Lewis was born March 7, 1795 near Louisville, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and moved with his parents to Indiana when he was three months old. He had but little education, because he went into the army. Lewis volunteered at Charlestown, Clark County , Indiana, and served from June 3, 1813, to May 31, 1815, as a private under Captain James Bigger and Lieutenant Carr in the U. S. Rangers, stationed in Indiana and Illinois. His superior commander was Gen. William Henry Harrison, Sr. (1773-1841), the future 9th President of the United States. At the Battle of Horse Shoe Bend, he and a Frenchman were left in charge of a lot of horses. The two men were soon surrounded and were forced to flee. While doing so the bullets came so close that Lewis injured one of his eyes.
For his services in the War of 1812 and the Indian War of 1813, Lewis was also allowed 160 acres of Bounty Land on Warrant no. 26471 under the Act of September 28, 1850.
In 1835, Lewis married Nancy Eaton, as his second wife, and four years later married as his third wife Elizabeth (Fazel) Walker (d. 1848) in Des Moines, Iowa. Elizabeth was born in Germany, and was a widow of a Mr. Walker.
In 1844, two sons named James William Rogers (1821-1895) and Green Clark "Clark" Rogers (1825-1891) made the long trek to Oregon. They were so impressed with what they saw, that they wrote to their father, Lewis Rogers, and suggested that he too should come.
What would lure a 51-year old man to leave his home and travel west is not recorded, but we know that when he got the letter from his sons, he began to make preparations to go. So in 1846 Lewis and at least two of his children, Amanda and Priscilla, joined a rather large group of people heading west. It took six months to make the trip.
Lewis first settled in Lafayette which was actually the center of government in the area at the time. Oregon was still jointly owned by the United States and Britain at that time. Just a few years earlier at the "Wolf" meetings following Ewing Young's death, the citizens had voted to form a provisional government. In the first provisional election held in June of 1847, Lewis Rogers was one of three people in Yamhill County chosen to serve in the legislature. There were eight counties at that time and in addition to Oregon the area also included Washington, Idaho, and part of British Columbia. A person who was better known than Lewis, Joe Meek, was a member of that group. All in all, there were 21 legislators, and they met in Oregon City, the provisional capital.
Lewis' third wife, Elizabeth died December 27, 1848 in Yamhill Co., Oregon, and he married a fourth and final time to Matilda Bevolt Shuck (1803).
Lewis was not re-elected the following year but on November 5, 1849, he was elected as one of three probate judges of Yamhill County. They acted as the county commission as well and the first court session was held in the Rogers home in Lafayette. In a newspaper clipping, we read about the three judges deciding who would preside over the court. Lewis said, "I don't know that I know much about this business myself, but I had a brother in Indiana that was a judge a great many years." He also said, "My hand shakes so now, I can't write my name so as anybody can read it. In fact, I hardly could." He was not chosen as the presiding judge.
The following year, he applied for and settled on 640 acres of Donation Land Claim in the Chehalem Valley. The land went from Dopp Road to Ribbon Ridge Road. The southern boundary was the present Bayley Road which is halfway between Yamhill Highway and North Valley Road. The north border was almost to the corner where Jim Bennett now lives. On this farm, he built a large house, one of the largest in the valley. It was said that the community people would gather there for dances as his was one of the few homes with carpets on the floor. You see, carpets took up a lot of space in a wagon and imported ones were very expensive. By this time Roger's two daughters had married good friends who had arrived in Oregon in 1843 and staked claims of their own in Willamina and Carlton. Even at the ripe old age of 16 Amanda was fair game in a frontier void of eligible women. This became even more crucial when the government required that you be married to get the whole 640 acres allowed. Priscilla married Nathan "Doc" Sitton and Amanda became the wife of Charles Edward Fendall.
"During the winter of 1861-62, when the Great Flood had carried away so much wheat which had been stored in warehouses, Lewis Rogers had several hundred bushels of wheat which was not lost. Wheat, of course, raised in price until it was $6.00 per bushel, but when people came to buy from him, he said "I won't take advantage of you, - you may have wheat for $2.00", (which was the price before the flood.) Many such instances earned for him the title "Good Friend and Neighbor". (Taken from manuscript written by Fay Lamson Ray).
Little is known about Rogers during the next few years, except for the fact that he was a member of the Christian Church. Nine children were to be born to him, six by first wife, Nancy, and three by the third wife, Elizabeth. On April 17, 1863, while our nation was divided in war and General Grant was staging his siege of Vicksburg, Lewis Rogers passed away. In his will, he divided the land among his widow and children. One son, Isacc, was given the land where Rudy Leffler now lives. Isacc established a post office in his home in 1865. The West Chehalem post office was in existence until 1900 when it was consolidated with Gaston. As was common in those days, the post office was in the home of the post master, so it moved around from time to time. Amanda inherited a portion at the time she was a widow, and through several transactions, she passed her claim on to her son Elbridge Gerry Fendall (1860-1926) who farmed it until his death in 1926.
