Ezekiel Rogers (1590 – January 23, 1660) was an English nonconformist clergyman, and

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

settler of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Life

He was a son of

Richard Rogers Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British architect noted for his modernist and Functionalism (architecture), functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. He was a senior partner a ...

, who held the living of Wethersfield in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, and younger brother of Daniel Rogers. He graduated M.A. from

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

in 1604, and became chaplain in the family of Sir Francis Barrington in Essex. He was preferred by his patron to the living of

Rowley Rowley may refer to: Places Canada * Rowley, Alberta * Rowley Island, Nunavut United Kingdom * Rowley, County Durham, a hamlet * Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England * Rowley, Shropshire, a location in Shropshire, England * Rowley Regis, ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. :s:Rogers, Ezekiel (DNB00) In December 1638, after seventeen years of service, Rogers was discharged from his post as rector of Rowley, after he had refused to read '' The Book of Sports''. Believing the future of Puritanism was at stake, he left for the New World with the members of twenty families of his congregation. He arrived in New England in December 1638 with the families on the ship '' John of London'', and wintered at

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. The first printing press brought to America came on board the ship with them, with the printer

Stephen Daye Stephen Daye, Sr. (c.1594 – December 22, 1668) emigrated from England to the British colony of Massachusetts and became the first printer in colonial America. He printed the ''Bay Psalm Book'' in 1640, the first book known to have been printe ...

Theophilus Eaton Theophilus Eaton (January 7, 1658) was a wealthy New England Puritan merchant, first Governor of New Haven Colony, Connecticut, co founder of that same colony and co founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His brother, Nathaniel Eaton, w ...

and John Davenport were then setting up their colony at

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

; they tried to enlist Rogers, but without success. Early in the spring of 1639 he and most of these twenty families settled in the town of

Rowley, Massachusetts Rowley is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,161 at the 2020 census. Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Rowley (CDP), Massachusetts, Row ...

. Rowley was incorporated on September 4, 1639. Rogers was the pastor at Rowley until his death on 23 January 1661. He was three times married: first, to Sarah, widow of John Everard; secondly, Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of John Wilson of the

First Church in Boston First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church (originally Congregationalist) founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building, located on 66 Marlborough Street in the Back ...

; thirdly, to Mary, widow of Thomas Barker. He left no children.

Works

Rogers published ''The Chief Grounds of the Christian Religion set down by way of catechising, gathered long since for the use of an honourable Family'', London, 1642. Several of his letters to

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...

are published in the ''Massachusetts Historical Collection'' (4th ser. vii.)

References

*''The Essex Antiquarian'' v.11, 1907 by Edited by Sidney Perley. *''New England Historic and Genealogical Register'', vol. 5, pages 119-128 *

Notes

External links

First Congregational Church of Rowley, Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Ezekiel 1590 births 1661 deaths Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge American evangelicals American Christian clergy English emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony American religious writers 17th-century English Anglican priests Evangelical Anglicans English evangelicals English Caroline nonconforming clergy Massachusetts colonial-era clergy People of colonial Massachusetts 17th-century New England Puritan ministers People from Rowley, Massachusetts People from Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire