Family legend has it that our descendants come from Crail, in Fife, Scotland. I have been unable to determine this yet, but am closing in on the details, and hope to have news on this soon. William ROGER is the oldest member of the family to be proven, probably born around 1780 in Fife. He was a shipbuilder, and travelled extensively around Fife, as all his children were born in different villages in the East Neuk, including Crail and St Andrews. He and his wife Elizabeth PEATTIE eventually left between 1811-1816 for Sunderland, probably as the shipbuilding prospects there were brighter. Their son Thomas Rogers was born in 1808 in St Andrews, and married Jane Brown in Sunderland, Co Durham in 1830, and had at least 5 children - William Brown, Elizabeth, Thomas Petty, Isabella and John. John, my ggGrandfather was born in 1841 at Maling's Rig, Sunderland East where they lived. His father Thomas was a shipwright, apparently a family trade - his mother was illiterate, and probably fully employed in having and looking after the children.
John Rogers grew up in Sunderland, trained as a shipwright but became a grocer. He married Maria Jane Manners, and the 1881 census shows that they were living in a house-cum-shop in Norman street, Bishopwearmouth (part of Sunderland) with 6 children - some of the 15 they were due to have, according to their grandson. The confirmed children were Anne, Jane, Maria, Catherine, Sarah and John, my gGrandfather, born in 1878. The others remembered by family members were John James, Thomas, Robert, William, Isabella (these 6 are all thought to have died very young for one reason or another), another Robert, James, another Thomas and Mary O. Mary O. is thought to have married Charlie Pickering and emigrated to the USA, and Anne to Canada after possibly marrying a John Ellen. (USA connections anyone?)
The surviving John (known as Jack by the family) also lived in Sunderland, marrying Georgina (Genie) Thompson from Hexham. (Note : I have a lot of detail on the Thompson family - coke makers from Northumberland - going back to 1770). They lived at 1 Athol Rd in Sunderland and had 4 sons - John (funnily enough - my grandfather) born in 1906, Ralph Thompson, David and Thomas. Jack was a house agent - apparently more like a slum-lord than a modern estate agent - collecting rents on a number of properties they owned. Genie was known by all as a marvellous, gentle woman with a great sense of humour. A surviving copy of her Christmas card (1903) to her brother Edward Forster Thompson and his wife Eliza shows this sense of fun. The story of her grandfather John Thompson is linked below.
My grandfather John grew up at the Athol Road house, joined government service and became an Excise Officer. He worked on several distilleries in Scotland in this capacity. He married Robina Alexandra Livingstone Main, from Aberdeen - presumably he met her while working in Scotland. She has been described to me as a very determined, quite intimidating woman - photos of her do convey this impression! They had two children, breaking into a flight of exoticism when they dispensed with the line of John's and called my father David when he was born in 1933. Janet followed later in the same year. The story of her grandfather Alexander Main is linked below.
Should anyone be interested in extracts from the family tree (print or GEDCOM) or have any more information for me on any relevant details, please email me at alex.rogers@geseaco.com.
Click on the links below to read the papers or return to the Home or Family Tree pages.
"Memoir of John Thompson" The biography of John Thompson, 1775 to 1839. My ggggGrandfather
"Statement by William Thompson" A brief working history of William Thompson, 1807 - c1890. My gggGrandfather.
"Alexander Main" A brief biography of Captain Alexander Main, 1833 - 1901. A ggGrandfather of mine.
