A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time: A Collection of Persons Distinguished in Professional and Political Life, Leaders in the Commerce and Industry of Canada, and Successful Pioneers
History
A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time: A Collection of Persons Distinguished in Professional and Political Life, Leaders in the Commerce and Industry of Canada, and Successful Pioneers
commanding the first British expedition that passed through the great
chain of lakes, interesting accounts of which may be found in his
“Journal,” published in London, England, in 1765; “Heely’s Wolfe in
Canada,” “Parkman’s Conspiracy of Pontiac,” chap. vi.; and many others.
The Rangers were re-organized on the breaking out of the rebellion in
1765, by a brother of the first commanding officer Colonel James Rogers
who was the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, commanded
at St. John’s, Quebec (the key of Canada as it was then called), and
were called the “Queen’s Rangers,” but many of the leading spirits
joined the rebels, among others Putnam and Stark, who were lieutenants
in the Rangers, and who became celebrated generals in the American army.
Great inducements were offered the Rogers to join Washington, but they
remained staunch to the Crown, for which they not only lost their homes
and possessions (some 30,000 acres of land in New England), but had
their good name calumniated, being called traitors and spies by the
partisan press of the revolutionists. The mother of H. C. Rogers was
third daughter of the late Hon. Zaccheus Burnham, of Cobourg, who came
to Cobourg with his four brothers from New Hampshire at the end of the
last century, and who carved out homes and affluence from the forest,
and left a large circle of descendants who are filling many positions of
trust and honour throughout the Dominion. Henry Cassady Rogers, the
subject of our sketch, received his primary education in the public
school at Grafton; then when twelve years of age he was sent to the
Model School at Toronto, and finally to the Grammar School at Kingston
where he graduated. He then apprenticed himself to his uncle, the late
Lieut.-Colonel R. D. Rogers, of Ashburnham, who learned him how to
conduct a commercial business, and with this uncle he remained from 1855
to 1860. He then went into business in Peterboro’ with his
brother-in-law, Harry Strickland, son of Colonel Strickland, of
Lakefield, and for ten years they carried on a successful mercantile
lumbering and mining business under the name of Strickland & Rogers. In
1871 Mr. Rogers retired from the firm and was made postmaster of
Peterboro’, which office he now fills with satisfaction to the public.
Mr. Rogers has inherited from his illustrious ancestors a love of
military life, and when only sixteen years of age, on the Rifle company
being formed at Peterboro’ in 1855, he joined that corps; and in 1866,
on the promotion of Captain Poole, he was given command of the company,
and acted as its captain during the various Fenian raids of that period.
In 1867, when the 57th battalion was formed, he and his companions
became No. 1 company of the battalion. In this connection, we may here
say, that his brother, Lieut.-Colonel Robert Z. Rogers, commands the
40th (Northumberland) battalion; and his cousin, Lieut.-Colonel James Z.
Rogers, the 57th battalion Peterboro’ Rangers. In 1872 he raised and
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