Honoring my ancestors John and son Henry Rogers

I've been tracking some ancestry which has many confusing dates attached. Poor John Rogers.  There either were about 10 of them living at the same time in Virginia (1700-1750) or many documents have different birth and death dates for maybe (logically?) 3-5 of them.

One John Rogers married Catherine or Caty Rogers (she is only known by a land sale and I don't know of any of her ancestors.)  

Remember spelling was pretty optional in the early 18th century, when many people only made a "X" mark when asked to sign their names.  Did illiteracy make them any less intelligent than their descendants with graduate college degrees?  Most assuredly not.  Their knowledge was that of dealing with land, politics, travel, food, raising a family, building a house out of available materials, neighbors, belief in their religion of choice, raising or killing their own food, animal husbandry, herbal knowledge for illnesses, having babies at home, and staying healthy when a doctor had little to offer except setting broken bones.

Documents did exist when land was sold, or wills were written and probates were administered to survivors.  Though a lot of court houses ended up having fires which destroyed many documents of my ancestors, there have been a few found.

And enough of these findings have led me to question my family tree's different branches.

My Rogers Family Bible said Henry Rogers was the father of Rev. Elijah Rogers.  The genealogist which my grandfather's cousin used said Henry had been the son of George Rogers.  But the wills and land documents question this.  There was also a Henry, brother of Steven, whose father was John.  So I just spent hours and hours checking through these documents.

In his will (dated Aug 8, 1794) John Rogers states he's giving his son, Henry, the rights to his land in Leeds Manor, Fauquier County, VA, and to Henry's wife, Sarah, as well as a cow and calf to his grandson John.  

All my records say that Henry (who I know is an ancestor from the family Bible) died in Tennessee in 1794, which was before John Rogers of Fauquier County VA probably died, close to the probate date of Dec. 1794.  These court records in Feb. 1795, (above and below) named that other Henry the executor of John's estate following his death.  He was there to carry out that will as executor in 1795.  A definite red flag that this isn't my ancestor.

And I just found a note on the Find a Grave site for our Tennessee Henry Rogers saying :

The Henry Rogers who was a brother of Stephen and son of John was born about 1761 and died 1835 in Fauquier Co., VA. Henry married Sarah "Sally" Jett. Added: Sep. 21, 2013

So here's to John Rogers who wasn't the ancestor of my line, though he's probably an uncle several times removed.  

I'll share a bit more about my family's Henry Rogers the next time I honor my ancestors.


Today's Quote:

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.

MAYA ANGELOU