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Research Notes: Silas Green Rogers

Notes from conversation with Sylvia Rogers Caldwell:  Silas bought 195 acres on Reese’s Creek in Bell County, Texas for $500 on January 14, 1873 (one year before G.B. was born). In November 1874, he bought 57.5 acres more on Reese’s Creek. Was quarter Cherokee. Had 10 brothers and 2 sisters.

SG Rogers 1880 Census, Bell County, Texas, p. 459, ED#8. Also in Bell Co, Wm S Rogers, p. 413, ED#6; DM Rogers, Anderson Co, ED#4, p. 137; Martin Rogers, Washington Co, p. 132, ED#145.

Only Rogers on 1870 Census, Bell Co, TX, Salado PO: Wm Rogers, age 32, minister, born Missouri, married to Rachel, age 26, also born Missouri. Issues: Edwin, age 7, Adeline, Jackson, Martin–all born Texas. Also listed as ‘ordained minister gospel’, possibly Church of Christ. Name also spelled RoDgers.

According to Glen Box:
1890-1895 he went to Corbett in Cleveland Co, OK. Was perhaps a Texas Ranger. Lived near Byars, OK–all boys split from home here. He got sick somewhere and boys went after him. Died at Albert’s home and was buried in Lexington.

Headstone:
“Farewell dear husband the time will not be long till I shall kiss you in the heavenly throng”

See roster of Haney’s Company, 1st Frontier District, Texas State Troops, “called into the service of the State of Texas from the first day of February 1864 when mustered, to the first day of June 1864, the date of the present muster” — S. Rogers, Pvt.

From Parker County USGenWeb site:
“Before the Civil War, Texans were moving west into lands occupied by some of the most feared warriors on the frontier. Naturally, these warriors objected to Texans who were moving into their historical home lands. Raids, attacks and other incidents occurred all along the western settlements. To provide security among these western most settlements, the government of the Republic of Texas and later the State of Texas provided companies of Rangers to be formed. In December 1861 the government of the State of Texas had authorized the formation of Frontier Regiments. Later in November and December 1863, the subjects of frontier defense and the Frontier Regiment was deliberated by the legislature. The result of these deliberations was ‘An Act to Provide for the protection of the Frontier, and turning over the Frontier Regiment to the Confederate States Service’. This act created the ‘Frontier Organization’. The plan called for the governor to divide the frontier counties into three districts and place a suitable Major of Cavalry over each district. This would be the last major modifications to frontier defense by the State of Texas during the Civil War. The First Frontier District was commanded by William Quayle. The First was the northern most of the districts and was made up of the present day counties of Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Foard, Hardeman, Haskel, Jack, Jones, Knox, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackelford, Stephens, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise and Young. [Second and Third descriptions omitted] All of these volunteers were meant to do the work once performed by the Rangers. many men answered the call and helped to defend their homes against the dangers presented by living on the frontier. These men were not members of the CSA, but were members of the State Troops of Texas. They were organized, supplied and paid by the government of Texas. It was the mission of these men to protect the western most settlements of Texas against attacks from all enemies. Unfortunately, not a lot of publicity has been given to their service.”
Records of the 1st FD/Co H are in Texas State Archives.

Married in Coryell County, TX about 1866??

CROSS TIMBERS. The Cross Timbers of Texas is two long and narrow strips of forest region that extend parallel to each other from Oklahoma southward to Central Texas between the ninety-sixth and ninety-ninth meridians and form a marked contrast to the prairies of the state. The Eastern (or Lower) Cross Timbers, a narrow band of blackjack and post oak, separates the region of Black Prairies on the east from the Grand Prairies on the west. The Eastern and Western Cross Timbers are formed by a narrow band of woodland extending along Red River. Toward the south the Eastern Cross Timbers belt spans the ninety-seventh meridian from the Red River to the Brazos River. Beginning in the eastern half of Cooke County, it extends southward through the eastern parts of Denton, Tarrant, and Johnson counties and the western parts of Grayson, Dallas, Ellis, and Hill counties. The average width of the Eastern Cross Timbers does not exceed fifteen miles, and its features disappear near the Brazos at Waco. The altitude of the belt is slightly higher than that of the surrounding prairies. The soil of the Eastern Cross Timbers differs from that of the Western in that the Eastern is more fertile and therefore produces larger trees and a wider variety of trees and shrubs. **In pioneer times the band of timber was a famous landmark. It was also a formidable obstacle to travelers because of the density of growth. It served as a dividing line between the hunting grounds of the Plains Indians and East Texas Indians. Comanches raided east of the Cross Timbers in the early years, and the Wichitas and others used the wood in the Cross Timbers. Indians used the Cross Timbers as a north-south avenue that afforded secrecy from enemies.** Cross Timbers oaks are used for firewood, railroad ties, and poles, but the most important function of the timber belt is preserving water. The timber prevents rain water from immediately running off the surface and causes much of it to soak into sand that supplies artesian water for hundreds of wells to the east and south of the Cross Timbers. The region is well adapted for truck farming. Cotton and corn are also grown.

The Western (or Upper) Cross Timbers comprises an irregularly bounded wooded region in north central Texas, extending in a generally southward direction through Montague, Wise, Jack, Parker, Hood, Erath, and Comanche counties. Topographically, much of the Western Cross Timbers is characterized by rough features, in contrast to the smooth outlines of the lands both to the east and to the west. The region at large, underlain by nonlimy geologic materials, is not easily eroded; constructional areas are few, and where they do occur, at the foot of longer slopes, they are of small extent. Since the region has a subhumid climate, its natural vegetation would ordinarily be grass; its scrubby tree growth results from edaphic features. The Western Cross Timbers is underlain by three larger groups of geologic formations: the Trinity sands of the Comanchean or Lower Cretaceous, the hard rocks of the various Pennsylvanian formations, and the Continental Red Beds materials of the Wichita formation in the Lower Permian. Owing to the fact that the parent materials are prevailingly noncalcareous, both the soils and the natural vegetation of the Western Cross Timbers areas differ sharply from soils of adjacent areas underlain by either “hard” or “soft” formations that are also highly calcareous. In fact, outcrops of the Paluxy sands are interspersed among calcareous materials to the east of the Trinity sands; without exception, the narrow belts of Paluxy sand outcrops support a growth of hardwoods, forming ribbons of woodland in an area where grasses would normally predominate. Topographic types in the region vary with the major geologic formations that outcrop in the area. The Trinity sands area at the east is a plain much of the surface of which is now so eroded as to forbid its use agriculturally. The Pennsylvanian outcrops form a plateau dissected by the channels of major streams that have been cut considerably below the surface level. The portion of the Western Cross Timbers underlain by the Wichita formation is a hilly and maturely dissected; in it the woodland vegetation is more scattered and more dwarfed than is the case in eastward­lying areas of the region. Soil and variations parallel both the topography and the geologic materials. The natural vegetation is a woodland predominantly made up of dwarfed post oaks. Short grasses occur over much of the area in localities where the woodland growth is sparse. Some of the areas underlain by deep sands support a growth of tall grasses. Among the Pennsylvanian outcrops occur scattered exposures of hard limestones; without exception, such exposures are characterized by a typical savanna landscape, comprising scattered mesquite shrubs underlain by a floor of sod­forming short grasses. The Western Cross Timbers country presents a landscape unexpected in West Texas. The region has been important chiefly for its mineral resources. Portions of the Trinity sands area are now important in peanut culture as well as for the growing of small fruits. In pioneer days the woodland growth on the Trinity sands supplied fuel for settlers on the western frontier of Texas as well as timber for log houses. The Trinity sands outcrop is an important intake area for meteoric water that forms important aquifers to the east where the formation continues in the subsurface. This was an important influence on early settlement as underground water was available from shallow wells dug into the Trinity sands.