For his services in the War of 1812 and the Indian War of 1813, Lewis was also allowed 160 acres of Bounty Land on Warrant no. 26471 under the Act of September 28, 1850.
In 1835, Lewis married Nancy Eaton, as his second wife, and four years later married as his third wife Elizabeth (Fazel) Walker (d. 1848) in Des Moines, Iowa. Elizabeth was born in Germany, and was a widow of a Mr. Walker.
In 1844, two sons named James William Rogers (1821-1895) and Green Clark "Clark" Rogers (1825-1891) made the long trek to Oregon. They were so impressed with what they saw, that they wrote to their father, Lewis Rogers, and suggested that he too should come.
What would lure a 51-year old man to leave his home and travel west is not recorded, but we know that when he got the letter from his sons, he began to make preparations to go. So in 1846 Lewis and at least two of his children, Amanda and Priscilla, joined a rather large group of people heading west. It took six months to make the trip.
Lewis first settled in Lafayette which was actually the center of government in the area at the time. Oregon was still jointly owned by the United States and Britain at that time. Just a few years earlier at the "Wolf" meetings following Ewing Young's death, the citizens had voted to form a provisional government. In the first provisional election held in June of 1847, Lewis Rogers was one of three people in Yamhill County chosen to serve in the legislature. There were eight counties at that time and in addition to Oregon the area also included Washington, Idaho, and part of British Columbia. A person who was better known than Lewis, Joe Meek, was a member of that group. All in all, there were 21 legislators, and they met in Oregon City, the provisional capital.
Lewis' third wife, Elizabeth died December 27, 1848 in Yamhill Co., Oregon, and he married a fourth and final time to Matilda Bevolt Shuck (1803).
Lewis was not re-elected the following year but on November 5, 1849, he was elected as one of three probate judges of Yamhill County. They acted as the county commission as well and the first court session was held in the Rogers home in Lafayette. In a newspaper clipping, we read about the three judges deciding who would preside over the court. Lewis said, "I don't know that I know much about this business myself, but I had a brother in Indiana that was a judge a great many years." He also said, "My hand shakes so now, I can't write my name so as anybody can read it. In fact, I hardly could." He was not chosen as the presiding judge.
The following year, he applied for and settled on 640 acres of Donation Land Claim in the Chehalem Valley. The land went from Dopp Road to Ribbon Ridge Road. The southern boundary was the present Bayley Road which is halfway between Yamhill Highway and North Valley Road. The north border was almost to the corner where Jim Bennett now lives. On this farm, he built a large house, one of the largest in the valley. It was said that the community people would gather there for dances as his was one of the few homes with carpets on the floor. You see, carpets took up a lot of space in a wagon and imported ones were very expensive. By this time Roger's two daughters had married good friends who had arrived in Oregon in 1843 and staked claims of their own in Willamina and Carlton. Even at the ripe old age of 16 Amanda was fair game in a frontier void of eligible women. This became even more crucial when the government required that you be married to get the whole 640 acres allowed. Priscilla married Nathan "Doc" Sitton and Amanda became the wife of Charles Edward Fendall.
"During the winter of 1861-62, when the Great Flood had carried away so much wheat which had been stored in warehouses, Lewis Rogers had several hundred bushels of wheat which was not lost. Wheat, of course, raised in price until it was $6.00 per bushel, but when people came to buy from him, he said "I won't take advantage of you, - you may have wheat for $2.00", (which was the price before the flood.) Many such instances earned for him the title "Good Friend and Neighbor". (Taken from manuscript written by Fay Lamson Ray).
Little is known about Rogers during the next few years, except for the fact that he was a member of the Christian Church. Nine children were to be born to him, six by first wife, Nancy, and three by the third wife, Elizabeth. On April 17, 1863, while our nation was divided in war and General Grant was staging his siege of Vicksburg, Lewis Rogers passed away. In his will, he divided the land among his widow and children. One son, Isacc, was given the land where Rudy Leffler now lives. Isacc established a post office in his home in 1865. The West Chehalem post office was in existence until 1900 when it was consolidated with Gaston. As was common in those days, the post office was in the home of the post master, so it moved around from time to time. Amanda inherited a portion at the time she was a widow, and through several transactions, she passed her claim on to her son Elbridge Gerry Fendall (1860-1926) who farmed it until his death in 1926.
