William Hazen Rogers (born May 13, 1801) was an American master

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary great ...

and a pioneer in the silver-plate industry and whose work and name have survived to the present day. Rogers together with his two brothers and, later, his son was responsible for more than 100 patterns of silver and silver-plated

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

and serving dishes. Many of Roger's designs were influenced by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

-style patterns of the 17th and 18th century in France, and he was best known for his Elberon pattern and "Presidential" cutlery series. Rogers partnered with other silversmiths at times, and his company and trademarks were eventually taken over by larger companies.

Early life

Rogers was born on a farm on May 13, 1801, to Sarah Reynolds Rogers (born 1777; date of death unknown) and Asa Rogers (born 1798; died 1824 in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Career

After he left home, he went on to become a silversmith, watchmaker and jeweler. From 1820 to 1825, Rogers was an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to Joseph Church, a silversmith and

watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their par ...

in Hartford. (Church subsequently also became an official and a director of The Aetna Life Insurance Company). In 1825, Rogers became partners with Church and their company, Church & Rogers, initially manufactured silver-plate flatware and

hollowware Holloware (hollowware, or hollow-ware ) is metal tableware such as sugar bowls, creamers, coffee pots, teapots, soup tureens, hot food covers, water jugs, platters, butter pat plates, and other items that accompany dishware on a table. It doe ...

. He was also partner, from 1832 to 1838, with Asa Harris Rogers, his younger brother, as "A. Rogers Jr. & Co." while still associated with Church & Rogers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, William Hazen Place of birth missing Year of death missing Place of death missing 1801 births 19th-century American people American silversmiths Artists from Hartford, Connecticut

Early life

Career

See also

References