SILAS GREEN ROGERS – Pvt. 1st Frontier District, Texas State Troops, Haney’s Company (H). Enlisted Feb. 1 1864. Married Cynthia Jane Hoggard, daughter of George Washington Hoggard and Susan B. Guerin. Silas was the son of William Rogers and Mary McClarin.
Silas Green Rogers served in the Texas State Troops, which very little is known about during the civil war. It was comprised of men in Texas who were eligible for draft into the Confederacy. Texas wanting to protect their own borders enlisted these men into a newly formed military unit named the Texas State Troops. The troops were separated into three districts. The First Frontier District the most complex and difficult to manage, was commanded by Major William Quayle and covered the 19 northern counties (now days) of Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Foard, Hardeman, Haskel, Jack, Jones, Knox, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackleford, Stephens, Trockmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise and Young. Decatur was the headquarters for the district. TST’s were called to defend their homes against dangers of the frontier, which included Indian raids, searching for deserters of the Confederacy, draft dodgers and renegades They were organized, supplied and paid by the State of Texas, not the Confederate States of America. The districts and troops were dissolved a few months after the close of the war.

December 15, 1863, an act was approved providing for additional frontier protection, and the transfer of frontier regiments to Confederate service. Sections I and II of said act were as follows:

“Section I. Be it enacted by the State Legislature of the State of Texas, that all persons liable to due military duty, who are at the passage of this act bonafide citizens of the following line of counties, and all counties lying north and west of said line, to wit; Wise, Parker, Cooke, that part of Johnson west of the Belknap and Fort Graham road, Bosque Coryell, Lampasas, Burnet, Blanco, Bandera, Medina, Kendall, Atascosa, Live Oak, McMullen, La Salle, Dimmit, and Maverick, shall be enrolled and organized into companies not less than twenty-five, nor more than sixty-five men rank, and file.

“Section II. That it shall be the duty of the governor, immediately after the passage of this act, to cause the counties designated in the preceding section to be divided into three districts, as equally in territory and population as may be; in each of which district he shall appoint a suitable person, with the rank and role of major of cavalry, who shall be the ranking officer of the district to which he is appointed, and which he is appointed, and which officer shall be charged with the organization of the men subject to duty in this section.”

January 6, 1864, the governor divided the territory into three district divisions, and in record time, the districts were organized, commanded and policed as follows, to wit:

FIRST DISTRICT
Commanded by Brig. Gen. J.W. Throckmorton and Maj. Wm. Quayle 2nd in command

Wise County. Capt. B.B. Haney’s company, 70 men; J.M. Hanks’ 66; J.B. Earhart’s 58; W.B. Shoemake’s 66; G.B. Pickett’s 50; Total 310

From Glenn Box
Sylvia, I have been waiting for you to do a little digesting, and catching
up. It is good to see you back around again….I got the letter back,
thanks. What photo did I promise? I remember now that I did, but I have
forgotten which one. Have been researching some of the Choctaw applications
from the Fletcher and Hoggard families in the archives, none of which were
approved. The interviews don’t add a lot, but were pretty adversarial. Arrie
Fletcher Rogers was interesting (Arizona Rogers, second wife of Albert King
Rogers), as included in all of these interviews were questions of “do you
speak any Choctaw”, and physical descriptions. Everybody had brown hair and
fair complexions in the files, and spoke no Choctaw, and were so disallowed.
But, there were two affidavits by William Hoggard listed in the 160 page
file, which was compiled to make a group determination. Unfortunately, they
were not included in the excerpts that were microfilmed in that folder. I am
told that the originals still exist, and if I am lucky, will be found in the
Ft. Worth branch archives. Also, I have been researching on a limited scale,
the Texas State Guard, known by various names, and comparable to the
national guard of today. Silas and his dad are said to have participated in
this organization, which ranged in patrol area up into Indian Territory.
There are some muster rolls available, and I have found a S.Rogers in the
district muster from Bell/Parker county. No other info is for sure, but
there aren’t a lot of Rogers at that date and place. There are some other
references, with more and better info, but they are in Texas, of course…
Finally, I am sort of confused…..did you say you found Drew’s grave in
Young county? But no other Rogers? The lady at the local historical society
led me to believe that there were many Rogers in the area, according to her
county history books. I will be heading down that way soon, were you able to
see anyone at the county society? Glenn