Harriet Rogers
Mrs. Harriet C.
Rogers
Born
March 3, 1843
DIED
November 7, 1878
Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord
Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales
Biography
The stone marking the final resting place of Harriet says that she was born on 3 March 1843. The census of Calhoun County (p. 371B) where she resided with her husband and early children reports that she was born in Virginia. Her maiden name is "Harriet C. Price" according to her marriage license which can be found in the second volume of Marriage Records in Collins County, Texas. She is the first wife of Rev. Curran Michael Rogers. They married on 16 November 1862 in Collins County before Rev. Joseph Day. C. M. Rogers was a native of Alabama, born in Coosa County on 23 July 1841. He had come with his father to Texas in 1849 and settled in Smith County. He was placed at McKenzie College in Red River County and as a young man joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. He began his life as minister in that denomination in 1866 and served in the West Texas Conference for 14 years. Thus at the time of his marriage to Harriet he was actively engaged as a minister of the Gospel. As noted they are found in the 1870 census of Calhoun County, living in Indianola prior to the hurricanes that would devastate that port city. At the time they already have two children: Michael (born c. 1866) and Hattie Ann (born c. 1869). Most likely they moved to the Corpus Christi area after the hurricane that ended the development of Indianola. The 1880 census of Nueces County (page 16D) notes that Curran and Harriet had at least four other children before her death: Asa (born c. 1872), Samuel (born c. 1874), Lula (born c. 1876), and Price (born c. 1878 by the 1880 census). Other documentation reports that the youngest child, Curran Price Rogers, was born 22 October 1878. This would have been only a few weeks before the death of Harriet on 7 November 1878. This may mean that she died from complications after the birth. Her family name was to live on in this youngest son, Curran "Price" Rogers. It has been passed down in the family to Curran Price Rogers, Jr. (born circa 1905), Curran Price Rogers III (born 1937), and Curran Price Rogers IV (born 1961). Subsequent to Harriet's death, Curran Michael Rogers married the widow Martha Rabb in San Antonio on 25 March 1879 before Rev. A. H. Steagall). He subsequently retired from the ministry in 1880 and engaged in agriculture and cattle while also active in politics. He was elected to the 18th Legislature to represent the 85th Representative District (composed of the counties of Nueces, San Patricio, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen and La Salle). The family subsequently purchased a ranch of about 24,000 acres, situated approximately 20 miles from Austin. The Corpus Christi Caller reports that he was present to give a speech at Market hall in May of 1892 to support Judge George Clark as candidate for governor. At that time Mr. Rogers himself was running for the position of lieutenant governor (C. C. Caller, 20 May 1892, page 5 col. 2). C. M. Rogers also survived his second wife as Martha died at their home in Austin on Wednesday night, March 20, 1901 at the age of 72 years (C. C. Caller, 22 March 1901, page 5 col. 4). Information on Mr. Rogers, along with an engraving of his portrait, can be found on pages 580-583 in "Personnel of the Texas State Government with Sketches of Representative Men of Texas" by L. E. Daniell.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell