657 through 1659 he was listed as General Solicitor. The following was taken from colony records: 8/23/1659 - He complained that being both General Sergeant and Town Sergeant and also being infirm in body, &c., therefore desireth the court to allow him to constitute a deputy upon occasion for executing some writs belonging to his office of General Sergeant, he being responsible for the deputy. The application was granted by Assembly. 5/13/1669 - His bill for paying Grand Jurymen's dinners four times which comes to 2 pounds, 7s., was approved and ordered paid, as also another bill for 8 pounds, 18s. 7/20/1669 - He was ordered to apprehend the Indian sachem Ninecraft and bring him before the Governor and Council on Thursday next at eight o'clock in the morning, to answer the of a plot among the Indians to cut off the English. He was empowered to take assistance of a boat and two men for transportation, and also two men and three horses in the King's Province. 1/10/1671 - He was allowed 1 pound, 10s., for disbursements about Thomas Flounders (who had been executed for the murder of Walter House). 10/29/1673 - It was voted that "forasmuch as the debts of the colony are very much by reason of the Sergeant's great wages, and thereby the inhabitants greatly oppressed and grieved, and his the said Sergeant's sums amount very high," &c., he having great fees at the Court of Trials, and 4s., a day also, &c.; therefore it was enacted by the Assembly that said Sergeant for attending the Assembly shall have 3s., per day, and for Court of Trials no day wages but only such fees as set by law. 5/3/1676 - It was voted for the future that "the General Sergeant's fee for the attending the jury is doubled." 8/24/1676 - He attended at the trial of certain Indians before a court martial held at Newport. The Indians were charged with being engaged in King Philip's designs and several were executed. 10/1/1676 - An Indian servant of his was examined before a court martial, and it was voted that Sergeant Rogers shall have his Indian home with him provided that said Indian shall be brought forth if required, which Rogers engages to do. 1676 - He bought the terms of service of two Indian captives for twenty-two bushels of Indian corn, said Indians have been taken by Providence men. 10/25/1676 - A petition having been made by Mary Rogers, executrix of late deceased James Rogers, General Sergeant, for moneys due said sergeant in his lifetime; a committee was appointed by Assembly to audit the petitioner's account. 1/12/1678 - A petition having been presented to Assembly by John Peabody, and Mary Peabody, late wife to the deceased James Rogers, General Sergeant, concerning accounts between the colony and deceased, and said accounts having been diligently examined by the late General Audit, they were found so imperfect that they could neither allow or disallow same. By agreement it was settled there is a clear balance of all accounts between James Rogers and the colony and to be a final issue of all differences, &c. Source: Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island by John Osborn Austin There is speculation that James Rogers may have been son of Thomas Rogers, who came in the Mayflower in 1620, with son Joseph, and died next year. Bradford says: "the rest of his children came over, are married, and have (1650) many children." John Rogers of Duxbury was probably a son of Thomas, and perhaps James Rogers should be added. However, it is not generally considered to be so by most Rogers family genealogists. (Last sentence added by Stanley D. Rogers, Sr.) Source: Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island by John Osborn Austin James Rogers is involved in the first two deed (on Page 2) of recorded real estate deeds in Volume 1 of the Rhode Island Evidences in the State Archive (Abstract, Rhode Island Historical Society, 1970). Note that "first two deeds" is in terms of chronology of recorded deeds that we have. There surely was already land ownership as the sellers of the early deeds had to have gotten ownership in some way. 1/16/1648 - In the first, he sold two parcels of land to his son-in-law, Richard Knight. 6/6/1650 - In the second, he "promise and ingadge my selfe to make the fence that hath been in Controversy betwixt Richard Knight and my selfe betwixt this and March next and to main- taine the same for ever". 11/19/1659 - In a later third deed (pg 117), he sold to John Sanford of Portsmouth "a forth part of Cononicatt Island and Dutch Island being one Hundred and Twenty Akers...Bounded...south upon the Town shipp, west upon the sea, North upon the Land which is Peleg Sanfords, East upon the highway...". It is interesting to note that in the first deed, the land is referred to as: "...being the proper Inheritance and possession of James Rogers of Newport in Rhode Isl." Unless they used the term "inheritance" in a different way than we do now, which could be the case, this is an indication that he possible is the son of an immigrant parent. Source: Enos Johnson Jr., report in NEGHR, Vol 23, 1869, pg. 273.
As for children and further generations: One can surmise from a deed to which James is referred to in the deed, where Richard Knight refers to his wife as Sarah Rogers, that Sarah was his daughter. Sarah married Richard Knight and they had a family in Rhode Island, but at least one son, David, went on to Connecticut. The Horatio Rogers biography (See Noteworthy Rogers) indicates he is from a son of James, named (Cpt) John Rogers, who was "several times a representative in the Colonial Assembly. John stayed in Rhode Island, as did many generations of descendants. At least one line of Thomas Rogers' branch went south, probably there by the time of the Civil War, and thus may have fought for the South, while Horatio and most of the other Providence Rogers' were fighting on the Yankee side. Source: The Norris Taylor Genealogy Page "Our Heritage" - "Our Genealogy" The Rogers-Early Rhode Island Settlers-1640's Copyright Norris Taylor