Eliza (Oliver) Rogers (1766 - 1826)

Born 17 Aug 1766 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Wife of Joseph Rogers JP — married 21 Oct 1788 (to about 1819) in St Augustine the Less, Bristol, England

Descendants

Died Jan 1826 at age 59 in Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Nigel Orton [send private message]

Biography

Eliza was born 12 July 1766 a daughter of Thomas Oliver and Elizabeth Vassall in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, US (Boston). ^[1] She would have left Boston with her father when he was ousted by the town's uprising, and later returned to Bristol, England, via Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada). Eliza passed away in 1826.

Marriage

Eliza Oliver married Joseph Rogers in St Augustine-the-Less, Bristol, England on 21 October 1788, Eliza’s sister Penelope Cave was a witness. The couple were described on the wedding record as, 'of that parish'. ^{[2] [3]} Their marriage is shown on a pedigree of Oliver of Massachusetts by Vere Langford Oliver. ^[4]

Children

1. Harriet Rogers (1789-abt.1812) christened 19 Nov 1789 in St Augustine-the-Less, Bristol; ^[5]
2. Mary Rogers (1791-aft.1831) christened 12.2.1796 at St Augustine-the-less, Bristol. She married Giovanni Maira Possenti (Conte Possenti) of Ancona, Italy in the British Ambassador's Chapel, Paris, France on 24 May 1831. (Conte Possente of Morano, Ancona, Italy) ^[6][7]; ^[8] and
3. Thomas Oliver Rogers MA (1796-1879) born 1.1.1796, christened 12.2.1796 at St Augustine-the-less, Bristol. ^[9]

Life Story

Eliza and Joseph lived in Uphill, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset towards the end of their marriage.

She is mentioned in the obituary of her grandson, Joseph Rogers (abt.1852-1940) for inoculating the people of Uphill, Weston-Super-Mare against Smallpox, at great risk to herself (^see Research Notes and see his profile).

Eliza was residing at Hiches Cottage, Clifton Down, Somerset on 30 December 1819 and was widowed when she signed her will.

Death

Eliza was buried in January 1826 at St John's Church, Weston-Super-Mare. This reference says in Clifton: ^[10] and this reference says December thast year in Weston Super Mare, was she reburied? ^[11] On 16 December her death is reported as 'lately' of Weston-Super-Mare in the Bristol Mirror. ^[12]

Eliza's original will reads: All my West India property which was bequeathed me by my beloved father Thomas Oliver Esquire of Park Street, Bristol and the island of Antigua to be equally divided between my two children Mary Rogers and Thomas Oliver Rogers share and share alike, together with all property in the funds, all mortgages, debts owing to me, all wine, plate, linen and china, horses, carriages and everything, and I exort them to a continuance together…”

Codicil made at Weston Rectory on 26 March 1822, adds: Feeling the pressure of agricultural distress I have opined my last will and testament to direct that all my share of my beloved late father's property in Antigua which I had before as above given between my two beloved children Thomas Oliver Rogers and Mary Rogers shall be the whole sole property of my beloved child Mary Rogers in as much as the landed property given her by my late beloved husband has so deteriorated in value and that my beloved son Thomas Oliver Rogers will possess the Irish estate which can never fall off the money due on mortgage of FF. R. Leman house at Worle (in Weston Super Mare) together with the instalments of the Antigua estate due from Mr Warner I leave equally divided between my two aforesaid beloved children as well as any other monies belonging to me." If my beloved daughter Mary Rogers should die without children then my share in the last-mentioned property in Antigua to my beloved son Thomas Oliver Rogers and his children forever, and in default to the heirs of my three surviving sisters to William Cave my nephew the beloved son of my late sister Penelope (Oliver) Cave (-1815) of Brintry House near Bristol.

Last codicil. Whereas I have left the whole of my West India property to my beloved daughter Mary but in consideration of the property turning out much better than heretofore I now devise and bequeath in case my daughter Mary marrying an equal division to be made of the yearly profits between her and her brother, and if Thomas Oliver Rogers die without heirs lawfully begotten the whole to be inherited by his sister. And if she leaves none to be divided between my sisters Lucy and Fanny for their joint heirs. Signed 24/12/1882 ^{[13] [14]}

Research Notes

• DNA: Parental relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Eliza's descendant, Nigel Orton and 3 of his fifth cousins. Their most-recent common ancestor is their 3 x great grandparents, Thomas Oliver AM Harvard (1733-1815) and Elizabeth (Vassall) Oliver (bef.1739-1779) (Eliza's parents). They share 23cM on 2 segments. This cousin descends from Thomas and Elizabeth’s daughter, Ann Oliver (Eliza's sister).

(^ - background to smallpox reference above: Dr Jenner identified cowpox as a vaccine to smallpox in 1796, so any cowpox inoculation programme would probably have been in the early nineteenth century. Previously, there was a practice of inoculating smallpox pus itself to induce mild disease; the pus contained dead infected cells and remnants of viral proteins. The viral disease, Smallpox caused many epidemics with great mortality in Britain and caused considerable fear in the population so it was a risky procedure. ^[15]).

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620-1988 Births 12 Jul 1766, Dorchester, Massachusetts.
2. ↑ Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935. Marriage Record 21 Oct 1788, St Augustine the Less, Bristol, England.
3. ↑ England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1940 Marriage Record Bristol 1788
4. ↑ Langford Oliver, Vere Langford. 1896 The History of the Island of Antigua: One of the Leeward ... books.google.co.uk pg 346
5. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch : 18 September 2020 Joseph Rogers in entry for Harriot Rogers, 1789.
6. ↑ Bristol Mirror, 4 June 1831
7. ↑ Legacies of British Slave-ownership, Eliza Rogers née Oliver, University College, University of London (UCL) Department of History [1] viewed 3 April 2021
8. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch : 18 September 2020, Joseph Rogers in entry for Mary Rogers, 1796.
9. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Thomas Oliver Rogers Christening 12 Feb 1796, St. Augustine-The-Less, Bristol, Gloucester, England, Birth 1 Jan 1796, Father Joseph Rogers
10. ↑ England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991. Eliza Rogers, Death Date abt 1826 Burial Date 29 Jan 1826, Burial Place Clifton, Gloucester, England FHL Film Number 1749584, Reference ID 36
11. ↑ Somerset, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1914. Eliza Rogers Age 58, Birth Year abt 1768, Burial Date 18 Dec 1826, Weston Super Mare St John, Somerset, England
12. ↑ Bristol Mirror, 16 Dec 1826
13. ↑ University College, University of London, Department of History Legacies of British Slave-ownership, Eliza Rogers. 2021. Edited by Howard, Joseph. [2]
14. ↑ England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858. Will of Eliza Rogers; Probate 2 May 1827.
15. ↑ Brunton, Deborah Christian, "Pox Britannica: Smallpox Inoculation in Britain, 1721-1830" (1990). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 999. PhD Thesis, University of Pennsylvania. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/999 [3]

• research notes and use of Ancestry.com for marriage records; burial record and will.