Thomas Rogers (abt. 1588 - 1638)

Born about 1588 in Dedham, Essex, England [uncertain]

Husband of Grace (Ravens) Porter — married about 1616 in Dedham, Essex, England

Descendants

Died 12 Nov 1638 at about age 50 in Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Thomas Rogers migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 6, p. 88) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Caution: There were several Thomas Rogers in early colonial New England. He is not the Mayflower passenger Thomas Rogers. He is also not Thomas Rogers, the cousin of Rev Nathaniel Rogers of Ipswich, Massachusetts, who was in Moulsham, Essex, Massachusetts. See the disambiguation section below.

Biography

Thomas Rogers of Dedham, Essex, England immigrated to New England by 1634, with his first residence in the colonies being in Watertown, Massachusetts.^[1][2] With him was his wife Grace, his daughter Elizabeth, and his stepson John Sherman and (probably) a second stepson, Richard Sherman.

On the 28th of February 1636, Thomas was granted five lots in the Plowlands at Beaverbroke Plaines.^[3] On the 25th of July 1636 he was granted five acres in the Remote Meadows.^[1] The land was allotted by household members. This implies that there could have been five people in the household. Four of those would have been Thomas, his wife Grace, his stepson John Sherman, and his daughter Elizabeth. The fifth was probably his other stepson, Richard Sherman. In the Watertown Inventory of Grants he held a eight acres. All eight parcels held by Thomas were granted to him, and not acquired by purchase from earlier settlers. In order for Thomas to receive the eight land grants, he must have been in Watertown by 1634.^[1]

He was admitted to the Watertown church prior to the 17th of May 1637, when he was admitted as a freeman.^[1]

Name and Origins

Name: Thomas Rogers, of Dedham, Essex, England and Watertown, Massachusetts. ^{[1][4][2][5][6][7][8]}

Care must be taken to distinguish him from several other Thomas Rogers who lived in early colonial New England. He is not the Mayflower passenger Thomas Rogers. He is also not Thomas Rogers, the cousin of Rev Nathaniel Rogers of Ipswich, Massachusetts, who was in Moulsham, Essex, Massachusetts. See the disambiguation section below.

He is often said to have been born in Stratford-upon-Avon, however, there is no evidence that this is true and is extremely unlikely.^[9] We do know that he was from Dedham, Essex, England and that his daughter Elizabeth was baptized there. It is likely his true origins belongs with a Rogers family somewhere in the vicinity of Dedham.

Birth

Born: About 1588.

Aged "50 years old" at his death in 1638.^[10]

Marriage and Children

Married: Grace Ravens about 1616. She was previously married to John Sherman on 26 December 1611 in Wattisfield, Suffolk, England. He was buried on 26 January 1615/6 in Great Horkesley, Essex, England. Following the death of Thomas Rogers in 1638, Grace married for a third time to Roger Porter of Watertown.^[4]

Children of John Sherman and Grace Ravens:^[4]

1. John Sherman. Baptized on 3 September 1612 in Great Horkesley. Immigrated with his mother and step-father to New England c1634.
2. Richard Sherman. Baptized on 7 August 1614 in Great Horkesley. He was not named in his mother's will but was probably alive and living in England in 1662.

Child of Thomas Rogers and Grace Ravens:^[4]

1. Elizabeth Rogers. Baptized 16 November 1617 in Dedham, Essex, England. She married Daniel Smith by whom she had 1 known child.

Death

Buried: 12 Nov 1638 in Watertown, Massachusetts.

"Thomas Rogers buried 12^d - 9^m 55 yeares ould".^[10][11]

Common Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect parents: Older secondary sources made this Thomas Rogers to be identical with a Thomas Rogers baptized 11 June 1587 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. There is no evidence that this true. It is also extremely unlikely given the distance between Stratford-upon-Avon and and Dedham, Essex, England where he was married.

The Thomas Roger baptized 11 June 1587 in Stratford-upon-Avon was the son Thomas Rogers and Margaret Pace. He died in Stratford-upon-Avon leaving a will dated 27 August 1639 and proved 21 May 1640 naming his wife Anne, a son Edward and four daughters.^[12][13] He certainly was not the immigrant to New England.

• Incorrect ancestry: It can be found in secondary sources and on the internet that this Thomas Rogers was the great-grandson of "The Martyr" Rev. John Rogers. This line is fictitious. It involves creating a fictitious son Thomas Matthew Rogers for Bernard Rogers and making him the father of this Thomas Rogers. There is no evidence that anyone by the name of Thomas Matthews Rogers ever existed and certainly no evidence that he was Thomas Rogers father.

• Incorrect parents: He is sometimes made to be the son Thomas Matthew Rogers and Unknown McMurdo. These people are fictitious and part of an attempt to link this Thomas Rogers to "The Martyr" Rev. John Rogers.

• Incorrect birth date: He is often said to the Thomas Rogers baptized on 11 June 1587 in Stratford-upon-Avon. As noted, there is no evidence this is true and is extremely unlikely.

• Incorrect LNAB of wife: The wife of Thomas Rogers was sometimes said to be Grace Makin, daughter of Tobias Makin of Fingringhoe. This was proven to be incorrect. She was Grace Ravens, daughter of Richard Ravens.

Disambiguation

There were several Thomas Rogers in early colonial New England at the same time:

• This profile is for Thomas Rogers of Dedham, Essex, England and Watertown, Massachusetts. He married Grace Ravens by whom he has only 1 known child. He died in 1638 in Watertown.

