James Rogers (c. 1726 – September 23, 1790) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born soldier. He emigrated to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at an early age and became a

frontiersman A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts ...

. He served with his brother

Robert Rogers Robert Rogers may refer to: Politics * Robert Rogers (Irish politician) (died 1719), Irish politician, MP for Cork City 1692–1699 *Robert Rogers (Manitoba politician) (1864–1936), Canadian politician * Robert Rogers, Baron Lisvane (born 1950), ...

during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. He then served as a Loyalist leader during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and later settled in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Early life

Rogers was born to James and Mary Rogers in Ireland, and they immigrated to the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the Thirteen Colonies, thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III of England, William III and Mary II ...

around 1729. Robert Rogers was born in 1731 and a third brother Richard in 1733. During the

, he served in

Rogers' Rangers Rogers' Rangers was a company of soldiers from the Province of New Hampshire raised by Major Robert Rogers and attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the British army as ...

, a provincial Ranger Corps raised by his brother

French and Indian War

He was with Robert in the Battle on Snowshoes in January 1757, the

Siege of Louisbourg (1758) The siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal operation of the Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War) in 1758 that ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led to the subsequent British campaign to capt ...

, the Ile Saint-Jean Campaign and the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...

(1759). In 1765, he was granted the township of Kent, a parcel in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

later known as the townships of Londonderry and Windham.

American War of Independence

In the

, he commanded the 2nd Battalion of the

King's Rangers The King's Rangers, also known as the King's American Rangers, was a Loyalist provincial ranger unit raised in Nova Scotia for service during the American Revolutionary War. Formation After Colonel Robert Rogers left the Queen's Rangers in 17 ...

, thereby forfeiting his lands in Vermont. In 1784, he led a party of about 300 disbanded King's Rangers and their families to the Third Township of Cataraqui, later known as the Township of Fredericksburgh, in

Lennox County, Ontario Lennox County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario which now forms part of Lennox and Addington County. It was named after Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond. Its territory is the same as what now composes the town of Gre ...

, where they were granted land. Rogers, who first settled in Fredericksburgh, where he became lieutenant-colonel of the militia, lived for a time in

Prince Edward County, Ontario Prince Edward County (PEC) is a municipality in southern Ontario, Canada. Its coastline on Lake Ontario’s northeastern shore is known for Sandbanks Provincial Park, sand beaches, and limestone cliffs. The Regent Theatre, a restored Edwardian ...

but returned to Fredericksburgh before his death on September 23, 1790.

Vermont negotiations

Between 1780 and 1783, Rogers was heavily involved in the negotiations with

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

and

Thomas Chittenden Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730August 25, 1797) was an American politician from Vermont, who was a leader of the territory for nearly two decades. Chittenden was the first and third governor of the state of Vermont, serving from 1778 to 1789 ...

to have Vermont come back under the British Crown. Rogers and Allen were both large land owners in Vermont, which had not been admitted to the newly formed United States because both New York and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

claimed it as their own, and declared independence in 1777. These negotiations resulted in Allen being accused of treason, but no formal charges were ever made.

Family and notable descendants

James married Margaret McGregor (1740–1793), daughter of

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Minister, Reverend

David McGregore David McGregore (November 6, 1710 – May 30, 1777), also known as McGregor, MacGregore or MacGregor, was a Presbyterian Minister and Member of the Colonial America Christian Clergy. He brought his family and congregation of Scotch-Irish immi ...

of Derry, New Hampshire, in March 1760. His second son, James Rogers III (1764–1841), petitioned the state of Vermont and reclaimed the townships of Londonderry in 1795 and Windham in 1797. His third son, David McGregor Rogers (1772–1824), assisted in the petitions and became a member of the Upper Canada Parliament. There was another David Rogers, the first son of then Captain James Rogers, who died at 4 years old in 1766 and is buried in East Derry, New Hampshire.

Notes

External links

Descendants of James Rogers, Father of the Rangers
Contains descendants of Robert Rogers, James Rogers, Samuel Rogers and his other siblings. * *Robert Rogers *

** *

*

*

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, James 1726 births 1790 deaths American Loyalists from Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War People of colonial New Hampshire People of colonial Massachusetts People from Methuen, Massachusetts People from Manchester, New Hampshire British America army officers Loyalist military personnel of the American Revolutionary War