Salem, 24. 12. 1650, to John Winthrop, Jr., "Mr. Rogers of Rowly hath last weeke buryed his wife and childe within a few dayes after shee was brought to bed."

21 Feb. 1621. Ezekiel Rogers, Clerk, instituted to the Rectory of Rowley, void by the death of Henry Pickard, Clerk, on the nomination of Sir Francis Barrington, Baronet. Institution Books, York.

Extract from a Letter of Robert Ryece to John Winthrop, 1 March, 1636.

"One accidente which I credibly hard, I can not omytte;-While the Bishop his chancelor, Dr. Corbett, was vpon his seate of justice at Bury, newes was broughte hym that Mr. Rogers of Dedham dyed the last nighte. Is he so? sayd the chancelor, let him goe in reste, for he hath troobled all the contry these 30 yeeres, & dyd poyson all those partes for x myle rounde abowte that place,—the manner of whose death is thus reported; whiles the Bishop was at Ipswiche, one daye, havinge occasion to ryde forthe, comanded his servantes to hyer poste horses; who browght hym worde that all the horses were taken vp, by suche as wente to the sermon at Dedham. Is the wynde at that doore? sayde the Bishop, I wyll soone ease that; & so not long after, as the Commissary synce confessed, he had commande from Canterbury vpon the complaynte of Norwich to stay the lecture at Dedham: wherevpon the Commissary wrote a friendely letter to Mr. Rogers, shewenge hym he had commandemente from Canterbury to require hym to stay his lecture now for a whiles the plague continewed, which by suche concourses was daylie encreased. Mr. Rogers, beleevinge, as was pretended, stayed his lecture, & after harvest ended, the Doctor & Comissary was moved for renewene of the lecture; the Comissary gave fayer woordes, promysynge uery shortely thay shoolde haue liberty, which after sondry promyses, withowte all in all intention, Mr. Rogers seinge there was a secrett determination wholly to suppresse that lecture, this strooke hym to the harte, hastened all his natural malladies to his vttermost periode." Winthrop Papers, Mass. Hist. Coll.

Fourth Series, Vol. VI. p. 412. Extract from a Letter of Emanuel Downing to John Winthrop, 6 March, 1636.

"I was at Mr. Rogers of Dedham his funerall, where there were more people than 3 such Churches could hold: the gallery was soe over_loaden with people that it sunck and crackt and in the midle where yt was Joynted the tymbers gaped and parted on from an other soe that there was a great cry in the Church: they vnder the gallery fearing to be smothered, those that were vpon yt hasted of, some on way some an other, and some leaped downe among the people into the Church: those in the body of the Church seing the tymbers gape were sore afrighted, but yt pleased God to honour that good man departed with a miracle at his death, for the gallerie stood and the people went on againe, though not so manie as before; had y faln as blackfryars did vnder the popishe assembly, yt would haue ben a great wound to our religion." Winthrop Papers, Mass. Hist. Coll. Fourth Series, Vol. VI. p. 47.

Mr. Nathaniel Rogers arrived in New England 17 Nov. 1636.*

* Winthrop's New England, vol. i. p. 205 (2d ed. p. 244).

Concerning his voyage, the following extract from a Letter of Brampton Gurdon to John Winthrop, dated Assington, this 30 of August (1636), seems worth inserting here.

"It hathe faulne out verry hard with the shipe whear in Mr. Nathaniel Rogers imbarked himselff, his wiff who locke for* at the end of 7bur, 4 children, & 3 other pore fameles out of this towen; won is Robinson that lived in Litle Waldenfeld, with his wiff & 6 children; they went abord at Grauesend the furst of Jeuen, & have euer scins ben houareng to the Ile of Wite, & this day Mris Crane, their scister, & Mris Rogers mother in law tould me her husband had a letter from them from Plimworth, writ on Saturday scenight. This will fall exceding heui to dyuers in the ship who had mad som prouicyon for their liuelyhod in New England. Thay will be inforsed to spe[nd] it before they goe, & all for want of a constant Est wind. Thay haue had the wind for a day or 2, & then brought backe agayen. Thay haue had dyuers feruent prayers to geue them a good wind, but the tyem is not yet coum for God to haue the prayes of it."

Winthrop Papers, Mass. Hist. Coll.

Fourth Series, Vol. VI. p. 560.