Lewis was born March 7, 1795 near Louisville, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and moved with his parents to Indiana when he was three months old. He had but little education, because he went into the army. Lewis volunteered at Charlestown, Clark County , Indiana, and served from June 3, 1813, to May 31, 1815, as a private under Captain James Bigger and Lieutenant Carr in the U. S. Rangers, stationed in Indiana and Illinois. His superior commander was Gen. William Henry Harrison, Sr. (1773-1841), the future 9th President of the United States. At the Battle of Horse Shoe Bend, he and a Frenchman were left in charge of a lot of horses. The two men were soon surrounded and were forced to flee. While doing so the bullets came so close that Lewis injured one of his eyes.
For his services in the War of 1812 and the Indian War of 1813, Lewis was also allowed 160 acres of Bounty Land on Warrant no. 26471 under the Act of September 28, 1850.
In 1835, Lewis married Nancy Eaton, as his second wife, and four years later married as his third wife Elizabeth (Fazel) Walker (d. 1848) in Des Moines, Iowa. Elizabeth was born in Germany, and was a widow of a Mr. Walker.
In 1844, two sons named James William Rogers (1821-1895) and Green Clark "Clark" Rogers (1825-1891) made the long trek to Oregon. They were so impressed with what they saw, that they wrote to their father, Lewis Rogers, and suggested that he too should come.
What would lure a 51-year old man to leave his home and travel west is not recorded, but we know that when he got the letter from his sons, he began to make preparations to go. So in 1846 Lewis and at least two of his children, Amanda and Priscilla, joined a rather large group of people heading west. It took six months to make the trip.
Lewis first settled in Lafayette which was actually the center of government in the area at the time. Oregon was still jointly owned by the United States and Britain at that time. Just a few years earlier at the "Wolf" meetings following Ewing Young's death, the citizens had voted to form a provisional government. In the first provisional election held in June of 1847, Lewis Rogers was one of three people in Yamhill County chosen to serve in the legislature. There were eight counties at that time and in addition to Oregon the area also included Washington, Idaho, and part of British Columbia. A person who was better known than Lewis, Joe Meek, was a member of that group. All in all, there were 21 legislators, and they met in Oregon City, the provisional capital.
Lewis' third wife, Elizabeth died December 27, 1848 in Yamhill Co., Oregon, and he married a fourth and final time to Matilda Bevolt Shuck (1803).
Lewis was not re-elected the following year but on November 5, 1849, he was elected as one of three probate judges of Yamhill County. They acted as the county commission as well and the first court session was held in the Rogers home in Lafayette. In a newspaper clipping, we read about the three judges deciding who would preside over the court. Lewis said, "I don't know that I know much about this business myself, but I had a brother in Indiana that was a judge a great many years." He also said, "My hand shakes so now, I can't write my name so as anybody can read it. In fact, I hardly could." He was not chosen as the presiding judge.
The following year, he applied for and settled on 640 acres of Donation Land Claim in the Chehalem Valley. The land went from Dopp Road to Ribbon Ridge Road. The southern boundary was the present Bayley Road which is halfway between Yamhill Highway and North Valley Road. The north border was almost to the corner where Jim Bennett now lives. On this farm, he built a large house, one of the largest in the valley. It was said that the community people would gather there for dances as his was one of the few homes with carpets on the floor. You see, carpets took up a lot of space in a wagon and imported ones were very expensive. By this time Roger's two daughters had married good friends who had arrived in Oregon in 1843 and staked claims of their own in Willamina and Carlton. Even at the ripe old age of 16 Amanda was fair game in a frontier void of eligible women. This became even more crucial when the government required that you be married to get the whole 640 acres allowed. Priscilla married Nathan "Doc" Sitton and Amanda became the wife of Charles Edward Fendall.
"During the winter of 1861-62, when the Great Flood had carried away so much wheat which had been stored in warehouses, Lewis Rogers had several hundred bushels of wheat which was not lost. Wheat, of course, raised in price until it was $6.00 per bushel, but when people came to buy from him, he said "I won't take advantage of you, - you may have wheat for $2.00", (which was the price before the flood.) Many such instances earned for him the title "Good Friend and Neighbor". (Taken from manuscript written by Fay Lamson Ray).
Little is known about Rogers during the next few years, except for the fact that he was a member of the Christian Church. Nine children were to be born to him, six by first wife, Nancy, and three by the third wife, Elizabeth. On April 17, 1863, while our nation was divided in war and General Grant was staging his siege of Vicksburg, Lewis Rogers passed away. In his will, he divided the land among his widow and children. One son, Isacc, was given the land where Rudy Leffler now lives. Isacc established a post office in his home in 1865. The West Chehalem post office was in existence until 1900 when it was consolidated with Gaston. As was common in those days, the post office was in the home of the post master, so it moved around from time to time. Amanda inherited a portion at the time she was a widow, and through several transactions, she passed her claim on to her son Elbridge Gerry Fendall (1860-1926) who farmed it until his death in 1926.
