My Genealogy Hound

James P. Rogers. Nowhere in Drew County, Ark., is there to be found a man of more energy, determined will, or force of character than Mr. Rogers possesses, and no agriculturist is more deserving of success in the conduct and management of a farm than he. He was born in Tippah County, Miss., June 9, 1843, and is a son of James P. and Matilda (Thornton) Rogers, who were born in Georgia, the father’s birth occurring in 1803, and the mother’s in 1813. They were married in 1829, and to their union a family of seven children was born, the following only of whom are living: James P., Elijah Y. A. (who married Joe A. Phillips), and Rebecca J. (who married William McEntire). The father was a tiller of the soil and was exceptionally successful in his operations, and at the time of his death, February, 1863, he was the owner of 1,200 acres of fertile and valuable land. In 1839 he left his native State and emigrated to Mississippi, going to Southern Texas in 1855, and in 1856 he removed to Arkansas, and took up his abode in Drew County, where he resided until his death. He was a man who took much interest in building up churches, educational institutions and society in general, and was a valuable acquisition to the different communities in which he resided. He and wife, who died in 1861, were members of the Baptist Church. Their son, James P. Rogers, was educated in a private school in Mississippi, and in 1861 entered the Confederate service, under Gen. Hardee, and the first engagement of note in which he took part was at Fort Donelson, but shortly after he was honorably discharged on account of disability. Upon his return home he was married December 11, 1861, to Miss Rachel M. Goodwin, a native of Tennessee, and a daughter of Bryant and Isabella Goodwin, and soon after his marriage returned to the army, and served until the final surrender. He was wounded at Spanish Fort, but not seriously, and upon his return home he began devoting his attention to agriculture, and is now the owner of a fertile farm of 300 acres, of which ninety are under cultivation. He and wife are members of the Baptist Church, in which he is a deacon, and they are the parents of these children: John H., Dora D., Nora R., Elzie I., Elijah L, James C., Lionel V. (deceased), and Nettie.