The will of the Rev. NATHANIEL ROGERS, Pastor of the Church at Ipswich, taken from his own mouth, July 3, Anno Domini 1655, was proved in court at Ipswich, 25-7-1655. He reckons his estate in Old and New England at about twelve hundred pounds, four hundred pounds of which "is expected from my father Mr. Robert Crane in England." He makes the portion of John, though his eldest son, equal only with the others, viz. Nathaniel, Samuel and Timothy, and gives to each one hundred pounds out of his estate in Old England and one hundred pounds out of his estate in New England. To his son Ezekiel he gives twenty pounds, which he may take in books if he pleases. To his daughter he had already given two hundred pounds. To his three grandchildren, John, Nathaniel and Margaret Hubbard, he gives forty shillings each. To his cousin, John Rogers, five pounds, in the hands of Ensign Howlett. To Elizabeth, Nathaniel, John and Mary, children of his cousin John Harris,† of Rowley, he gives twenty shillings each. To Harvard College, five pounds. The remainder he leaves to his wife Margaret, whom he appoints executrix.

The original will is on file in the Probate Registry of Essex County, and a copy of it is preserved among the papers of the case of Rogers vs Rogers already referred to.

Mrs. Margaret Rogers died in Ipswich, 23 January, 1675, and admon. was granted to her eldest son, John Rogers, 30 March following (1676.)

Administration of the estate of Margaret Rogers, of Ipswich in

* I am inclined to think that this must refer to her expected confinement. Ezekiel must have been born just about this time.-H. F. w.

The wife of John Harris of Rowley was named Bridget. I would suggest that she may have been Bridget Anger, one of the children of Edmond and Bridget Anger (see the wills of Dorothy Rogers of Dedham and of John Rogers of Colchester).-H. F. W.

New England, widow, was also granted in England, 21 March, 1677, to William Hubbard, principal creditor.

From her age, as given in her deposition, it would appear that she was born about 1610. Her mother, therefore, could not have been the Mary Sparhawke, daughter of Samuel, baptized 1 February, 1600. (See New Eng. Hist. Gen. Reg., Vol. XIX. p. 125.)

There remains John Rogers, of Billerica, who undoubtedly belonged to this family, as we may learn from the will of Ezekiel of Rowley. The recent history of Billerica, by our associate, Rev. Mr. Hazen, furnishes a good account of him and his descendants. His will can be found on record in the Suffolk Registry (X.-23). It was "declared" 22 January, 1685, and letters were granted 8 June, 1687, to Thomas and Nathaniel, the executors. He gives to Nathaniel one half the house, etc., and to Thomas the other half after the death of the widow, who is to have the use of it. Other bequests to sons John and Daniel, daughter Priscilla, grandchild Mary French (at 21), son George Browne and wife's daughter Mary Browne. He is said to have died 25 January, 1685 (6), æt. 74, and was born therefore about 1611 or 1612. On the Tabular Pedigree which accompanies these notes will be found two Johns, either of whom might be this individual, so far as date of birth would indicate. I cannot help thinking that John, the son of Nathaniel, the schoolmaster, was the one referred to in will of his uncle John, of Dedham, as "the sadler," brother to Elizabeth Rogers. This sister, I doubt not, was adopted by her uncle, and was the one mentioned by the widow Dorothy Rogers in her will, as my maid Elizabeth Rogers." The John Rogers who lived in Billerica was evidently a baker (as I am informed by Mr. Hazen). Whether a man would change an occupation requiring an apprenticehood for another is a question. We have still left John, the second son of Thomas Rogers, who probably was placed by his father to learn some other trade than the ancestral one of shoemaking, in which the eldest son, Thomas, was to succeed him. I am therefore inclined to think that we are to look here for our Billerica Rogers.

९९

It was my good fortune to find in the British Museum two Elegies which seem to have escaped notice hitherto; one in manuscript, which I found in the well known Harleian collection; the other a printed broadside, in a collection known as the Luttrell collection. I found in this latter collection divers other elegies and eulogies which deserve to be known; among them one on the Rev. William Jenkin the younger, I remember, and another on Col. Rainborough. The two elegies referred to here follow :

:

Upon the death of old Mr Rogers of wethersfield minister of god his word, late deceased.

In Rama once a voyce was heard
Of bytter lamentation,

Wch now in weathersfield doth sound
An heavy visitation.

A mournefull Epitaph upon the death of that reverend vvorthy Pastor Mr JOHN ROGERS, late preacher of Gods vvord at Dedham in Essex, vvho departed this life the 18 of October in the yeere 1636.