For his services in the War of 1812 and the Indian War of 1813, Lewis was also allowed 160 acres of Bounty Land on Warrant no. 26471 under the Act of September 28, 1850.
In 1835, Lewis married Nancy Eaton, as his second wife, and four years later married as his third wife Elizabeth (Fazel) Walker (d. 1848) in Des Moines, Iowa. Elizabeth was born in Germany, and was a widow of a Mr. Walker.
In 1844, two sons named James William Rogers (1821-1895) and Green Clark "Clark" Rogers (1825-1891) made the long trek to Oregon. They were so impressed with what they saw, that they wrote to their father, Lewis Rogers, and suggested that he too should come.
What would lure a 51-year old man to leave his home and travel west is not recorded, but we know that when he got the letter from his sons, he began to make preparations to go. So in 1846 Lewis and at least two of his children, Amanda and Priscilla, joined a rather large group of people heading west. It took six months to make the trip.
Lewis first settled in Lafayette which was actually the center of government in the area at the time. Oregon was still jointly owned by the United States and Britain at that time. Just a few years earlier at the "Wolf" meetings following Ewing Young's death, the citizens had voted to form a provisional government. In the first provisional election held in June of 1847, Lewis Rogers was one of three people in Yamhill County chosen to serve in the legislature. There were eight counties at that time and in addition to Oregon the area also included Washington, Idaho, and part of British Columbia. A person who was better known than Lewis, Joe Meek, was a member of that group. All in all, there were 21 legislators, and they met in Oregon City, the provisional capital.
Lewis' third wife, Elizabeth died December 27, 1848 in Yamhill Co., Oregon, and he married a fourth and final time to Matilda Bevolt Shuck (1803).
Lewis was not re-elected the following year but on November 5, 1849, he was elected as one of three probate judges of Yamhill County. They acted as the county commission as well and the first court session was held in the Rogers home in Lafayette. In a newspaper clipping, we read about the three judges deciding who would preside over the court. Lewis said, "I don't know that I know much about this business myself, but I had a brother in Indiana that was a judge a great many years." He also said, "My hand shakes so now, I can't write my name so as anybody can read it. In fact, I hardly could." He was not chosen as the presiding judge.
The following year, he applied for and settled on 640 acres of Donation Land Claim in the Chehalem Valley. The land went from Dopp Road to Ribbon Ridge Road. The southern boundary was the present Bayley Road which is halfway between Yamhill Highway and North Valley Road. The north border was almost to the corner where Jim Bennett now lives. On this farm, he built a large house, one of the largest in the valley. It was said that the community people would gather there for dances as his was one of the few homes with carpets on the floor. You see, carpets took up a lot of space in a wagon and imported ones were very expensive. By this time Roger's two daughters had married good friends who had arrived in Oregon in 1843 and staked claims of their own in Willamina and Carlton. Even at the ripe old age of 16 Amanda was fair game in a frontier void of eligible women. This became even more crucial when the government required that you be married to get the whole 640 acres allowed. Priscilla married Nathan "Doc" Sitton and Amanda became the wife of Charles Edward Fendall.
"During the winter of 1861-62, when the Great Flood had carried away so much wheat which had been stored in warehouses, Lewis Rogers had several hundred bushels of wheat which was not lost. Wheat, of course, raised in price until it was $6.00 per bushel, but when people came to buy from him, he said "I won't take advantage of you, - you may have wheat for $2.00", (which was the price before the flood.) Many such instances earned for him the title "Good Friend and Neighbor". (Taken from manuscript written by Fay Lamson Ray).
Little is known about Rogers during the next few years, except for the fact that he was a member of the Christian Church. Nine children were to be born to him, six by first wife, Nancy, and three by the third wife, Elizabeth. On April 17, 1863, while our nation was divided in war and General Grant was staging his siege of Vicksburg, Lewis Rogers passed away. In his will, he divided the land among his widow and children. One son, Isacc, was given the land where Rudy Leffler now lives. Isacc established a post office in his home in 1865. The West Chehalem post office was in existence until 1900 when it was consolidated with Gaston. As was common in those days, the post office was in the home of the post master, so it moved around from time to time. Amanda inherited a portion at the time she was a widow, and through several transactions, she passed her claim on to her son Elbridge Gerry Fendall (1860-1926) who farmed it until his death in 1926.
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