Roger Steward, son of Washington Worth Steward and Martha Louise Stewart, was born at Stewards Mill, Texas on August 12, 1902. He worked for his father raising cattle and farming as well as operating a grist mill. Because he could start the mill's engine and keep it running, he was given that responsibility at age thirteen. After receiving all the education available at the Stewards Mill School, he rode horseback to attend school in Fairfield until he graduated. After learning the practical aspects of engineering from his father, he completed a course in engineering from The International Correspondence School. During the Mexia Oil Boom, he ran elevations and also helped survey DCD highway which connected Houston to Dallas and beyond. It was the first highway to cross Freestone County and the first roadway in the county built to accommodate automobiles. After buying 200 acres of land in 1924, he bought the first tractor with cultivating equipment. People came from far and wide to see this novelty that they knew would not work as well as their mule drawn equipment. The first year he used the tractor, he made 32 bales of cotton as opposed to the normal five to ten produced by the average farmer. At 22 cents a pound, he paid for the equipment the first year. As a surveyor for Humble Pipeline Company, Roger became acquainted with many people in the oil and gas industry. after three years, he moved his family to Fairfield and purchased the Humble Service Station. Humble employees learned they could leave and receive messages to and from their offices at that station. These early contacts enabled Roger to make lucrative agreements when he became an independent oil producer in later years. Knowing of Freestone County's abundant lignite deposits, he asked J. W. Folk to notify him of the depth and density of any coal he found when digging water wells. After using this information to create a map of coal deposits within the county. This map was used to buy coal leases when Texas Power and Light bought leases and constructed an electrical generating plant in Freestone County. In the meantime, he continued to be involved in oil and gas development. Knowing that Fairfield was growing, he was instrumental in getting the First National Bank of Streetman moved to Fairfield. He was a Past Master of Fairfield Lodge No. 103, AlF.&A.M. and an elder of Fairfield-Harmony Presbyterian Church. In 1921, Roger Steward married Grace Nettle, daughter of David Oliver Nettle and Emma Frances Harris. They were parents of two children: Emma Louise Steward; Roger David Steward.