• He is not the same as the Mayflower passenger Thomas Rogers who died in Plymouth in 1621 or of his son Thomas Rogers who died in 1599. He should also not be confused with the Mayflower passenger's grandson Thomas Rogers who died in Eastham in 1678.^[14]

• He is not the same as Thomas Rogers, the cousin of Rev Nathaniel Rogers of Ipswich, Massachusetts, was in Moulsham, Essex, Massachusetts. He had a brother John Rogers that went to Watertown in 1636. That Thomas was a shoemaker, and married a Sarah and a Mary.

• He is not the Thomas Rogers baptized 11 June 1587 in Stratford-upon-Avon. That Thomas remained in England and laft a will dated 27 Aug 1639, proved at Worcester 21 May 1640. Will mentions: Anne my beloved wife, four daughters Lydia, Alice, Ruth and Hannah.^[12][13]

• Savage and others have made many mistakes about him. He was NOT the son of Thomas Rogers, the Mayflower pilgrim. Nor did he marry Ann Churchman.

Research Notes

• Grace Ravens first husband was John Sherman. He was a member of the Sherman family of Dedham, Essex, England. His father Henry Sherman had as many as 15 grandchildren settle in New England. The articles in the NEHGR need to be explored and enteredinto wikitree to tie these families together.^[15][16]

• Grace (Ravens) (Sherman) (Rogers) Porter was a sister of Mary (Ravens) Coolidge.^[4]

• Detaching Elizabeth Rogers as she was born in 1562, before Thomas. He did have a daughter Elizabeth, born in 1617.

• The profiles of Thomas' wives need to be researched and resolved. He was only married once, and he has two wives attached. Elizabeth Grace (Makin) Rogers has two Thomas Rogers as a spouse. Grace (Ravens) Rogers has two Thomas Rogers - one is a Thomas Matthew Rogers. This Thomas was said to have married Grace (Ravens) (Sherman) (Rogers) Porter.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Anderson, Great Migration vol. VI, R–S. (2009): pages 88-90.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Buys, Doris Palmer. Walter Palmer of Charlestown and Rehoboth, Massachusetts and Stonington, Connecticut (England: Historical Publications, 1986), 822, 827, 849.
3. ↑ Francis, Convers. An Historical Sketch of Watertown, in Massachusetts (Cambridge: E. W. Metcalf and Company, 1830), 132.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} The American Genealogist, vol. 62(1987): pages 65-77, 161-170. The English Origin of Grace (Ravens)(Sherman)(Rogers) Porter.
5. ↑ Bond, Henry and Horatio Gates Jones. Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown Massachusetts (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1855), 913.
6. ↑ Wheeler, Richard Anson. History of the Town of Stonington, County of New London, Connecticut (CT: Press of the Day Publishing Company, 1900 ), 570.
7. ↑ Hanson, Opal. The Family History and Genealogy of Sarah and Munson Robinson (FL: Shorecrest Print, 1985), 24.
8. ↑ Sherman, Thomas Townsend. Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England. (New York, 1920): pages 85, 119.
9. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQ1V-551 : 30 December 2014, Thomas Rogers, 11 Jun 1587); citing STRATFORD ON AVON,WARWICK,ENGLAND, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 599,889.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Watertown. Watertown Records (1894): page 6.
11. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial #41506932. For Thomas Rogers died 12 Nov 1638. Note: currently has incorrect birth date.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Waters, Henry Fitz-Gilbert. Genealogical Gleanings in England, Volume 1 (MD: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1901), 181.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} New England Historic Genealogical Society. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register,: Volume 40 1886 (MA: Heritage Books, 1996), 364.
14. ↑ See Clifford L Stott, "The English Ancestry of Pilgrim Thomas Rogers and his Wife Alice (Cosford) Rogers," The Genealogist, 10: 2, at The English Ancestry of Pilgrim Thomas Rogers and his Wife Alice (Cosford) Rogers
15. ↑ NEHGR, vol 166 no. 4 (2012): 245-258. "The Earliest Shermans of Dedham, Essex and their Wives, part 1." AmericanAncestors.org link
16. ↑ NEHGR, vol 167 no. 1 (Jan 2013): pages 35-54. "The Earliest Shermans of Dedham, Essex and their Wives, part 2".AmericanAncestors.org link

Source list:

• Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, volume VI, R–S. (Boston: NEHGS, 2009): pages 88-90. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• Watertown. Watertown Records : Comprising the first and second books of town proceedings, with the lands, grants and possessions, also the proprietors' book, and the first book and supplement of births, deaths and marriages. (1894). HathiTrust.org link page 6.

• The American Genealogist, vol. 62 no. 2 (April 1987): pages 65-77, 161-170. The English Origin of Grace (Ravens)(Sherman)(Rogers) Porter and Mary (Ravens) Coolidge of Watertown, Mass. by Michael J. Wood. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol 166 no. 4 (Oct 2012): pages 245-258. "The Earliest Shermans of Dedham, Essex and their Wives, part 1: Henry Sherman the Elder and his wives", by Michael Johnson Wood. AmericanAncestors.org link

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol 167 no. 1 (Jan 2013): pages 35-54. "The Earliest Shermans of Dedham, Essex and their Wives, part 2: Henry Sherman the Younger and his wife", by Michael Johnson Wood. AmericanAncestors.org link

• New England Marriages Prior to 1700 Clarence Almon Torrey (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011) Vol. II, p. 1296. ROGERS, Thomas (-1638) & Grace (MAKIN) SHERMAN, m/3 Roger POTTER; in Eng, aft 24 Jan 1616; Watertown. Note: Makins is a proven error.